FOREST AND STREAM 
181 
RESIDENT BIRDS OF DANVERS, MASS. 
Dantersport, Mass., March 6th, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I serid you a list of our resident birds. I am glad that 
you have called for facts regarding our ornithology, etc., 
and I shall furnish any items coming under my observa¬ 
tion which I'deem Of interest to the readers of your paper. 
The following birds remain in the vicinity of Danvers, 
Essex County, Mass., throughout the year:— 
Robin. Abundant in snmnicr, and a few remain in winter. 
Chick-a-dcc. Scarce in summer; common in winter. 
Brown creeper. Scarce in slimmer; common in winter. 
Oedar-ffird. Common in summer; rather common in winter. 
Purple flneh. Common in summer; rare in winter. 
American goldfinch. Common in summer; a few in winter. 
Song-sparrow. Common in summer; a Tew in winter. 
English sparrow. Common in most villages. 
Meadow lark. Common in summer; Tare in winter. 
Crow. Abundant at atl times. 
Bine jay. Common at all times. 
Belted kingfisher. Common in summer; rare.in winter. 
Hairy woodpecker. Sever common. 
Downy woodpecker. Common at all times. 
Golden-winged woodpecker. Common in summer; and not uneom- 
mon in winter. 
Great horned owl. liather rare at all times. 
Mottled owl. Common at all limes. 
LoDg-eared owl. Rather common, both summer and winter. 
Barred owl. Rather common. 
Acadian owl. Rare at all times. 
Red-taiied hawk. Somewhat common in summer, but rare In winter. 
Sparrow hawk. Hot very common. 
Ruffed grouse. Common at till times. 
Quail (Ortyx Virginian us), Always in plenty. 
Black ducks. SoiuewUat rare at ail times. Arthur F. Gray. 
THE LABRADOR DUCK. 
Jacksonville, Fla., April 10th, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
In answer to Prof. Bairn’s call for information about (he Labrador 
dock, I would say that twenty-live to thirty years ago it was not uncom¬ 
mon about the mouth of the Bay of Fuiidy. Soon after it mostly dis¬ 
appeared, so that.lt was very rare that a folly plutnaged male was taken. 
1 have not heard of one for twenty years, but about five years ago I 
secured a fr 111 ,lie. These ducks were called by the gunners “pied 
docks,” and “sond-shoal docks." 1 have a pair, male and female, in 
iqy collection which were mounted many years ago. 
George A. Boardman. 
A MARYLAND CALENDAR. 
Booksboho, Md., April 12th, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I was bo impressed with tho uiiliiy of the suggestions contained in 
yarn* ^Invitation,''’ that, I secured a calendar at once, and have been care¬ 
ful to watch and make note or the arrival of the spring birds-of 
Washington and Fredrick counties, situated on the northwestern border 
of Maryland, in the Cumberland Valley. I have good opportunities Tor 
observation. Snow-birds, English sparrows, blue birds, meadow larks, 
aud cardinal grosbeaks, have been here all the winter, as is usual for 
them, On February 12th a few robins were seen, but the weat her be¬ 
coming very cold I saw no more till March Gth. when large numbers 
came. On February 14th song-sparrows were seen; March 5th, crow- 
blackbirds; March filh, red-winged blackbirds in large Hocks, and kill- 
deers; March 10th, phoebes or pcowo&S March llth, a few snipe, and 
some wild geese dying nouhwurd; March 14Lh, I saw three snipe, which 
are never very plentiful here, and a golden-winged woodpecker. The 
house martins first came April 4lli, and by the 10th were in large num¬ 
bers. W E. Wheeled, M, D. 
ANIMALS BREEDING IN CAPTIVITY. 
Philadelphia, April 12tb, 1B76. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Three prairie wolves (Cains Intrant) were born at the Zoological Gar 
dens on Sunday moruiag, April 9Lb. Thu period of gestation was 
s : .sty-foiir days. The mother will not allow any one near her babies, 
Probably this is the only case known of the wolves breeding in captivity. 
