368 



4i 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 0, 1881. 



Mfcy 7- Saw hob link ( Doll-Mnyx fivanwrous). 



May 11— Found red-shouldered hawk's {Hideo linmlii-s) 

 ncsl containing one Cgg, large CWbrvo ; also, phcebC'S (*///• 

 ornhfttsevs) nest, two eggs, and golden-winced woodpeck- 

 er's (O'hiplrs aural it x) nest containing live fresh eggs. 



May 15— Found chipping sparrow's (S/,f~r!!a wi,,r.- , mr;. 

 egg- 



May Hi— Saw ruby-tliroatcd hummingbird \TraeMltts co- 



BI«y 20— Found blue bird's (Sialia HaUs) nest, one egg; 

 also, yellow billed cuckoo's (OoccyzUs tttiterkqWlti) nest, three 

 eggs, large embryos, and yeilow-breasted dial's (Mtria ri- 

 miH) nest, four fresh eggs". 



Mav 31— found yellow warbler's (Jkadrava tratira) nest 

 containing three eggs. 



May 32— Povtml two ncsls of ycllow-breaStcd chat, each 

 containing four fresh eggs, and wood thrush's* (Tmdvn nuts- 

 UUnUit) ncsl, four fresh eggs ; also cat btrd'8 1 \HthUi cafolf- 

 nemiit) nest, four fresh eggs, and house wren's (TrOffWytei 

 <nl.i„) nest, three fresh eggs -. also, blue bird's rust, one egg. 

 Same day, found blue bird's ucst with largo young ones and 

 saw young blue birds that could fly. 



May 25— Saw pair while-eyed vircos ( ViTfiQ rtovchoraccnMn) 

 building nest. Saw pair least flycatchers {limpidoiut.v mini- 

 um*) building nest. P, D. 



A Mother's Courage.— This would be a good season of 

 M)C year for those gentlemen who delight in treeing rutted 

 grouse to take their curs in I he woods to practice the art of 

 gelling the birds into Ihe trees, in order thai their worthy 

 masters may get resting shots. At least I would wish them 

 so to do if liiey might bo fortunate enough to meet, with ns 

 determined a mother bird as I did this morning. The curs 

 might learn a lesson. II ving occasion to go some distance 

 into the mountains to look after some foxes, 1 took along two 

 terriers— a fox and Dandle Dinmont— both well known for 

 their pugnacious qualities. After finding the fox den, and 

 unearthing litem with the help of the dogs, I turned home- 

 ward, and came suddenly upon a hen ruffed grouse, with at, 

 least twenty chicks The dogs were at heel, but at once 

 rushed on the bird, who sounded the danger for the young, 

 and to call the male bird. 1 have seen a game hen defend 

 herself against a largo hawk. 1 have seen one particular 

 game hen on more than one occasion kill a Norway rat of 

 good size, that attempted to take an egg or a chick, but for 

 fury and dctcrmintilion I never saw aayiLing to equal the 

 efforts of litis female ruffed grouse. Never for the space of 

 a moment of thought did she cease from a most detenu ined 

 assault until Ihe dogs beat a rclrcat lo heel. The male bird 

 was scarcely less determined, but there was not the same 

 kind of "do or die " bravery shown as with the mother bird. 



This may be very common, but I record it as my llrst ex- 

 perience of the kind, and f know very well that no cur, how- 

 ever good at getting birds into the tree in the shooting sea- 

 son, could have Withstood the attack of bills morning, which 

 adventure led me to write this article, wondering how hon- 

 orable gentlemen reason within themselves to justify their 

 honorable (?) way of bagging rulTul grouse.— Bj'usksiiot. 



May 30, 1881. 



Strakqb OftABS op Mai-riiics.— The following interesting 

 i recent issue of 

 v habits arc dc- 

 ttna. The crabs 

 with large teeth. 

 tea ettpvlifer, re- 

 i to he found at 

 i bed Ihe 



account of some peculiar crabs appei 

 Nature: Two crabs of most BStrnordina 

 tcribed. Both belong to the family Po'irfa 

 of this family have liieir fr- nt claWs tlr uCd 

 Latreille, who llrst named the crab Poly$t 

 marked that a gummy substance was alwiM 

 ad D< 



litHhands. Dr. Mo- 



tbe ends of the c'aws of Ibis speci 

 animal asalwayshavingsomelhings]: 



bius has discovered Ihe remarkable fact that Ihesc things bold 

 in the two claws of the crab are in reality living sea-anemones. 

