522 



FOREST AMD STREAM. 



know on the subject, the list of titles being especially import- 

 ant, and supplying a want long felt. The work will lie re- 

 ceived with equal pleasure by Ibe specialist and the amateur, 

 and will be no less useful to the one than entertaining to the 

 other. 



HABITS OF THE MIGRATORY QUAlT. 



Wixi.iamspobt, Pa., January 6, 1879. 

 EoiTon Foebst and Stkkam : 



As many of your readers seem desirous to learn moro about 

 the migratory email, I send you a few notes gleaned from the 

 works of several European authors. 



'Die quail arrives in Germany in May and migrates in Sep- 

 tember, its favorite resorts are meadows and grain, particu- 

 larly wheat fields. Its food consists of grain, herbs, and hemp, 

 poppy and turnip seeds ; further, insects and their eggs, and 

 larvie. The female builds her nest in July ; it is a mere de- 

 pression in the ground, surrounded by a few straws, and con- 

 taining from eight to fourteen whitish-gray eggs, marked with 

 large brown spots. The quail does not mate, but is an in- 

 corrigible polygamist. And here allow me a slight digression. 

 If the naturalization of this little foreigner should prove suc- 

 cessful, in a few years a discussion similar to the " European 

 sparrow question " will inevitably arise, and in the heated de- 

 bate whether foreigners in general or migratory quail in par- 

 ticular should be tolerated or not, the polygamous habits of 

 the bird will probably be a leading argument on the negative 

 Bide of the question, as demoralizing, pernicious and generally 

 injurious to the piety, morality and prosperity of this land of 

 the free. Therefore, to anticipate the onslaughts of a certain 

 class of patriots who are opposed to all foreigners, human or 

 animal, that come to these shores and dure to have habits or 

 social customs of their owe, would it not be best to liberate all 

 future invoices of quail that may be received— only in Utah? 

 In addition to finding congenial company, they would be out 

 of the way of the patriots mentioned above, and would be 

 under the direct " protection of Congress and the rest of the 

 United States Government." Cut to resume, the song (or 

 ■:," ») of the male bird is heard from May to August. Be- 

 fore moulting the second time young mules have the same 

 plumage as old females. In August and early in September, 

 if the young birds are marked down after being flushed, they 

 may often be caught with the hand, as they usually squat flat 

 upon the ground. They are considered an excellent bird to 

 break dogs on. This latter statement is directly opposite to 

 what, has recently been mentioned in Fohkst and Stkkam, but 

 I believe that Bechsfein is too careful a naturalist to have 

 made a mistake on this point. 



I next quote verbatim from the " Feathered Tribes of the 

 British Llands," by Robert .Mudie, London, 1858: 



"Though quails are now both local and rare as British 

 birds, yet it is probable that they are more numerous in somt 

 of the southern counties than appears to common observation. 

 Their extreme closeness during the day appears to be the 

 principal cause of this. They are best known to the night 

 poachers, who are well acquainted with their cries, and dex- 

 terous iu catching them ; but during the day the birds are as 

 silent a« they are still. Those which do migrate to Britain— 

 which are very few as compared with the continental mi- 

 grants—usually come about the end of April. Their long 

 flights are understood to be performed during the night ; for 

 though, like the other gallinie, they feed in the morning «nd 

 evening, they, contrary to the practice of most of these,' sleep 

 at mid-day— indeed, during the greater part Of the day. 

 They squat at these times, and do not ' flush ' or take wing 

 until a dog is quite among them. The males are polygamous, 

 and fight desperately in the early part of the season," so much 

 so, that in some countries they are trained in the same man- 

 ner as game cocks. The call note of the male is a twice re- 

 peated whistle, and makes a pleasant variety among the many 

 sohgs of the active season. The response of the female is 

 made use of as a decoy note in catching the males alive, 

 though they will come to the male call as if it were a chal- 

 io light. Their nests and number of their eggs are 

 nearly the same as those of partridges. Quails are very 

 abundant on the continent of Europe, and in most parts of 

 Asia. In the former, their summer migrations extend as far 

 as Lapland ; but in the latter, they do not reach the extreme 

 1 f Siberia. They linger during the winter in more 

 ies than almost any other migratory birds, but such is 

 ictiveness that they return even to the north of 

 ast docks, though very many of them are capl ured 

 !>laces where they halt by the way. When at rest from 

 migrating and not busied with the care of their broods, quail 

 get very fat, especially on pastures that afford them a plenti- 

 ful supply of oily seeds ; and when in good condition they 

 are highly esteemed as food. Their straggling appearance, 

 however, and their short stay, render themiess interesting to 

 the ordinary observers of British birds than those genera 

 which regularly summer and winter in tho country and are 

 generally distributed over it." 



