JFOREST AND STREAM, 



321 



rue vertebflB of a fish of the size mentioned. This splendid 

 fossa came from Bear Lake, Idaho, aud was presented to Mr. 

 Oole by Daniel Cook, the well-known raining mau. Mr, 



what appears to be an exact copy or mate to this 

 fossil. 



ECCENTRICITIES OF THE RUFFED 

 GROUSE. 



EraTuii Fouest aki> Stbbau : 



It would seem from the various accounts given by your corraaponU- 

 ents of the ways of ruffed grouse, eacti giviug fcne result of his own ob- 

 servations, tnat there must be a wide difference In the habits of this 

 bird In different parts of the country. The fact that, people see the 

 Bame thing differently, and that some see more than others with the 

 same opportunity, will not explain all the variations in their statements, 

 though they will Borne of them, such as the periormance of the act of 

 drumming, hanging on the wing, or not, when rising, the difficulty or 

 ease of shooting and Buch matters, tnu not suoh as that the bird always 

 drums on a log and never on a rock, nor stump ; that he always drum? 

 on a hollow log, that he never drums In the fall, that he drums more lu 

 fall than in spring, thai there are iu some regions overgrown cocks ol 

 eccentric habits known as" king partridge?," white Iu others such royal 

 fowls are quite unknown, though grouse of ordinary rank and habits 

 abound therein, if wo accept this explanation of these discrepancies 

 we shall be maeh more likely to get at Interesting facta than if we are 

 bo nnwisa and impolite as to deny the truth of every statement of which 

 we have not had oenlar proof. 



I never have noticed, the conditions of the atmosphere being equally 

 favorable, that the drumming wa? any louder when the bird was on 

 one object than when on another, but this has doubtlets been owing to 

 lack of close observation, and when another spring comes I shall try to 

 satisfy myself on this point. Last spring I thrice flushed a grouse from 

 a rock on which he waa drumming, to which I was led by tho sonnd, 

 which seemed to me no different from ordinary, but did not succeed in 

 seeing him in the act. Logs are their usual drumming plaeos here, but 

 ones are not oftener chosen than thoBe which are decayed al- 

 most to mold, and so can add nothing to the volume of sound made by 

 the bird's wings. 



1 cannot see that " Penobscot's'' explanation of the grouse being In 

 unusual places in the fall Is a whit more seasonable lhau the old hun- 

 ter's ; for why should partial migration tentore likely to take place at 

 this season than in winter, or in Bpring, which last would seem the 

 likeliest time, the instinct which prompts them to replenish the earth 

 being then most active. 



They become accustomed to showers and the noise of the wind early 

 iu life, but the falling of the leaves comes but once a year, witnessed 

 then for the first time by the birds of that season and forcotten perhaps 

 by the older ones. Are not all the wild inhaWtants of the woods wilder 

 then than at other timea7 



The statement with which " Penobscot" prefaces his explanation, 

 namely: that the ruffed grouse clings pertinaciously to Its chosen 

 location, "a flock, unless frequently hunted, scarcely moving over ten 

 acres of ground In a season," is another proof to mo of the difference 

 in habits, for bore they are of all buds the most uncertain to And in nny 

 particular place. 



Yon may flush a score in a piece of cover to-day and llnd not one 

 then) to-morrow' nor the next day ; and on sonio days they may be 

 plenty in a certain wide range of woodland, and on others almost none 

 can be found there. I remember hunting over a hilly piece of woodland 

 containing some fonr hundred acres or so in which some grouse are 

 almost always to be found, but on that day we did not and a bird till, at 

 last] coming to a hollow through which a small brook runs my compan- 

 ion and I flushed certainly not less than fifty on n quarter or an acre. 

 This, I think, was in September. In JTovember of another year I hunted 

 over the same ground with as little success, till In the afternoon, when 

 in an old clearing where there Were a number of amill, burly pines 

 from two to five feet high I started a grouse from the sunny side of al- 

 most every other pine. On both oc:asions all the birds in the tract 

 qeemetl to have gathered, for some reason, into close companionship, 

 in tho first instance I surmised that they had come to the brook to 

 drluk and by chance all to that particular part of it. In the other I was 

 quite at a loss for a reason for the unusual congregation. 