 These sea-anemones are attached lo the immovable joint ot 

 each claw, while the teith of the. movable joint of tiie claw 

 are kept buried deep into the llesh of Ihe sea anemones, and 

 thus hold them fast, although each anemone can easily lie 

 pulled away from its position with tb« forceps in specimens 

 preserved in spirits. The mouth of Ihe sea-anemone is al- 

 ways turned away from the crab. The same curious com- 

 bination exists in Ihe case of another species of the same 

 family but of a different genus, Mrfia lemtjtifa, which also 

 inhabits Mauritius. A figure is given of this crab with its 

 pair of Actinias, named by 51 obius AcUru 

 fully expanded tentacles, held out. one La eac 

 gives the following i.ecouut of the matte 

 about lifts' male and female spee'mens of M, 

 of these held in each claw 110 Actinia 

 hooks of the inner margins of the ela 

 particularly well adapted to hold the Actiu 



i. prehenm, with 

 It hand. Mobius 

 I': "1 collected 

 clia U'ssdlaist, all 

 rehensn-. The recurved 

 i joints of the crab are 

 ' ' sfast. 1 never 



succeeded in dragging the living Actinias out without injur- 

 ing I hem. If I left Ihe fragments of them when pulled out 

 lying in tiie vessel in which the Mclia was, the crab collected 

 them again into its clutch in a short time. If I cut 'he Ac, 

 tinias in pieces with Ihe scissors, 1 found them all again in 

 the claws of the crab after a few hours. It is very probable 

 that the Actinias aid the crab in catching its prey by means 

 of their thread cells, and that the Actinias, on the other hand, 

 gain by being carried from place to place by the crab, and 

 I bus brought into contact with more animals which can serve 

 as food to them, than they would if stationary. This is a 

 very interesting case of commensalisni." 



How a PAnritioiiK Lkavks 1 f Tilt Nest — Rockland, Me., 

 May 80. — On the Tilth of this month I received a line from a 

 friend in the country, saying, if I would ride out, be would 

 show me a partridge nest with nine eggs in it. So the next 

 day myself and partner rode out, found my friend, who 

 guided us — three men and (wo doge — to the nest. We went 

 carefully as we neared the nest, and got within about twenty 

 feel, when she went off like a shot into the air, flying high 

 and far. After admiring the nest and eggs a, moment, we 

 lofl, not forgetting to pronounce, our blessing upon it as we 

 walked away. 



My friend informed mo that bo had found another, with 

 twelve eggs in it, and, pointing to a, house a mile and a half 

 away, said the boys there would show us I he nest. So, wish- 

 ing to see all there were, and also lo give Die thing a. fair 

 trial, we went to the house and found ihe boys (three of 

 them) at work in the field. We gave them a dime apiece to 

 show us the nest. This time our forces were somewhat aug- 

 mented, and consisted of two men, three boys and two dogs, 

 and we approached lo within about twelve feet of the nest, 

 going very carefully. We saw the hen on the nest plainly 

 for a half minute, and then she glided off and ran — not 

 feigning lameness, but sneaked off— and as there was not 

 much underbrush she was in tight for three rod8. I have 

 heard of another, and 1 intend to visit it lo-inorrow. If I 

 do I will report. -J a.mes Wioht. 



edge away behind th< 

 Yellow buffalo, called "wb 

 never in the history of Mor 



been seen like ibis. As J 

 ilo and perfectly regul: 



Is it A Hyisuid?— Natchez, Miss., May 21. —Editor Fore-it 

 and Stream: I. havo just seen what lo loo was quite a curios- 

 ity. It is a cross between an ordinary dunghill cock and a 

 guinea-hen. The mongrel is now about two years old, is 

 somewhat larger than an ordinary chicken, has Ihe bead and 

 neck of the chicken (minus the comb and gills), with Ihe 

 plumage of a guinea-fowl. It has Ihe graceful and easy 

 carriage of the guinea, with the chicle or. cackle of either or 

 both at will. The e;uinea-ben, after receiving the attentions 

 of the cock, and the usual season of incubation, batched six 

 of thflSO little curiosities, but they succeeded in rearing only 

 this one. l'lcaso let me know if you have ever heard of a 

 similar case. Where could a curiosity of this kind be sold, 

 and what price do von think could be obtained?— 

 S. M. D. 



We have never known of a case quite similar to the one 

 here reported, and if there is no mistake in the matter it is 

 a very interesting one. Wo have no idea of the value of such 

 a specimen. 



