FOREST AND STREAM, 
337 
tainable. They were first introduced in New Hampshire 
in 1864 or 1865, and up to the present time, over forty lakes, 
ponds, and streams have been stocked with them. 
A number of the waters stocked in previous years have 
been examined by the Commissioners during the past sea¬ 
son, and the bass found to be doing well, and greatly mul¬ 
tiplied where the character of the waters was such as to 
furnish them plenty of food. This would seem to be the 
great desideratum of waters to be stocked with bass, and 
such is shown to be the case by the fact that in ponds 
where the supply of food has been scanty, they have re¬ 
mained more nearly stationary, both as to numbers and 
size. For the successful propagation of bass, waters with 
rocky V>r gravelly bottoms are necessary, and it is but 
time and labor wasted to stock wafers having muddy bot¬ 
toms. They have done fairly in Massabesic, and alford 
fair fishing there; but Lake Sunapee bears away the palm, 
its waters literally teeming with bass, and affording splen¬ 
did sport to the angler. As u hint toward their wonderful 
increase and abundance there, it may be stated that, slocked 
in 1808, in the season of 1875 it is estimated that three touB 
of black bass were taken from the lake. 
Blaisdell’s pond, in Button, was also examine!? in Sep¬ 
tember, and a large number of young bass observed, proba¬ 
bly hatched in 1875. This pond is raised by a darn, and 
in certain seasons of the year, on account of scarcity of 
water, is drawn off to supply water below. It is thus 
drawn off six or eight feet in the course of the season, and 
during last season bjack bass were found in the brook which 
flows from the pond, going to show that black bass are not 
quite as noil-migratory and stationary as has been generally 
believed, but under certain circumstances will "leave the 
home of their birth.” 
During 1875, ten ponds, and various other waters have 
been stocked with fish from Lake Champlain and Sunapee. 
Now that so abundant and easily accessible a home supply 
of adult fish is provided at Lake Sunapee, the Commission¬ 
ers expect to carry on the good work in the future with in¬ 
creased vigor and success. 
Brook. Trout. —The Commissioners deplore the fact 
that brook trout are decreasing in numbers in the State, 
and that though New Hampshire was once the spot par ex¬ 
cellence for trout fishing, it is at the present time difficult 
to secure a satisfactory duy’s sport except in the most wild 
and uninhabited districts. The report says:— 
The causes of this depletion of our waters are various, 
the principal of which, however, is, first, the cutting off of 
timber, by which the streams are exposed to the direct rays 
of the sun, the streams lessened in depth, and in some cases 
entirely dried up, and a great decrease in food for trout, 
occasioned, as much of it is, by insects which fall from the 
foliage overhanging the streams; secondly, the pollution of 
streams by the sawdust from saw mills, tau from tanneries, 
and the like; and lastly, and perhaps chiefly, from contin¬ 
ued and persistent over-fishing. The first cause is entirely, 
and the second to some extent, beyond the power of legis¬ 
lation to rectify; but assuredly, proper legislation, com¬ 
bined with systematic and geueval effortsin re-stocking 
depleted streams, would do much to belter the condition of 
our trout fishing. 
The remedy recommended is re-stocking by individuals 
or communities, to be carried out with spirit and deter¬ 
mination. 
Salmon. —The agreement made by the chairman of the 
commission with the other New England Fish Commis¬ 
sioners, in regard to stocking the head-waters of the Merri¬ 
mack, was carried ont. About 250,000 young fish were 
received from Fish Commissioner Brackett, of Massachu¬ 
setts; 230,000 were put in the Pemigewasset by Commis¬ 
sioner VVadleigh; the remainder were received by Commis¬ 
sioner Noyes, and set free in the head-waters of the Con- 
toocook. 
California Salmon. —Two lots of California salmon 
have been received by the Commissioners, amounting in all 
to about 40,000. A ponion of these were introduced iuto 
the head waters of the Contoocook, the remainder being 
placed in the Pemigewasset in Warren. 
This salmon closely resembles our native salmon, but 
differs in some particulars, it is in every way a desirable 
fish, and its successful propagation here is to be hoped tor. 
Fishways. —The reports of fishways are, for the most 
part, encouraging, but a trial of a year or two will be re¬ 
quired fully to test their practical efficiency. The Com¬ 
missioners have examined the way at Lawrence, ami think 
very favorably Of the improvements made. The fishway 
at Manchester, over the Amoskeag falls, is excellent, and 
if practicable ways are constructed over the dams on the 
lower part of the river, no fears need be entertained as to 
the effectiveness of this one. 
