FOREST AND STREAM. 



129 



belong to them; and of bang attributed to families of the 

 ,_, ■u:-iv. u they ore not members. I do not 



believe that mote than one-half o 1 ' I ■ o-eolled aportsmen, 

 ortJu m v?h uHAx fcWUoE the gnn, know the 



names of w At least, I have ob- 



served such to*V tb ease Lay member of the leather trihe 

 possessing webbed feet tl ■ Sail 6. ducfc, end those having 

 slender mandibles and logs are called sw'p'', und so on 

 through the list Now, a little care and observation would 

 remedy all this; and I maintain that it is the duty of every 

 collector or hunter to ascertain the true name of any species 

 i w to him, or about which he has any doubts. To be 

 sm-e. many birds of the same species differ in color and 

 warbling? at different times of the year, according to age, 

 sex, etc., which tends to mislead, but the main features and 

 distinctive eh i ac i ri ti ib remain the same, and a careful ex- 

 amination cannot, fail to establish the proper name of any 

 species. This fault is due probably in a great degree to the 

 fact, that we are apt to accept the common or vulgar names 

 of birds and other animals, rather than those laid down in 

 the books. For instance, the buffle-headed duck is often 

 called the "butter-ball" the Carolina grebe, the "hell- 

 diver," the ruffed grouse, the "partridge," etc., etc. But it 

 lies in your power, Mr. Editor, to correct this evil through 

 the medium of your paper: and I have not spoken of it to 

 criticise, but only as a hint to your readers. Meanwhile, 

 believe mo over your well-wisher, and may you meet with 

 the success you so richly deserve. John A. Saverance. 



CROW BLACKBIRDS EAT FISH. 



\ ' Philadelphia, Pa., February 23, 1877. 



Editor Forest and Stream. 



Many of your readers may be surprised to learn that the 

 crow blackbirds ■,■'■■ tsal . ptajwreus) eat fish, and that they 

 also catch them. Last winter, when I was hiding among the 

 reeds on the shore of the St. John's River, near JLake. Jessup 

 in Florida, with the expectation of shooting some ducks, I 

 observed a commotion among the crow blackbirds in the 

 vicinity. They wen ■ ,.r i ;rf ■_,, riuo. iugfni roiinb. rs around 

 a pond that communicated with the river near the place 

 where I was sitting. I suspected from their excited be- 

 havior that '•something was up": that some unusual ad- 

 venture was soon to occur. They were reinforced by fre- 

 quent additions to their number. 'Their resplendent feathers 

 reflected in diversified colors the rays of the post meridian 

 sun, for, be it known, that the plumage of these birds in 

 the -emi-tropical atmosphere of Florida is pre-eminently 

 more brilliant than in the comparatively rigorous climate of 

 the North. I soon entered with spirit into the circumstances 

 of the occasion, and watched the course of "ornithological 

 events." Every accompaniment asserted the poetry of the 

 scene : 



'Twas peaceful and aonsne— the d«y was r»ir; 



I quaffed the fragrance of the balmy air. 



The birds, with feathers puffed, strut prondly 'round— 



With eyes expectant, they survey the gf und; 



They rummage o'er tha shore, and keenly pry, 



Then scan the water with a crafly eye. 



Just then a great splash was heard in the water ?hat startled 

 the birds, but instead of flying away in alarm they made a 

 stampede for the place from which the noise proceeded, and 

 crowded rite shore in its vicinity. Before I could compre- 

 hend the significance of this performance another splash 

 was made on the other side of the pond, and away scampered 

 the birds to the same place, and the mystery was soon eluci- 

 dated. 