A Ciuiiousi.y Marked Brir.w.o— Carroll, Missouri River— 

 Editor Fomt and Miriam,: This Winter the Indian iradcr, 

 Jos. Kipp, bought a buffalo robe so peculiarly marked that 1 

 think it deserves notice iu your columns. 'All the '"old- 

 timers," men who have lived among the buffalo nil their 

 lives, say they never saw anything so 'remarkable. 



The animal, a large cow, was killed iu the vicinity of the 

 Black Butte hy a Blackfoot medicine man, and it was only 

 by offering several rilles, blankets, etc., etc., that Mr. Kipp 

 could induce, him to part with the robe. The long, shaggy 

 hair on the head and part way on the back is pure white, 

 and a perfectly white border afoot deep extends along the 

 ■boulders. The tail is also white, 

 to cows," are often killed. But. 

 tana Indian trading has anything 

 said before, the while, isaptlrfl 

 in place and outline, it would 

 well be worth $200 to any museum, which is Mr. Kipp's 

 valuation of it.— Avit.ccnny. 



Still Trim- Cmmii.— Lynn, Mass., May 27.— Three weeks 

 agoto-day while out a few miles west of the city for the pur- 

 pose of giving my hound a run after being chained up all the 

 week, I was alnuciiug on a large boulder lookingdown through 

 the thick second growth of pine aud hard wco J, trying to 

 make out what the hound was baying so fiercely about. I 

 espied, ljiog on the topmost branches of a small pine, what 

 Appeared lo be a snake of some species, lie was seven feet 

 from the ground, and appeared to tie taking a sun siesta. Call- 

 ing my two chums to the spot we decided to interview his 

 snakeship. Whereupon I immediately saluted him with a 

 charge of No, 10 shoi, which brought him lo his senses and 

 the ground at the same instant. At least this is mv conclusion, 

 as " a wise head keeps a still tongue," and he did not even 

 enlighten ns as to how be attained his elevated position, or 

 for what purpose he went there, but on receiving my challenge 

 let go and dropped. On closer inspection il proved to Ik a 

 black snake, and by actual measurement -IM inches in length. 

 Hokace L. Mayo. 



The American Journal . i< , cuence.— The x\pril num- 

 ber of this excellent magazine contained a number of arti- 

 cles of great value. Among those more or less directly in- 

 teresting to our >-caders is a review of Professor O. (,'. Marsh's 

 Monograph on the Odontomilhes, by Geo. Bird Griimell ; 

 Elements in Orographic Displacement, hy W. ,1. Met ice; 

 The Basin of the Gulf of .Mexico, by .1. E. Hdgard ; Geology 

 of Florida, with a map, E. A. Smith; Channel Filling in 

 Upper Devonian Shales, by il. S. Williams; New Order of 

 Extinct Jurassic Reptiles (Caiuri-i), Discovery of a Fossil 

 Bird in the Jurassic of Wyoming, and Note on American 

 Pterodactyls— the last three by Professor O. C. Marsh. 



Wi i.i. Hawk Eat Chow ?— Philadelphia, Pa. — A sporting 

 friend of mine in Delaware, who saw r Ihe item in Fontsi and 

 Si eit a si relating to that Question, told me, a few weeks ago, 

 that during our severe winter be saw a strange "muss'' out 

 in the field" on the snow, and went out to investigate. He 

 said that when be got near it the grav thing picked up ihe 

 black tlcng and held it in his beak and looked at him, then 

 dropped it and Hew off. On going up he found the hawk 

 had been feasting on a starved crow,— Didymcs. 



OsTBTOn Etui Omelet. — The female African ostrich at the 

 Philadelphia Zoo, ba« becun to lav. One huge egg was sent 

 lo Uncle John Krider to blow. Being freshly laid, he saved 

 the contents, and has beeu reporting on ostrich egg omelet 

 to-day, aud pronounces it " good, not a bit strong.' — Ho.mo. 



(§811(0 j§ng mid (§un. 



HABITS OF DEEU AND HO'.V TO HUNT THEM. 