The great obstacle met in the construction of fishways, 
and hardly overcome by any of the styles at present in 
use, is the difficulty of rendering them likely to be found 
and enteied by fish. No considerable obstacles are now 
left on the Merrimack in New Hampshire, and if Massa¬ 
chusetts succeeds in her endeavors, the ultimate success of 
the re stocking the Merrimack with salmon may be antici¬ 
pated. 
—For a month past large numbers of shad have been 
taken from spawn in the Susquehanna. The work has been 
progressing under the direction of Professors Baird and 
Milner, United States Fish Commissioners. The work as in 
charge of AlbertD. Hayes who has eleven men employed 
in catching and spawning the shad at night. The spawn 
of a female shad is pressed into a pan and is impregnated 
with the milt of the male fish. About 20,000 eggs is the 
yield from a full grown female, and the milt lrom one 
heathy male will impregnate three times this number. The 
spawn is then placed m hatching-boxes, anchored in the 
stream, aud with the water at jts present temperature, 32. 
degrees, the hatching follows in three days. The young 
fish is born with an umbilical bag attached, which supplies 
its food until the bag disappears, after which lime its means 
of existence is unknown, as no food has been discovered 
which the young fish will eat. As soon aB possible after 
this bag disappears the fish are placed in cans, each holding 
about 20,000, and shipped immediately. From this point 
they have been sent to every southern State except Texas 
and Arkansas .—Germantown Telegraph , June 23. 
Important.— Care should he taken, in buying Fishing or Hunting Suit 
to got a genuine Ilolnbird Suit, and not one of the worthless imitations 
which are being put on the market. 'i'ifO bfwp is the cheapest,—Adv, 
BIRDS OF CENTRAL NEW YORK. 
[Continued, from page 284.] 
Pinicola enucleater. Pine grosbeak. An irregular winter 
visitor. 
Carpodacus purpureas. Purple finch. An abundant 
summer resident, arriving the second week in April and 
departing in October. 
JEgiothvs linaria. Red-poll linnet. Irregular in winter. 
Ohrysomitris tried*. Yellow-bird; gold finch. Abun¬ 
dant and resident, but less common in winter, it breeds 
in June. 
Plectrophanes nivalis. Snow bunting. Abundant from 
November to March. 
Pooecetes gramineus. An abundant summer resident, 
arriving the first week in April, and departing in Octo¬ 
ber. 
Melospiza■ melodia. Song-sparrow. An abundant sum¬ 
mer sojourner, arriving the first week in March and de¬ 
parting in November. 
Junco hyemalis. Snow-bird. These birds are tolerably 
common in autumn and spring, but winter south of here. 
Spizella, montieola. Tree sparrow. Common in the 
spring. 
tipizella sociatis. Chipping sparrow. A common sum¬ 
mer resident, coming about the middle of April. It breeds 
in all the gardens, and disappears early in October. 
Pyryita domestica. English sparrow. Resident and abun¬ 
dant in the large towns where it breeds in boxes. 
Qoniaphea ludovieiana. Rose-breasted grosbeak. A 
summer resident, arriving the first week in May. It breeds 
and departs southward in September. 
Cyanospiza cyanea. Indigo-bird. Common summer 
resident after May 1st; breeds, and leaves us in October. 
Dolichofty.e oryzitorus. Bobolink. Very abuudaut be¬ 
tween the second week of May and the middle of August. 
Motothrus pecoris. Cow-bird. Aundanl in the spring, 
and a few remain all the year. 
Agdteus phceiticeus. llud-wingcd blackbird. Arrives 
the firsL week in March; breeds abundantly, and departs in 
November. 
Sturnella magna. Meadow lark. Abundant in Bummer, 
and a few remain through the winter. 
Icterus spwmis. Oichaid oriole. Rare in summer. 
Icterus Baltimore. Baltimore oriole. Abundant from the 
middle of May until September. 
Seolecophagus ferrugineus. Rusty grackle. Arrives the 
first week in April, aud passes north to breed, whence it 
returns in September oq its southern migration. 
Quiscalus parpureue. Crow black-bird. Common sum¬ 
mer resident associating with the above. Arrives the 
second week in March. H. G. Fowler. 
•«'» - 
STICKS IN A DEER’S BODY. 
