HFOREST AND STREAM." 



300 



pttttml Jjistorg. 



W&f FOfeH and Slrtam. 

 MORE FACTS ABOUT THE NEWFOUND- 

 LAND DEVIL FISH. 



OTJIl now celebrated devil Rsli lias lately come to the 

 front otrcE more, and lias awakened feosli interest in 

 scientific circles in England, Sfr Stephen Hill, Oov- 

 erimrof this Colony, in a despatch to L<inl Kimberley, late 

 Colonial Secretary, enclosed photographs of tho specimens 

 of this extraordinary tish, of which I was fortunate enough 

 t« oblain possession, tnrfltljor Witfi my description. Lord 

 KimllCflev forwarded UlCsa (to Mr. Frank Buckland, per- 

 milting him to "make stfelt ifea-of these papors, inlheia- 

 ti-n-sisoL' science, as he thoughl pvopur, and requesting to 

 be informed in which Museum lie considered lliey .should 

 be .linally deposited." Mr. IJtteklnnd published the papers 

 in /.a:,,/' mid Hater, and lie and Mr. Searlc painted the fish 

 to life From tho photographs, and placed thepainlinginhis 

 own Museum. The London press, including the Ttmo*, 

 has been discussing (he subject, and the Ihiily Tdee/raph 

 bad an interesting article- oil the subject. The discovery I 

 was fortunate enough, to make, last year, of a perfect speci- 

 men of these gigantic cuttle fish, is now regarded by nat- 

 uralist.-, as of the highest importance, enabling them to set 

 at rest the vexed question regarding which scientific men 

 were so divided in opinion, and to positively define the de- 

 gree oT alTinily existing between certain of'lhcse monsters 

 and the numerous smaller representatives of the group, 

 with which they were previously Acquainted, The exis- 

 tence of gigantic cephalopoda, having bodies from twenty 

 to I hirty feet in length, and tentacles from thirty to forty 

 feet in length, may now he regarded as settled, In due 

 time science will elucidate their habits and social economy. 

 In all probability this group of eephalopodou.s mullusca 

 contains representatives Of enormous dimensions distributed 

 in the seas throughout the globe, and embracing many dis- 

 tinct genera and species. In size these giant calaraaries vie 

 with the cetacea, and are therefore among the largest ani- 

 mal forms. 



. It is .sometimes asked, "how comes it that these remark- 

 able Creatures have been so seldom seen; and that never 

 before last year was a perfect specimen secured, even in 

 Newfoundland:-" 



In answer to this I would remark that, in all probability, 

 they inhabit the open ocean, and only occasionally ap- 

 proach the laud, when driven by storms— hence the Speci- 

 mens seen have been usually in' a dead or mutilated state, 

 with the exception of those found here last year. In the 

 open ocean a shoal of them might pass a ship unnoticed, 

 having no occasion ro rise to the surface to take in air. 

 Their appearance, however, around these shores is by no 

 means uncommon; but as their importance wa»unknown 

 till lately among our people, no attention was paid to the 

 specimens which drifted ashore. In proof of this, and as 

 affording additional evidence regarding the matter, I may 

 mention that recently I met. with an intelligent and respect- 

 able inhabitant of Bonavista Bay, who gave,me a minute 

 account of a "big squid" which was cast ashore close to 

 his residence. The name of my informant is John Quin- 

 ton, of Redcliffe Island, Bonavista Bay ; and I have every 

 reason to believe that his narrative is strictly in accordance 

 with facts. A few days before Christmas, ' 1872, on going 

 out one morning, he observed a large shapeless mass lying 

 stranded about fifteen y aids from the beach. There had 

 been a violent storm the previous night. On examination 

 it proved to be "a big squid," and the people of the settle- 

 ment resolved to drag it ashore. A. rope was passed round 

 it, and it required fourteen men to haul it close to the 

 beach. My informant was struck with the enormous length 

 of the tentacles, and had the curiosity to measure them. 

