FOREST AND STREAM. 



85 



The Oregon Bibd. — In our last number we described a 

 peculiar bird, whose characteristic traits were sent to us by 

 Air. Roop, of Portland. Professor Baird and Mr. Bidgeway 

 have kindly given us the following information in regard to 

 it : "The description of the bird coming from Mount, 

 Hood, Oregon, answers very well to that of Clark's crow 

 (Picicm-vus Oolumlrianus), a species common in the Rocky 

 Mountain region and westward. This bird, however, has 

 an elongated, slightly curved bill, with nothing of the 

 scissors shape about it. If the bills cross, as we infer from 

 the term, it is probably an accidental mal-formation, such 

 as not unfrequently occurs in long-billed birds, and such ns 

 is permanently present in the so-called cross-bills." [We 

 have requested Mr. Roop to send us a stuffed bud. —Ed. J 



— An occasional correspondent who signs himself ''Vet- 

 eran," mentions having recently killed a black snake which 

 contained in its stomach five little woodcock, apparently 

 only a few days old and just swallowed, and assumes that 

 these snakes are among the most destructive of pot-hunters. 

 We have little doubt in our minds that scarcity in certain 

 localities is often due almost wholly to the cause here 



named. 



■««»■ ■ 



—There is something deliciouB about the way the bees 

 behave in Los Angeles. All you have to do at breakfast 

 time, in an old house, is to procure a gimlet, bore into the 

 ceiling, and hold your cup or your slice of bread under the 

 hole, and the honey drops out in an endless stream. Of 

 course the garrets are not of much account as enjoyable 

 locations. When they tear down a house at Los Angeles, 

 the bulk of wax alone, pays for the demolition, and goes a 

 good way to build the new house. 



*-.•- 



PRESERVING THE VITALITY OF EGGS. 



Whitepield House, Meals Gate. i 

 Caklysle, England, Aug. 25th, 18V!. | 

 Editor Fobest and Stream:— 



The failure in hatching eggs of hardy game birds, lately aent in great 

 numbera from America to England, plainly suggests the inquiry "Have 

 they been packed and treated in the best manner?" I have given this 

 matter great attention lately, and beg to offer a few remarks thereon . 

 Our London Journal of Eorlkutlitre is also our best authority on poultry 

 subjects. I take it, and see several letters in last mouth's number giving 

 snggeations how eggs may be preserved quite fresh for a very long time. 

 One writer states that he lias kept eggs perfectly freshfrom August till 

 the following March, by using thin boards or shelves perforated by circu- 

 lar holes, in which the eggs are placed with the smnll end flown. This 

 causes the yolk to swim alwayH in its proper position, and not to adhere 

 to the aide. Strange to soy, but it ia au undeniable fact, that twenty at 

 thirty years ago all oor servanta had ten times more skill iu domestic 

 economy than at the present day. They could brew tlrst-rate ale, pickle, 

 preserve, and manufacture capons, and bring up poultry with marvellous 

 success. We have now to do all these things ourselves, if done at all, 

 and wai t on our servants. I saw lately in an old lumber room the remains 

 of a board as above described, which my mother said was in constant use 

 fifty years ago in all well managed households. 



I lay down a great number of esrgs in salt, or lard, every summer, which 

 keeps them quite good for eating for many mouths; but whether the 

 vital property ia preserved thereby 1 do not pretend to say. I believe 

 that turning the eggs every day is the grand secret. 

 "On Candlemasa day 

 Good geese begin to lay" 

 is a trite old couplet with farmer's wives, who tell me that they lay eTery 

 aecond or third day for some weeks, before inclined to sit. These eggs 

 ore marked with a cross or ink or soot, so as to distinguish the different 

 Bides, and if not turned every day not. oue will hatch . 1 observe that alJ 

 our domestic poultry and pheasants turn their eggs themselves when sit- 

 ting hard, and seldom miss one. Some guests of mine, who would not 

 believe it at first, convinced themselves of the fact by marking a lot of 

 partridge eggs in anest, which was in the shrubbery close under a win- 

 dow, and we coidd see her go off and on. Mr. H, Burr, of Berkshire, 

 a moat excellent authority in such matters, writes me to-night, and 

 aiy,i:,ii'_r i.ili:r:nii^ ^y-: < oiniiU'd l." unswti :-. -.un^tiou of youri in ;, 

 former letter, relative to the carriage of American eggs. I think the 

 eggs ahonld be packed in moss, aulfiglcutrj tight to be safe, but not too 

 bard crammed. Then each box or basket should be turned on one sido 

 or topsy-turvy every day, Thitis all imjiortant. If this is not attended 

 to it is of no good attempting to transport them." 



