132 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



sions and garnished ■with exclamation points. The author, 

 however, allows (in the Western sense) that he has seen many 

 ■wonderful things, although indisposed to admit that others 

 have been equally fortunate. Perhaps if he should publish an 

 account of some of them they might appear as fishy to others 

 as others are to l)im, although 1 should hope people would 

 have belter taste than to tell him so. However, "in youth 

 we believe too much, and in old age too little." A high 

 authority informs us "that at the mouths of three -witnesses 

 every word shall be established." I know, at least, that num- 

 bers of reliable hunters who have seen Ihe bird as described, 

 and their affidavits can be obtained if necessary. But whilo 

 Standing squarely by the record, I must respectfully protest 

 against having the paternity or authorship of the word "King 

 Partridge" imputed to me, as a reference to the article in 

 question will show that I obtained it from another person. 

 "Whether he originated it or not I never thought to inquire, 

 and it, is now too late to rectify the error, as he has been dead 

 nearly thirty years. Penobscot. 



The Parrot Fish.— Tv?o very remarkable specimens of this 

 beautiful and curious fish were exhibited by Mr. E. G. Black- 

 ford last week in Fulton Market. Belonging to the Scants fami- 

 ly, they show the peculiar type. It is impossible, however, to 

 give, any description of their color. Now the tints on fish 

 generally are not what artists designate as body colors. Such 

 shades as they have are hardly palpablo in an artistic sense. 

 The color of the parrot fish is intense. With golden and vio- 

 let gleams for fugitive tints, it has a dense green, which looks 

 as if the fish was absolutely painted. This color has really 

 the consistency of a pigment, and it looks as if the scales when 

 preserved might retain the shade. The jaws are convex, 

 each divided by a median suture. The teeth are incorpor- 

 ated in the bono as in a snapping turtle. The scales on the 

 body are large, some 1\ inches'. The dorsal is continuous 

 from behind a line drawn from the head. The length of each 

 fish was 34 inches and would weigh about 30 pounds. The 

 scientific name of these fish, which were caught off Vera 

 Cruz, is Scarus guueamaia. There is a smaller species in the 

 Caribbean Sea, some 14 to 18 inches, long, called the S. albi- 

 </artiii. In looking at these fish we recalled the fact that they 

 were the first to which the old Romans devoted their scanty 

 knowledge of fish culture. Parrot fish were thought to be a 

 least for the gods, and made a part of the famous dish called 

 '■ the Shield of Menerva," into which were mingled brains of 

 nightingales, tongues of flamingoes and the milt of the lam- 

 prey. Immense amounts of money were spent in stocking 

 t lie. waters between Crete and Asia Minor with these fish. 

 The Seams— the Greeks call it Scaro to-day— was thought to 

 have a voice and to be a ruminating creature. Mexican fish- 

 ermen believe that it literally feeds on coral, but that is ab- 

 surd, as what nutriment there may be in pure carbonate of 

 lime is hard to determine. It is thought, however, to feed on 

 sea-weed. Perhaps in that cxhaustless catalogue of fish, on 

 which nature lavishes such strange colors and outlines, there 

 is not one more remarkable than the parrot fish. 



One peculiarity of this ugly brute is, that with jaws like a 

 vice, he, with his broad teeth, crushes through anything he 

 gets hold of. The hyena grinds to powder bones which 

 sometimes withstand the lion's fangs. Not but that the king 

 of beasts has greater muscular power, but the hyena's teeth 

 are better adapted to his work. 



The Busy Bee.— If one hundred heads of clover contain 

 0.8 grains of sugar, then 125 heads of clover hold precisely 1 

 grain of saccharine matter, and 125,000 heads 1 kilogram of 

 sugar. Now, estimating the number of tubes in a flower of 

 clover to be 60, the bee, in order to get one kilo, of honey, 

 must visit 5,600,000 flowers, or to make a pound of honey, 

 2,500,000 flowers. Truly, " how doth the busy bee," and be- 

 sides all this he throwcth in the wax gratis. 



