FOREST AND STREAM. 



H5 



i more (lion one-half of the original shore 



' bei bandoned wiSie the remaining half 



ost -valueless, This idling off has "been the 



more apparent since the adoption of ftoat-luwa, b\ meansof 



which, with a compiinitivoh small depth. of webj the net is 



gnffetttd 60 fish near the bottom of the river, where most of 



ad, ami tlttfs move effectuauj preventing the 



shail from passing to their spawning beds in the upper Dela- 

 ware. Thus Booth' -■■■n is presented for the strict 

 if tin 



There are mint •-■!■. ,-■.-. 1 . • item the wardens of various 

 counties in the Non-Tidal Department, From Susses v 

 learn thai progress lias been made in procuring the assist- 

 ance of the Hfca County (Perm.) officials. It is to he hoped 

 that between them they will be able to stop BO] 1 ■ 

 illegal fishing in the Delaware. In Warren County the 

 roved all weirs found in the Delaware, and those 

 if its tributaries, notwithstanding threatened 

 ridei He reports that laTge numbers of young salmon 

 weri Ur in the summer in the Bequest, ami that one 



v, i .:.'- pounds had been taken. The Warden of 



Bah - - . in speaking of the shad fisheries says: "II is 

 . that 1 look forward to the destruction ol this de- 

 li B in Ibis, the best river in the country for th6m; 

 btrl -... -s.i .rental prnieriion is given to their propaga- 

 tion thev will soon bi destroyed One agent of destruction 

 ... bent! revious reports. I allude to 

 the Delaware and Bantam Feeder and the Trenton Water 

 Power. Dwino to the low water in the river in the fall of 

 newly all the yonng shad coming down the river 



are turned into th 1 by going through 



the tan-bin- whee ttth Ufferent mills on the banks of the 

 feed 1 tndtber cause of destruction to the young shad is 

 the recent introduction of black bass into the river. The 

 in ease of the black bass has indeed been wonderful. 

 Uthough but few were put into the river at Phillipsburg, 

 some five years ago, ni ra u ] ar caught ty thousands, md 

 by many appear to be ftp re as an article of 



food than anv other fish. But as the principal f do 

 bast is yi ung E ' regard tl n-.a de ive foe to the 



■a that unless something he done for 

 I , , i , _ gationof shad, the bass will in a 



fi 1 - - ierl f fcroi them, 



Pi : ,,m AF-- ■ m , ■ u manv complaints of violations 



U -. and the same report with regard to the scarcity 

 of shad. Black bass are very numerous and some of large 

 size taken with the rod. 



The Warden of fassaio County says, that the ttshingin his 

 county, particularly for perch and ;•■'. ', ■ , . ha- la en excellent 



In Greenwood Lake, he J bi ok. bass have been tai ;. in 

 extraordinary nun is of the opinion thai these 



fish should be intr 1 w I into •- thewate sol th< State 



twe should have attributed' it ti ' - trci of ta»ut>; In 



. . - - -si, most of the trout streams]: - 1 



^Whjch stiU remain in "existence. The 

 ially for Greenwood Lake appears 



12,(11/0 perch ami pk are] 

 Pompkm Lake, according I 

 C immissionars rep 

 State the Wardens have 1 

 law has worked well. Pos 

 enactments and th< 1 ami 

 have been printed and dist 

 tsfroj : ieB » 

 demand fishes for the p 

 Now that the work of pro; 





,ced m Eassai 



Pi ve- 



in the upper part of the 



me good service and the new 



1 g the text of the recent 



and addresses of the Wardens, 



7,01)0 bass in the waters of the 



ongi U the ounties. All sent 01 

 to- take care of then id es, and willspaw 

 The salmon which Were in the hatehiri 

 of the la.st lleport were all placed in th 

 Delaware and the Baritan. in \\ wren ari 

 ties. It is possible that the almost uni 

 of last summer, which caused lower ws 

 River than has been kmran for half a 

 corresponding incieasi in the temperatui 

 ously affected this class of fishes. It i 

 that those which rem a.; 1 

 near the headquarters of the 1 

 Further down the river, near Lambert vil 

 hardiest varieties of fishes peri I 



by the high temperature of the watffl 



norethan 



istributed 

 je enough 



i 'the date 

 ics of the 



the Pequest) 