I quite agree with my much esteemed friend, and I think nothing 

 could be bettor than packing them as he suggests — in shallow boxes. 

 What could be better than coarse riddles, i. e. sieves, which arc light and 

 airy, keeping them apart with moss? After that they might be held fast 

 with nettiug, coarse open sacking, or some such contrivance, so as to 

 keep them from shifting, and thea yon could invert the thing at once. 

 A lot of these could stand on the top of each other like shelves, Ttiis 

 would save the immense labor of turning each individual egg between 

 finger and thumb, and there would not, be the liability of missing some 

 or letting them tumble. That they can be brought over succesfully, if 

 wel I managed, 1 have no doubt whatever . Jackson (Ji-llbankr . 



».*- 



MORE ABOUT SHARKS. 



Philadelphia, Pa., August li5th, tBet. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



In a late Issue of your paper I observed the article "As to Sharks," 

 and as I have no reason to doubt the veracity of Professor Baird's state- 

 ment, I am obliged to confess that I have, through want of pluck, missed 



treat, or 1 must console myself with the belief that, there must be a 

 great difference between the flesh of the blue shark and that of the 

 brown and ground species. Eight years of my life I spent at, sea, and 

 during that time I made the acquaintance of quite a number of sharks 

 of almost all ages, sizes and species, but only on two occasions have I 

 thought of tasting the Hash, and in neither of the cases did I get the 

 leugth of actual taste. Many a time I have heard old sailors state their 

 conviction as to shark being "a mighty hard morsel to swallow," and 

 some would say that "skunk could not smell much worse." I felt a 

 great curiosity on the subject, and determined that when I could get a 

 chance at a young one I would try how it tasted. The chauce came at 

 last, and an extract from my journal will show my experience on the 

 subject: 



Saturday, June 9th, 18o6.— Just when I was going in to dinner the 

 boatswain came to ask for a piece of raw pork, saying he wanted (o 

 catch a young shark that was knocking round the bows. I went forward 

 and found that there were two young sharks, and they would have noth- 

 ing to do with the bait. I got the grains and went out on the martingale, 

 and when I got a. chance at one I let drive at him and— made a lovely 

 miss. A Bailor named Sutton nest took the grains, and struck one and 

 got him on board, and then I go t a slap at the other one, and some how 

 or other I actually struck aim and got him on board too. Half an hour 



later a fellow about ten feet long was seen cruising about the aaine 

 place. The harpoon was got out in his honor, and Snttou sent it 

 through him, but when he hauled him up he kicked and struggled in 

 ouch an outrageous fashion that the harpoon tore away the flesh, and he 

 fell back into' the wnter a gone shark, Wo M it was a dead calm we 

 could see him as he slowly sunk out of sight. The two young rufflane'tn the 

 meantime were cut up and prepared for the frying pan and left to soak til 

 to-morrow. 1 have tasted a good many kinds of fishes, but never yet 

 in-own shark, or auy other kind of shark for that matter, but I think if 

 all goes right I will have a piece to-morrow to see how it taetes, 



Sabbath, .Time lOtft.— I may mention as regards the piece of shark 

 I was to eat to-day, that it never was cooked. The water in which the 

 Been, was soaking was changed three times since yesterday afternoon, 

 and yet by this morning tt smelled so awfully that it was quite percept- 

 ible from any part or the deck, and the cook emphatically declared that 

 he would not cnok any such stuff, and he would not let any of his pans 

 be used for such a purpose, for he never would be able to got the smell 

 away, and nobody made any objection when at last he threw the whole 

 affair overboard. I felt no desire to-day to taate it— the. perfume was 

 enough for me. in fact more than euough. I really do not think that, my 

 experience in the eating of shark fleah will ever be very great except I 

 should be driven to it by sheer necessity. 