FAiBMOtTNT, Walden's Ridge, Tenn., March 2. 



I II WE killed game of all varieties that we have in this 

 State, such as deer, bears, etc.; also have hunted some- 

 what in the West For twenty years or more I have hunted 

 deer in the Cumberland mountains, and 1 think I can give 

 you some information as to the different ways of hunting and 

 Ihe habits of deer. 



In this part, of the State we hunt deer in the Cumberland 

 mountain and its spurs. Waldeu's Itidge is one of the Cum- 

 berland spurs. Mountains many miles in length and from 

 twelve to twenty miles in width, only partially settled, leave a 

 vast extent of wilderness, where are found a great many deer 

 and a few bl .ck hears. There are many deep gorges and rough 

 places that afford secret hiding-place's for deer and bears to 

 raise their young. The. counlry is well watered and well 

 timbered, and affords an abundance of mast for the deer to 

 feed upon. In many places it is almost level lor several 

 miles. Thickets of undergrowth, covered with grapevines, 

 are often found. Bo it will be impossible for the deer to be- 

 come extinct in this country from slill hunting or hounding. 



Th j rattle Of hounding or driving deer hire is iu follows: 

 Deer have certain runs, generally upon the dividing ridges 

 and through the swags of ridges. Slanders are placed on 

 these runs and the driver takes his dogs, from two to a dozen 

 or more, and generally drives against the wiud, which is the 

 way deer, especially old bucks, always run. 



The deer hunter lhat understands his business, in taking a 

 stand to wait for the driver to drive out the dar, always takes 

 his p0S.ill6n against a tree, fronting the way he expects the 

 deer to come. In standing for deer you should never get be- 

 hind anything, for the deer is almost certain to sec you move, 



and then he will change his direction. Driving dues not run 

 deer out of the counlry. You may drive in certain localities 

 one day and run deer several miles away from their range, 

 and in Ihree or four days you will find the same deer back in 

 the same locality. 



Slill hunting is another mode, and lhat is to walk about 

 slowly through Ihe woods and watch for deer. The best time 

 for still hun'iDg is iu tunning lime, in the months of October 

 and November, after the does are with fawn and are running 

 and hiding from Ihe bucks. When you see a doe running 

 through Ihe woods, go aud take your position in shooting 

 distance of where she passed, and keep a sharp lookout the 

 way she came, and often, iu a very few minulcs', you will sic 

 a buck coining, tracking her. Let him come up near enough 

 for you to get u fair sh.it, bleat or whistle at him and he will 

 stop. IE you arc a maiksman, then you will have venisor. 

 On some runs I have known three large bucks to he killed in 

 less than two hours. Slill hunting in Ihe months of Oetolxr 

 and November is the most successful way of bunting. Sporii - 

 men that are good rifij shots are ihe most successful slid 

 hunting. Shotguns will do for driving, but rilles arc the best 

 lo use in still huuliug. 



Slow-tracking deer with a dog is another very successful 

 way ot hunting. The dog, from a small puppy, must I e 

 trained. A half-hound is generally preferred. Across of a 

 hound and cur or bulldog is best, as the hound gives the acme 

 scent and the bulldog or cur the speed and bravery lo lake 

 hold when he comes in contact with a crippled deer. Thu 

 dig is trained to follow Ihe Irack by scent in a slow walk, 

 and you follow Ihe dog ten or twenty feet behind, and keep a 

 sharp lookout Tor the deer. When the dog has a strong mi t 

 of the deer you can discern it by the precaution he uses, and 

 when he sees them he slops and waits for you lo shoot, and 

 at the lire of the gun he dxs not bretik and run, but wails to 

 see what you want done. If you have crippled the deer, hiss 

 him on, and if it be badly crippled he will catch it ami kill it, 

 and you wait on the. Irack where he staited from wheu you 

 hissed him, and he will return and lake you to the dead deer. 

 This ts Ihe most successful way of bunting, and by it you 

 can find out more about the habits of the deer than from any 

 other mode of hunting. 



Deer bed on mast, such as chestnuts, chinkapin?, acorn», 

 moss, twigs, burls, etc , but not much if any grass. 



