420 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



playfulness of a Sportive kitten. For the filst week or two 

 their sustenance from tile sac to which they are 

 attached, but -when it is entirely absorbed by the little fellows 

 they are in a condition to accept food or seek it for themselves. 

 'They are subsequently separated frotn their parents, as it is 

 supposed the cattish eat their young the same as pickerel. 



R. F; If. 



The Hudson Rivku Salmon. — We are. very much pleased 



to receive the following letter from our valued correspondent. 



We trust that dwellers on the Hudson who have any more 



light to shed on this important subject will not permit it to be 



bid ! 



New York, July 10, l.sIT. 



i: FOREST ANO S'lltKAM : 



If yon are correct In your surmises that the salmon lately taken tn 

 Deis off Staten Island and up the Hudson were the results of my efforts 

 of a few years ago, perhaps some data may he interesting. 



,uel Wil 

 atoning t 



2,000 salmon 



'spawn 



ire then 



In March, 1S71,T procured from Mr. Si 

 «(fgs, and placed them in Mr. Christie's 

 Dutchess County, the headwaters of l 7 laKS 

 fluO Scnrodie salmon, or " land-locked salre 

 Hutched out soon after, and in May, lstl.l 

 and 500 Schoofllcs to two spring ponds, a few rods off, 

 taenia of the youngsters could be easily watched. My Intention was 

 to keep them there several years, and observe the cflect of good feed 

 on salmon conlined in fresh water. 



TJnfonunalely for the result, of the information which 1 hoped to 

 gain by this course. Mr. Christie the next year removed from and let 

 his place to some persons who neglected the wire screens at the outlet 

 of the ponds, and the young fish thus escaped into the race, and thence 

 into Fishklll Creek, whence 1 caught with hook and worm several 

 young salmon of both kinds in 1SH; their length averaged five inches, 

 the land-locked salmon being the largest. 



In 1878, 1 could find no Salma salar, and only a few Kchrodles. Per- 

 haps some of your readers can say what has become of the latter, and 

 whether they have increased since. The Salnw srtlctr undoubtedly 

 dropped over the dam to salt water. Tours, Maxhatta.w 



_ -*#, — . 



Salmon Hatohiw ox tiik Cpctmbia.— Tile Cannery men 

 ol the Columbia River having become alarmed at the very 

 marked diminution of the salmon in the river this year, have 

 formed an association under the name of the Oregon and Wash- 

 ington Fish Propagating Society, for remedying the evil by 

 i uncial hatching, and have raised a working fund of twenty 

 thousand dollars for this purpose. They have placed the whole 

 matter in the hands of Mr. Livingston Stone, of the U.S. 

 Fish Commission, who, by special arrangement with Prof. 

 Baird, I'. S. Fish Commissioner, is authorized to carry on this 

 work in connection with the salmon breeding at the United 

 States station on the McCloud River, California. The fact 

 that necessity has compelled this resort shows what dearth 

 must follow wanton waste or excessive drain upon natural 

 supplies. Ten years ago the Columbia river fisheries were 



thought to be inexhaustible. 



■ ,», - 



—Salmon are now daily seen inconsiderable numbers in the 

 Alerrimuc at Amoskeag Falls, IT. H. The Fish Commis-ion- 

 ers recent ly examined the head waters of Pemigewassef and 

 other tributaries of the Merrimack in the north part of the 

 State, and found them thoroughly stocked with young salmon 

 —fish that have not been seen there for thirty years until the 



present season. 



. . — .». . 



—Prof. Hurd calls attention to the deleterious effects of the 

 lish offal thrown overboard by those engaged in fishing off 

 radpr. The anchor ice freezes the ollVtl and prevents its 

 being eaten hv marine animals, or decomposed by the water. 

 When the teinperat ore rises the offal rots, the foul gases are 

 confined by the surface ice, and young cod and other fry are 

 thereby destroyed. 



—100,000 young shad were shipped from Ilolyok. 

 Saturday, July 14, to the Red River. Arkansas. 



FURTHER EVIDENCE ON THE SPAR- 

 ROW QUESTION. 



nkv,' fop ioiy, istt. 