On the morning of April llth the Javuil porcupine (Hj/sfo ix jQvanica) 
gave birth to a fine young one, after an unknown period of gestation. 
It lived but a Te v hours, owing to the parent refusing to nurse It 
measured nine inches long, and was well-covered with dark, almost 
black embryo quills from an eigbLh to half an inch in length, with long 
white quill hairs interspersed ori the back. The lower part of the neck 
aud belly was clothed with a quantity qf dark hair. The whisker hairs 
were one to one aud three quarter inches long. The eyes were open. 
Two teeth were in each of the jaws, upper and lower, one-eighth of an 
inch long. Its weight was three-quarters Of a pound. Believing that 
these are Ihe only d avail porcupines ever brought to this countiy, it is 
encouraging to be able to report them breeding, although unsuccessful 
raising their first-born. Walter K. Ashmead. 
Feckst Arrivals at the Philadelphia Zoological Garden.— 
One English rabbit (Lepus edhiCUiUs); one pair liners, male and female, 
(Felis reualltsY-, one jaguar {Felis oncu); ono bittern (Ardea vlresceus). 
Huon. 
Recent Arrivals at the GENtfUAL Park Menagerle.— One 
yellow-bellied woodpecker (tyltyraplcm mrws. Presented by.E. J. 
Decheubiick; capiuredon 9th avenue, New York city. One loon ( Colym - 
bus torfpwtus). Presented by I)r T Samuel W, Francis, of Newport, F. 
I. One wood duck (Ai& sjponsa) . Presented by Jacob Rupperl; captur¬ 
ed in Westchester county, N. Y. Tw o dog-faced baboons ( Gynocepholus 
rpocaHus). W. A. Conklin, Director. 
“Old Reliable ,"— 1 The Sharps Biftc Company of Bridgeport, Conn, 
(formerly uf Hanford), has adopted the anove trade maik— an.exceed¬ 
ingly appropriate one under the circumstances, for of the hundreds of 
ihousands made aud sold during the past twenty-six years no Sharps 
rifle, whether in the hands of so’dier, hunter, or marksman, has ever 
failed, when put to the test, to prove itself an “Old Reliable" indeed 
'in all the essentials of simplicity, safety, accuracy, and execution. Dur¬ 
ing all these years the company have been from Lime to time improving 
their arms, and are justified in claiming, as they do, that Sharps rifles 
were 'Hhe bed in 1850, and are dill the best in 1876." Owing to a long aud 
vexatious litigation among the members of the original Sharps Rifle 
Manufacturing Company, Ihe production of Sharps rifles was for several 
yea»s almost discontinued, but in 1875 all of thepalents, machinery, etc., 
were sold to an entirely new organization, specially chartered by the 
Connecticut legislature. This company has erected extensive works 
at Bridgeport, where largo numbers of these arms are being made, in¬ 
deed, the company is now compelled to run extra hours in order to All 
their orders. No rifle is permUted to leave their armory until it has 
been severely tested for slrength and accuracy* and every purchaser of a 
Sharps rifle can tely on having bought a gun that won't shoot backward, 
and will shoot just wtyere it is mraed Adv, 
gm and §iver egishiiiQ. 
FISH IN SEASON IN MAY. 
Trout., solmn fontimtts. Salmon Trout, Salmo con finis, 
Salmon, Salmo salar. Shad. Atom. 
Oiayling, Thymallus tncolor. Land-locked Salmon, Salmo Gloaerl. 
FLIES IN SEASON IN MAY. 
Illack Mny, Ho. 10.—Body, black; feet, black, wings grayish hyaline. 
Com Dung, No. 10 und 11,—Body, and feet, brownish yellow; wings, 
yellow gray. 
Great Dun, No. 9 and, 8.—Body, purple brown; feet, gray brown; 
wings, dark gray hyaline; selio, dark brown annulated with gray. 
lied Spinner. No. 10 and 9.—Body, bright claret, ribbod with gold tin¬ 
sel; feel, brick color; wings, gray hyaline; seltc, pale brick color. 
Yellow May, No. 10 —Body and feet, pale yellow; wings, pale yellow, 
mottled with brown; seta:, yellow. 