Stmboii of Hope. — The following is from a sermon by the 

 Kev. Mr, Murray, and has reference to the frigate bird, wWch 

 he calls "The Symbol of Hope ": 



There is a bird that mariners call the frigate bird, of strik- 

 ing Uiiils aud of strange power. Men see him in all climes; 

 but. never yet has human eyes seen him near the earth. With 

 wings of mighty stretch, high borne, he sails along. Men of 

 the far north see him at midnight moving on amid auroral 

 fires, sailing with set wings amid those awful flames, taking 

 the color of the waves' light which swell and heave around 

 him. Men iu the tropics see him at hottest noon, his plumage 

 all incarnadined by the fierce rays that smite innocuous upon 

 him. Amid their ardent fervor he bears along, majestic, lire- 

 less. Never was he known to stoop from his lofty line of 

 flight, never to swerve. To many he is a myth ; to all a mys- 

 tery. Where is his perch ? Where does he rest ? Where 

 was he brooded ? None know. They only know that above 

 cloud, above the reach of tempest, ahove the tumult of trans- 

 verse currents, the bird of heaven — so let us call him— on self- 

 supporting vans that, disdain to beat the air on which they 

 rest, moves grandly on. So shall my hope be. At either 

 pole of life, above the clouds of sorrow, superior to all tem- 

 pests, on lofty and tireless wing, scorning the earth, it shall 

 move along. " Never shall it stoop, never swerve from its sub- 

 lime line of flight. Men have seen it in the morning of my 

 life; they shall see it in its hot noonday; and when the 

 shadows fall, my sun having set, using your style of 

 speech, but using mine when the shadows disappear, my sun 

 having risen, the last they see of me shall be this hope of gain 

 , as it sails out on steady wing, and disappears amid 

 the everlasting light. 



Poetically, this is all fine enough ; but, ornithologieally, we 

 ought to stick to facts. This soaring bird of hope, Atagen 

 ai/uila, goes for gannets and takes the fish from them. He is 

 pretty much of a robber. He builds his nest upon low bushes 

 near the Eeaside and in cliffs. Just tWnk of an expanse of 

 eight feet of wings. But theu Mr. Murray is in error when 

 he says the frigate bird is found in the "far north seas," as he 

 ia never seen far from the austral and tropical seas. The wing 

 bono of the frigate bird makes a superb pipe-stem. 



An Albino Squirrel.— Awabh Forks., iV. P., Sept. 7.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream : While out squirrel shooting near 

 this place Wednesday last. I shot an albino red squirrel. It 

 was nearly pure white, but the red eyes, common in albino, 

 were wanting. The eld squirrels were very thick in the 

 locality in which it was killed. With a companion we killed 

 43 in less than two hours with a rifle. C. T. R. 



Arrivais Received at Central Pakk Menagerie I'OB Week 

 Ending Sept. 14, 1SI8.— Cne pair pea fowls, Pam crMata, presonted by 

 Mr. G. C. Holm, Snpt. Orphan Farm Soboot, Mt. Vernon ; one albino 

 sparrow, Paaer donmtievs, presented by .Matter Victor L. KegDonf, N. 

 Y. City; one brown thrush, Harporhynchus nifus, ana one chipmunk, 

 Tamiae striatus, presented by Mr. E. D. Carpenter, Supt. N T. Juvenile 

 Asylum; one song thrush, Turdim musicus, presented by Mra. George 

 Kellock; tour prairie doga, Cynomys Uidovteianm, presented by Mr. 

 Arthur E Brown, Snpt. I'hUadelpliIa Zoological Garden: two barred 

 doves, Gopelia striata, presented by Master James It. Butter, H. T. 

