320 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



shell..')! 



wgpttjl f More tbiui this, we know that a true scent orpin in 

 i iliou is situated on the inside pf the heels or garhbtils. 

 (in tin: occasion of my first dissection of this structure in 

 the caribou buck lawn, 1 expressed the opinion that it would 



,nd also in the fore-feet of 6Be adult animal, though 



perhaps more rudimentary ; and a subsequent examination of 

 :n ndull doi lias fully continued this opinion, since i found 



UCta ■ 11 developed as in the yoimir animal. I 



now feel more than ever convinced that it exists in all our 

 il.e, not excluding the wapiti, although.it may lie larger 

 in some lhan in others, an immature living moose in posses- 

 ion i Mi. .1. \V. Sttrirs being provided with it. 

 'I'lif lo] lowing summary of ilshist.. logical relatives will aidin 



1 1 ,i,i ■ Hi correct conclusions relative to its importance. 



I. It is a growth, or offset, from the epidermic layer of the 

 skin, in vacillated between the phalangial bones, containing the 

 nialpiuhian and horny layers of the epipermis, and carrying 

 with it a very Ihin layer of the true skin. 



II. I kiii- follicles and hairs growing from }ts internal walls 



ii' through its opening, these being also epidermic 

 or of epithelial origin. 



HI. The absence of glandular tissue, excepting the seba- 

 ceous follicles, which accompany the hair follicles or bulbs 

 over (he whole integument of the animal (" this exception is 

 made for obvious anatomical reasons,"; nevertheless, the sena- 

 , follicles were not observed in the specimens examined 

 with the microscope. 



LV. The examination of the mailer filling the tubes in the 

 Yir-inia deer, and present in much smaller proportion in the 

 caribou, showed it to consist, in principal part of desquamated 

 epidermis scales and oil globules: microscopically it resembled 

 inegma from the skin of man, or, perhaps closer still, the 

 •vernix caseosa" from that of a recently delivered infant. Re- 

 membering that the epidermis in man and in all 

 nou-vascular tissue, that, unlike our oilier, tissues 

 oil' from the surface, we can readily account for t 

 mated scales being retained here in a narrow 

 which they could not be easily discharged. Retrograde changes 

 in these cells, sec ret if ins from sebaceous and sweat glands in 

 adjacent parts will account not only for the oily matter seen, 

 tile viscidity of the substance, but also for the odor which if 

 possesses, the. latter being no greater than that of the general 

 i nlegument. and arises from the Same cause, rime, U . tie pit- 



pi ration. But in this respect tbey are nol ttoftny degreecom- 



parable. with the glandular collection at the hooks before men- 

 tioned, which will retain the peculiar odor o! the animal lor a 

 Q»g period after the removal of the skin. 

 In presence of these facts, we must conclude that this organ 

 only rudimentary having no function which is obvious to 

 us. U is not a secreting organ, since it lacks glandular tissue, 

 the opening in the dorsum instead of the sole of Ihe fool, 

 would point alsH in this way-, it does not serve to give 

 strength or firmness to the foot, having none of the toughness 

 mid elasticity of Ihe skin in other pints without comparison 

 with the tendons, etc., which are provided for this purpose. 

 , i i instances of organs without useswi re also given,. From 

 an indmdiial point ot view. Inking in all the circmurtiinees 

 ,,,'lto. there appears to be only two ways of accounting 

 , -in mre: it is either an aborted "ungual follicle.'' or 

 otherwise it Is a riil-ile-siic. representing 1 lie suture formed by 

 coalescence of the skin from side to side in the foetus. Its 

 Structure would convince one of the Brat conclusion, if the an- 

 imal had rudimentary toe bones in the same position, inclica- 

 i 1) three-tOEd ancestor, but, all observations relative to 

 the morphology. of the foot are opposed to this view, since 

 the outer bone's and their appendages are aborted in all ani- 

 mals of this Idndj WB are, therefore, compelled to adopt the 

 Other view, which can only be settler! satisfactorily by exam- 

 ination of Ihe part in the f.cius. Nevertheless, knowing the 

 difficulty of substantiating any theory connected with ils sup- 

 posed origin and use. stilfmorc the ilillienlty of ridding one's 

 mind of a theory once entertained, my faith in cither of these 

 is held very loosely. 



