Apbil 7, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



18? 



ness is found to be caused by the presence of an intestinal 

 parasite- named by Dr. Spencer Cobbold Strongylus doug- 

 lane. 



This Worm was discovered by Mr. Arthur Douglas, and ap- 

 pears to subsist on the coats of the ostrichc's stomach. Noreni- 

 edy has as yet been found for these parasites, nor has the 

 cause of their existence been discovered, and the question of 

 what is to be done in the matter is becoming a serious one to 

 South Africa farmers. 



SNAKE EATING SNAKE. 



IN the number of Forest and Stream for March 8, a cor- 

 respondent criticises the account given by me in a pre- 

 vious numher of the paper of the killing and swallowing of 

 a rattlesnake by a large gopher snake, particularly the state- 

 ment that the victor bit oil' the head of the vanquished, and 

 n jected it before swallowing the body, and the editorial 

 comment is that the act could not be performed by a serpent. 



It happened that 1 received the paper with the above com- 

 ments at the house in South Florida where the affair is said 

 to have occurred. I therefore showed the paper to my in- 

 formant, Mr. Bartolo Pacetti, and asked if there was any 

 error in my repetition of the story. He replied that there 

 was none, that be saw the occurrence in his own door-yard, 

 that it was seen by all his family, and also by a visitor, a Cap- 

 tain Hatch, master of a vessel trading on the coast. That 

 the whole battle between the snakes occupied two hours dur- 

 ing which they were closely watched, and were so fiercely 

 engaged as to pay little regard to the observers, that the bit- 

 ing or chewing off of the Lead alone took nearly an hour. 



And liere Mr. Pacetti remarked that if the writer in Foe- 

 bst and Stream had ever examined the teeth of a gopher 

 snake, which resemble those of a tine saw, be might change 

 his opinion as to the possibility of the act. He went on to 

 say that the gopher snake had finished the business, and had 

 gone away unharmed, that he, Pacetti, buried the severed 

 head under a tree in the garden from fear of accideuts from the 

 fangs. Said he, " There is the tree where I buried the head, 

 and perhaps I could find the bones of it there still, though it 

 is ten years ago." This man is entirely truthful and trust- 

 worthy as will be testified by all who know him, and they 

 are many, he being an oldFloridian well known on this coast 

 as the best fisherman in the region as well as a good hunter, 

 and an Indian scout in the Seminolo war. 



I may add that I also had the account of the biting off of 

 the head in all its details from Captain Hatch mentioned 

 above. 



Such is the positive testimony which I produce to confirm 

 my statement, which I may be permitted to say is of at least 

 equal value with a negative founded on general theories. 



Halifax Inlet, March 31. S. C. Clabke. 



Faots About Deer— Glen Falls, N. T., March 38.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream : I notice in your issue of March 

 34 a communication from New Westminster, B. C, about 

 deer and what becomes of their horns. 



Now what I have to say I have ascertained by an experi- 

 ence of twenty-five years of hunting and trapping in the 

 northern purt of the. New York wilderness, in the sou'born 

 parts of Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, and it corrobor- 

 ates the opinion of the above, correspondent in respect to the 

 weight of large bucks, if the whole carcass weighs over two 

 hundred pounds he is a " socker," and such are very rarely 

 found ; but occasionally 1 have captured deer that would go 

 a little, more when in prime condition. The heaviest one I 

 ever killed was in October, 1876, three miles below the vil- 

 lage of North Lawrence on Deer Biver, and I brought it 

 there to ship it toMoira Sta'ion, the next east of where I then 

 lived, but as 1 received a bid for the venison dressed, at ISA- 

 cents per pound, I accepted the offer, for then I should have 

 Athe skin» tallow and, lastly, the head and horns.. I never saw 

 a nicer set with one exception ; the left horn had nine lips 

 and the right but eight. Can any one tell by the tips how 

 old he was ? The meat of this buck weighed 203 pounds with 

 the legs off at the knees and gambrels." I sold the horns on 

 the spot for three dollars. 1 think the hide, rough tallow, 

 legs and head and horns would, if weighed, have brought up 

 his weight to 250 pounds. This was a buck that had fattened 

 on the grain and turnip fields of the farmers. This, remem- 

 ber, was only one of that weight in thousands ; but the 

 funniest part of the whole affair of killing this old stager 

 camein this way. It was near sundown, and getling impatient 

 I had started for home— four miles— and Left Deer River behind 

 a few rods. Suddenly I heard my old dog, Spot, at work on 

 the creek, and knew by the sound he was swimming; all of a 

 sudden he started for the river below and I for the river 

 above, and cm reaching it I saw a wake as if some animal was 

 swimmiugnp. As I was going down we met in the gray of 

 evening. He swam low in the water and was trying to hide 

 as he had done before. It was getting dark, and being high- 

 er and having a side shot I held for his eye and let fly. Down 

 went his old chair head, and what a floundering he made ; 

 but he couldn't get his big head out of the water. The fact 

 was, my ball struck near the eye, but glanced and slid under 

 the hide across his ftSehead and did not penetrate the skull 

 but stunned him, and so the verdict was "found drowned." 