 City; one gray squirrel, Sciurim carolinensis, presented by Mr. Isidore 

 Isaac, N. Y. City; one red fox, Yulpes fulvw, presented by Mrs. Hitch- 

 cock-, Broeslyn, W. A. Conklin, Director. 



half nf an inch high, thus illustrating the great rapidity with 

 which some of the fungi are developed. It is found on pieces 

 of dead wood, stumps, leaveB, etc., in damp, shaded localities, 

 and makes a beautiful opaque object under the microscope. 

 This specimen belongs to the family Myxognxtres, genus 

 Btemonitift, and is S.jusea. "Herman O. Evisra. 



Frankford, Fhila., Sept. 16, 1878. 



Prof. Ha-jdkn's Mtti.ks Stampeded. — A member of the 

 Hayden Expedition writes, that on the 25th of August the 

 Bannock Indians captured the mules belonging to one of the 

 parly. The letter reads as follows : " On the 25th of August 

 the Indians surprised us at Henry's Lake at 8:30 p. m. We 

 were sitting aiound the camp-fire when we were fired on by 

 the Indians, who were not more than 70 feet distant. Strange 

 to 6ay, they hurt none of us by the fire. We made an ineffec- 

 tual effort to protect ourselves", aud concluded that nothing 

 done but to get away alive. We heard the Indians 

 driving i iff our animals, and then we knew that our party was 

 in reality on foot. Taking provisions for three or four days 

 aud our blankets and guus, we got away under cover of the 

 night, and moving off about a mile iu the woods, we re- 

 mained there until daylight, wdieu the Indians reopened fire 

 on our descried camp, and we started for the TTpper Geysers. 

 ,1,1 walk of three days we reached there, and found 

 Jackson's and Gaanet'.'s parlies, and all safe." 



A Bad Hyena.— An account, more or less truthful, has. 

 come 1.0 US of a keeper of a show T at the St. Louis Fair having 

 had his hand bitten off by a hyena. This is qun 



: tiger may strike occasionally though they may be 

 bat no confidence can be placed in a hyena 



ffoodlnnd, $trm mtd §zr(hn. 



GLADIOLI FROM SEED. 



MANY of our readers know that the Gladiolus is easily 

 raised from seeds, but it may not occur to them that 

 crossing one fine variety with another invariably breaks the 

 tendency to revert to the original forms, and is likely to pro- 

 duce far more beautiful and distinct varieties then it we per- 

 mit self-fertilization. With many plants this is a nice and 

 often tedious operation, with the Gladiolus it is the simplest. 