Coachman,— Body, peacock beri; feet, dark red hackle; winga white. 
King of the water.--Seme as queen of the water, with scarlet body in¬ 
stead of orange. 
Gold Spirnut Body, orange, ribbed with gold tinsel; feet, pale red 
hackle; wings, bright gray. 
Captain, —Body, posterior half, peacock herl, anterior half, gray; 
white feet; red hackle; wings, gray; octie, scarlet green, and wood duck 
feathers mixed. 
•SWifter.—Body, crimson; feet, red hackle; wings, gray. 
Kingdom. —Body, while, ringed with green; feet, peacock herl, aud 
red hackle; wings, gray, mottled with brown. 
Mack Palmer, Drown Palmer, Ned Palmer, and Gray Palmer, are 
made respectively of the different colored hackles that distinguish them. 
Fish in Market.— Since the Lenten season'lias expired 
prices have fallen somewhat, and the supply, owing to the 
fine weather, has also been ample. « We quote; Striped 
bass, 15 cents per pound; smelts, 15 cents; salmon, Ken¬ 
nebec, $1; California, 50 cents; frozen 50 cents; mackerel, 
25 cents each; shad, North River, 40 cents; Connecticut 
River, 70 cents each; weak-fish, Southern, 15 cents per 
pound; white perch, 15 cents; Spanish mackerel, frozen, 
50 to 75 cents; green turtle, 20 cents; terrapin, £12 per 
dozen; halibut, 15 cents; haddock, 8 cents; cod-fish, 8 
cents; black fish, 15 cents; flounders, 10 cents: eels, 18 
cents; lobsters, 10 cents; turbot, 20 cents; scollops, $1 
per gallon; soft clams, 40 lo 60 cents per hundred; white- 
fish, 16 cents per pound; pickerel, 18 centB; brook trout, 
Canada, 50 cents; Loug Island, $1; pompano, $1; hard 
shell crabs, $3.50 per 100. 
—The shad fisheries of the Hudson River between Pleas¬ 
ant Valley and Fort Lee are yielding finely, the average of 
each lift of the nets being 3,000 fish. Messrs. Dunlop, 
Ludlow, Acker, and Davis are the largest operators. Some¬ 
thing like 40,000 fish were taken in four days. 
The M anufactobe of Fishing Rods.— The little vil¬ 
lage of Woodbury is most picturesquely situated on the 
Newburg branch of the Erie Railway, some six miles 
from Turner’s Station, and about eleven from the City of 
Newburgh. West Point is only four miles distant, and 
Summit and Cromwell’s Lakes are in the immediate vicin¬ 
ity. Here is located the factory (the only one, we believe, 
in the country) of Messrs. Conroy, Bisset and Malleson, 
the old-established and well known dealers in fishing tackle. 
We enjoyed the pleasure of inspecting these works last 
week, and the time not devoted to the “shop’’ was passed, 
in company with that well-known fisherman Mr. John 
Mullaly, : nd Mr. Miilleson, in wandering along the banks 
of Mineral Spring stream, as lovely a trout brook as one 
will find within a day’s journey of the metropolis. The 
stream, like all other accessible ones, is “fished lo death,” 
yet the persuasive skill of Mr. Mullaly provoked many a 
rise, and his creel presented a fait)y satisfactory appear¬ 
ance at the conclusion of the day. The factory itself is 
well worth a visit, if it is only to see the automatic lathe 
which, when adjusted to the proper gauge, will turn out 
buts, second joints, or tips, of any size, from the lightest 
fly-rod to the heaviest Newport bass rod. Auother pe¬ 
culiarity we noticed was' that the ferules, sockets, and 
bands were formed of solid pieces of metal; that is, they 
were not soldered. Any one who has witnessed the man¬ 
ipulation of metallic cartridges 'will have noticed how the 
metalrfrom one solid piece cut from a sheet is first beut 
into a cup-Jike shape, and then drawn out by powerful 
machinery to the required thickness. This is the process 
used in making the metalic work of the rods. Green heart, 
ash, and lance wood are the woods principally used, the 
first named being imported from Surinam, and the latter 
from Cuba. Twenty-five thousund rods are turned out from 
this factory in the course of a year, and the use of im¬ 
proved machinery in place of hand-labor enables the manu¬ 
facturers to sell rods at half the prices asked a few years 
since. The processes of varnishing, finishing and proving 
are all very thorough and interesting. Water power is the 
motive used for turning the machinery, the factory being 
Biluated at the foot of a beanliful pond, over the darn of 
wbicli the water falls thirty feet or more. Several trout 
of a pound weight have been taken from the pond recently 
and as it is fed by a fine stream in which Messrs. Conroy, 
Bissett, and Malleson have placed some 15,000 fry, they 
will soon be able to supply tlioir friends, not only with the 
paraplianalia requisite for fishing, but with the sport itself. 