No more can I account for the scarcity and wiltlncBS of ruffed grouse 

 here this fall. Last fall tliey were nnusally plenty, continuing so through 

 the winter and spring, wheu I heard more drummers in the woods than 

 for years before, and promised ourselves great sport with them when 

 the close time should end But when the first of September came but 

 few were to be found and those few so scattered and wild as, In ordi- 

 nary seasons, they are in November. Now, there was no illegal shoot- 

 ing nor snaring and I cannot remember any storm that could be sup- 

 posed to have seriously affected the eggs or young birds, nor have 

 beasts and birds of prey been plentler than usual. Can any one help to 

 clear up the mystery t While asking questions I wish to inquire if there 

 are any pinnated grouse left in New Jersey, or in Martha's Vineyard, 

 where. Herbert speaks of them being carefully preserved at the time 

 he wrote his " Fluid Sports.'' r should very much like to sec the ex- 

 periment tried of re-stocking their old haunts at tho EaBt, and also 

 stocking parts of New England where they are not known to have ex- 

 isted. I see no reason why they might not thrive even here, now 



Awahsoose. 



^oodlmtd, iffmm mid %mikn. 



AN INTERESTING CHAPTER ON BEES 

 (1718). 



BY PAUL LCDLEV, l-\ B. S. 



A Method Lately found Out in New England f-jr Discovering 

 Where the Jieee Hive in the Woods in, Order to Oct 'J 'heir 

 Honey. 



THE hunter takes a plate or trencher with a little sugar, 

 honey or molasses spread on it, (in a clear sunshiny 

 day), and wheu got into f.ho woods sets it down on a ruck or 

 stump in the woods; this sweelner the beeB soph scent and 

 find out, lor it is generally supposed a bee will scout honey or 

 wax above a mile's distance. The hunter secures iu a box or 

 other convenieucy one or more of the bees as they fill llicm- 

 selves, and after a little time lets one of 'em go, observing 

 very carefully the course the bee steers, for after he rises in 

 the air he flies directly or upon a straight course to bin 

 where the hive is. In order to do this the hunter carries with 

 him his pocket compass, his rule and other implements, with 

 a sheet of paper, and sels down the course. Suppose it 10 be 

 west ; by Ibis he is sure the tree must be somewhere it 

 line from where he is, but wants to know the exact distance 

 from his station, in order to determine that he makes an off- 

 tCner south or north (we'll suppose north; a hundred 

 perch or rod (if it bo more it will be more exact, because the 

 angle will not be so acute) then be takes out another bee and 

 lets him go, observing his co«i so also Very carefully: for he 



being loaded, will, as the first (after he is mounted a con- 

 venient height), tly directly to the hive. This second course, 

 as I must call it, the hunter finds to be south, fj4 degrees 

 west ; then there remains nothing but to find out where the 

 two coiu'ses intersect. 



The foundation of all this is the straight or direct motion 

 of bees when bound home with their honey, and this is found 

 to be certain by the observation and experience of our hunters 

 every year, and especially of late years, since this mathemati- 

 cal way of finding honey In ye woods has been used with such 

 success. 



An iogenius man of my acquaintance ye last year took two 

 or three neighbors that knew nothing of ye matter, and after 

 he had taken his bees, set the courses the first and second bee 

 steered, made the offset, and, taking ye distance from the two 

 stations to the intersection, ordered them to cut down such a 

 tree, pointing to it. Tho laborers smiled and were confident 

 there wasjno honey there, for they could not perceive the 

 tree to be hollow or to have any hole for the bees to enter by, 

 and would have dissuaded the gentleman from felling the 

 tree, but he insisted on it and offered to lay 'em any wager 

 that the hive was there, and so it proved to the great surprise 

 of ye countrymen. 



I cannot dismiss this subject without acquainting you with 

 the fact that all the bees we have in our gardens or in our woods, 

 and which now are in great numbers, are tho produce of 

 such as were brought in hives from England near a hundred 

 years ago, and not ye natural produce of thispart of America, 

 for the first planters of .New England never observed a bee in 

 the woods until many years after the country was settled ; but 

 that which proves it beyond question is our Aborigines (the 

 Indians) have no word in their language for a bee (as they 

 have for all animals whatsoever proper to or aboriginally to 

 ye country) and therefore for many years called a bee by the 

 name of Englishman's fly. 