The paper concluded with some general observal ions by Mr. 



Morrow, and a conversation in which a number of the mem- 



the Institute took part. 



hack ami slues: black back; skin of skies, belly unit lower part, of t.tiB 

 operates silver wnite (very brighl in young tisli) anil spots of steel 

 bmje over tie- i i, i, mi, m large Bah); the spots brown on caudal 

 mi.) dorsal Una in yonnfrusn- All the blue or black spots distinct when 

 ilisi, taken from the water. The fins are redish; bars or reticules 

 small; wei. very iliin ; tail very forked, like a mackerel ; tins sharp 

 pointed; scales eery line. 



A pickerel— black hack, slightly round; tail less forked, points 



romped; tins, points rotnUletl; bars mid web tinge and thicker; color, 



uncinate bars ol //(■««." arid W.ni on tins and tail. Head and side black- 



1 ,i , i '-em-ding to ace and color of the water) dotted With irrcgu- 



, , , "I ,,i I; lower partOI gill covers cream colored spots, 



wiih Iwoor three olcircinnuVx shape; scales much larger than a mas- 

 U'l.'iige. 



The flifljerencos here given are only a pari, but so marked that, no one 

 can mistake ihe Ems. tetuailMus lor the Ksox c*lor. 



Truly yours, Aue 07. 



Our correspondent will permit us to ask him, with all due 

 respect, to refer again to the article in Fokest asd Stream 

 which he criticizes. The point of the article was to prove 

 that Mr. Sterliug's fish was not a dwarf muacallunge, but a 

 common little pickerel. Prof. Gill and other careful students 

 of the modern school recognize but three of the family of 

 EsocicUe, viz -. 1. The muscallungc (E. nobiUor), Gill; (eslar), 

 Cuvier. 2. Pike (E. luaius), the big black fellows of 

 Western waters, aDd the more golden-lmed fish of the East ; 

 and 3. The little E. reticulatus or common pond pickerel, 

 which seldom grows to a foot in length. The two last are 

 constantly conf ounded with each other, but neither of them 

 is likely to be mistaken for the first named. — Ed.] 



A QUEER CASE. 



East Saginaw, Mich., June B, 187". 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



Being an old subscriber of Rod AM) Gun, and lately of Ihe "cm 

 solidated,"I take the liberty of forwarding this article, limiting it Wil 

 interest some of your readers : 



It u 



a .Mall 



They show plai 

 long lace like tl 

 foot has a long 

 Ihev will chuel 

 kitteni 



on. terminating i'u a wide nose like the rat. The 

 I like ihe coon, the toes of a longl h 'ike the. out. 

 r whine like ihe young ol ihe ro.ni. then mew like 

 r four weeks old. and huh ml and kilsap. 



•ell. What shall tins new animal be called, a rac-cato 

 caiooonY 



The Item is clipped from the Saginaw Coo.ri 

 credit if necessary. Kcspeetfully yours, 



[The cat belongs to one family of animals, the Feltdic, and the 

 raccoon to the Urn'riv, or bears. The amalgamation wqpld be 



an unnatural oni 

 nature. --Ed.] 



irtainly. We cannot account for the freak of 



BsfAKB Eatiso Sxakk.— One of your correspondents writes 

 of the killing of the rattlesnake hy the common blacksnake, 

 as witnessed by him. This I have not myself seen, but in 

 Florida, where the rattlesnakes are numerous and large, it is 

 universally believed that that they are killed and eaten by the 

 large blacksnake, called the pinesnake or gophersuake, iron, 

 its habit of occupying the hole of the gopher, or land tortoise. 



