418 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
very heavy storm of wind and rain had prevailed all night; IS M. the 
gale increases; 8:45 P. M., snow, elect and rain cutting the face fearful¬ 
ly; 3 schooners dragged ashore. 
April 5th—30 degrees above at 7 A. M. and the worst storm for some 
years; 8 inches of snow has fallen, drifting to two feet; liy 10 A. M. it 
has cleared np, and sleighs are flying merrily, so you see that after the 
first blue-birds, robins and black-birds we have had some pretly bad 
weather. Snowed again daring the afternoon. 
Apnl 6th—Weather cleared up during thB uight; wind Bonthwest and 
moderate; about 6 inches of snow. Saw chipping sparrowB and snow¬ 
birds (Junco hyt.malie) yesterday, and a swallow (white-bellied, I think,) 
off Muscovy’s Point, Salem Harbor, this morning. 
April 9th—30degrees at 8 A.M.; wind northwest and stormy; weath¬ 
er cold bnt clear. Woodcock are namerons in ear pastares, where they 
are almost always plenty In the spring, and this is about the only time 
they are. Also saw fox sparrows, purple finches, brown thrushes, and 
a brown hawk. No snipe yet. 
April 11th.—Temperature 33 degrees at 7:30 A. M.; wind northwest. 
While-bellied swallows aronnd my bird-house. 
April 18th—Woather about the same. Saw a golden-winged wood¬ 
pecker. The first snipe (Oallinago misonl) was shot yesterday, and 
the upland plover (Actilurus BaHramiut) have come. Saw four little 
blackheads in the harbor to-day and shot a fine pair. 
May Sd—Snipe have been shot somewhat since the last date, but with 
poor success. Saw a white-winged coot off Gray’s Rock thiB morning. 
May 5th—Temperature 48 degrees at 7 A. M. Saw our “winter” yel¬ 
low-legs {Gamtetlajiavipes). Snipe seem to be gone. 
May 7th—Temperature 44 at 6:30 A. M. Saw 3 solitary and 1 least 
sandpipers. Also noticed red-winged black-birds, cow'bantings, one 
spotted Bindpiper and a bittern {Bota'trus minor)', yellow-ramp warblers 
were numerous; purple martins are along, and a good-sized bunch of 
yellow-legs went along this afternoon; ruby-crowned kinglets are seen. 
May 9th—Warm; wiudsouthwest to southeast. Saw pine-creeping 
and bine yellow-backed warblers, and the first Baltimore oriole. 
May 10th—Warm; wind variable. Saw a bunch of “pBeps” on the 
Lynn marshes. 
May 11th—Warmer. Saw Maryland yellow-throat, red-poll, and yollow- 
warblera and two king-birds; ^ot 4 crows’ eggs with embryos well ad¬ 
vanced; swallows are very numerous, and the yellow-rumps are “thick 
as hops." Winter yellow-legs are numeroua to day. 
May 12th—Warmer. A big Hoik of brante in the outer harbor; aleo 
a lone goose. 
May 13th—Warm. Saw a black-and-yellow warbler, and black-and- 
white creeper and a golden-erowned thresh; warblers namerons, among 
them 1 noticed the redstart, Nashville and black-throated green; also 
saw cat-birds and white-throated sparrows. 
May 15th—Fonnd a song-sparrow’s ncBt with 4 eggs; warblers still 
plenty. 
Mayl7ch—Cooler. Saw two female chestnnt-eided warblers; started 
a woodcock which probably was breeding: saw a red-eyed vlreo. 
Tail.. 
SELF-PROTECTION IN THE GROUSE. 
July 18th. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Ah is well known a characteristic habit of the ruffed grouse is that of 
diving into the snow* and thus evading pursuit. The arlifleo is natural¬ 
ly adopted moat frequently in the more northern portions of its habitat. 