The large bass, often called trout, in the fresh waters of 

 Florida, being a voracious fish, cause great terror and con- 

 sternation to the small fry. These frequent the shoal water 

 near the margins of the "ponds and creeks connected with 

 the St, John's River, as a place of refuge and fancied se- 

 curity from the attacks of their dreaded foe— the bass. The 

 latter are shrewd enough to learn the. habits of their favorite 

 food, and pursue them into the shoal water. Whey they 

 make a charge at their prey they usually spring partly out 

 out of the water, making a great splash and noise. At the 

 same time the small fry jump out of the wateT in alarm, in 

 their efforts to escape, and many of them fall on the shore. 

 But they find the "fire" just as uncomfortable as the "frying- 

 pan." as the blackbirds, being on the lookout for the assault 

 of the bass, pounce upon the unfortunate small fish and 

 gobble them up before they are able to scramble back into 

 the water. This peformauee was repeated many times, and 

 was still proceeding when I took up my departure. On one 

 occasion I examined the stomach of one of these bass in 

 order to ascertain what he had taken for breakfast. In it I 

 found a rat, that had evidently been imprisoned only a short 

 time. J. W. 



THE WOODCOCK IN FLORIDA. 



Jacksonville, JIarch 15th. 

 Editor Forest and Stukam. 



1 rcc< ived, nn ilia 9'h of This mouth, a brood of woodcock, four in 

 number, which had, evidently, bnt just left the shell. They were taken 

 in low pins woods, within a mile of this city. I do not ever remember 

 having beard lime the woodcock bred south of Virginia, aad I believe 

 that this is an entirely different species, which does not migrate, 



R. D. Uoyt. 



[Oir r -aders will remember that, a short tim-i since, 

 gfir correspondent, Mr. Geo. A. Boardman, reported -wood- 

 oooS breeding in Florida, and now Mr. Hoyt gives us an- 

 other- instance ol this unusual occurrence. We noticed in 

 February a remarkable flight of woodcock, seen about 

 Charleston, S. C, at which time great numbers were killed by 

 , ts of t :at city during the two days of their stay; a 



little] - - brads iwre killed about St. Augustine, Fla., 



win toeapecii b id seldom been seen before. It looks as 

 if the eiti jiiv e ■■■■ rity of the earlier part of the winter had 

 driven the woodcock far south of their usual range, and 

 some of them are evidently breeding a long way to the south 

 of their customary summer homes.— Eo.] 



SAGACITY OF A PICKEREL. 



A few y« . — 3 with a friend fishing from a large 



..; le of a pond; tin [y out 10 



the water. Bi !.'.'' could see the bunk on either s 



'i ig li lead or leaflets bus! bun vex 



several feat Of surface, but the 

 branches were not very thick. While standing on the rock 

 we saw a pickerel of near a pound weight leap perpendicu- 

 larly from the water under the bush just iucnt,ioned;itshead 



was toward and some two or three feet from the bank. Think- 

 ing it a little curious to see a pickerel act that way in Buch a 

 place. I let the matter drop for the moment, but very soon 

 we heard a fearful outcry from a frog in the direction of the 

 bush. Looking that way « e saw what was apparently our new 

 acquaintance, his whole length out of the water on the bank, 

 with a nice frog in his mouth. Froggte was pleading lustily 

 to be let alone, but p>e7.vr had taken Ids pick and was deaf 

 to all arguments, and with a gleaming eye for business ho 

 flipped about until he reached the water with his dinner safe 

 in his month. 



Now, the conclusion I came to was this: the pickerel 

 knew, or at least supposed, the frog was near, but did not 

 know the exact point: He therefore sent up his balloon to make 

 observations, and after having done so from above, went to 

 wash in the trenches until his line was all right, when he 

 made a charge and returned -victorious. M. 0; H. 



[A most interesting observation. This shows, too, that 

 frogs when badly frightened or hurt can scream, a fact which 

 has been doubted by some, though long known to careful 

 observers. — Ed.] 



-♦»*- 



WHAT BECOMES OF OUR FOREIGN 

 SONG-BIRDS. 



Editok Fotcest and Stream. 