Edttob FoeKb* and Stream: 



Having seen several articles in your paper concern tag the advisa- 

 bility of cultivating the English sparrow, biwin it not only a pleasure 

 to add my testimony against them, but a duty, to use even meanslB 

 my power to aid those who desire to banish to the Itj the little pests, 



aa much the enemies of our birds a< • ■■ 



that a number of the defendants Ql I "nio] 



lowlugtheuv to increase, thai Hey eat I 



' " 'I HW 



In a city where the latter will not m. ■' "-<"■■■■ ' ■ 



his wort to do, but certainly in no oft : and f 



1 1 nnv one ever care to raise '"in foi hey are neither 



n'-am'.'orue'nor sougsii rs.' Thrd they do cli i\ . ■•• m 'He ' 



',.««»»! rtnnsti 98 to uu them lor iuliabii ants is 

 Wine, ana any close observers , MKJtai *»«■ 



several of the neighbors brought hit:- iberso tin .i lo 



Inan inerediDlj short tune not a forest bad was to he 



This was borne impatiently for a year or so, until the gnus m 



,e lover of justice and friend to the. birds drove the usurpers 



from the place Since their banishment the forest birds hav. 



in full force, and once more their sweet ie id the 



-home of hiiii who made the study of them and their habits ins life work. 



Tanaher. 



"new York em , July, IS??. 

 &HTOB P««BT A-iL. ST! 



i^tmesayafcw words tort ■"""■• "'idnood. t 



J* ,arth,ontliebanKe ot the Hudson. 



Mw mlfl,'; 01 



OJ many birds 111 - 



^, this afternoon have a pleading tone, and i rem cOnipeUed. to an- 



,WtiWft *PPealbJ using mj smau Inffitettce against then 1 1 



fears ago Dor ears wer 

 notes of the thrush, the meadow lark, t 

 found a welcome home in our grand old pltti 

 thought when we welcomed as enlliii-. 

 tation of the sparrows that they would destrn 

 but sad experience has taught, us it. 



a.i compllshod their work so well in the city, It w 



try them here also; why. I know not, as I cat 

 were ever much troubled in our locality with th 



with the thrilling 

 "i many birds who 



and "aks. We little 



tally as any one the impor- 





iug them. As they 

 deemed advisable to 

 t remember that we 

 .-onus and caterpil- 

 lars that did, I know, infest New York. But out they came in great 

 numbers, and bitterly did we rue the day. One by one our dear little 

 songsters disappeared — larks, thrushes, scarlet tanagers, orioles, all fell 

 victims t _. the quarrelsome dispositions of the little sparrows. Even 

 the robins CO 1 flair own against them. For three or four 



jreaTswesql E our favorites, and then indignation over- 



powered us, and we rose in a body to drive the intruders away. Ve 

 have done so almost entirely, and this summer, for the flrat time in 

 erne, ■ ', "m ■-;. have-again welcomed our native birds, but if we are to 

 keep them we must destroy the sparrows, as they do most certainly 

 light and kill all other birds, bet them keep to the city where they have 



Mi' i :n-e doing u good work, but leave us in our country homes our 



own feathered songsters. Fioei.is. 



| We welcome ri lit warmly the above graceful contribu- 

 tions. Our correspondents are ladies. Then, too, the lines come 

 from the direct descendants of that man who, during the 

 early days of American scientific research dttl perhaps more 

 than any one before or since has done for the advancement of 

 its interests. They come from those living on the spot where 

 the immortal artist-natura'ist spent some of his happiest 

 years ; where, having accomplished his great life-work, he 

 passed into a ripe old age, then peacefully away. Among 

 those grand old forest trees still dwell his children's children. 

 The tall pines slid nod and toss their giant tops. Still does 

 the, winter winds sigh and moan through their gnarled and 

 knottedbraneb.es. But over scenes how strangely changed! Yet 

 a romance will ever cling to what remains, and invest the old 

 home with a peculiar charm. From those so nearly related to 

 the great naturalist, and living where he lived, we receive the 

 ye print with a feeling that savors of reverence. — 



En.] 



— ~o»_ 



C'mo.UiO, July 9, 1STT. 



Eiutok Forest and Sthbam: 



1 nave rend with a great deal of interest the letters and opinions of 

 correspondents about the English sparrow. I cannot account for the 

 plucky little bird, unless it is that 



1 dec 



■•ilnn 



; .n 



who 



,'S— all fall miller the s 

 •cry bitterness they ope 

 38. They only speak t 

 S. The sparrow will be 



death. SVohaveWati I I te 



in dirty, smoky London; in 1 

 of English country life ; on th 

 of the English upper tendoni. 



scoring satire of their pens. 