 In respect to horns, when they are first, shed naturally they 

 are quite soft, and the bucks eat them before they leave un- 

 less driven from them. 1 have found them gnawing them, 

 and tame bucks will also eat them if not provided with salt. 



— JOYNEE. 



It is a well-known fact that cattle will chew and mumble 

 bones if they aro not provided with salt. 



Canadian Bikds Notes — New York, March 29.— Yovir 

 correspondent, " Au Sable," iufbur issue of the March 23, 

 ' paid a well-merited tribute to the valuable ornithological re- 

 searches and observations of John Neilson, of Quebec, upon 

 the Canadian fauna. 1 am authorized by Mr. Neilson to say 

 that he is now engaged in arranging for publication through 

 the columns of Forest and Stream a series of short notes 

 upon the land birds of Northern Canada. In a recent letter 

 to me, Mr. Neilson adds that his notes are now well advanced 

 and that he expects to forward them very shortly. You have 

 already had submitted to you a few extracts from his volu- 

 minous memoranda. — G. M. Fairohild, Jb. 



Winter Range of the Song Srabp.ow — Bradford, Pa., 

 Maaih 21.— In your issue of March 17 " Lycoming " is sur- 

 prised at seeing a song sparrow (Melospixa melodia) through 

 the winter. Last Christmas I saW one but heard no songs. 

 March 16 I saw two and both were in full song. See "Coues' 

 Birds of the Northwest," p. 139— "Winters as far north as 



the Middle States, if not in southern New England;" also 

 Maynardin " Naturalist's Guide " — "Have taken it Decem- 

 ber 3. — Sialia. 

 Wc have seen this species wintering in Connecticut. 



Mated, But Not Matoued. — I have long known that the 

 god of love was, to say the least, very short-sighted, but have 

 been loath to believe that the dear creature was stone blind; 

 but I have just witnessed au exemplification of the truth of 

 this that entirely convinces me of the fact. I will recount 

 the tale that you may fully understand the reason for my be- 

 lief. Some eight years ago", upon one of the coldest mornings 

 of the winter, my little boy came running in all excitement 

 and bade me come quirk, for a wild duck had just alighted 

 among the hens. Hastily seizing my gun and a couple of 

 shells 1 followed him out and caught a elimpse of a strange- 

 looking duck bb she ran under the shed." Standing guard at 

 the entrance, I ordered the boy to go in and catch her. As 

 soon as he. came near hot sin: rose tod started for the opening, 

 ami as she went over my head I made a grab and was fortu- 

 nate enough to seize one of her legs, and, notwithstanding she 

 gave me several severe whacks with her wings, I held on. 

 Upon examination she proved to be a female "Muscovy." 

 I clipped her wings and gave her the freedom of the yard 

 where she has been ever since. Although I have provided 

 several mates for her she has invariably turned up her nose 

 at them and obliged them to keep their distance ; and my 

 fear, that "Old Prim" as we called her, would die an old 

 maid, appeared well grounded. A few days ago I was pres- 

 ented with a pair of black-red, game bantams. I turned 

 them down among the ducks— of which I have five pairs. 

 The drakes held a short council of war and, deciding that the 

 interlopers must be driven from the field at all hazards, ad- 

 vanced in battle array and at once commenced a furious on- 

 slaught. The cock, with the well-known pugnacity of the 

 breed, stood his ground, and by a well-directed blow soon 

 turned the tide of battle and forced his assailants to beat a 

 hasty retreat. "Old Prim" had taken a lively interest in 

 the scrimmage from the first, and when she witnessed the 

 utter rout of Iter importunate tormentors, and probably know- 

 ing full well that " the brave deserve the fair," she modestly 

 sidled toward the hero and with pinions spread as though 

 she would embrace him, in humble homage knelt at his feet, 

 and with the proverbial gallantry of his race he ardently res- 

 ponded to her loving advances, and ever since this devoted 

 pair have been inseparable. Surely the love of this ill- 

 matched couple is "proof strong as Holy Writ" that the 

 gentle king of hearts is blind as a bat. — Shadow. 



Spuing Notes— Hornellsville, N. Y. April 4.— Bluebirds 

 and blackbirds arrived March 10. 



Robins arrived March 12. 



Song sparrows March 13. 



A great many shrikes here now, a large white-headed eagle 

 has been here for a week trying to get a meal of dead horse, 

 but the crows drove him away — a nice bird surely for an em- 

 blem of American liberty ! 



April 1 — Saw a large flock of pigeons flying east. 