untitles of the 



ase produced 



ie Warden of 



that he has 



.eport and its 

 aiade no effort 



the past year for the arti 



count of the difficult v of m 



■■The neeessitj fol ad 



wholesale destruction of 



1 the Water Power an 

 of the unusually low water 

 1,1 , Rde more apparent 





ttion of shad on act- 

 ion to prevent the 



nine a August and 



i 1 s ,-il is fully 



1 and Mercer County 



it in several of our 



far, believ- 



icessful, could 



September would remedy 

 aet forth in the reports,,!' t 

 W -n 1 -:-: We havi lireoi 

 . and we a 

 ing that no aitihcial propt 



. 1 ■" mi i t 

 he Hunterdoi 



Kew Yosk.— We learn from tin- Gr ■■'■'. Ado ace that Seth 



Week;, ic 1 Btor of tna Oorry Fish Hatche-v, has notified 



Shel I at that place Olr. N. C. Packard) that he 



l:i!'' v '. ish Commissioners to furnish 



him with 3,0J) dmonti nrl fc icing I 11 urai installment 



ag the Shenangos at their head waters. The Warden 



' re. Thu ol -.- of fish file trished in those 



ire, paently taken at weights Eror, 

 junds, Future installments will embrace 

 ' the salmon family. 



JL ~~' 



QohSbcTioi 1 a- 'id. — This forenoon Mr. 



Bn < 1 rrived lie ■ ? Itb 5\O00 1 1 Locked salmon, one- 

 thin Ldch I dinapond f prepared on purpose, 



in I . ■ 1 : 1 ■ . ■ 'i • ; . ., 



in the bn '"..■-. j-a ma a 1 1 -uiipsieLake, of 11::. 

 tmil. This 1 : • 



,eli. Truly yi 



-lOB. M. VKiBB, 



Pish Hatching in Miohii ble opportunity is 



now afforded to any one wishing to buy the well-known Pish 

 Hatching establishment ofT i iSBl Old I tl Korthfield, 

 Michigan, ea.pacity of springs aljoat 1,500 gallons per min- 

 ute; hatching house. 30vs(| met, Large trout and grayling in 

 ponds. Dwelling house, etc, 



%ntmal %j}tBtam. 



For Forest and Stream. 

 THE DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE BROWN 

 THRASHER. 



BY EBNEST INGKRSOLL. 



THE brown thrush— al* 

 ing-bird, red nHTOB, 

 whose name in the books i 

 the Eastern United States, 

 Biver: west through Nebraska. .: 'a an 



brush, sandy moek- 

 rinaila thrush, and 

 1 'a— inhabits 

 north" to the Bed 

 and (Yd. a- la and 



south to the Bio Grande, beyond which th _ 

 by other Toces, It winters in the Southern tJnij 

 and breeds throughout its range. 



The nest of this bird has a peculiar charm for me, for it 

 was the first one that I distinctly remember to have found, 

 and it was priceless to me. That first nest was sunk in the 

 grass of swampy woods, but this situation I soon found out 

 to be the only one affected by the thrasher. He is an inhabi- 

 tant of out-of-tho way orchards and the edges of the woods, 

 where his "querulous smack" or versatile song is heard 

 among the first-comers in the spring, In such ale lityni 

 builds his nest. It may be on the ground or sunk into it, 

 on a brush pile, on the end of a f. nee-rail, in the dense 

 centre of a hawthorn or a hedge (never fail to look into 

 every thorn bush), or twenty feet up in the fork of a 

 sapling. 



Early in March, in Florida and Louisiana, the birdshaying 

 paired, they begin to look about for some such a place for a 

 homestead. In Pennsylvania this does not happen until 

 early in May, and by the time the thrashers have reached 

 New England, in the middle of the month, the: sem t 

 oave already paired off and irninediatel; 

 •(After the selection of a suitable site both birds set dili- 

 gently to work until a nest, is completed, v, bd. in BUli 



of four or five days' steady laboia" If placed above the 

 ground, the neat is* composed outwardly of a layer of twigs; 

 sometimes with many dry leaves underneath, then leaves 

 and strips of cedar and grape-vine bark, or Droad grasses 

 and fibrous roots, firmly woven into a broad and ilultisk 

 structure. It is not so "loose as the cat-bird's, so bulky as 

 the blue jay's, or so ragged and disrepntable-looMng asthe 

 king-bird's, nor has it hardly any mud in its composition. 

 H on the ground, or sunk into it — like that first proud dis- 

 covery of mine, or a very handsome one I found under a 

 tinv evergreen bush on a' side-hill in Connecticut last year — 

 the nest will be found constructed almost entirely of inter- 

 woven broad grasses Beourely bound together, and with 

 the edges nv r'-a-, in tbe lacs style of baidod-rinisliing. Mr. 

 Gentry considers that its firmness is due to the previous 

 condition of the materials, which, having been moistened 

 with water and plastered with mud, become so aggluti- 

 nated as to require great effort to detach them from the 

 fabric. Its thickness is also great. This strength and 

 trimness give it an indefinable character not easily mis- 

 taken by the experienced eye. 