Your correspondent, Ernest Ingersoll, in a Tecent number, 

 asks for information respecting the English sky-larks that 

 were, let loose on Long Island several years ago. I have some 

 information on this subject which I give with pleasure. I 

 remember asking at the time that those exquiBito songsters 

 whore in our vicinity: so on a Sunday morning in early May 

 I started to hunt them up. T was successful. I found three 

 in the. neighborhood of Prospect Park ; two others I met with 

 which seemed to have made their homes in some meadows 

 fringing the Coney Island Road. Those were all mates, as I 

 discovered them only by their song: during the next summer 

 I heard them again and again, in fact, every Sunday I may 

 say, while they were in song. "Hardy, tough little Brit- 

 ons," I said, "they have been able to withstand the effects of 

 our whiter climate." But in the fall of this second year I 

 ran across in my Sunday rambles another of our foreign 

 importations from Prussia, or Poland. He had been out for 

 a day's shooting, and to my question, "What luck?" he 

 showed me the contents of his game bag. There were several 

 robins, one cat-bird, a number of our beautiful gold-finches 

 (of the yellow-bird), blue, birds, and among the rest, three 

 of my pets — the English sky-lark. If thinking murder is 

 murder, then I did it then and there, for it was the wish of 

 my heart to do the deed. This must have been seven or 

 eight years ago. I havenover Been any of themsince, though 

 I have' looked for them very perseveringly till last summer. 

 It was on the Jamaica plank-road near the toll-gate. The 

 sun was near its setting, and the "daring warbler" had 

 filled the air with its melody. I sat on a rock by the way- 

 Bide and watched him as— 



In the golden lightning 



Of the setting sun. 



O'er which clouds are bright'ning, 



He did float and rnn 



Like an embodied dream whose joy lias just begun." 



Now, I have an idea that all those birds, with the excep- 

 who is now solitary and alone, have 

 ur city sportsmen, and it will bo en- 

 any more importations until we have 

 iw on the subject, bnt that it shall be 

 faithfully and mercilessly carried out. I could fill up half of 

 your paper with my Sunday experiences on this subject— the 

 the reckless, wicked slaughter of our beautiful song-birds. 

 W. Wtalicott. 

 Brooklyn, K. r., March 8, 1877. 



tion perhaps 

 been destroyed by 

 tirely useles's making 

 not only a stringent li 



ANTIQUITIES OF LA.KE PEPIN. 



Editor Forest and Stream. 



Believing that a great number of your readers are inter- 

 ested in ethnology,! desire very briefly to call their atten- 

 tion to the works of the mound builders in this locality. 

 First, allow mo to say that I have — years ago — published 

 sevei'al papers relating to these works, but as the subject is 

 every day becoming more and more a subject of research and 

 investigation, the mutter bears a little repetition and 

 revision. The valley of this lake, on the west.or Minnesota 

 side, is eight miles long, and averages about three in width. 

 On this plat there were four .regularly constructed cities of 

 the mound builders. These cities were one, three, and two 

 miles apart. Two of them were laid out and constructed 

 with great regularity, the streets and houses being equally 

 distant from each other. These four towns were connected 

 by regular lines of mounds, which made, as we may say, a 

 continous city eight miles long by one and a half miles wide. 

 Nor is this all, for in the rear, one-half mile back, there were 

 a continous line of out posts or fortifications, which no 

 doubt were for the express purpose of protecting the settle- 

 ments from invasion. Where there were natural passes to 

 tho town the fortifications are increased in number and size — 

 some long with depressed inner-sides, others very large and 

 perfectly round. But I cannot claim space to describe speci- 

 fically the various mounds, but will venture to speak of 

 only one in particular. One, a very large mound, situated 

 ir> the centre of one of theBe cities, was the only one in this 

 collection that contained human remains, and these in a 

 very imperfect sate of preservation. Another large mound, 

 situated little in the rear of the others, I believe to have 

 been their pottery, or the place where their pottery was 



terally covered with fragmentsoi pottery, When the monnd 

 was leveled I watched every shovelful of the earth, but 

 nothing was found until the floor was reached, and here 

 again were quantities of fragments of pottery together with 

 B large I p . -o rue, worn smooth on the upper side. Ibelieve 

 this to be the stone on which they ground the material for 

 their ware, which consisted of a sort of clay, marl, and 

 powdered clam shells. Pieces of the latter were everywhere 

 to be seen. 