My second attempt at shark eating was at Aunesley Bay. in Abyssinia, 

 at the time of the British expedition against. King Theodore. Oor 

 captain and three officers of the Forty-fifth Regiment made up a shooting 

 parly and 1 was invited to accompany them. We sailed about twelve 

 miles up the bay and camped out for three days, and during that time I 

 made my second attempt at shark eating. 



Ft Idtey, 28M February, 1868.— When the tide had gone out to-day I 

 saw &.flsh of some kind floundering about in one of the shallow pools. 

 1 took oil boots and socks and made my way out and found it was a 

 a young ground shark about eighteen inches long. When I first waded 

 Into the pool the young wretch made direct for me, hut afterwnrda 

 turned roand and tried to make off. However, I grabbed him by the 

 tail, and in spite of some desperate attempts he made to bite my hand, I 

 brought hjm up to the tent. 1 reniemberca the time when I once be- 

 fore tried to cat shark (and didn't), and concluded to try this oue, aa it 

 was a different kind and possibly might not smell. The other young 

 sharlcs, I remember, were kept in soak for a night, so I decided to cook 

 this one while fresh. On account of the solemnity of the occasion , and 

 also because X had donbts as to whether onr Hindoo would cook such an 

 outlandish kind of meat, I officiated as che/'de. cuinine, and proceeded to 

 nuike Shark stew, but oh, gracious! whenever the meat began to get 

 warm in the stew pan it likewise began to emit a perfume that was far 

 from agreeable, and which in a short time got so intolerable that I seized 

 the pan, carried it a short distance and dumped the contents. I observed 

 that Mnckaram had a severe scrubbing at Bmt useful utensil during the 

 course or the afternoon, and no doubt he blessed the Sahib for taking 

 liberties with his dishes." 



Such bas been my experience with shark llcsh. It is true that on 

 neither of the occasions did I get, the length of tasting the flesh, and it is 

 possible that the cooking might not have been of the beat quality, and 

 thattbsre may he some way of disguising the peculiar smell of the fish, 

 but I must say that, taking into consideration the horrible smell in both 

 cases, he must have been a very hungry mini, or else a bold experimen- 

 talist, who would have gone the length of eating shark. A. 



CENTRAL PARK MENAGERIE. 



Department op Public Parks, I 

 New York, Sept. 13, 1874. I 

 Animals received at Central Park Menagerie for the week endiug 

 September 13th, 1874: 



Six Prairie Dogs, CiJBOWJS IrnhjinAanus. Presented bv Philadelphia 

 Zoological Society. 

 One Jackass Rabbit, lepu.fcatotis. 

 One White Peafowl, Paw cristtttus. 

 One small Alligator. Presented by Master Conde R. Thorne. 



W. A. Conklin. 



faodlxnd, %mvn and %mdm. 



The Autumn Leayes. — The long continued drouth in 

 many sections of the country has so dried the sap in the 

 shade aud forest trees, that their leaves are withering, turn- 

 ing brown, and falling prematurely. Many trees have 

 already shed half their foliage, and it seems as though" all 

 would be stripped and bare long before their usual period; 

 SO that we are likely this year to miss the radiant glowing 

 tints that make the American autumn gorgeous. We ex- 

 perienced a rapid transition from winter to summer. Spring 

 was omitted, and now, if we are to pass directly from sum- 

 mer to winter, how shall we endure the elimination of both 

 the vernal and autumnal seasons? In lieu of the crowning 

 glory that makes the October forests resplendent, we shall 

 have only the sere and yellow leaf to remind us, indeed, 

 that "the melancholy days have come." 



— Our Waretown correspondent, "A Brick," says he has 

 found pink pond lilies in Ocean County, New Jersey. 