The followimr is from the Gorman " Lehrbuch der Zoohgie," 

 by F S. Voigt, "Stuttgart, 1835 ; 



" It is the only migratory bird of this family; arrives in 

 Europe the beginning of May, leaves about the end of Sep- 

 tember. With us its migrations are supposed to be generally 

 undertaken at night, and on foot. About tho beginning of 

 October their migrations across the Mediterranean Sea com- 

 mences, and then large flocks settle down on the islands, and 

 often on ihips. On the island of Capri, for instance, they are 

 captured in such numbers that the natives become satiated 

 with eating them. As they are said to constitute a large part 

 of the Bishop of Capri's revenue, he has been irreverently 

 nicknamed ' der WacUtel Bishop:' Although the wings of the 

 quail are short, their sinews and the breast muscles are very 

 strong ; still they are largely dependent on the wind in their 

 long flights, and if this fads tlicm, large numbers perish. 

 Quite a number linger as far north as near Rome and in Sar- 

 dinia. They migrate with the northwest aud return with the 

 southeast wind. The male quail is noted for its pugnacity 

 aud its extreme amorous proclivities. While on its love ex- 

 cursions it will pursue the sky-lark, or, in fact, any other 

 sombre-colored bird. It is said to have been Eeeu flagrante 

 with toads." 



The above is about all I can find regarding the bird that is 

 of interest to sportsmen. It is worthy of note that should 

 the acclimatized birds have the same instincts as their pro- 

 genitors, there will be great danger of tbeir being blown into 

 the Atlantic if they start during one of our nor' westers. On 

 ' hex baud, if it is true that they migrate largely oi 

 lay they not reach South America "via Darian ? Last- 

 hut not least in importance— a great many will probably win- 

 ter in Texas, and even further north. Bobolik^. 



HiBMS of the Atlantic Salmon.— The following com- 

 munication is from a gentleman whose avocation affords him 

 constant opportunities for observation. It refers to certain 

 traits of the salmon not popularly known. 



For a dozen years we have been cognizant of the winter 

 run of salmon in certain rivers of Nova Scotia, notably iu the 

 Fort Medway, — which we often visited during a long residence 

 in that Frovince,— and we are glad to receive testimony from 

 a source so reliable, to show that the Port Medway is not sin- 

 gular in this feature of ichthyc economy. We have referred 

 to this winter run in the " Fishing Tourist," aud in other early 

 publications of the author. Every winter, from January to 

 the end of February, until legal restrictions were interposed, 

 Saul, the Indian, who is a noted fly -fisherman, used to stand 

 on the ice below the lower dam, and take salmon out of the 

 open water with his rod ; and well-favored, ruddy-moated fish 

 they were. Our impression has always been that these salmon 

 were a sort of body-guard to convoy the young smolts down 

 on their first journey to salt water. All the rivers in Nova 

 Scotia are short, say fifteen miles from mouth to head-waters, 

 and the Fort Medway, like many others, has its primary source 

 in large lakes, into which the salmon of the ordinary summer 

 run find their way and congregate in large numbers for tho 

 purpose of spawning, affording large profits to the Indians who 

 gather there to capture them. But the winter run of salmon 

 is never seen in the lakes — never observed many miles above 

 the mouth. They do not go up for the purpose of spawning ; 

 but when smolts have dropped down from the places where 

 they were hatched, tho winter fish meet them in the middle 

 waters and conduct them to the sea, just as parent birds teach 

 their young to try their maiden flights. Since summer they 

 have not gone far out to sea, but have lingered in the estuaries. 

 The next year they will become pelagic, while those which 

 have gone down to the depths will alternate with them and 

 remain in shore, changing guard, as it were. 



It must be borne in mind that salmon spawn but once in two 

 years ; that the whole of a hatching does not go down to the 

 sea together, but one-half takes to salt water at the end of 

 fourteen months' growth, and the other half follows at the 

 end of the second year, though sometimes a few will remain 

 until the fourth year. This quality of dual periodicity dis- 

 tinguishes the salmon from any other fish we know of. It ac- 

 counts for what seem vagaries and phenomenal freaks to the 

 superficial student. It explains why the time (times) of spawn- 

 ing seems often to vary in the same river. It is coincident 

 with the ascertained fact that the male salmon propagates its 

 kind before it is adult. A portion of a " run," being riper 

 than others, spawn the sooner, and having fulfilled their mis- 

 sion return to the sea, while the balance are required by na- 

 ture to remain longer. 



Our correspondent's letter contains several other interesting 

 facts which it will be well for the interested reader to note; 

 for their production we are indebted to our Montreal corres- 

 pondent. " Standsfead" who has elicited them from the writer 

 by a series of questions which he recently propounded through 

 our columns : 



MnNTKKAr, Jan. is, 1819. 