The work at Woodbury comprises, besides the making of 
rods, the manufacture of gang-hooks, spoons, cases, etc., 
to which Will shortly be added lines, Waler-proqfing, and, 
in fact, everything coming under the head of fishing tackle. 
—The annual meeting of the Oqtiossoc Angling Associa¬ 
tion was held at the office of the President, 10 Warren 
street, New York, April llth. The reports of the officers 
exhibited a very satisfactory condition of affairs. Last sea¬ 
son was financially successful. Very many large brook 
trout were taken, several exceeding five pounds in weight. 
Messrs. Page, Kimball, Reed, Allerton, Williamson, La- 
zell, Whitehead, Frye, and Dr. Otis were elected trustees. 
The officers for 1876-7 are; President, Geo. ShepaTd Pago 
of New York; Vice President, J. II. Kimball of Maine; 
Secretary, L. P, Reed, of New York; Treasurer, James A. 
Williamson of New Jersey. Gentlemen desiring to visit 
Camp Kennebago, Rangeley, will address the President or 
Secretary. 
—Seth Green lias sent us one of his needle point fish 
hooks with which he claims to have killed 60 brook trout, 
one of them weighiug three-fourths of a pound. It was a 
fly once, but it shows so much hard service that it is scarcely 
recognizable, “the fly part being about eaten up,” as Mr. 
Green says in liis letter. There is a very considerable 
belly to the liend of the hook, and the point is longer than 
usual in proportion lo the length of the shank. Mr. Green 
claims that he can catch one third more fish with it than 
with any bearded hook. 
Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, April 24 lh. — The shore 
fishing at Gloucester, N. J., began on Monday last. The 
gillers all along the river are in full blast, and have been, 
for several weeks. On the 15th a gill-net that left the 
Water-worlds wharf at Richmond, caught in oue drift 
forty shad, one sucker, and a wild duck. The duck got 
entangled in oue of the float fines, and the catch, accord¬ 
ing to the captain, was “promiscuous." Up river Ihe 
catch is good, the fish being plentiful ami of fair size, not 
so good, perhaps, as last year, but away ahead of three or 
four of the preceding seasons. Of about fifteen gill-nets 
that went out of the Rancocas last night, the largest catch 
was 32 shad, and the lowest about 20. Some large rock- 
fish, and a few sturgeon have been taken down the river. 
Sculls. 
Vibginia — Leesburg April With —Some few (about thirty- 
six in all) bass have been caught on Goose Creek, near its 
mouth, at the foot of first dam next the Potomac. The 
most were caught with angle worms, and some few with 
minnows, a few weighing over two pounds, the balance 
small. Two were said to be spawuors, but we think the 
season for spawning will not fully set in until May, con¬ 
tinuing until ihe Iai ter part of July. They seem to have 
commenced an upward movement from the Potomac into 
the creek preparatory to spawning. As the season ad¬ 
vances they will be found higher and higher until about 
20th July, when they will be caught anywhere on the 
creek. They rise but sparingly to Ihe fly, though they have 
not been tried on a warm day or below the first dam, where 
they seem lo have congregated in greater numbers than, 
elsewhere. T. W. 