I have sten a great many deer dressed, but i have never, iu 

 Ibis climate, teen a spear of grass in I heir food. They like 

 peas, corn and other kinds of grain. In the winter they sonu - 

 limes eat wheat and oals in their green state, but 1 do not 

 think wild deer in this climate ever eat grass. Tame, ilei r 

 will eat anything, 



Afler tunning time, deer, especially old buck.;, go to Ihe 

 rcugh woods and slay mil il they shed their horns, which iB in 

 the mom lis of Ftbruary and March. Then I Icy come out on 

 highlands and into thc'Uit woods. Young deer and does are 

 not so particular. They roam about at, all seasons. 



The does have their fawn in the month of June, in thick 

 underbrush, near water. 



The bucks, afler their horns come out and are full grown, 

 bagin to harden them the first of July. They makt! theii bet's 

 upon the high hilltops, lie with their bodies in the shade, and 

 with Iheir beads exposed lo the siiu. They feed at nigl t 

 when ihe moou shines, but when the nigbls are dark they 

 feed early and late iu the daytime. 



Deer go to water once a day between the hours of twelve 

 and two o'el. ck. Between those hours they feed a little aid 

 then return to their bed-grounds. In the 'month of August 

 the bucks begin to rub their horns. They generally rub on a 

 soft-barked hush, such as a small pine, and by first frosi, 

 which comes from Ihe 10th to the 20th of October, their horns 

 are hard and they begin to run. 



The most deer are killed by men who live on the mountains, 

 not for market, in particular, but for Ihe meat. 



The people here would not favor a law prohibiting Ihe 

 hounding of deer. We have a game law iu this State, but it 

 is not Strictly enforced, as it should be. 



In this section of country we have quite a variety of game, 

 such as turkeys, pheasants, ipiail, labbits, fipiirrels, coins, 

 opossums, wildcats, and red and gray foxes m abundance. 

 Chattanooga is our nearest city of any imparlance, fifieeu 

 miles from the huuting grounds mentioned. The mountains 

 are well watered, hath soft and mineral waters, and are vuy 

 heafhl'ul. The soil is good for fruits and vegetables, ft 

 would be a good sheep counlry, but, very little attention is 

 paid to sheep raising. A great many cattle are grazed upon 

 these mountains, and some make it very profitable. 



Tjie WnoocurJ 



THE GASTON CLUB. 



Souni Gaston, N. C. 

 KdiUir Foftit and Stream: 



In reply to the many inquiries from Maine to Texas re- 

 ceived in response to your publication of my proposition lo 

 establish a hunting aiul sporting club at Gaston, f think it 

 best to give through your paper more particularly the ad- 

 vantages which the locality offers. 



The hotel is a very conveniently arranged house, aud con- 

 tains some twenty-three rooms, all with fireplaces. The 

 ground floor is divided iuto large and capacious roi 

 of which can be used for cooking purposes. The second 

 story is composed of bedrooms. The third story has a very 

 large ballroom, with several fireplaces in it, and is so arranged 

 With folding-doors as to make, when not used as such, three 

 or four bedrooms. The hotel is on the north bank of the 

 Roanoke, and immediately adjoining the extensive lowlands 

 of Dr. B. N. Wilkins and Mr. W. B, llrodnax. On the 

 south side of the Roanoke is the South Gaston depot, post 

 office and express ollice. The town of North Gaston is a 

 place of the past, aud exists now only in memory, 



In reply to the special inquiries of a gentleman from Penn- 

 sylvania I will state seriatim j First — Gaston is on the north 

 bank of the Roanoke. Second— The Roanoke is not navi- 

 gable above Weldon and below Clarksville, Va., lor any 

 other class of boats than batteaux ; but there is a deep sheet 

 of water at Gaston s.onic three miles long and half a mile 

 wide, with but little current — not more than that of Ihe 

 Hudson or Susquehanna. Third and fourth— With the ex- 

 ception of the Roanoke bottom lands Ihe adjacent country 

 is hilly and well adapted to the usual S luthern products. 

 The Roanoke bottom lauds are extremely productive, and 

 rarely sell for less than £20 per acre. Fifth— I think as 

 much as 10,000 acres in one body can be purchased for agri- 

 cultural purposes and as a game preserve, Sixth— 'Ihe 

 winters are generally mild aud subject only to Ihe variations 

 of a temperate climate. From the 10th of October to the 

 10th of August immediately following no part of the United 

 States is more healthy. During the months of August and 

 September wo have occasional malarial diseases, which, by- 

 thc -live, rarely require the attention of a physician. We 