Our people formerly used to find out honey in ye woods 

 by surprising and following one bee after another by eyotill, 

 at length they found out where the bee treed. 



Autumn Leaves. — Lamp shades made of autumn leaves 

 are very beautiful. To make them, cut the shade the proper 

 shape in stiff white paper, when the leaves, which have been 

 previously dried and pressed, are arranged on it in a wreath, 

 and fastened securely by gum. The whole is then covered 

 with a very coarse net, and the edges bound with gilt or 

 colored paper. The effect of the light shining through this 

 shade is exceedingly pretty, and it is one of the cheap decora- 

 tions which all persons, possessed of a little taste and ordinary 

 skillful fingers, may make for themselves. 



Disoor/BAGiNG to Flobida Fbtjit-Gbowees.— The Key 

 West Key of the Gulf says : 



The experience of this year seems to be extremely dis- 

 couraging to the prospects of the extreme southern portion of 

 the peninsula ever being settled up and utilized as a 

 fruit-growing region. 



fomg. 



Hunting in Gkeat Britain.— When an Englishman 

 speaks of hunting he means following hounds, either on horse, 

 back or on foot, in pursuit of deer, foxes or hares. For hunt- 

 ing the deer there are in England 14 packs of stag-hounds, 

 and in Ireland 4 packs. For hunting the fox there are in 

 England 141 packs of foxhounds, in Ireland 30 packs, and in 

 Scotland 9 packs. For hunting the hare there are in England 

 95 packs of harriers and 18 packs of beagles ; in Ireland 43 

 packs of harriers, and in Scotland 2 packs. This makes a 

 total of 346 packs ; So couples to each pack would be a low 

 estimate, as some of the packs of foxhounds run up to 60 

 couples, and one— the Duke of Beaufort's — has 78 couples. 

 We therefore find the total number of dogs used in Great 

 Britain for "■ hunting" alone (not shooting) to exceed 20,000. 



Aftkb Rbynabd.— Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 13,— Col. W. H. 

 Johnson, one of our most indefatigable fox hunters in this 

 county, has been out lately with his excellent pack of six and 

 a half couples of hounds, with Bramble as their leader. His 

 first day's run was aftei ;"•■•■, which, after a sharp chase 



of two hours, succeeded in gettiug to his hole. The next day. 

 however, was more successful. This time they started a red 

 fox. which, after a very break-neck pace of some two hours 

 was kept up, they managed to kill in the bills near the White 

 Creek Turnpike. Since' last year the colonel has added sev- 

 eral fine hounds to his puck. One of them was bred in North 

 Carolina and the other in Virginia. J. D. H, 



Obesity in Dogs.— One of the most common complaints of 

 old dogs, but more particularly household pets, is excessive 

 fatness. An mordiuale development of adipose matter, no 

 doubt, is highly satisfactory in a pig, or in a South Sea 

 Islander's dog, but in the Western hemisphere, at least, where 

 the dog is used for entirely different purposes, such a condi- 

 tion of body is entirely objectionable. A proper plumpness 

 of appearance denotes health ; but when the animal oil, called 

 fat, becomes ordinalely disproportionate to the rest of the 

 body, it proves a source of numerous diseases. Blaine, who 

 wrote sixty years ago, and whose works on the diseases of 

 dogs have not been surpassed for the sound practical knowl- 

 edge they evince, says that the natural tendency of dogs to 

 oboaitv is considerable ; for any dog may be fat by excessive 

 feeding and little exercise. Provided the accumulation has 

 been quick, the dog may be reduced to his former state with- 

 out prejudice; but when a dog gradually accumulates fat from 

 indulgence, then the obesity becomes so completely a disease, 

 that even e:. : ■'■'' ivill not always wholly re- 



duce him ; for the generation of the adipose substance is so 

 habitual a. vol oi the constitution that, however little 

 food the animal takes, short of starvation, that little forms fat. 