 ■inseives i" charges of larneni- 

 m as a denizen of the city and 

 udy; his habits are those of a 

 ut, and will often light to the 



1 green meadows and gardens 



mrise until dark ; yet they had five 

 ade to the nest— always hungry- 

 tag to swallow my finger when T 



v. have noticed them feeding contentedly 



mm i in lighting or quarreling; indeed they were too 



vith the business in hand to tight. They 0J from tree to tree, 



latbirds and bluebirds are mtting, disturbing none of them ; and 



during this week we saw one taking his morning bath in a 



stlo -side some little ducks no larger than Itself. 

 somewhat surprised at a remark made in a recent letter. Some 

 -mem" The tlrst time in my life that I have heard 

 a thing, though 1 have kepi them, netted them, have had them 

 that, being loosed from the cage, they have found a mate and 

 elrneats in the tall poplars on the lawn fronting the house. 

 mild -ly round us While we fed the Chickens, or visited the oroh- 

 ttering all the time; but the only song we ever heard from 

 ras a shrill scream somewhere away up in upper C, and 

 ; down a "starling's gamut." The cock birds were handsome 

 and as they came to kuow us, they would come out to the out- 

 mches and begin their greeting in answer to our morning's whls- 

 i daring twenty years of acquaintance with generations of birds 

 Br yet heard a starling smg. Nouma.n. 



SOUTHERN MAMMALS BY " TISHM AN." 



Baton Rouge, La., July 18, 1877. 

 Editor Forest and Stkf.au: 



A few days ago 1 sent you a short article correcting some 

 misstatements made by 'Dr. Young, in the last number ol 

 your paper, and as I consider this an imporfaui matter (far 

 the statements referred to are to form a part of a history of 

 North American Mammals,) I inclose, a few lines from a 

 friend of mine, a surgeon in the regular army, from (he same 

 portion of Mississippi as Dr. Young. BoNXtE Bilk Flag. 



Batov Eoucik, La. 



i:-.r am n Stream: 



My attention !.,_, ■mi mi nt of Di i u g'« in a late 



font paper, in a comi ideation fn nlahed by lum to Dr. 

 Cones on Southern hie.n 



' ' ' i i in , ,,,,. now, Mr. i-Micor, though 



this la an error, yel 1 would uot bavi I Dei . no li ■- W il 

 that Dr. Cones is writing a history ol the x. a. Mammalia, and i think 

 11 i he duty of every one io prevent an error or misstaiernein from being 

 published about the mammals of our Southern eonntry. I am from the 

 same part of (lie State as the Doctor, and 1 kuow that deer arecorn- 

 iiion In purtsof Mississippi. 1 . 11111 take a hound al any time fnun my 

 ■ ■ 1 -nice, and I know thai 



1 Mississippi known lis 1 lie ■• .Mississippi Bottom, 



but also tor black bear. 



so that he may make, the revision which we are com 

 the testimony of many m li ,, ■ ..,,,■■ 



However, under Ihe circumstances, v. ■ [ al lib rty to print 

 the above letters now. trusting to hear from Dr. Young in due 

 time.— Ed.] 



» .». » - 



Ked-IIkaueb Woodpeckers —{Mdiinerptv ergllem 

 — This handsome bird is so named from picking holes in the 

 trees to procure the insects which form ils food. As there 

 are so many different species of the woodpecker tribe in 

 North America, and their habits are so nearly alike, 1 will 

 not give a description of them all, but will describe the one 

 above named. The male measures nine inches from point of 

 the beak to the end of tail, and ten inches : 



eafc long and straight, om li inches in 



ig the bark ; a Ion- 

 very hard at the point ; iris dark brown ; legs ipiite short and 

 strong, having four toes, two before and two behind. The 

 tail consists of ten hard and elastic, feathers, whirl 

 prop to aid the bird in climbing; head and neck of a beautiful 

 rich, velvety red hue; breast and belly pure, white; back and 

 part of the scapulars a glossy black. The eggs are five in 

 number. On one occasion 1 found six. but this is seldom met 

 with. The shell is smoother than m any other specn 

 woodpecker family. They are of a beautiful clear white 

 color, marked with redish spots at the larire end. Length of 

 egj5B._l.07 to 1.13 inch: breadth, ft to .63 inch. They often 

 vary in measurement. These gaudy birds often wander over 

 trees in every direction, striking the Lark on hollow or de- 

 cayed places with their beaks, and thrusting their to 

 its crevices in search of insects, or their iatvte, on which they 

 feed. Instead of a nest it forms a circular hole in the decayed 

 parts of trees. The male and female sit alternately. Alter 

 enjoying their feasts they retire in parties to son:' 

 ing trees to amuse themselves by gamboling and sportively 

 chasing each oilier. This bird is frequently invaded in it's 

 cozy home by the black snake, v. Inch glides' up the trunk of 

 the tree and enters the aparl im ut, " m Mm. 



brood, in spite of Ihe cries eml tin t ■ . its. 1 hi 



the 25th of June, 1809. while on a visit lo a friend of mine, at. 