Occupation closely follows the completion of the nest and 

 lasts "through a week, tae.ve to five eggs being laid. Their 

 color is greenish, or dirty white, Over which is thiekly 

 sprinkled" a pepper-and-salt of reddish-brown. These 

 minute dots tend to aggregate at the great, end, around 

 Which thev sometimes form a perfect wreath. Their length 



thei 

 that 



the 





female alone _ . 

 are required to hatch them, the 

 upon the weather. Both parents watch over Bach other and 

 their charge with groat care and anxiety, wreaking instant 

 vengeanceuponall intruders. Like the cat-bird, the thrasher 

 is often called upon to resist a dreaded enemy— the black- 

 snake— which c-ils himself around the beautiful structure 

 and devoursthi callov young in sp h 1 of the frenzied pa- 

 rents who li'-'ht so recklessly as often to fall a prey to their 

 own 'temerit,' I invs' tare - ttitonce. The terrible 

 beauty, the black, shining folds, the easy-gliding move- 

 tile name," bring to mind Ehe-great mythof th< 1 ; ipti . and 

 his intrusion into that first homo long a-: a andmake us 

 wonder whether, after all, the woman was really to blame for 

 yielding under the tenable fascination of such a presence. 

 " When the nest is taken the thrashers utter a gutteral, 



ht of 



iiposi- 



nest, fearing to attract attention, tm ; 



any tampering with their eggs, and roai 



tion. Dr. T. M Brewer removed three eggs y,^ .-^u u. 



their nests and left three robin's eggs, m a few moments 



the female approached, gave the contents of the nest a hasty 

 survey, and immediately flew off. She returned in a short 

 time in company with her mate, and both flew to the nest, 

 apparently in th. greatest rage, took each an egg in their 

 claws and' dashed it against the ground at the distance of 

 more than a rod from the nest, the female repeating the same 

 to the other egg. This done, they continued to vent their 

 rage on the I aha 11 eags, and afterward forsook the nest. 

 Not more than one brood is usually raised iu the Northern 

 States, although beginning so early, but South two are 

 brought up in a season. 



The young are fed upon the larva: of various beetles and 

 other insects? and eat sin enormous quantity of these grabs, 

 with a desert of small, soft berries. Their bellies become 

 distended until they almost burst and lose all semblance 

 to the bodies of birds. Yet, whenever they hear the mother's 

 ,ai oran imitationoi , 1 toy will open wide then gaping, 

 yellow mouths for more. It is some days, however, before 

 11 iheir parents' voices. They breed well m aviaries, 

 and the yoi : ■■ a- . in the saint 'Manner and upon the 



'a:' . ■ ■ " .,,,.■ a a darker race, in- 



i;l i , . . e.aiha.ael to the ltio Grande. 



r ., 1, • -■ olac I ops c bn as and is rudely eon- 



r'.-ajai a. 1 ,',,,■„ 13 by .79, and are 



indistinguisl ltd Si oi the eastern tUM km 



pots axe larger. 



ChipmoN'ks in the EmcKHrtis.— Chifmion]:e, or ground 

 ■a , '-, re thicker here than i lJ ^pt 1 



pests of so. , ; live under b ,g, stone, and bush pilej 



they are v , Efice-holders in Washington; t 



heavier burden than the internal revenne tax: they will in- 

 vade a miner's sanctum by day arid by night;' they will 

 come in tens and fifties and hundreds, and bring ' their 

 fami lies with them: they cut open the. Hour a, : i 



all the flour; they will steal your sugar, pack off your coffee, 

 1 1,:, ypur bread into crumbs, defile your beef-steak, tear 

 up your letters, hide your only pair of socks, and take all 

 tarch out of your Sunday shirt, and mak thea 31 as 

 generah'. : - . sabfe. The mine ■ ■ ■ d the plan of 



, I it tf. and found for <o ery chipmonk that 

 was killed one day there would be ten hungry : , 

 plying for his situation before sun-up the next morning. 



T 1 1 , 'iiaumrcu, ERP.ORS.— Our attention has kindly been 

 sailed by our correspondent, Mr. E. Brooks Glepson, 60 



1 I;, , 1 1 ,; 1 ,-rror in a recent note on the King duck 

 ,aj,a,.,' a,,, .,,,,,,,,' , . a.Kan a short time ago near Syracuse by 

 Ylr. iha il. Hewlett The generic name in the cutting from 



which we quoted was given as Fl*(ijj«Ja, hut ia its transfer to 

 our columns it got badly mixed. It is true, as Mr Gleason 

 suggests, that the King eider occasionally occurs as far south 

 '■ ■.' . 1 is Iso true that Buch ocenraences are 



trerne rarity, and the bird can scarcely be regarded as a regu- 

 lar winter visitant south of M Several ye.irs 



ah .a a,a,i,.h of the New York markets 1 „•■ til I to s« rare a b 

 specimen, though in that time loaiv gpecimenu 1 

 a.oaVa.voaa were noticed. In the note, as originally printed, our 

 intention was to give prominence to the feet, that' the bird has 

 been taken so fur from the sea coast rather than that it had 

 come so far south. 