 Ho found them thirty-two feet in length, somewhat thicker 

 than a stout man's wrist, and having rows of suckers at the 

 extremity, each three inches in diameter. The short arms 

 were eight feet in length, and "thicker than a man's thigh." 

 The eyes were of immense size, and the beak "as large as 

 the crown of his hat" in diameter. Unfortunately he did 

 not measure the body, but thinks it could not have been 

 less than fourteen feet, and of immense girth. It lay on 

 the beach for a short time, and one of his neighbors carried 

 home the beak and preserved it for a time. Soon after a 

 storm cams on and the waves washed the fragments back 

 into the ocean. He is in hopes that the beak is still in ex- 

 istence in his neighbor's cottage, "if the children have not- 

 destroyed it," and if so, I am to become its owner. He 

 also informed me that the same year another smaller speci- 

 men was cast ashore at Long Island in the same hay; and 

 that three years previously an immense one was stranded 

 at Southern Bay, where it was cut up and carted away for 

 manure. I have no reason to doubt these accounts.' My 

 informant is an intelligent, honest man, and had no motive 

 for misleading me. 



It has been computed that the female of the common 

 squid, which is about seven inches in length, deposits no 

 less than 40,000 ova. Should these giant calamaries at all 

 approach the loligo in reproductive powers, there must be 

 enormous shoals of them in the unfathomed depths of the 

 ocean. They move about at an enormous speed, and the 

 destruction they work among the inhabitants of the deep 

 must be immense when their huge size is taken into ac- 

 count. Mr. Saville Kent, late Superintendent Naturalist of 

 tire Brighton Aquarium, and now of the Manchester Aqua- 

 rium, one of the most eminent Marine naturalistsin Britain, 

 says in an article in Tho Popular S-ie.nee Renew, "Calam- 

 aries arc themselves an easy prey to other tenants of the 

 deep. The. whales, in fact, with which they have been 

 compared in size, are their most formidable and implacable 

 foes, and probably the only animals existing which could 

 oppose these monsters with any prospects of success in 

 their native element, Our remarks in tlds case are of 

 course restricted to the toothed whales, and with these we 

 have abundant, evidence to show that the colossal cephalo- 

 pada constitute a favorite diet." M. Harvey. 



The English Sfakhow.— Mr. Robert Ridgway, a nat- 

 uralist of the Smithsonian Institute, in a recent number of 

 the Amerirjui Sportsman says:— At one time the native 

 song-sparrow was by far the most numerous and familiar 

 bod in the extensive pads surrounding the Smithsonian In 



i-tirul:o!t. Aw-km 

 tljvidUitls to hundred 



sparrows ineroased from a few in- 

 pairs, the soi,;> .sparrows decreased 



mvmoais to uunurcus m pairs, uiesm,i> .spnrrowscucroivsuii 

 from ilnzens oi - lon<y#a, 1 have iVu, pfiea it single in- 



I .-.■■',,. 



numerous on every hand; and to me, the harsh, mon- 

 otonous chirp of these foreign intruders is a sorry substi- 

 tute for the cheering song of our equally familiir native 

 bird (where protected,) now so entirely replaced by them. 



Whether or not the desert ion of the parks bv'the song- 

 sparrow is c lused by persecutions inflicted by tho intro- 

 duced species, or bv a scarcity of food caused bv the large 

 numbers of the latter, I will not attempt to say; but that 

 t lie European sparrow isin a degree pugnacious/was proven 

 to me only yesterday by witnessing the determined pursuit 

 of a straggling snow-bird who chanced to alight in a cotton- 

 wood tree in close proximity to a box near which a pair of 

 sparrows were sitting. 



At the present time the number of European sp: rrows is 

 at least twice that or all native birds combined; three years 

 ago, song and white throated sparrows, snow-birds, cardi- 

 nals, townees and other species, counted at least five times 

 their present number. 



It may be that this diminution in numbers of the native 

 species in the paries of this city may be brought about by 

 causes independent of the presence of the house-spa now ; 

 but the facts as abajre stated are too conspicuous to escapn 

 attention." 