In Minnesota, where the bird is very common, and where the winters are 
long and the snow deep, the sportsman observes it avails itself of this 
manner very freely. Sometimes it drops from a tree into I he enow like 
a stone, and at others it plunges therein more or less obliquely; but in 
any event it penetrates the friendly covering till hidden from view, and 
presently emerges in the distance, rejoicing and shaking a shower of 
white llakea from its wings. Few writers or adequate observers fail to 
notice this peculiarity of the species. But what ts not so generally 
known is, that In the absence of snow it occasionally makes use of oth¬ 
er coverts in-a way that would seem to indicate that they were substi¬ 
tuted in its place. In the southern part of New Jersey, in October, I 
once flushed a ruffed grouse which was feeding on the buds of a plum 
tree in a garden. The bird had in every direction an unimpeded chance 
for flight, but to my astonishment it darted swiftly into a hay-stack close 
at hand, and secured without difficulty and in full feather. On anoth¬ 
er occasion, when ahootiug in the early days of November, we started a 
raffed grouse from the leafless summit of a gum tree. This bird could 
have hidden in a dense cedar swamp, or in the tall reeds or a marsh; 
or it could have selected a free course of flight in any direction. But 
instead it quite followed ttie example noted above. It plunged into a 
stack of coarse rushes, which happened Lo be placed some little distance 
away. This bird was not secured, although we had a pointer to help us. 
U had moat effectively hidden itself. On still another occasion a ruffed 
grouse flow from under the feet of a woman who was engaged in putting 
things “to Tights” about my yard early one September morning, and 
darted for concealment into a thicket of morning-glory vines covering 
a tall trellis before the kitchen door. There was not the smallest logical 
reason for the bird to stop here; it conld have gone on to any other dis¬ 
tant cluster if it had so desired. When it was brought to bay (for this 
was the speedy fate of the poor thing) it was fooud to be fully grown, 
uni, as far as could be seen, in perfect condition. These occurrences 
•would seem tn show the foregoing statement to the effect that the ruffed 
grouse will, at times, make use of other close covert* in the same fashion 
that it does enow, was fairly made; and moreover, that the habit is In¬ 
stinctive, if not universally followed. J. 
—The American Association for the Advancement of Sci¬ 
ence will meet this year in Buffalo, beginning August 23d. 
A new Sub-section of Anthropology will he formed. On 
Sept. 4th the International Convention of Archaeologists 
meets in Philadelphia, holding its sessions in the Ohio 
State Building, 
Arrivals at Philadelphia Zoological Garden, July to Jvlt 31. 
—One belted kingfisher ( Ceri/le alcyon) and one laoler falcon ( Faloo 
mettlcanus), presented by Martin Goldsmith, Camden, N. J,; two great 
horned owls {Bubo viryinianus), presented by Samuel N. Hill, Concord- 
Vllle, Pa.; one turkey buzzard ( Catharte$ aura), presented byS.N. 
Still, Malvern, Pa.; one opossum and young {Diddphis virrjiniana), 
presented by J. Brainerd, Waahington, D. C.; one English black-bird 
(Turdut, merula) preoeuted by L. J. Clark, Philadelphia; two Mexican 
hairless dogs, presented by Master John Yarrow, Washington, D. C. 
Arthur E, Bkowm, Gen, Supt. 
APRIL BIRDS IN ILLINOIS. 
Lebanon, III., July 8th, 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I fiend the following notes for April:— 
April 1st-—Noticed large flocks of robins congregated in the fields, hav¬ 
ing jnst arrived from the south; discovered a nest with eggs of red¬ 
tailed hawk. Sd -Black-birds migrating in large flocks; noticed first 
arrival of the purple martin. 4th—Wilson's snipe is common in suita¬ 
ble places; belted kingfishers first seen; flushed the first Carolina rail in 
a marsh; the turkey vulture first arrived. 5th—Cliff swallows return¬ 
ed. 10th—Several warblers, the first pair of wood thrushes, and several 
while-lhrouted sparrows seen. 11th—Bewick's wrens and the chimney 
Bwallows have arrived; Wilson’s snipe and the plovers have departed 
northward. I2th—Blue gray gnat-caicher, yellow*ramped warbler, and 
golden-crested wron first seen to day; white-throated sparrows aband¬ 
on!. jfith—brown thru all arrived; chimney swallows are common now, 
yVM. M. Jones. 