NESTING OF THE ROSE-BBEASTED 

 GROSBEAK. 



( Goniaphea hi hviciami.) 



Wnile 



n ,,, ': • - : - 

 ted b' 



on the -20th of May, 1871, my amen- 

 de Grosbeak's quarreling; they 



a of the 



ow flew to 

 ■ shooting 



were soon joined by a female, and with her help, 



males was before long driven away. The pair 



a tree, where I soon discovered a nest, so, aft' 



them 1 ascended the tree to secure the nest 



Much to tny surprise, I found the eg| I to b I flp 'i I fro D 



any I had previously found. The nest, was built in a large, 



aiaii tn , about twenty-five feet fr he ground, and was 



composed of slender twigs lined with fine gn the 



eggs were four in number, measuring lx.75 inches; tho 

 ground color was pure white, marked with small spots and 

 dashes of brown. Again, on tho 11th day of May, 1873, I 

 took a nest with similar eggs, but the nest was entirely dif- 

 ferent, being composed of very soar na , as a large, 

 bulky affair, measuring outside, nine inches; inside, three 

 inches; depth outside, five inches: inside, two and a half 

 inches; built on a clump of bushes about three feet from the 

 ground. Atxclphe B. Covert. 



<■«» 



EELS CONSTRUCTING DAMS, 



Kii\v York, Marci 27, 1877. 



EDITOIi FOHEST AND STEEA2I. 



An article iu your last issue, headed "Ourious Habit of a Cattish," was 

 extremely intcreaiing and new to uie. Sutli facie, when well authenti- 

 cated, aro very valuable, ridding; to onr limited knowledge of the habits 

 at many binds of fish, I snpposetlie cat:i-'i ,,',-;. piust have been 

 a distinct variety, auduat the common eat ,a fcbe souOiem and western 

 rivers. I tmst that between Prof. Baird and his correspondent this 





places eouaii 



ted of eleau sand and 



small pebbles while in other plac 



» it flowed 



IVI ! -a 01 sol various 



a ■ s aia,,' ■ , ia mo 1 as 1 



a.lhod and ro 



mded by the action of 



running water. As [ walked 



1 ,,,,a. , i 



a broad, shallow pool 



through vvhioh the stream flowed « 



itl! a suiootli 



eviaa aad slower cur- 



rent than it did in other places. As 





1 a | , ■ | a , 1 , , : - , -, 



pool 1 Btopped, heRitatilig, and tr^n 





i, a, a,l whether to 



■ ■, a„a tla, ■ t ream at thai point or nc 





to look into the pool 



1 saw an eel about Iwoet.v-eielo 1 



ohpfi long, in 



the act of swimming 



r took at it, it i 



the Ash would r 



ought; but before I bad lime to more than get a 

 ped its Wftgglina motions and its head slowly 

 in. Bat no aa,,, a, a' bad II reaohed tbia noBition 

 struggles again, and I then saw that it was slowdy 

 card down -stream with something attached ro 

 lose inspection 1 discovered to be a smooth stouo 



;nrrent°at the same time assisting a .. 



e pool I noticed that a 



As it Beared the lower end 

 stones was placed across tho 

 10 larger than a hickory ant. 



the 



surface, no sooner touched the dam than i I - Ive 

 and lifted the stono so thai it landed on tho dan 

 the way up, while the body of the tish went over 

 dam, ovez srhiohlesH than two incnea-ol ■ 

 if s iffli a, von or eight inches. .'.„ th, 

 dam it was partly out of the water, nnd I then saw 



a position ueai Ij on tin a ti \ ■■■ dam, ai e 



fied with ita position, it let go an. laalted fbrwai 



and Bwimming along ram i slowlj s 90li a, i 



was ISOOUOn ils way to join the on" 1 a,a i 



it for some time, and I assure you it v.., , i with beaver-like energy 

 and petslatouce. It had already placed three or four bush a, ttdn 

 in parittuu, and succocded in raising th,, wait ; .' 



inches; but tor what 'purpose! Was tho dam ita, HID 



house oi nursery for Us fry? or was it merely I reftn a -eh a 



greater <iuantity of water , " lbs com.fi a and rnjo; - jtles 



tlous I leave to otliors better informed than 1 am about the habits of tho 

 lamprey to answer. It isa /acf, nud :is sucli [gjye tt, tqjx 



i ,, ILU.CTON. 



epool again, 



stout,, which 



I watched 



SOME NEWFOUNDLAND BIRDS. 



II union Gbace, Feb. 14, 1877. 



,:;,-T AND SSKBA3I. 



;,,. ding on the shoreu of a lake oue will hear a 



a i might wail aiiuTas bj telegraphic aiguBl*, as 