We are told that, from the mouth of three witnesses every 

 word shall be established, and I have that number to establish 

 his fact. One of them fells me that he has twice seen a 

 gophersuake kill and swallow a large rattlesnake, lirst, how- 

 ever, biting off the head, which was rejected. Another time 

 a rattlesnake was seen to crawl through the fence into the 

 yard, when it was killed aud hung up on a tree. Soou after a 

 gophersuake came through the fence, trailing the other along 

 the ground like a bound, followed the trail to the tree, and 

 wh.iiil saw its dead enemy hanging there it departed. .He 

 tells no- that he a;--,,i' iM- Hii'igis these blacksnakes to live 

 :-i ■ i be house, n I yan excellent vermin killers:, driving 



,i, !,, ail I tabliits, which do much mischief in house and 

 garden. Tt.ey themselves are harmless, except that some- 

 times they Bteal eggs and poultry, and perhaps now and then 

 a kitten mav be gobbhd up. On one occasion a large black 

 snake fwhich grows to the length of eight or nine feet) took 

 a Kitten, and finding it td his taste came for another, when 

 the two house cats attacked anil killed him after a severe 

 hai tie. 



If is nol. ouly the .rattlesnake which is killed by the black- 

 snake, but it has the habit of killing and eating'all other ser- 

 pents which it can overcome, which it, does by strangulation. 

 Tins is perhaps l'iv.wphi* <ii<l<tii<l<neus of Holbrook. 



s. c. c. 



EELS OVIPAROUS. 



St. Johns, S. B., June \ , 

 Editor Pouest and Stream : 



That the eel is oviparous T have not the least doubt, and 1 have ar- 

 rived at this conclusion by having caught two eels on tile Wit li of May, 

 185?., which were full of ova. They were not within forty miles ot the 

 sea. 

 I saw, in February last, two Frenchmen engaged in spearing eels In 

 small clear stream at the head of one of the Tantrainar lakes. In 

 about four hours they speared two barrels, the eels apparently being 

 knotted in clusters under the elder stumps lining the brook side. The 

 salt water from the Bay of Fnndy runs up into the lake. Tile lake 

 level is about ten feet below the brook where the eeis were speared. 



The eels when first caught wi 



I have seen lamprey eels i 



countless numbers. They an 



dried, and form anile a cumin 



Whether the lamprey is viv 



a half torpid slat e. 

 iceudiiig the Hiver linria in Ri 

 there taken in large ijusntitli -. sail ■ 

 rcial commodity. 

 iiiroiis or oviparous 1 eiinn ,i i 

 faitululiy, H. <::. B. 



Str 



Euitob Forest 



I notice an article in y 

 ture of Kobt. B. Itoosev 

 would hereby Inform W 

 Jeot, that if they will ex 

 in length— during the m 

 in doubt about eela spii 

 etiesof fish, f made t 



,,,i o 



afar. 



r paper, issue '■■■■. ovi |e ■ n - 



, on the subject of lteprodueiieii ol Eels. 1 

 foosevclt, aud all others Interested In thesul- 

 ;ine small-sized eel* — from live to Si - 

 Hi of April and May, Ihey will be no loi 

 Dg iii Iresh waters, the sain- as other vari- 

 e-,,. ii «,,iii„ twenty years ago. f wns 

 which flowed a small stream, well 

 was fond of taking them with a "l>,:, -,.. 

 me quite small. In those of the slz- il 



of 



with eels. When young 1 

 occasionally wou'd land s< 



stated I frequently found spawn similar to that ol Shi i ipeuli 



fish, hut never found any In eels over seven UU>h.efi in length, 



tlrijlits, il',', /'". JONE 



PICKEREL IN SALT WATER. 



We published some important information recently respect- 

 ing the pickerel (or pike rather) thai, inhabit the waters of the 

 Chesapeake Bay. We have now something to add which 

 gives the matter much wider scope and increased interest. 

 Our thanks are due to our correspondent. If pike are found 

 in salt water and along the eastern coast of Maine and in the 

 waters of the Chesapeake, why not also at intermediate and 

 more southern points ? 