 EDiTon EonEai ash Btbeam: 



In reply to Stiustead's "Questions for Ichthyologists," wliieh ap- 

 peared Iu your former issue, I beg to say: 1. There are just as many 

 different varieties ot salmon as there are revere, as the UsL Frequenting 

 each river or tributary of thai river are so distinctly marKed that taey 

 can be easily distinguished when caught in the estuary. A Cascapedia 

 flan will not come up the Eestigonche, neither will a Hatepeaia Bah go 

 up the main river. This is a wise provision ol Nature, or Providence, 

 which you will . 2, For two reasons l Believe that salmon spawn every 



year: first, the rapid gro t ol lie s ova, It having quire a growth 



in a fortnight aiter spawning; theflsh in tne Reallgouche going to sea 

 by the middle of November, as they linish laying ova before the Bret of 

 that month, and they are succeeded try a school of fish from sea, who 



our summer fish, hut getting up to where the pools arc d.icp, with huh; 

 ice to trouble ilieui, where 1 believe they spawn some time m January, 

 t ouly suppose this from the slao of the ova wnen they pass up. Those 

 flak are the kelts who so often trouble the angler iu June.aud which are 

 caught by hundreds in (he tidal nets, mating their way to salt water. 

 A uotb.ee reason for the faith that la in me : In 1872, when boating on this 

 river, myself ana men unserved a peculiarly marked fish having three 

 distinct spear marks on one side, each wound, as it healed, leaving a 

 near. We first observed her on a bar, along with a large 

 male, nesting. The ne.vt year we again saw the same fish within tea 

 yards of the same place, this time iu company with a grilse. The fol- 

 lowing year I am certain I saw the same fish ai Mr. Haddon's canning 

 establishment at "Alhol House." a. So far yet, our rivers here would 

 hold all. From 25,0(111 to 3D,(lO0 hah is tire outside quantity taken in the 

 hay (Chaleurs;, aud our rrvers could easily have held that quantity, 

 along with the supply they had, though there might have been some 

 crowding iu lie favorite pools, etc. 



iu answer to the fourth queaiou, I am not aware of this. Ho salmon 

 nets are set in our bay after August 1, and but few mackerel. Those 

 salmon caught in them are the winter fish already mentioned, and 

 although the ova may loot to an inexperienced person nearly ripe, it 

 may be fully one month, or perhaps two, before it is ready tu be da- 

 posited, as it must ripen more slowly with the water at a temperature 

 of nearly 32 deg. tTa.hr. 1 believe these fish spawn at the mouths of 

 rivers, or where the water is at least brackish, if they do not ascend 

 them. That salmon will ripen in sail 



and If not spawned must deposit In in. nil, 6. 1 have 



heard of this phenomenon from Mr. Jos. lllekson. bat have been com- 

 pelled to doubt its being salmun spawn. Mr. lllekson promised to visit 

 ■ lis fall aud try to secure and send me a sample of this 



ova, when there \ sen a possibility of a test being made In 



my brecdiog establishment. However, he has not done so; "perhaps 

 mere hua been none cast up this year." * * * 



Here is another letter, which fully answers the last question 

 relative to the immense ipiantity of spawn found on the laud- 

 wash in the Gulf of St- Lawrence. The information is alto- 

 gether new, and we are glad that the life of our venerable and 

 ' intelligent informant, who is now 74 years old, has been 



spared that he may impart that knowledge which we should 

 probably never have learued from the lethargic 

 fact fishermen themselves : 



Pekcb, Dist. of Gaspc, Canada, Jan. IS, I 

 Editor Forest ASD Stream i 



In reply toStanstead iu your issue of the 2d inst., I beg to 

 say, that, without I he slightest pretention to being a savant, or 

 bit Oracle, I think I can throw some light on his questions. 



1st. I have not sufficiently studied the subject to go iuto de- 

 tails or scientific dissertation, but I can state as a fact that 

 the salmon bred in the various rivers along this coast are dif- 

 ferently marked. 



2d. Yes. 



Bd. That is a question which cannot, I think, be sati Ea 

 torily answered. But I should Bay yes, as in days of yore the 

 numbers caught by the Indians must have been comparative- 

 ly few. The white man has been the great poacher. In the 

 early part of this century, four and five schooners, loaded 

 with pickled salmon, were despatched from the Restigouche 

 every season, and I have seen the time when not even a "single 

 barrel could be obtained at any price. 



4lh. 1 believe that all salmon spawn in their native rivers, 

 to which they invariably return, and remain in the deep pools 

 to spawn, which takes place during the month of October, 

 say from the 14th to the 31st. Alter spawning I bey return to 

 saltwater; but some are supposed to winter in the pools, as 

 they are seen in the spring. Query? — Do they feel unequal 

 to the task of descending the rapids? It is a Splendid Sight— 

 one not easily forgotten — when a large pool can be aj 

 without disturbing the fish, to see fifty or sixty tine salmon 

 quietly disporting^ My friend, Dr. Clarke, of your city (New 

 York), the lessee of Grand River, can give a far better de- 

 scription of these spawning pools than I can. The restocking 

 of that river, which was almost depleted, being tlue to that 

 devoted disciple of Isaac Walton. 