Maryland.—T here seems to be no end to the amount of 
fish caught in the Great Choptank River. A single shipper 
has sent over the D. & D. railroad over a thousand shad in 
one day. 
Movements of the Fisotno Fleet . —The mackerel 
fleet of forty odd sail have winged their way southward, 
and others will soon follow. No mackerel have as yet 
been reported, but in auother week it is anticipated that 
Ihe first catch of the season will be made. There have 
been 36 arrivals of the cod and halibut fleet the past week, 
33 from Georges and 3 from tile Banks, landing in the ag¬ 
gregate 96,000 of Georges halibut, 208,000 lbs. Banks hali¬ 
but, and 825,000 ibs. Georges codfish. Fresh halibut have 
fluciuated in price; the last sales were for (if and 3 A cents 
per lb. for white and gray. Georges round fisli, $1.75 per 
cwt. Shore fresh fish in light receipt, sold at $3 per hundred 
pounds, for cod and haddock.— Cape Ann Advertiser, 
April 21st. 
Split Bamboo Rods. —A Philadelphia correspondent 
sends the following opinion as to the proper method of 
constructing bamboo rods. There are certainly excellent 
rods made by methods very different; aud while their re¬ 
spective merits are conceded, it may still be well to discuss 
and determine, if possible, which is the best;— 
Fim.ADiai.t-MA, April 17tli, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:-- 
Your correspondent It. tin the number of April lSlli.) offers men 
problem in metals aud their relative power of resistance in different, 
forma. A scientific question of interest, but of no particular value in 
our argument on tips. The question la nob “whether a hollow Jink will 
break away sooner, or withstand the strain any longer than a solid ono 
of equal weight,” but "whether a vent and glued humooo Up la better with 
the enamel inside or ,-utside.” I claim that it should be made with the 
euumel inside, because iu working down you retain the strong part of Ihe. 
material Instead of catting it away. J. B. 0. 
■ -■»<*- 
WATER-PROOFING FISH LINES. 
el Studio 11 Tremont st., Boston, April 30th, 1876.. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
la recomineuUing boiledlluseedoil for water prooflng silk linos, 1 ought 
to have said, for the be lit. Ill: of auglers who have a fancy for preparing 
their own lines, that common boiletl oil does nut meet the requirements 
perfectly. It should be boded for the pnipose by a process that will 
neutralize or destroy the gellaline which all oil contains a small portion 
or, aud which, unless removed will leave ihe lines stiff and hard, which, 
is of course to be avoided, 'l’he ohlv person that I kuovv of who folly 
nnderttards what Is required, and who knows how to prepare Ihe oil, [8 
Mr. J. Babcock, No 31 Magazine street. Cimbridgeport, Mass To those 
who do not care Io take the trouble of water-proofing their own linen, 
(and I would not recommend any one lo do so for it requires much labor 
and carefnl manipulation, euch as oiling, tuboilig, aud singing off the 
small fibres, &C. ) I will say, that Messrs. Bradford & Anthony, of Bou¬ 
ton, always have on hand, both salmon and trout linos prepared in the 
best manner. ’Waoter m. Brackett. 
Greenwood, Mass., April 17th, IB7U. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
In your paper of the 18th I notice an article on “Wator-prooling Fish 
Lines,” soliciting information on the subject. It is h well-known fret 
that liuseed oil, when applied to cotton or linen, noon produces beat, 
causing the line or fabric 10 oxidize or rot. Several years since patents 
were granted to myself for water-proofing all porous substances by the 
application of paraffine ditolved ia naptha or benzine, srnoo which 
the process has come into oxtensive use us applied toagreat vaj-leiy of ar¬ 
ticles. Its adaptation to fish lines-,fishing tints., sporting suits. Ac., has prov¬ 
ed of great utility, increasing iheir strengthand durability two-fold. The 
appllcaiure of paraffine by this process forms aniovisihle varnish, and ae 
paraffine is a non-absorbent; and a repellant of water, moisture will not 
penetrate the substance treated. The substance will be saved from rot, 
(oxidization), Paraffine is neither decomposed by chlorine, strong acids. 