 They were usually of larger size than those of awhile 

 color, which he attributes to the peculiar richness of the 

 soil. _ 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



They are a beautiful plant, for training about doors and 

 windows. I have one now in bloom at this writing, run- 

 ning over a portion of my front door, that is the admira- 

 tion of all who behold it. The one best adapted for in- 

 doors is the Clara giglium, and for out of doors the P. 

 mexulea. O.Q, 



Emerson, Charlestown.— The insect you sent for recog- 

 nition is an old and well known enemy of the garden, He 

 is king among "saw flies," the female Claudius dtflbrni*. 

 He has an apparatus at the extremity of the body, which, 

 revealed under the mieroscopse, presents the appearance of 

 a genuine saw, hence the local name in many places of 

 '•saw fly". This insect is one sixth of an inch in length, 

 with a black and shining body, and dirty, yellowish white 

 legs. Having once seen him you will never forget him. 

 These flies are fond of rose leaves, They work about sev- 

 enteen days, and then remain in a pupa "state three weeks, 

 when they again make their appearance in the shape of 

 perfeet insects, ready to vex the soul of the most patient 

 gardener. O.Q. 



Brewster, Pennsylvania. — The "animal insect, you call 

 him," is one of the August pests, and he is called the Tetti- 

 gonia, or familiarly known in Massachusetts as the "leaf 

 hopper of the vine." This insect is found in wet and 

 damp locations, as well as in dry gardens, and is a bad cus- 

 tomer to deal with. The TeUigoniajt are often found upon 

 the leaf of the grape vine, and their bite is blight. They 

 go there to bite, kill, and destroy, and they will kill the 

 fruit on the vine if you do not kill them. There is ona 

 species of this insect found in grass lands which leave a 

 deposit called "frogs' spittle." You have only to examine 

 this to trace them out. The Teltigonia is one tenth of an 

 inch long, and if you catch one and place him under j-our 

 microscope you will see him in all his glowingstraw colors, 

 nicely striped with red. You can find no better means of 

 expelling him than the application, with a pair of bellows 

 (prepared for the occasion), of equal parts of flour sulphur 

 and dry air slacked lime. O.Q. 



<■» 



WILD PLUMS OF KANSAS. 



ASBTB C. Avery, Mt. St. Vincent. — For information in 

 general as to the cultivation of outdoor or "garden ferns," 

 we refer you to an article on ferns to be found in No. 20, 

 Vol. II,, of FoiiKsr ajsd Stream. Please read carefully 

 the portion commencing "The fern so readily adapts it- 

 self," etc., to the end, and if 5 r ou would add anything to 

 this you will be able to do so easily, as everything relating 

 to this beautiful and hardy decorative plant for the parlor 

 is suggestive from the very beginning. We like the plan 

 of mating steps, rising one above the other, or galleries, little 

 arches, etc., all of which can be easily made with small 

 bits of granite quartz and jasper, feldspar, or such other 

 geological specimens as you rnay have or can procure. 

 Ferns of small size should always be chosen. There are 

 many beautiful sorts to be had at a small cost, and which 

 any greenhouse will furnish. Ask for hardy and half 

 hardy ferns. O.Q. 



Mak\ Mansfield.— The- leaf you send "of a curious 

 plant found growing wild in the woods," is the Passi- 

 Jlora, or passion flower. How it came to be found in the 

 woods 1 can only conjecture; most probably the seeds were 

 sown by the birds, wiio plant many seeds, both of flowers 

 and fruits. The Passijlora are truly beautiful plants for 

 cultivation — both curious and interesting. The flowers are 

 sometimes produced in great profusion, and during a suc- 

 cession of several weeks. Under glass they will bloom 

 many weeks, and in summer or autumn out of doors. 