 That this is true may be known by the notorious fact that 



many fat i dogi i tJ .■■ There are two sources of fatness; 



one is overfeeding, time her want of exercise, and when, 

 as is very frequently the ease, both causes happen to meet in 

 the same subject, the accumulation is certain. When the 

 i is taken into the body more than 

 the general :: i n requires, ia either converted into fat, or 

 forms some other unusual secretion ; as matter in the ears in 



Scabs' i in in mange. Exercise increases ali 



the usual 66i a, under strong exercise, inorenutri- 



ment is requited, and thus in such cases, fnli feeding does not 



produce fat ; but even in full exercise, provided some of the 

 usual secretions are stopped, though the Others tuny be in full 

 force, yet an over-accumulation of animal oil is apt to lake 

 place ; thus, spayed bitches and castrated tl 

 however tliey may work. Fat more readily accumulates in. 

 middle aged and old dogs than in the young, and the fat of old 

 dogs is more hurtful to them than thai/in Un- 

 reason of which appears to be, that all aged animals have 

 their fat placed more upon the surface of the body. A stale 

 of excessive fatness is an almost cei tain forerunner of asthma. 

 It is also the parent of mange, canker, and oriror emptiva 

 diseases, and not unfrequently if occasions, fits, from the pres- 

 sure it produces on the vessels of the head and cheat. Fur- 

 thermore, the authority wo quote says that be has also seen 

 the excessive accumulation of it produce disease of the heart 

 and large vessels, terminating in the rupture of one or the 

 other of them.— Land and Water. 



Bristol Dog Snow.— This important English show was 

 held on Oct. 21 and three following days. The judges were s 

 For fox and wire-haired terriers, Mr. J. A. Doyle; for blood- 

 hounds, deerhounds, greyhounds, mastiffs and St. Bernards 

 the Rev. G. F. Hodson ; for Newfoundlands, sheepdogs, 

 Dandie Dinmonls, Bedlingtons, Pomeranians, Dalmatians and 

 non-sporting puppies, Mr. Matthew Hedley; for retrievers, 

 pointers, setters, spaniels, dachshnnde and sporting puppies, 

 Mr. Wm. Lort ; and for ball dogs, terriers (all except fox and 

 wire-haired terriers), pugs, Italian greyhounds, Blenheim and 

 King Charles spaniel, Mr. J. Percival The following is a 

 list of the winners in the pointer and setter classes : 



Pointers— Large— Dogs: 1st, W. Arkwrighl's Tramp; 2d, 

 J. Maryon's Bob. Com., W. M. Bryant's Bang. Bitches-. 

 1st, J. H. Whitehouse's Heine ; 2d, J. K. Bartrum's Nell. 

 High com., W. H. Brewer's Princessc Bon Bon, and B. P. 

 Leach's Alma. Com., E. Bulled's Doll and E. 8. Fursdon's 

 Fan. Small— Dogs : 1st, P». P. Leach's Baatow ; 2d, J. n. 

 Whitehouse's Wray. Very high com., H. Reece's Rock. 

 Com., R. T. Veitch's Don. A very good class. Bitches : 1st, 

 J. II. Whitehouse's Lady Pearl ; 2d, W. Arkwrighl's Prude 

 IT. Very high com., S. D. Bine's Helen. High com., J. Ed- 

 wards' Nellie and S. D. nine's Leila. 



Setters— English (other than black and tan)— Dogs : 1st, 

 Major Ireland's Ned ; 2d, .T. T. Richardson's Bruce. Very 

 high com., J. E. Piatt's Bock 11. and .7. II. Whitehouse's 

 Oave. High com., J. T. Jackson's Dash. A good class. 

 Bitches : 1st, Major Ireland's Ruth ; 3d, C. J. Fauntleroy's 

 Puff. Very high com., C. J. N. Gray's Jess III. and S. W, 

 Wildman's Kate. High com., W. Cooper's Dutchess and J. 

 E. Piatt's Daphne. Black and tan— Dogs : 1st, J. T. Rich- 

 ardson's Duke; 2d, B. Mapplebeck's Blossom. Very high 

 com., T. H. Salter's Bex II. High com., C J. Fauntleroy's 

 Prince, T. Jacobs' Marquis and R. Trevithick's Monarch. 