Philadelphia, June 17th, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Ad incident mentioned by one of your correspondents, 
viz., killing a doe with a stick imbedded in the body and 
healed over, is curious but not isolated. Some years ago I 
was camped at Gatlin Lake in the Adirondacks, Mr. T. Ell- 
wood Zell aDd another friend being wi h me. Caleb Chase 
ran in a deer one morning which Mr. Zell killed with a pis¬ 
tol. We were rather astonished at the short run the deer 
had made, as it no sooner jumped than it took right down 
hill to the water; but upon opening it we found a hemlock 
or spruce knot some inches long which had gone in at the 
breast, and lay along inside the ribs, and at right angles to 
them. It was grown over and covered so as to look like a 
bone at first sight. This accounted for the animal’s inabil¬ 
ity to run much. The deer was a barren doe, and to my 
recollection—aDd that goes over a good many feasts on that 
kind of meat—the most delightful piece of venison 1 ever 
ate. We inferred that the deer had snagged itself in jumping 
a fallen tree. One of your correspondents, I see, gives Flor¬ 
ence Heights, N. J , as the southern limit of ot the Rhodo¬ 
dendron, but cau hardly have thought when he said so un¬ 
less be does not really know. The common Rhododendron 
maximum grows all'through the mountain regions of Vir¬ 
ginia and West Virginia, aud to my recollection is quiie 
plentiful in western North Carolina among the mountains 
there. The Rhododendron catawbiensis, a variety not so 
large and bearing a different colored olossotn, grows even 
further south. In the same number of your paper is a let¬ 
ter describing Mountain Lake, Va., wherein the writer of 
the article says “Masses of rhododendron sweep down to 
the water's edge all around, whose wealth of bloom is sur¬ 
passingly splendid.” I can vouch for that statement for I 
havp been to the lake—formerly called the Salt Poud, and 
a beautiful place it is. The view from the high knob of 
the Salt Pond mountain is exceptionally tine and worth a 
trip from this oily to see. Auy mau'who has crawled 
through as many thickets of rhodudendron in the mountain 
region of Virginia aud West Virginia as 1 have, will lie 
glad enough io have the southern limit established at Flor¬ 
ence Heights if only the limits can be enforced. The Vir¬ 
ginians call it laurel, and it is discouraging after crawling 
an hour through a thicket, to go up a stub and looking out 
see nothing but laurel as fur as the eye cau reach. The 
mountain laurel (Kalmia) the Virginians call “ivy." C. C. 
Flies on the Potomac. —The JSphemeridce, May flies, 
usually make their appearance about the middle of May m 
immense numbers along the Potomac River. This season 
the shad-fly (Palinyewia bilineata Say.) was to be seen in 
clouds between May 15th and 23d, covering docks, boats, 
bridges, and even the sides of the railroad cars as they 
crossed the bridge, or moved in Ibo vicinity of the river. 
Attracted by the light of cabin windows, they covered the 
sash and panes and gathered on the deck, until to step 
upon the spots where thev were thickest was to “put your 
foot in it" in a way that was very unpleasant. The fur¬ 
nace doors of the seine-engines were an irresistible attrac¬ 
tion, and they poured into them in a steady stream for 
hours. Their frail wings were usually singed before they 
reached the tire, aud they fell into the grate in front, and 
had to be shovelled out from time to lime, as they interfer¬ 
ed with the draught of the furnace.—J. W. H. 
Giant Pear Trees. —In Forest and 8tream for June 
8th mention is made of some large pear trees in the town 
of Elcearia, Texas, supposed to have been planted long 
ago by the Spaniards, who al a very early period first set¬ 
tled this portion of the Rio Grande Yalley country. It is 
doubtful, however, whether these trees are really among 
the largest pear trees in the world. If the reader will 
turn to page 360 of the Geological Survey of Indiana, 1873 
(Prof. E. T. Cox), he may read of a pear tree near the town 
of VincenDes, Knox county, Iod., which was nearly twice 
the size of the largest of the Elcearia specimens. A pear 
tree on the Ochiltree farm, now owned by Wm. Wise, 
Esq., has become historical. The Rev. H. W. Beecher 
visited this tree many years ago, then in the full vigor of 
its fruitfulness, and published an interesting and graphic 
account of this “giant of its race." The great pear tree 
was 12 feet in circumference near its base, 120 feet high, 
with a lateral spread of 60 feet from the trunk, auu bore 
an average crop^ of fifty bushels. Riven by lightning it 
survives on in history and tradition, after a life of nearly 
three score years and ten. in the same neighborhood, in 
the orchard planted by Col. Vigo, of Revolutionary fame, 
are apple trees which measure from two to four feet in di¬ 
ameter; they still survive in good bearing. This, how¬ 
ever, is in a portion of the country famed for the splendid 
growth of the trees, whether native or cultivated, due in 
part to the genial climate, but mainly to the almost incred¬ 
ible depth and richness of the alluvial soil. The remnant 
of the original forest still contains sycamores of ten, 
twelve, and even thirteen feet diameter; tulip trees seven 
to twelve; cottonwoods, eight; black walnuts, six to eight; 
pecan trees, six to eight; catalpas, three to four and a 
half; and even sassafras trees four feet in diameter These 
same trees are remarkable for their height, however, more 
than for their diameter, the heavier forest averaging over 
100 feet in elevation; the first three species rea.-ii 180 feet, 
while a sassafras ot 95 aud a persimmon of 115 feet were 
measured!— R. Ridgway. 