Calais, Me., June 2, 1ST7. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



la relation to pickerel living in salt or tide waters, 'l will mention n 

 few observations mode In this section. ]t la now about fifteen years 

 since the first pickerel was put luto the St. Croix Lakes. A few years 

 alter they were noticed to be quite abundant in tidal waters, and more 

 or less have beeu taken tn the weirs and hy the hook eveiy season 

 since. They have been taken some six to eight miles below the head 

 e water iB at all times quite salt. They do not 

 alt. water; in fact are not nearly so plentiful as 

 irs after making their appearance. They seem 

 r fresh waters also. Those found in salt water 



Frank Todd. 



of tide water, v 

 seem to lni 



during the lirst few 

 to have decreased u 

 are usually large. 

 Yours truly, 



PIKE, PICKEREL AND MASK ALONGE. 



St. Josetb, Mich., June ■!. 1577. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



in reading your reply to Dr. K. Sterling in the Forfst and Stream 

 ol May '24th, I was quite surprised at your description given of 

 a pickerel (Etta reticulatus) of Xew England or (lisvx luetoidee) oj Ihe 

 jNori hern and Northwestern lakes, the latter growing quite commonly 

 from twelve to twenty pounds, and occasionally one is taken from thirty 

 to as high as forty pounds. 



Jlaskalonge are taken here in Michigan and lakes of the Northwest, 

 ranging from two pounds to thirty pounds. General uverage, t iveive to 

 thirty joccasiouaJty from sixty and even one hundred pounds. 



A year ago last winter I speared with decoy, one day, three maske- 

 longe out, of one hole In the ice, one thirty-four pounds, measnro ■ ,, ,,, 



M : inch in length. One twenty-two pounds and one roml 

 pounds weight. Same day, out of the same hole, three pickerel, 

 pounds each. 



A maskalonge is not an "overgrown pickerel," as some ssy, bin as 

 different as can be. A maskalonge has shorter head, nearly straight 



Quekb Fisn. — A singular creature was recently taken out 

 of a Bradford county oil well, Alleghany city, Pa., at a depth 

 of 800 feet. The fish or lizard, whichever it may be, is a 

 singular specimen of an amphibious animal. It has four 

 legs, with bird-like claws and an eel-shaped tail. It has no 

 eyes, and just where the eyes should be is located what seems 

 to be a pair of lungs, the action and Working of which can 

 be plainly perceived. In color it is spotted somewhat like a 

 trout on the back, while the stomach is of a red and white 

 hue. It har. to be kept in the most hitter salt water. T. P. 



[This is probably a Menopoma nUtglianimgis or hell-bender. 

 Like fish aud] other creatures found in dark caverns, they 

 lose their eyesight. — Ed.] 



WET WEATHER BIRDS. 



ciincnv llu i,, Nfeb., i I 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



Game is plenty at present. Many varieties ol plover, ! ., 



geese and cranes; and I believe; more plenty around Cherry 11.11 

 than anywhere else I have been. 1 shot, a few-days since, a bird of a 

 variety I never killed before. I think ilia what your Texas corres- 

 pondent calls "wet. weather birds." lean give but a meagre descrip- 

 tion, as I took no measurements, but sent it away to be set up. It was 

 apparently about us large as a common tame pigeon, hot wings, tip lo 

 tip, measured fall thirty-six inches, and probably fifteen Inch, s lip of 

 bill to end of tail, lis bill was about l\ to 2 inches long, dark red to 

 brown in fcolor, shaped like a pigeon's; head black, with in , , , 

 surrounded by a white ring about a quarter inch iu well! : i , 

 top of wings a fawn color; breast and under portions a very delicate 

 piuk; legs small, s'ender and medium length, dark red eoMr, three 

 front toes web-footed, one back toe, or a ghost of one. Some of Hie 

 long feathers iu the wiuga were considerably spotted with black. I !an 

 you name it ? 



A German told me they called them iu his country.;/,,,,, ,, i .,, ti 

 meant sea dove. 



There are numbers of birds of varieties never seen here before, 

 brought hither by our "full protective" law I suppose. Prairie chickens 

 are nesting, and prospects are now fair for a greater Dumber of them 

 this fall than was ever known. Yours. R. G. Cahtkb 



[THE HELLBENDER. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



For six weeks I have had in my aquarium a fair specimen of Ihe 

 interesting butrachlau, the hellbender (Menopoma allcghanicmis). He 

 was sent to rne from Warren, Pa., on the Alleghany Kiver, and is 

 sixteen inches in length. His actions are just as narrated by Mr. 