 Bitches: 1st, H. Mapplebeck's Mona, 2d, J. H. Salter's 

 Countess II. Very high com., J. T. Richardson's Bee and R 

 Trevithick's Stella. High com., S. D. Hine's Mab. Irish- 

 Dogs : 1st, J. T. Richardson's Pam ; 2d, C. Osborne's Count 

 Fosco. Bitches: 1st, withheld; 2d, J. T. Richardson's 



Tue National Dog Show, Birmingham.— The prizes to be 

 competed for at the show to be held in Curzon Hall, on the 

 2d of December and three following days, as appears from 

 the schedule, amount to more than £1,000, being an increase 

 of £f>4 over last year. Four £5 silver cups will again be pre- 

 sented by Messrs. Elkington & Co.. as will also three other 

 silver cups of £5 each by Mr. J. H. Whitchouse, Mr. J. H, 

 Dawes, and Messrs. Martin Billing, Son & Co. In addition ' 

 Messrs. Spratt, Patent Dog Biscuit Manufacturers, will give a 

 silver cup value £25 for the best dog or bitch in the blood- 

 hound, decrhound, grayhound, pointer, setter, and retriever 

 classes ; and Mr. R. LI. Purcell Llewellin, a silver cup value 

 £10 for the handsomest dog or bitch in the show used with 

 the gun, the competition being limited to pointers, setters, re- 

 trievers, clumbers and other than "fancy" spaniels; the 

 Mayor of ^Birmingham (AldermauJKeuriek) gives a silver cup, 

 value £5 5s., for the best sheep dog of all classes, and Mr, M. 

 C. Ashwin a silver cup value £5 for the best spaniel of all 

 classes. A champion class is provided for deerhounds (dogs 

 and bitches), and one for rough sheepdogs (dogs and bitches) 

 the prize in each case being a silver cup value £5. There is 

 likewise a new class for Irish terriers, with two prizes of £5 

 and C3 ; and there will be two classes for smooth sheepdogs, 

 instead of one as last year, the prizes for dogs being £5 and 

 £3. and for bitches £4 and £2. For fox terriers not exceed- 

 ing 18 lbs. there will be a third prize of £3, and for bitches 

 not exceeding 16 lbs. , a third prize of £2. All prizes amount- 

 ing to £7 will be paid in cash, and not in silver cups as here- 

 tofore. Among the new regulations is one to the effect that 

 the dogs of exhibitors residing in this locality, and those 

 which are accompanied by keepers, may be delivered at tho 

 hall either on Friday night, the 29th, or on the morning of 

 Saturday, the 30th of November (the day of judging), up to 

 8:30, as may be most convenient. — London Field, 



Albxandbia Palace Dog Snow. — The following are the 

 judges appointed for this show, which is to be held near Lon- 

 don on Dec. 12 to 16 .- Bloodhounds, mastiffs, St. Bernards, 

 Dandie Dinmonts, black and tans (English), smooth-haired 

 toy terriers, and non-sporting puppies, Rev. W. J. Mellor ; 

 Newfoundlands, spaniels and sporting puppies, Mr. W. Lort; 

 deerhounds, grayhounds. not decided; foreign dogs, Rev. G, 

 F. Lovell; pointers, Mr. J. II. Whitchouse ; sellers, sheep- 

 dogs, retrievers, bull terriers and colley puppies, Mr. S, E. 

 Shirley, M. P. ; fox and wire-haired terriers, Mr. J. A. Doyle; 

 Skyes, Dalmatians, Bedlingtons, Yorkshire and Irish terriers, 

 Rev. G. F. Hodson: bulldogs, Blenheim and King Charles 

 spaniels, Mr. J. W- Berrie : dachshunde, Rev. G. F. Lovell ; 

 poodles, Italian grayhounds, Maltese rough-haired toys, not 

 decided ; pugs, Capt. E. Digby Boycott. 



Ross Doo Show.— The seventh annual exhibition of doss 

 took place at Boss, Herefordshire, on Thursday, the 24th 

 ult., under the able secretaryship of Mr. Frederick Cooper. 

 Mr. W. Lort judged single-handed, and with his awards, says 

 l\m London Field, we entirely agree. The following were 

 the winners m the sporting class : Pointers— 1st, H. Beecc 

 {Rock) ; 2d, W. Evans (Lady). HJgb com., J. Pearsc, (Bob). 

 Com., J. H. Mayo (Till), W. E. Hancock, S. P. Marfell 

 (Belle), H. L. Lutwyche (Rake), and J. Birmingham (Shot), 

 Setters— 1st, H. Mapplebeck (Mona) ; 2d and very high com., 

 O. J. N. Gray (Jess III. and Ranger), 



—The next dog show of the Westminster Kennel Club in 

 this city will probably bo held i n a pi I i Thi date will. 



be fixed at the next meeting of the 