 As the flowerB are large, and the anthers readily removed with 

 the fingers, which should be accomplished as soon as they are 

 sufficiently developed to admit them, the pollen may be ap- 

 plied directly from the anthers to the stigma without mechani- 

 cal aid, as soon as the trifid stigma is ready to accept it, gen- 

 erally about the second day after. The seed-pods contain 

 from fifty to seventy-five winged bulblets. If sown in spring 

 they will form small bulbs about, as large as peas, several will 

 bloom the second year, and all may be expected to bloom the 

 third season— a good while to wait it is true ; but it is pleasant 

 to have some seedlings of your own to watch over and com- 

 pare with those named varieties you already have ; an origi- 

 nal painting is more creditable to the artist than a room full of 

 Raphael's. During the flowering season the poorer varieties 

 should be eradicated, and only those kept that are wished to 

 be retained, preference being given to those which show the 

 best shape, marking and coloring necessary to improve our 

 collection. Though the named varieties of Gladioli have be- 

 come so numerous of late years that, to a beginner, a dealer's 

 list is a thing of mystery, yet typical collections may be re- 

 duced to a very small number. If we were to look on a field 

 of Gladioli with one of every named variety in bloom we 

 should see white, rose, red, deep red and yellow as the essen- 

 tial colors; and it would require an inspection of individuals 

 to determine the endless diversity of markings with which 

 seedling propagation and cross-breeding have invested these 

 superb plants. If, therefore, without aspiring to an extensive 

 assortment, the following varieties may be relied on to re- 

 present the principal colors : White, Shakespeare, one of the 

 earliest to bloom, flowers, and spike large and fine: Heine 

 Blanche, La Candeur and John Bull, a sulphur white variety, 

 but free and good . Rose, Marie Stuart, one of the most beau- 

 tiful of Gladioli, Ambroise Verschaffelt, Mad. Rabourdin, 

 Ulysse and Mozart, Red Meteor, bright in color with purple 

 blotches, Rosea perfecta, tinted violet; Sir W. Scott, ruby 

 with carmine veining ; Eugene Scribe and Le Pouissin, Scar- 

 let Stuart Low, violet rose markings; Mars, Meyerbeer, 

 flamed with vermilion, and Phosbus, marked with white. A 

 few other good sorts are Robert Fortune, orange lake ,■ Peter 

 Lawson, rosy lilac; Rosa Bonheur, tinted lilac; Sappho, 

 cherry, tinted orange; Michael Angelo, white with dark 

 crimson spots ; Ophir, dark yellow, and Isaac Buchaaan, the 

 best yellow variety yet introduced. 



An Interesting Fungus. — Editor Forest and Stream: 

 Those readers who are interested in Katoral History will be 

 greatly benefited by searching for and finding a peculiar little 

 fungus, which may be found "in great abundance at this sea- 

 son of the year. When se«n in the earliest stages of develop- 

 ment it will apoear somewhat like a mass of butterflies' eggs, 

 being composed of minute spherical bodies clustered together, 

 but very soft, so that when touched lightly with the finger, 

 it adheres, forming a drop somewhat like cream. Preserve 

 this mass, place it in a fernery, or some warm moist place, and 

 watch patient ly the full development of the fungus. A speed- 



... _f »\,;„ MtAMSnii fnnnfl wifiaTillu "ihrillt K ,~i Y- I ri f • L" v At ill 



A Preventive Against Yellow Fever.— The follow- 

 ing regime of medicines to be taken may be considered as a 

 palliative against yellow fever. We take it from a corres- 

 pondent living in New Orleans, who gives it to the Mew 

 York Times. The method Beems to be sound in every 

 way: 



One remedy has been eminently successful so far, and is 

 baged upon principles of the clearest medical science. It. is 

 advocated by Dr. Joseph Scott, one of the most successful 

 and popular physicians here, and his brother, Dr. Isaac Scott, 

 lately Medical Director of the Department of the South. 

 Many other prominent medical men concur in good opinion 

 of it, while none are averse to it. It is as follows : Three 

 grains of sulphate of quinine on rising, with a half glass of 

 lemonade to facilitate assimilation. Following this, six drops 

 of Fowler's solution of arsenic. After each meal fifteen 

 grains of chlorate of potnssa as diuretic and to oxygenate the 

 blood. The dose of quinine is to be repeated at night, unless 

 tinitus awium becomes very annoying. Quinine aa tonic 

 and febrifuge ; arsenic as tonic and alterative ; ehlorate of 

 potassa as refrigerant, diuretic, diaphoretic, and means of in- 

 troducing oxygen into the blood— the ratvmale is good, and 

 certainly the prescription has worked like a charm. Tout 

 correspondent knows thirty at least who have used it Since 

 the outbreak, and no one has yet died, only four have been 

 taken down, and the rest are as well as can be, although living 

 in the heart, of the infected district. The four who were 

 taken had the fever so lightly that the third day found them 

 sitting up. Dr. Scott prescribes it freely not only to his eli- 

 eniele, but to all who wish it, without charge, and is giving 

 if a thorough trial. He has great confidence in its virtues. 

 Being an eminently scientific man, Mb opinion in the matter 

 is the guide for many, among whom is your correspondent, 

 who, using it, has for three weeks visited the sick rooms of 

 friends daily, and has so far escaped, although unacclimated. 



IP* Hw/. 