J. Oris Fellows. 



New York, March 25. 



The following notes as to the advancement of spring were 

 made at Eastchester, N. Y. 1 think they would be of some 

 interest as showing the progress of the season. Birds were 

 not as plentiful as they usually are at this date. TterBvi mi" 

 gratorium is quite common, and a few specimens of Siala 

 sMis are (lying. In a piece of plowed ground I heard the 

 rather sharp" notes of Sturnellw magna which are very com- 

 mon on the salt marshes of that section, and should judge 

 that they were residents- A scattering flock of black birds 

 also noticed. 



The frogs make the swamps echo with their music. Walk- 

 ing along the banks of the creeks that intersect the meadows 

 in every direction I failed to see many Tetstudinatei, a few 

 specimens of Naneniys gultoius only obseafflt 



On a woody hillside where the sun shl^Wery brightly I 

 noticed that the Mepatieas were just preparing to bloom. 

 Last season they were in blossom the latter part of February; 

 also in a swampy piece of woodland the skunk cabbage 

 (Symplomrpus fmtidvs) was projecting forth its curious 

 spathe and spadix. 



From the appearance of theburrow of an Arotormyn monax 

 I should judge that he had awakened from his winter's hy- 

 bernation. CviAS. Eabl. 



Buffalo, April 3. 



Lake Erie is still covered witfh a solid sheet of ice of over 

 two feet in thickness. The advance guard of robins, blue- 

 birds, cow black birds and song sparrows made their appear- 

 ance as early as the 30 ih of March, but have since then not 

 been reinforced to any appreciative extent. They aro all old 

 males in good plumage. Niagara River is all open with the 

 exception of the little creeks and slips running into it 

 from the American and Canadian shore. Vast flocks of 

 ducks, composed chiefly of hluebills.redheadsandmallards, ar- 

 rived a few days ago, and afford incidental sport to those who 

 are hardy enough to decoy them behind blinds made of snow 

 and face the cold weather which ranges only at mid-day 

 above freezing point. 



There are, of conrse, no authenticated reports concerning 

 the arrival of the Wilson's snipe.-although vague rumors are 

 current that they have been seen in the neighborhood of 

 the city. It is "hard to conceive how they couH manage 

 to make their bearings unless by an attachment of the dia- 

 mond disk to thefrbeaks, as the ground is either still covered 

 with deep snow or frozen solid wherever it is bare. Unless 

 ''Ufl? long-looked for southeaster sets in soon we may not. look 

 for an opening of the navigation before the latter end of May, 

 if not later. The southwest winds which prevail here, like 

 trade winds in May, convert the bay into a vast refrigerator 

 by the vast fields of ice which are finally firmly wedged up 

 at that eastern terminus of the lake. Chas. Linden. 



To Owners of Tame Grouse— Cortland, N. Y., March 

 2d.— -Editor Forest and Stream: In my article of March 3, 

 signed "Mig," describing the tame grouse, I thought of 

 making the suggestion myself that if the bird could be mated 

 with a hen grouse — as the one I have is a cock bird — it would 

 be well to try the experiment, of breeding them in confine- 

 ment. As this bird shows quite a disposition to mate with a 

 bantam hen, it seems quite probable that with proper care 

 and a suitable place they would, if mated, produce^ their 

 young. If either of the two gentlemen that mention in the 

 last is8uflof the Foeest and Stream having a tame grouse 

 wMtrjUBe experiment or send the bird to me I will give the 

 matter a fair test. — Eugene Powees. 



A Fond Foster-Mothee— Sardis, Miss., March 31.— Last 

 fall I was out in the country a few miles south of this place, 

 and while stopping to let my horse rest in front of a country 

 store the proprietor, very clever gentleman and an experienced 



Jglcr, showed me a sight that made mc open my eyes wide. 

 .was an old yellow cat suckling two kittens and three 

 bung rabbits (hares). She had found them in a field near 

 the store and, after guarding them until then- mother came, 

 caught and killed her, and gathered up the three little ones 

 and brought them to live with her and her family in the store. 

 They lived until they could run about the house then all 

 three died. The foster-mother seemed very much distressed 

 over her loss and for several days sal around the bouse and 

 worried pitifully. This is a truejtory, and a number of gen- 

 tlemen from town went out to s^e them.— Crock:.- 



Partial Albinism in Canada Geasb.— New York.— On 

 the aSXh of March, while shooting Canada geese (Aiiter carta- 

 dtiuis) at Capt. Lane's, Good Ground, L. f., a bunch of seven 

 lit on our live stoolers, but out of gun-shot. While we were 

 waiting for our tender to swim them nearer we had im oppor- 

 tunity to watch their movements as they washed and plumed 

 themselves. The captain called attention to the way the 

 gander was marked; his head had large spots of white on it 

 instead of being all black. When we »hot he was not among 

 those killed, so we had no chance to examine bim further. 