 Grate and quoted in Forest and stream of Dec. 28, 1876. Since he 

 has been in my possession he has twice shed his 6kin, and in the mau- 

 uer there described. The queer faculty he has of doubling upon him- 

 self, and his apparent ability of tying himself into knots, obtained for 

 him, no doubt, the elegant appellation of hellbender, and although he 

 is to most persons lather repulsive upon first eight, yet he iuproves 

 upon a.qtiaiutauce, and becomes rather attractive. In regard to his 

 amphibious habits, 1 will state that Heft him in a pan of fresh water 

 one night, Willie making some change in the aquarium, and found him 

 next morning on the lloor and under a bullet in my office. His ski u 

 was diy, but he was quite lively; indeed his motions were much 

 quicker and more decided on laud than iu water, though not nearly 

 so g acelul— be had probably been on the Hoor all night. A singular 

 fact in eonu.ci.ion with this specimen is, that although he seems quite 

 heailhy aod well, he has not caieu anything, to my knowledge, since I 

 have had him The day afler lie airived I found a partially digested 

 ciawli-h iu the wa'er, and acting upon this hlut, I have constantly 

 kept several live ones iu the tank, none of which, however, have been 

 af.proprialed by him ; but every few days I llnd claws, skiu, and other 

 parts of ei-iiwiish, as ted as though cooked, aud this morning I dis- 

 coveied a biiuch or wad of Sycamoi e leaves, a tree which does not grow 

 in this Olitnate. These suiis'auees -.ue disgorged or defecated by him, 

 and evince a rather peculiar digestive organization, as it is at least six 

 he swallowed them, tor tae crawfish I placed in the tank 

 are still there, aud alive. There are some snails la the aquarium, and 

 it is possible he has been dieting on snail spawn. Should I observe 

 any farther peculiarities in this member of the " bender" family I will 

 make a note oi the facts, aud report. Ocononowoc. 



VORACITY OF SHARKS. 



JCNES, 1617. 

 Editor Forest and Stream and Hod and Gck: 



The Imentlon by Mr. Vibert iu your paper of May 81, p. 2Cg oi a 

 picture In the "Blue-Coat" dining-room, mmurating an event in i),e 

 life of Sir Brook Watson, recals some anecdotes I..M by , U y father 

 many years ago, apropos of the picture and Its hero, who did 

 overboard," but bravely plunged in to rescue a hoy, who, aware of the 

 shark's vicinity, was paralyzed by terror, and unable to help himself. 

 The boy was saved, but his gallant, preserver lost a leg ils he was 

 getting into the boat. 



A picture of the BCcne— doubtless the same which your correspond- 

 ent mentions— was painted by t'opely, father 'of prelate Lord ku,,-|. 

 hurst. When on exhibition, the painting was much »dml 

 sailor made the criticism that the artist could hardly have seen a boar 

 for Ihe one he had painted, though full of people, all on tie i , 

 to the escaplug man, remained on . ,< ,„ 



Watson, who, if I mistake not, became Lord .Mayor of London, II 



sshl to have been a man of very stern aspect ai 



latedthathe was once accosted in Hie Btreel lv a n ;, 

 leave to ask "one quesiiuu." "Tes, and let It be bat one." i, ,, ",, 

 you lose your left, sir?" "It was bitten a«." Tie- ■„.,., : ,i tioor ' 

 heard soliloquizing as he turned away, "o dear 1 1 whh I h 



Tui-AC. 



A RAINBOW FROM THE MOON. 



East Bat, Mich., May ty, 1^77. 

 Editor of Forest asd Stream: 



Is a raiubow produced from the moon's reflection a common 

 phenomenon? Never having met any person who bet 

 scene. 1 am led not only to ask concerning it, bm to offer abi 

 ofonelhadthfi pleasure of viewing from the basin of tie- San I uis 

 Valley, in Southwestern Colorado. Ou the night of Angus; -t 187a I 

 left Del Norte, In company with a friend, on a ducking tfip down 19 the 