THE MINNESOTA BENCH SHOW, 



St. Paul, September 7. 

 Mb. Editor : The four days allotted to the dog show ex- 

 pired last night, and two hundred dogs are glad of it, In all 

 respects it was a success, aud although the number of entries 

 has been exceeded by other bench shows, the quality of the 

 stock exhibited was considered by competent judges to be 

 very fair. The Dilley Kennel was one of its most attractive 

 and prominent features. There were Whitman's (of Detroit) 

 beautiful dogs in their various classes— setters, spaniels, fox 

 terriers, Scotch deerhounds, etc., adding greatly to the variety 

 and interest of the exhibition; Gill man's (also of Detroit) 

 first prize winners, tho first prize champion pointers Bow and 

 Olytie, of the St. Louis Kennel Club, and many other dogs 

 of celebrity', whose names wdll be recognized in the list ap- 

 pended. The show room was commodious, and the kennels 

 conveniently arranged in parallel rows running lengthwise 

 through the building. The dogs were kindly cared for, ex- 

 cellent order was maintained throughout, and general satisfac- 

 tion was expressed at the awards of prizes and the decision 

 of Mr. John Davidson, who was appointed sole judge. 

 Brother Dilly naturally felt chagrined at not taking first prize 

 for his champion Ranger and Countess Royal pointers, but 

 there was enough blue and red ribbon scattered through his 

 entries to decorate an ordinary fair and satisfy any reasonable 

 ambition. Whether tho decision was just which awarded the 

 prize to the St. Louis Kennel dogs can be best determined by 

 a reference to the published specifications of characteristics 

 upon which the scale of points for judging at the show 

 bench is based, which can be found in " Hallock's Sportman'a 

 Gazetteer." Under these conditions Ranger certainly shows 

 better than Bow. Ranger has a better eye, aud the eon uga 

 tions of the roof of his mouth are not so thick and red. Row 

 has more flabbiness and looseness of the throat skin. The 

 muscles of the leg are less firm, and smaller. Ranger shows 

 more uniform development. I am responsible for the state- 

 ments I make, for I was never more careful in making a com- 

 parison or more charitable in feeling to both competitors. 

 Among the dogs I noted G. W. Baldwin's English setter, Don; 

 Geo. Waddington's EDglish setter puppy, Tempest, of Gene- 

 va, Iowa ; the beautiful Irish setter prize winners, Red Rival, 

 of the Quaker City Kennel, Richmond, Indiana, entered by 

 R. B. Morgan; Friend and Ruby, by E. F. Stoddard, of Day- 

 ton, Ohio; the imported Irish setter puppies, Fleta and 

 Smuggler, belonging to J. White Strong, of Albany, N. Y. ; 

 the native Irish setter dogs belonging to Captain S. Lee Davis, 

 of St. Paul, C. M. Garfield, of Minneapolis, and George l>. 

 Finch, of St. Paul ; the black aud tan Gordon, Knight, of A, 

 A. Mellier, Jr., of St. Louis; E. F. Warner's four thirleen- 

 month Gordon setters ; Wm. Mullikeu's Minx, of St, Cloud, 

 Minn.-, W. S. Timberlake's Earl ; Dilley's famous prize-win- 

 ner pointers, Royal, Fan and Countess Royal ; Warner's good 

 old Tasso, who has borne many years and honors; Julius 

 Zabronye's pointer, Fly, of St, Paul; Morgan's Bock, of 

 Richmond, Indiana, and Dilley's Fleet, Powers' Rattler, of 

 Tomah, Wis. , and Zimmerman's Cute, of St. Paul , Wint- 

 ers and water spal 



men of this species found recently, about 6 o'clock p. m, 



this stage of growth, was placed in a fernery, where the at- spaniel, L-iizie, and others designated in the pri 



was warm and moist, and left for the night. Early T ti . 



next morning it was found to have developed entirely into lner 

 minute brownish colored filaments, about one-tb 