5th. I do not believe that any salmon spawn out of the 

 rivers unless by accident. 



•Jth. Stanatead has been misinformed as to the deposits of 

 spawn in the Bay Chaleur. 1 came to this District in 1845, 

 and I think it was the third summer after I am 

 walking along Bonaventure beach one fine in 

 the spring tides, I saw a number of men with horses and 

 carts, shoveling something off I he beach, which, on inquiry, 

 I learued to bo herring spawn, collected to spread on their 

 grain crops. I inquired if this took place yearly, and being- 

 answered iu the affirmative, a little reflection convinced me 

 that there must be something wrong iu this wholesale de- 

 struction of spawn— which 1 mentioned to these men— but 

 they assured me that what was thus washed up was waste, el c. 

 I determined to inquire further into the matter. 1'he result 

 was my ascertaining that the herring alwayB arrive to spawn 

 at the spring tide, the spawn being washed up to high water 

 mark where it forms a ridge form six to eight inches high, 

 and twelve to eighteen inches at the base, where, if not dis- 

 turbed, it increases to the size of a small pea, being deposited 

 to hatch on the warm sand. The next spring tide clears the 

 beach of the entire mass. On close inspection of the ova a 

 few days before the high tide, which removes it, two black 

 specks are seen, being the eyes of the young fish. Having 

 satisfied myself on these points, I called the attention of the 

 inhabitants of Bonaventure thereto, aud ultimately induced 

 them to cause the Municipal Council to pass a law forbidding 

 the removal or destruction of the ova in any way under a 

 penalty of twenty dollars. 



The quantity of herring which 1 have seen along the Bona- 

 venture beaches during tire spawning time is something won- 

 derful. They literally roll on the beach. 



Philip ' 



Tame Skunk.— A correspondent kindly sends us a clipping 

 from the West Chester (Pa.) Vittagt Itccoid, whirl 

 interesting. We have once or twice known of tamo skunks 

 which were useful pets, but we have never wanted to own 

 one ourselves. The extract reads as follows : 



A tame skunk is the latest thing in the way of pets. 

 Hughes Marshall, living at Roumusviile, West Bradford, has 

 had a pet pole-cat for the last four years. He caugl 

 it was a kitten and brought it home. It lives in a bOS Under 

 the porch, comes out when called by its owner, and Mr. Mar- 

 shall picks it up and handles it as he would an ordinary cat. 

 In the morning and evening it goes out hunting for insects, 

 which form its principal food and is perfectly conn 

 at home. The only time it is unpleasantly scented is when it 

 is alarmed by a strange dog or roughly approached by a 

 strauger. We don't covet Mr. Hughes' pet and we don't be- 

 lieve that he will ever have it stolen. 



Conokkniko White Mallakdm.— iSditof Fe 

 Stream: I nctice in your issue of Dec. 12 an account of a 

 while mallard seen iu England. I can report one seen several 

 times in the marshes at the mouth of Crane Creek, Ottawa 

 Co., Ohio, this fall. I am positive the bird was not a tame 

 duck gone astray ; he flocked with the mallards, had all their 

 peculiar movements, and the call of the drake. He was all 

 white, except a little color on the wings. He was 



watched by at least six different people, and shol 



He was bb wary as any of his race. A beautiful en 



sel, with his winter coat of pure white, except end 



glossy black— was caught on the Ohio River, neai 



ville, in November, and was sent here to be mounted Wa.-i 



it not unusual to find one so far south so dressed ? 



Cleveland, Ohio. h. O. R. 



UNDER THE SNOW. 



ii:ojraBB*L„Beo, 



Enrron Forest and BtbSam: 



When out shooting a lew days ago, I saw what resembled a hare 

 silking on the snow, In the open held, about twenty-five | a 

 grove of small cedars. On approaching the sin 

 was, had crouched down so that nothing but Its head was visible. 

 When 1 gut iiuite close to it I endeavored tt) put it up, but ' 

 tention to my movements, except to watch me closely. A hound tliat 

 I had with me now caught sight of the hare and made 

 catch It. The hare instead of running, o ■ ^appeared 



under the snow. The dog was unable to find it, and I and a fi lend who 

 was with me began tramping about, ami shortly si 

 or twenty feet from where it went ui>i 

 cover as fast as possible, but I brought it down before 



ce In the [orenoon, Thi 

 twelve or fifteen Inches deep, aud had all fallen during i 

 night. There were no tracks in the snow lead li 

 was sitting, showing that It had seen in the same spot a co 