Rake Birds. — M. W. Clark, Esq., of the Maine depart- 

 ment of tho Grand Trunk Railway, has just received at 

 Danville .function, per Allan line of steamers from Sheffield, 

 England, one pair silver pheasants, one raven, one star- 

 ling, one jackdaw, two magpies, two larks, and one black 

 bird, all in tine condition. These were imported for his 

 private collection, and are not for sale. Mr. Clark says.— 

 "The raven, jackdaw and magpies constitute the most 

 comical 'bird family' I have ever "met." 



THOSE BLUE BACKS. 



-Editoh I-'ohest ATCD S T t :>;.\ ![ : — 



A word mora a'raut lhv bine back trout of Rnu<;c.loy and Munsetucma 

 auntie Lnkus. Five or six years airolspent. the mouth of Orlnbrr in ihc 

 Maine woods, and for the fi>et lime satV the bine back trout, or which. 1 

 had heard. This wis in the Androscoggin River, between Indian Itock 

 and the dam. The trout, came from the OngSUCtUC or Mooselncinagimtlo 

 Lakes; they came nn from Tndi.-uiIRock to the dam. Iu the pool below 

 the dam then.' were myriads, the water Sting literally bti.ck with them, 



when disturbed, you could si.-in'ely sr-p anew lie re mtu-.:,,, ita Witt 



Luke. 



■lid del 



but from m 

 op the btook trout for them; bin, taste 

 with a bright salmon tint. As they 

 but once a year (about. Oct. ID), alul th 



Soon- are highly colored, 

 le to higla or knowledge 

 once, and go as suddenly, 

 would it not be an interesting study ror.BOine ot oar scienttutas to learn 

 and note their habits and peculiar charftcteriatfce, So.? 



(.ieorgc and Charles Soule gave me many interesting f„cts concerning 

 this tish, and they could furnish any one. at thai time, with plenty of 

 trout to examine, ami opportunity to study their habits. Ac, and perhaps 

 find their humus. If they arc up the streams for spawning, when do the 

 young go to the "home of the parent J* for they are not soon in the 

 stream except in October, when, as Mr. Pa-e says, they are caught by 

 the barrel, and their name is legion. Whether they ever take tly or bait, 

 seems to be a mooted question. Mr. l'agesiys, nn. That used to be 

 the common received opinion, (and may be now) bnt our party did take a 

 few with bait. I thought then the reason of their not biting freer was 

 because they came on other business, and were too busy attending to 

 that to pay any attention to biting. C. S. jMkhrill. 



Our correspondent is referred to previous numbers of 

 Forest and Stream for much inf'ormatien on this inter- 

 esting suiiject. — Et>. 



ffaodhind, ^nwn mid (gnrden. 



WINTER GARDENS— WHY CANNOT WE 

 HAVE THEM. 



WE present a short paper this week in response to sev- 

 eral letters we have before us asking the above 

 question. We might say that tho public taste is not suffi- 

 ciently educated to the point of appreciating such methods 

 of recreation, aud that many of our wealthy citizens have 

 in their extensive and elegant greenhouses a very good real- 

 ization of a Winter garden. And still another reason may 

 be found in the answer a gentleman gave us a few weeks 

 since when speaking of this subject. He said — "We have 

 Summer parks in number and variety adequate to the 

 wants of all our citizens; they must suflieo for the present, 

 or at least until money is more plenty." 



Allowing the soundness of his remarks in part, we can- 

 not agree with him in the assertion that our parks fill the 

 wants of the people to tho degree they should. Not to de- 

 preciate the Park Commissioners, or the educated intellect 

 that spreads out the landscape garden before us, wo do feel 

 t'oat to many besides ourselves a most sensible want is felt 

 for a Winter garden of some sort. We hope to see the 

 time ere long when this necessary want will be provided, 

 aud when our parks shall number among their pleasant 

 features a Winter retreat as well as a Summer resort. It is 

 a feature of our climate that to those who love out-of-door 

 exorcise and rambles among the greenwood paths of our 

 parks, only six months are given them for their Summer 

 enjoyment. Then comes to us the pertinent inquiry of our 

 correspondents— "(Jan there be no means for giving us a 

 small Winter garden, if tor atv experiment only?" 