The collection of mounds of which I now speak have all 

 been removed or leveled, and the town of Bake City is built 

 on the site. But fortunately I made a diagram of them 



; i it I S| 3S 



I'n: relics fclmsfaa obtained are but few-; fchey cprisis v ..of 

 gtone axes, knives, spear and arrow-heads, mortars, war 

 club heads, oue copprer hatchet, numerous fragments of pot- 

 tery, and parts of human skeletons. These are all preserved 



m my collection."' Now.vhaving called attention to tin's re- 

 markable city of mounds and given a slight description of 

 it. my purpose is accomplished. My researches commenced 

 twenty years ago and are not. yet completed, and I hope ere 

 long togiyi tot] ici nttifie world an elaborate description 

 of the locality, together with theories and speculations. 



Dr. D. 0. Estbs. 



THE OCCURRENCE OF THE BLACK 

 RAIL IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Under the above heading in Forest axd Stream, February S*d, page 

 88, your Contributor asks through your columns information relating to 

 tho Black Eali (P. jnmilcemii) and its occurrence in Massachusetts for 

 the benefit of Ornithological Science. 



I will therefore proceed to give you. as it may appear, a vory singular 

 account relating to the " Black Kail," for the benefit of the Nnrh.ill 

 Club, and more especially, perhnps, of our mutual friend, F. 0. B 

 About September 20th, or during the latter parr, of September, JgfS or 

 1874, 1 was passing from Horticultural Hall, in Tremoul Street, south- 

 erly, one Saturday, between IS and 1 o'clock v. M , wind S. W. (blowing 

 about 20 miles per honr), equally with rain, umbrella fully set and 

 fpread, and when near Winter Street, opposite the Common, I was anr- 

 prised by the sudden darting of a strange bird in front of the stores, en 

 deavoringto clear its way from tho multitude of passers on the side- 

 walk at that hour. If. wai evidently A mistake that this bird had mode, 

 a* he rounded over a large plate of glass in his flic/fit or friyhi. 1 toot 

 in (he situation, and gave my umbrella a lift aud a (puck turn, and took 

 him, much to my surprise at my success, and then with some 

 difficulty secured this rara avis in the braces or the umbrella. 

 1 soon had the bird in my hand clean and smooth— (" no ?alt 

 used"), and without any apparent injury to bird or feathers, 

 jndglng by the way he would peck my hand with that strong 

 beak. I carefully held my bird on my way, though those long yellow 

 legs would strike ont to clear the way from their confinement, I hid 

 never seen the same kind of a bird before, though, to some extent, 1 have 

 bicn a constant observer. The shining black plumage, the short strong 

 hea't and sparkling eye, with those long yellow logs.sutistied me that haft) 

 was no " couinionor," and he appeared as ir he could stand a race wilb 

 the best of Lhem, as I have since read that Vie- rail could go >t, v and Oki, 

 in your columns. 



The rare bird was taken to the store, and the singular mode of capture 

 in the middle of the day was freely dbicnssed. No name could be ob- 

 tained, only that he must be a game bird (very r.irei of .ome k-ml. 