We copy the following article from " The Gardtn," a 

 weekly London journal : 



[Some time ago it was stated that a traveller in Central 

 America, while passing over the sandy plains of Kansas, 

 met with dense thickets of small plum trees, not larger 

 than our gooseberry bushes, bearing fruit of immense size, 

 aud fine flavor. Several inquiries for further information 

 respecting these plums, not having met with any response, 

 our occasional contributor, Mr. Jackson Gillbanks, of Cum- 

 berland, who takes so active a part in all branches of natu- 

 ral history, wrote to America, through the Fotiest Arm 

 Stream journal, to ascertain whether or not such plums 

 existed, as small bushes bearing large and delicious fruit 

 would be a grand acquisition to both our gardens and or- 

 chard houses. This has produced the following interesting 

 letter on the subject from Mr. Ed. Thompson, of Kansas.] 

 "Lawkenck, Kansas, U. S. A.. July 3, 1874. 



"Dear Sir— Your letter, relating to the wild plums of the 

 plains of Kansas, has again directed my attention to them. 

 The head waters of the Kansas river and manv streams 

 emptying into the Platte, abound in wild plums" of many 

 varieties and colors; where the soil is fertile and water 

 plentiful, the trees grow to the height of from G to 10 feet, 

 and the fruit of many kinds is large and pleasant, to the 

 taste. There is one variety of white plum quite as large 

 and of as good flavor as Bolman's Washington, a kind gen- 

 erally cultivated and much valued in the Eastern States. 

 Another kind resembles the St. Catherine in size and 

 color. Among the sand hills of the Arkansas, the trees do 

 not reach the size that they do further north, being iu fact 

 mere bushes 3 and 4 feet high, growing in dense clumps or 

 thickets. The fruit, however, appears" to be equally large 

 and luscious, and during the early fall my men have fre- 

 quently brought baskets into camp, which were exceedingly- 

 palatable, either raw or cooked. In the fall of 1872, after 

 we had experienced severe frosts upon the head waters of 

 the Republican, on our way into settlements upon the 

 north ford of the Solomon, we found a deep arroyo, with a 

 spring, whose sides were filled with plum trees in full 

 bearing, their sheltered position having apparently delayed 

 the fruitage and protected them from frost. I shall he 

 this year south of the Arkansas river, in the extreme 

 southwestern part of this State, and if the Indian's untu- 

 tored mind does not suggest his raising my hair (scalping), 

 I will make further observations upon this subject, the re- 

 sult of which I shall be happy to communicate. 



(Signed) Edwakd D. Tnonn-SON." 



To Jackson Gillbanks. 



A local paper adds s 



"The labors of Mr. Gillbanks'' in natural history and 

 nearly every branch of science, seemB well known and ap- 

 preciated in America, and we learn that several parties 

 there have offered to send him some plants of these desira- 

 ble fruits, which he intends to present to the Royal Gardens 

 at Kew, so as to have the best treatment." 



[Mr. Gillbanks begs us to thank Mr. Thompson \ox the 

 information conveyed. — Ed. 



- •■» 



Rancolpb, N. Y., Sept. 14, 18T4. 



BllITOB FOBEST AND StKKAM:— 



Enclosed find a common grasshopper, (GryUm viridizsimus,) that has 

 upon its body small insects, that, when put under the microscope look to 

 be three inches long, one and half inches wide.with three pairs of legs, of 

 a bright red color, and hair all over its body. My object in sending it is 

 to enquire: 1st. What are they? 2d. Is it common for grasshoppers 

 to have them? I noticed hundreds of grasshoppers with a little clamp of 

 from ten to twenty of these little insects under the wings, where they at- 

 tach themselves to the body, giving the grasshopper a beautiful appear- 

 ance as they jump and fly. I noticed many with the wings partly and 

 entirely gone. I suppose the little parasites or insects feed npon the 

 wings, and perhaps eat and kill the grasshoppers. Am I correct? 



Yoors very truly. H. H. Thomas. 



Secretary Trout Grove Fishery. 



P. S.— Since writing the above an old farmer says: "They are lice 

 that have destroyed the grasshoppers for two years before this." 



H. T. 



[The presence of these parasites has been noticed in 

 other localities; wherever thoy are found they make mortal 

 havoc with the grasshoppers. If western people would 

 acclimate a few billions of them, the grasshopper plague 

 would afflict them no more. — Et>.] 

 ■•■» 



—A man without resolution is like a man exempt from 

 evil— he has no (w)ill of his own.j 