While the great mass of our citizens cannot indulge iu 

 the luxury of extensive green houses and covered gardens, 

 why may not an v-ssocn-uon be formed for the creali |j cf 

 a Winter garden in some one of our parks? We certainly 

 sec no objection to the feasibility of such an undertaking, 

 giving to the people a Winter- go>den covering as an ex- 

 periment say five or more acres of land. In this paper we 

 shall outline our idea for suggestion only, proposing to 

 thoroughly discuss the matter hereafter in all its hearings, 

 its beauties, and ils results, should it awaken any interest 

 among our readers. Coming directly within the province 

 of this paper— the inculcation in men and women of a 

 healthy Interest, iu out-dour recreation and study— we 

 expect to hear many responses to our suggestion for a Win- 

 ter garden in some of our parks. 



We need a resort, where, eveu iu mid Winter the beauti- 

 ful green of the tropics may bo enjoyed— where the sweet 

 denizens of Florida, of Brazil, the Orient, and the isles 

 of the SOU may cast their fr:igr : . IU:( , . |n ,| jjhuldcn the hearts 

 ol our people. The plan we Suggest jj not utopjjm; it, can 

 : ' ' i-' ■■■■'-.'" , ! extent. ';; 



reasonable sum of money for admittance within the do- 

 main of our tropical world, our Winter garden, for an 

 hour's ramble ouly? 



With the many capabilities for improvement afforded by 

 our Central Park, why not take advantage of some portion 

 of it for the purpose suggested. It would not cost a very 

 large sum of money to select in a proper location in the 

 park, or any other grounds, a tract of five or six acres. 

 Ovcj' this thrown light glass roof of IbePaxlon orMcInlosli 

 improved iron spun— something or the Crystal Enlace 

 style— and you have a very compactly covered glass roof 

 and sides, the sides of which can, if necessary, have, an 

 inside area of ton feet or more, as a walk or "drive way, 

 with an inside glass, making a great saving of the fuel 

 used for heating the garden.' The whole could be double 

 glazed if found necessary. Now with such a structure as 

 this, with all its imperfections, wdtat an amount of real 

 happiness it would afford. Our ladies and gentlemen 

 might, take stock in a less promising undertaking', for aside 

 from its pleasures, we can demonstrate to them that there 

 is money in it. 



We might, go on to speak at length of the many plants 

 and attractions of such a resort. We might mime the 

 azalias, the laurels, and hundreds of other beautiful and 

 rare plants, but reserve for the future a more concise and 

 elaborate phn of what we think all the people want. 



Oi.Lti'on Quill. 



Choice Pelargoniums for Winter Bloom. — The hab- 

 its of some of the zouale pelargoniums are admirable, for 

 Winter blooming, and the varieties to be chosen for this 

 purpose are such as generally bloom the most, freely. I 

 always choose for myself those of a dwarf habit in prefer- 

 ence to others, and can recommend them as best, adapted 

 for room aud greenhouse culture. Among the best, varie- 

 ties, I would name among others equally suitable, the fol- 

 lowing, namely— Dwarf glow, a bright scarlet aud a verv 

 fine bloomer, literally covering itself with showy putts of 

 brilliant flowers; vul'can, another scarlet of fine habits, and 

 grows in trusses. Then I have grown with much satisfac- 

 tion Vesuvius, a red rich scarlet. This is a dwarf among 

 the dwarfs, blooming freely, and very easily cnltivaled. 