 However, among those shot were two that were also partial 

 albinos. In one the under part of each wing had about, thirty 

 pure white feathers in it, and in the other the white throat 

 patch extended to the base of the mandible, which was also 

 white to its tip. The eyes and other markings of these birds 

 were normal. — Wii. DutCSeb. 



%m\\& j§ag mid (fftfrt. 



THE WINTER AND THE BIRDS. 



THE very wide, spread interest with which our notes on 

 the effect of the winter on the quail in New Jersey 

 have been received in all quarters has induced us to push our 

 investigations still farther, and to include in our canvass the 

 State of Delaware. This extends the inquiry still farther 

 South and includes all of Maryland and all the northern por- 

 tion of Virginia. The whole inquiry has thus covered a 

 north and south area on this coast reaching from about 

 north, lat. 41 deg. 30 min., south to lat, 38 deg.~ We wish to 

 thank our correspondents for their kindness in so promptly 

 responding to our inquiries. 



New Castle County. 

 Oentrnille. — Birds are not very plentiful during the gun- 

 ning season in this locality, owing to the fact that early in 

 the fall season they travel south into the lower part of the 

 State. The destruction has been somewhat greater than in 

 former years. I think I am safe in saying fifty per cent, of 

 the quail perished. They were fed to some little extent. 



Christiana, — The destruction compared with the last five 

 years has been enormous. I think two-thirds of the quail 

 ' e been destroyed. A few fanners have fed. 



'hrixtiana.— The cold winter has killed almost all the quail. 

 I have been making inquiries far and near, and have received 

 poor accounts about the quail. The Game Association, of 

 Wilmington, is importing quail from the Carolinas to fill the 

 void. The rabbits hffve not suffered much, nor have the 

 squirrels. I think the birds in our section have suffered by 

 the snows this winter as much as they did in 1833, which 

 rly killed all the birds, and we had no shooting for some 

 years. The loss in our section is ninety-five per cent. 



Claymont. — I have understood from the farmers and 



iportsmen that the quail have heeu generally destroyed by 



the severity of the winter and the unusual quantity of snow. 



1 have heard of no quail being seen or fed. 



Delaware City. — 1 find now and then a man who has seen 



covey of birds (quail) this spring, but am led to doubt the 



sistence of more than, ten per cent, of those alive at the end 



of the shooting season of 1880. Constantly recurring snows 



prevented successful feeding, and but, little was accomplished. 



Delaware, Oily.— The effect of the cold and snows of the 



past winter has been very destructive to birds in this section. 



Fully ninety per cent, of the quail have perished. We know 



of several farmers who have fed such birds as look refuge in 



their barn or stock yards, or in other sheltered places near 



the dwellings. We have found whole bevies frozun at roost, 



and starved to mere skeletons. 



Faulldand. — The cold weather and snow did the birds no 

 very great harm in this section. 



Forest. — The cold and snows have been very hard on the 

 game in this section. The destruction of birds has been 

 noticeably greater than in other years. I judge tweuty per 

 cent, perished. Very few birds were fed. 



Forest.— k. great many partridges have been destroyed; 

 not less than 75 per cent. Few birds have been seen and 

 none fed. 



Glasgow. — The cold winter has killed ninety per cent, of 

 the quail. The winter has been extremely hard on all kinds 

 of game. We have a good supply of rabbits left. Birds have 

 been fed and saved until the last heavy snows killed them. 



Green Spring. — The quail were nearly all frozen in this 

 section. Those that were left have since been destroyed by 

 hawks. Gunners believe that the quail are all killed. 



Greenville — As a general rule wo have but few birds in the 

 fall, and what few we have are gunned to death. In oilier 

 words there are more gunners than birds, I have not heard 

 of any quail being seen since fall. No feed was distributed. 

 Kirkwood.— The birds suffered more this winter than for a 

 long time past. Think one half have perished. People in 

 many oases tried to feed them, but the snows drifted in the 

 utglii andcovered them up. 



McJJa/utugh. — It is said that nearly all the quail in the. up- 

 per part of the State have been killed, and fifty per cent, 

 killed in the southern part of the State. 



Marsluillton. — The past winter has been a very severe one 

 on quail in this section, and I should suppose some thirty to 

 forty per cent, perished. Some birds were fed, but the 

 majority neglected. 



Middletown. — The extreme cold winter has nearly destroyed 

 the game in our country. The destruction has been far 

 greater than aDy winter since 1857. I think at least seventy- 

 five per cent, of our birds have perished, Many were fed by 

 the farmers, although it was a difficult task to reach them 

 owing to the depth of snow. 



Middktown.— The severe winter has destroyed seventy-five 

 per cent, of the game in this section. The loss is greater than 