—Our New Haven friend, Mr. Robert Morris, send* us a 
seasonable letter in defense of the robin against unthinking 
and unfeeling persecution, which wc commend to our 
readers’ attention to-day. 
—In addition to the interea ing reports of the Challenger 
cruise given in Nature for June, Dr. Wyville Tiloiiisou 
will lose no time in pulling before the public ills account 
of the scientific results of the expedition. Two volumes, 
containing the results of the dredging of the Ailautie, aud 
fully illustrated from Mr. Wild’s chawings, will he pub¬ 
lished in the aulumu hy Macmillan & Co., to be followed 
by two others, in which will be recorded the discoveries 
made in the Pacific aud Southern Seas. 
—There was lately touDd on the banks of the Isis River, 
England, a dead grebe which had been chokeu in attempt¬ 
ing to swallow a “miller’s thumb” (C’ottus gobio). This 
fish has little spine-like processes on the side of the head 
which had stuck in the bird’s throat, and choked the wind¬ 
pipe. There is a case on record where a poor fisherman 
was killed by another species of Cutius, in attempting to 
bile off its head. The fish, however, gave a struggle and 
slipped down his throat and expanding his spines at me 
side of the head, managed to immovably fix itself in the 
larynx, thus killing tbe'man by suffocation. 
A PLEA FOR THE ROBIN. 
NEW Haven. Couu , June 20th. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
Farmers and enrdeners who are not inclined to enquire into the habits 
of onr birds, see in the robin only a bonny bird in the spring, which later 
becomes a frequent aud destructive visitor to tbe cherry tree aud straw¬ 
berry patch, and passin adverse judgment upon him accordingly. That 
this is at least an ex parte decision, I wish to show, and thus enter a 
plea for a maligned oird. 
The roidn’s proper food is insects; scarcely anything elao. No bird 
has a more varied diet ot inBects, and none a greater capacity, in fact the 
robin is always hungry, and la alwa.- s satl-fylng his hunger with just 
such insects as cause the moBt (rouble to farmers. He is np latest In the 
evening and earliest in the morning, so that the cot-worms, and oiher in¬ 
sects which hide in the ground during the day, and only make iheir ap¬ 
pearance at night, fall a prey to this bird, whoso greatest pleasure is to 
do good. No other bird is so fond of apple-borers end the larvie of in¬ 
sects in general; when a colouy of the nest worms which strip the leaves 
from the apple 1 rees, is discovered by a robin, the neat is legularly 
Visited until not a worm remains, aud you may often End a nest deserted 
ns you snppose by the worms, but had yon waleh: d the process of deser¬ 
tion, the remarkably rapid growth of the young robins in the neighbor- 
ing tree could have been more easily accounted for. Robins are contin¬ 
ually searching for insects and the number destroyed by them is almost 
incredible. H a person will post himself near a nest of yonng robins ho 
will see the old birds bringing insects to thoir yonng, literally every 
minnte; and all day long, in the season for small f edits only one cherry 
or strawberry, for from five to ten insectB will be brought to the nest; 
this remark is made from actual observation in a locality where the 
above frnilB were in abundance. Where robins are common, of conrse, 
they trouble fruit growers considerably, as they select the choicest por¬ 
tion for themselves and bite into much rrult which they do not carry off; 
bnt a few blank charges fired at them while in the act of eating fruit, or 
a stuffed hawk placed in a conspicuous place, will effectually frighten 
them away. As the season for tbe cherries or strawberries lasts only a 
few weeks, and as tbe robins care very little, for fruit aTter ibo Ifraiof the 
sea-mu, a reallymtelligent farmer would naturally look to see what consti¬ 
tuted their food during the lurger portion of their stay with ns. Any 
person who would kill robins for the injury which they might do his 
fruit is narrow-minded and insensible to the agricultural interests of his 
country, and, withal cruel, for at the time when frnit is ripe, tbe yonng 
are iu tbe nest and anable to care for themselves. Therefore in killing 
oue he almost inevitably destroys the whole family. 
Robert T. Morris. 
EGG COLLECTING IN ILLINOIS. 
Teutons, III,, Jtme 12th, 18T8. 
Editor Foubst and Stream:— 
Tbe oologtste among your readers may lie interested in reading an ab¬ 
stract from my field-journal. On May 20th I obtained five purple mar¬ 
tin’s eggs from a nest built in a bird-house. The captures ot tue next 
day included two eggs of the mourning dote, containing embryos; two 
e gs of the pinnated grouse with embryos well advanced, which were 
ploughed up; and a curiously colored egg of the meadow lark On June 
1st 1 collected a nesi of three eggs of i&o red-wiDgad biack-bird, Tho 