Jprc fennel. 
THE SETTER BISMARCK. 
A LMOST every sportsman having much experience 
with sellers or pointers has his ideal of a dog. T 
can name forty or more, who saw Bismarck hunt quail dur¬ 
ing the season of 1870,-’71 ,-’72,-78, and 74, who say they 
never saw his equal in all their experience. From 1871 to 
1875, he was hunted, almost daily, during the snipe shoot¬ 
ing season upon the meadows adjacent to the Delaware. 
Every person who has seen him hunt snipe, also admits 
that they never witnessed his equal. During September, 
of every year of his life, he was hunted on grouse or prairie 
chickens, and here also all declare they never saw his 
equal. 
Bismarck was first brought to my notice in 1868 at State 
Centre, Iowa. I had previously formed a slight acquain¬ 
tance with Mr. Shipman, his owner, who remarked to me 
that he had a very promising young dog, would be pleased 
to have me see him hunt, and invited me to drive out some 
five or six miles with him for an evening shoot, on the fol¬ 
lowing day. Going to his house, at the appointed hour, 
with my dog, for the first time I saw Biz chained to a 
small tree in the yard restless and eager. Biz was a white 
setter, long, lank, and lean, and I was not very favorably 
impressed with his appearance. Everything in readiness, 
I put my dog into the wagon, Biz was unchained, and we 
rapidly left the village behind and got into a straight road. 
Looking ahead to where the road forked I saw white Biz 
standing waiting to see which direction we would take. I 
remembered to have read or heard before that the waiting 
of a dog at the forks of a road for the arrival of iris master 
was a proof that a dog had sqmething more than instinct, 
or that he had reasoning power. We soon got on to the open 
prairie, and with the speed of the ponies slackened, I had 
a chance to observe the dog's movements. Such enormous 
speed as his I never saw before. It seemed as if the dog 
was trying to show how far he could leap, and Mr. Ship- 
man would drive from elevation to elevation to observe 
his movements. A* times Biz would stop to get directions, 
which Shipman gave by motion of his hand. Shipman could 
thus direct his movements as far as he could be seen. 
Biz had been going over the prairies at this tremendous 
speed for a half hour without our seeing a bird, and I could 
scarcely believe that any dog going at this rate could ever 
get the least scent of game. 
But while watching him intently we saw him instantly 
whirl head to the wind and 
drop in the grass upon his 
haunches so that nothing 
could be seen except bis 
white nose and head pro¬ 
truding. Shipman re¬ 
marked "Now we have 
got them.” BiZ;Wtta then 
at least 400 yards from 
the wagon. Shipman 
drove to within 100 yards 
or so of the dog and we 
stopped the.team. I took 
my dog out of the wagon 
and had proceeded hut a 
few yatds before he came 
lo a point. Up jumped 
half a dozen or more 
chickens. I dropped a 
pair of them iu a Style 
that was satisfactory'to 
myself before Shipman 
had got half way lo Biz, 
who still held his point. 
In the course of half an 
hour or so 1 had killed 
eleven and Shipman had 
ness, with what effect we scarcely knew, until Biz had 
gone in and brought three to our feet. For a dog to retrieve 
a goose wieghing from 10 to 12 pounds, through cat-tails, 
reeds and mire, without injuring a feather, I consider first 
class work. 