 Then we have the old and well known peony, whose rich 

 salmon, shaded with pink, every one admires. This you 

 will be sure to place in your window box, as it will almost 

 take care of itself. Add two flue plants of pure white — 

 the bride and the white swan — and you have all the whiles 

 you need. These two, I think, cannot be surpassed for 

 indoor bloomers, and possessing all the requisite? of good, 

 hardy flowers, you may have confidence in them. There 

 are others wo have seen well adapted for the purposes of 

 window gardening and room culture, but wc trust the 

 above selection will give the best satisfacton to our lady 

 gardeners, and having proved them ourselves we know 

 whereof we speak. Otlitod Quill. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



Belle May, Ipswich, Mass., inquires the name of a fern 

 she sends us. Many of our wild wood ferns are spared us 

 until the cold days of December. On the day of this writ- 

 ing — December 3d — I gathered one of the finest specimens 

 of the Gunis minor, or little dog fern. I took it from a 

 very sheltered spot in the crevice of the rocks, Where it was 

 very coziiy nestling at the foot of a huge birch tree, so lov- 

 ingly that I was fain to leave it untouched; but as I had 

 your letter of inquiry in my pocket, I transferred this little 

 fern to my basket for a more careful examination. The 

 specimen you send me belongs to this class, and if you 

 carefully remove the plant with considerable earth it will 

 richly repay you for your pains. It will give you an abun- 

 dance of seeds next year, and these seeds will give you 

 some fine new plants, or sprouts, of an entirely different 

 kind, though they will still be of the little dog fern fam- 

 ily. I have found that one of these - ferns, taken up in the 

 Fall, and placed in the centre of a shallow pot of earth, 

 and surrounded with the "checkerberry" of our school 

 girls, makes a most delightful aud cheap parlor ornament. 



J. L. B., Loug Branch, N. J. — The seed of the sedges, 

 to which your inquiry leads, cannot usually be obtained 

 from seedsmen or stores. At. least, we have never seen any 

 for sale, or noted any in catalogues issued by our first class 

 nurserymen. There are an almost, indefinite number of 

 the plants and grasses, seed bearing seeds, belonging to the 

 C'i/pertieev:. In the sedges you will find the seeds princi- 

 pally used for feeding by tho rice bunting, or reed bird, to 

 be of four kinds, and those are found generally together. 

 First, the Gi/pems; spikes flattened distinctly; many seeded; 

 ripe June to September. Second, the Oryztt; grain ob- 

 long; paniculate. Third, Lemma; Indian rice; large 

 grains, resembling rice, and sometimes known as wild rice. 

 Fourth, the Millitim ; seeds large and free. All the above 

 seeds, together with many oilier species of seeds inter- 

 growing Willi them, on the river banks in Virginia, Penn- 

 sylvania, aud all along the Southern coast, yield an abun- 

 dance of good seed, which may be easily gathered by boats 

 in the proper season. The seeds arc dropped in due time, 

 and float upon lite waters to tlieir destined anchorage on 

 the creeks and inlets of all our navigable and unnavigable 

 waters. 



F. Sinclair, Fredericksburg, Va. — Box containing the 

 three packages of different kinds of earth came to hand. , 

 A eareful analysis enables us to give you the following an- 

 swers. The first is a shell marl, and contains a large per- 

 centage of carbonate of lime. As a fertiliser, it should be 

 applied in liberal ouaniilies; it is good for wheat or clover, 

 or any growing grass; will pay well for hauling and care- 

 fully spreading.' The second is what, is knowiias Virginia 

 gjL-eii sand; has not any of the usual gt anointed sand of 

 this kind of oa"lh; is from a location where only fine gran- 

 ules, or poor sand is found, This is of little value, any 

 way; it can perhaps be mixed with clay lands, but as a fer- 

 tilizer is worth little or nothing to the farmer. Tho third 

 is common muck, with some shells, and a little peaty for- 

 mation. This is valuable as a fertilizer, and can be' used 

 as a basis for retaining phosphates to advantage. 



Ollipod Quill. 

 <■> 



Wikteu Oaudenino im Hion Latitudes. —We clip the 

 following from the Montreal Witness. Col. llhodes is an 

 old contributor to Forest an.o $vbeam, and a mighty 

 moose hunter and angler m weU_M gardener;—. 



'■Col, Eluidea oi Quobwi (l '' ■ iredit (at Ida 



' ■■■:' - ■ ■'■' ii ,■ '■ :', i '■ " i. I : ■' ■ 