 Well, I posted to the bird store of Brewster, then on Washington Street, 

 opposile Boylston, aud caged our bird for a name. The rare points were 

 soon shown, and in the cage he would lose no chance to use those 

 yallowlegs. The name was given satisfactory at the tune, a? "rail," 

 though no defluite variety or species was mentioned. By bis 

 being black, and other points mentioned by F. C. U., I suppose itoiij be 

 the same variety, aud (four friends are in U113' way pleased with this re- 

 port we are most happy to have offered what we know about the " rail."* 



Our bird was let loose on the Bos. on Common in a day or two to pur- 

 sue his migratory flight, and not kept to adorn the student's case or any 

 collection I D. T. Curtis. 



1 ♦«* 



YELLOW-POOL WOOD-WARBLER (Den, 

 droir/t crxtira.J 



Philadelphia JIarch, 1=77. 

 Editor Forest and Steam: 



Th'is sprightly and favotite warbler arrives hero about I he first weelc 

 in May; it excels most, other warblers in its good qiialhfes, the su ictness 

 of its song. Its plumage is quite delicate, which is display) d [tl two 

 colors: the most predominant is of a deep, rich yellow, striped down tha 

 breast with delicate light brown, eyes large and black, it measures from 

 the end of its beak to the end or tail four and a half inches, and from tip 

 to tip of wings five and a quarter inches. The habits of this fealhercd 

 minstrel are first noticed about the beginning of May, darting from one 

 twig to another through the swamp willow, busily engaged searching 

 for its insect, food, every few moments pouring rorth his silvery song, 

 then darting away to caress his mate. I found one <f tbe.se cheerful 

 songster's nests on the twelfth of June, 187G, at Red Bank. N. J. Tto 

 nest was built in a low barberry bush, about three feet from the ground, 

 and was extremely neat; the exlerror is formed of silk- weed anil lint, 

 and thickly bedded with down of willows and hair. The eggs are four 

 in number, and are laid about the tecond week in Jnne. Their color is 

 of u creamy white, covered more or less y juj spots of different shades of 

 brown, thickest at l.bc large end. Dimensions vary from .57 by .60 inch, 

 to .54 by .50 inch. Bnt one brood is raised in this latitude. 



Geo. Botjdwin, Taxidermist. 



^oadlsnd, J[xrm and <§ardw. 



Anxuam. — In these clays, when plants for summer bloom- 

 ing are raised by tens of thousands, and retailed at a price 

 so low that every one may have at least a few Geraniums, or 

 Verbenas, the proper time and method of sowing annuals is 

 not of so much importance as it was some twenty-five years 

 ago. Nevertheless, annnals yet have their value, .' 

 possibly they do not stand in the foremost rank. In those 

 days (and very often now) each packet, it mattered not how 

 many hundred or even thousand seeds it contained, was 

 circumscribed to a limit of say twelve to fifteen me lies in 

 diameter. Thus, in a space sufficient for three pi font 

 plants, hundreds will vegetate, and with what result? None 

 other than the complete annihilation of the irac character 

 and development of the plant; its altitude reduced from 

 feet to inches; its blooms individually small, represented by 

 units instead of hundreds. Circumstances such as these are 

 surely more fitted to illustrate an extreme form of the 

 battle of life among plants, than such favorable enUural 

 conditions as should assist rather than retard Nature, in the 

 fulfilment of her operations. Such, however, has been and 

 still is the way too frequently followed in dealing with An- 

 nuals. It is true, some of the most prominent ttmoj 

 such as Stocks, Asters, and Marigolds, are even now deemed 

 worthy of an individuality of growth and a sufficiency of 

 space wherein to develop themselves, hnt then- . 

 equally pretty whose claims have been hither'.. ,.I„01v 



ignored. Those who persist in sowing BHBnSlsasl 



scribed should thin thein out when FJUffioiBatly large to 

 handle, leaving not over four or live tufts, should thinrjjhg 

 out to single plants be too much trouble. When] reduced to 

 such close quarters they will fight, the battle out ureong 

 themselves, and one. or perhaps two will lie vi'iors in tho 

 strife. The better plan, however, is to raise (hem in shallow 

 boxes, under shelter of n. frame when tender, or quite ex- 