The following year, 1870, upon my arrival at. State 
Centre I found Biz just recovering from a case of poison¬ 
ing. Some villian had undertaken to kill all Shipman's 
dogs, and his owner, fearing he would not be able to keep 
him alive until the next gunning season, accepted my pro¬ 
position to take the dog home with me to Philadelphia, 
and bring him back to Iowa the following August. I of¬ 
fered for his use one year twice the amouut. I ever paid for 
a dog. Shipman accepted the oiler. Daring the two pre¬ 
vious years I had giveu extravagant accounts of this dog 
without the most remote idea that I should ever own him 
or bring him to this part of the country. I had stated 
that he could find more birds than any two dogs I had ever 
seen, and all my friends were of course anxious to see his 
performances. My experience with him had been entirely 
in hunting grouse, for there were very few quail in 
Iowa where he had been raised. My first trial of him on 
quail was iu Westmoreland County of this State, in com¬ 
pany with two friends. Having heard me speak of him in 
such glowing terms they were somewhat disappointed, as 
I was myself. Both of them thought he was not very 
staunch. When he came upon a covey he often wagged 
his tail and changed his position, though he would not put 
up the birds. My friends were greatly taken with his 
speed and endurance, and each of them expressed a desire 
to have one of his pups, which they now have, and think 
them to he the best dogs they have ever owned. Before 
the clase of the season, however, these friends admitted 
that they had never seen his like on quail. A couple of 
weeks’ practice on them brought him out to perfection. 
In the spring of 1871, wheu Biz was three years old, he 
was taken to Lowes, Delaware, to hunt snipe for the first 
time. Although myself and friend killed nearly 100 in two 
days, not a single point did he make. The birds were 
wild and be took so little notice of them, leaving tho 
meadows to hunt uplands, that I made him come to heel. 
During the second day he was used as a retriever, fal¬ 
lowed him to bring me every bird killed, but not to move 
until I had reloaded and everything was in readiness. 
From these two day’s experience I hud little to expect of 
Biz as a snipe dog. A week or so afterwards I tools him 
to New Jersey with myfriend Benjamin Sharp. We drove 
from meadow to meadow in a wagon. While we were 
ridiug along and Biz was coursing over a meadow iu sight 
ut a tremendous-speed, up 
jumped a snipe, within a 
lew feet of his noso. Biz 
instantly dropped, while 
the bird flew some 30 or 
40 yards and settled again. 
Biz remained crouched 
upon tile ground without 
moving, while we stop, 
ped the wagon and my 
friend killed the bird. 
This was his first stand 
on snipe, but during tho 
day he made many more 
points. He was hunted 
almost every day oq snipe 
on the mea<|pws border¬ 
ing the Delaware, that 
spring, and afterwards in 
the successive snipe sea¬ 
sons. Every year in Oc¬ 
tober in Connecticut he 
was hunted on wood¬ 
cock. lie was as 
staunch on those birds as 
could possibly be desired, 
was easily seen, being 
had his share of shooting. We had raised probably 300 
chickens since getting out of the wagon, Shipman killing 
nine out of twenty. After giving the dogs water, which 
we had brought, ana a few minutes to breathe, for it was 
very warm, we got into the wagon and drove over the 
prairie. This time I had let my dog run, but it was 
enough for him to keep up with the trail of the wagon 
while these Canadian por.ies were going at tlieir quarter- 
horse rate. Biz was coursing in his usual style with uudi- 
minishod speed, and I derived as much pleasure from see¬ 
ing this white object sailing over the prairie as from shoot¬ 
ing. Just as he was passing over a strip of ploughed 
ground be got scent of birds, and in turning to the wind¬ 
ward to point, he lost his balance and tumbled over before 
he could recover himself, raising a cloud of dust distinctly 
visible for at least a quarter cif a mile. When we had 
driven up to the spot we found Biz lying, instead of stand¬ 
ing, with his feet in the air. This was the first standi ever 
saw a dog make stretched on his back. Alightiug from 
the wagon we each of us hud half an hour of splendid 
shooting, for we had found the second pack scatered over 
probably twenty acres of ground. On one occasion 1 killed 
a bird which dropped and fluttered in open sight. Ship- 
man requested that I let his dog retrieve iL, and seut Biz 
for it. After running about half way to it, he said 
“Charge,” and the dog dropped as though dead. Then he 
told him to “go on,” until he got within five feet of the 
fluttering bird, when he again ordered “Charge,” and he 
dropped. After holding him with the bird almost under 
his nose he told him to ‘‘Pick it up,” which Biz did and 
brought, it to us in the most approved style. ShiDman then 
asked me “How much better were eastern dogs broken 
than Biz?” to which I made no reply. This was my first 
experience with Biz, which I shall ever remember. I de¬ 
sired to know of Shipman jf he would sell him; lie asked 
me how much I would give for him. I made several of¬ 
fers, all to no purpose, and came to the conclusion that no 
reasonable amount would buy him. The following year, 
1869, I made Slate Centre my headquarters during the sea¬ 
son and hunted in company with Shipman on several occa¬ 
sions, Biz was then 2| years old and I was even more 
impressed with his extraordinary qualities. I remained 
there until October to enjoy the durk shooting. It was a 
a novelty to me to see Shipman creeping upon ducks and 
geese in the sloughs with Biz crawiiug behind crouched 
to keep out of sight. Biz was a most excellent retriever; 
no wounded duck or gojse could escape him; he was as much 
at home in the water as a fish itself. On one occasion we 
lay by a slough to shoot geese as they came in just before 
dark to roost, for the night; Three of us fired in the db-’lt- 
wliite, and the spot where the bird lay thus easily deter¬ 
mined. After taking my position, with a friend to put up 
Ihe bird, few would escape. In one piece of chestnut 
sprouts I bagged 20 over him in less than halt an hour. 
In Connecticut people snood or snare ruffed grouse. 
When Biz came across any of these birds caught iu this 
manner he considered them as mine. He would bite off 
or break the snare and bring the birds to his master to help 
fill the bag. On ruffed grouse Biz was capital, huuting the 
woods and thickets cautiousiy. On one occasion in West¬ 
moreland county, Pa., a friend and myself bagged 31 in 
two days besides kill.ng as many more quails. He stood 
those wary birds at a long distance, giving us opportunity 
to ehoose our position when they rose. 
Iu the issue of Forest and Stream for February 19th, 
1874, there is a sketch of Bismarck from which 1 extract as 
follows:—“Biz is from a white seller bitch brought from 
England by a gentleman of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1864. 
The bitch was then about six months old. She proved a 
famous chicken dog, uuequaled for speed and nose. She 
was called a ‘white Belton.’ She had her first litter of 
pups from an Irish red setter brought to Iowa by a patty 
of Englishmen who came to Iowa to shoot chickens (grouse) 
iu 1867 The dog was left at Marshalltown. There was 
nothing remarkable about the dog except, lie was imported. 
Biz was of this litter and is like his mother as to color, all 
white except two red spots. Biz is large, measuring in 
every point more than the celebrated “Kent, except in 
height, in which he is ODe inch less; when thin and in hunt¬ 
ing condition bis weight is 68 pounds; out. of hunting sea¬ 
son his weight is 75 pounds. - * * His great points ate 
speed, endurance, nose, staunchness and docility. His 
speed is tremendous, exceeding that of the fastost pointers 
fully 50 per cent. By good judges he is thought lo go 125 
miles per day. His style is magnificent, high-headed, and 
he winds his game at a long distance and comes to point 
often at a distance too far from the game to be within pro¬ 
per or ordinary shot.”* * * On Christmas day of 1872, 
lie found 20 eovios in five hours, hunting from 11 to 4 
o’clock at Glassboro, 16 miles from Philadelphia. This ■ 
was the coldest day of the winter, the mercury being 8” be¬ 
low zero at 8 o’clock in the morning," 
Qf Biz's pedigree we know linle or nothing; from iL lie 
took little, but to it he a4dsd much. His body was loqg 
without the slooping posterior attributed to high-bred set¬ 
ters. The hair on his body was almost as short as that of 
an ordinary pointer, but he was feathered on Ihe tail and 
legs to as great a length as that of the highest bled setters, 
and every other characteristic was that of a setter. He 
crouched or dropped upon his haunches when he tame to 