 Gvvyned, Pa.. 1 took a stroll down through the orcimnl, mm 

 on hearing the pitiful cries of these hi nls", 1 bl tetied to ui 

 tree, where, as my friend informed im , one ■! the lords had 

 made its home. On arriving at the. snot. I noliced the female 

 flying from one limb to the other in a frantic manner. To ray 

 surprise I saw a large black snake on the trunk of the (tee, its 

 tail partly coiled around a small limb, striking at tl 

 in quick succession. After watching the 

 few moments I cut a small sapling, and sfrikii 

 across the back, it fell at my feet quite dead. It measured 

 five feet nine inches in length. One of its eyes was picked 

 out by the male bird, which was in the cavity trying ti lie 

 fend its young. ■ . 



- -♦. — - 



MORE ABOUT REVERSED SHELLS. 



miii 1 ■'■■■ :•:.;, xsn. 

 Editor Fokkst and StorMi : 



My attention has been called to a letter In No. is of your joium 1 

 this month, signed ••' , - W.. Leest/urg, Va.," contamlni the query 



wheliie b i:ie ii .'. aces 1 1 "" itli suits ral or left-handed 



-■'"■'m '' Us aepartun ■ 11 thi d mai 1 orgs ic inm is rare li ■ 



different Species of Amen ,111 Ian 1 shells, but is more common in I ante 

 fresh water spe< ies. In my collection, which embraces many Im 



of North Amftrinati . ■ . ■, ul ■. vv. G. 



it., rrom. Colorado. Thai latitude pr, disposes to the formation ol the 



sinistral Shells I am nu 01 deny ; but it must be a.t- 



or lel'l-hunded shells from warm 



ui -. probably for the reason that hot ami moist isllanatea are more 

 favorable' to ■■■ 1 1 1 ■■ ■■■ 1 1 1 this form of animal life, and the generic and 

 speeitic forms of mollusK are more numerous m ,1 -hella 



more frequently occur. This remark more em ,|,, 3 to the 



•teuera Helix ISulimvi jiartuln ami .■• •■ ... ■ ■ Ichwe ■ 



with uunibers of reversed sir lis, whose noinial type Is flcxtral. In one 

 species of Parliila P., most all 



sinistral, the dextral ones tormina the exception. This also 1 m 



severs speoles ol the gnni rs a lit ■ ■ .'■'■■ ■ 11 tie nana! I 



emi mm,. These are all .denizens ol warm cdnntTiea, as South'Amen- 



Wa also find the whirls ol Bonn fr< 1 aland shell b 



ofbeingcoiiedoii.il 1 ,.» manner, are drawn out and 



separated, nresentlng the appearand M 1 ■ 'e-m . .■:. 



The qum-.l mn ..!■.. ui .1 ■■• - , h , .'err mm Bthl r befllfll 9 | 



ent-w ha:, causes these abnormal rdwi 



i-irraries in iiaiiireV Tn tins the answer must be returned, 



1*1 1 * i' 1 ' a 1. '1 '.'. " 11 ii ate si I | otveil 



in •■'-'-' ' ■ ■"' is « Uch pro* ■■ :" ; 11 1 iMin 11, Lhuone 



mi- ■'.'. !!■ " er, 8 ' , ' 1 I -mi the departure from ihe vital law 



■r ■ "' : ■'' "' ' e, ... ;■ ■, , I ';,,, . ■ . ,, | Hrh 



IS pri I '' "'' ' ' ■ , m 1 ;,,. . ,,| these 



ele ;, 

 e 1 ., .;,., '.'« Hie 



-" ■ ' ■ ..'.".- theoliange first 



occurs w ■ 1 form ol the inture Individual. We know 



that in the egirs ol snail.i wineli all. 11 ■ ,, irvatlon) a 



. l.i" ;'■'" ra I '. 



win, h lo-s in the midst of ::. ■ ,1 . tere I n 



The letter to which our correspondent "Bonnie Blue Flag" 

 alludes, has been referred back to Dr. Young for examination, 



wnicn it undergoes segmentation and the 



■ocilliaryacnoi,. ;,, , 



one direction and the same number in a 1. 



lily 111 tins primary vital a, lion m shells. Al- 



most all the species of shells In which veversed individuals occur are 

 viviparous and are born wph from one to one and a half whil 



•a slight disturbing force, such as might be prodimed by 

 an overcrow |. »,-riiis in the ovisac would allert a 



■ ■hang- in Mi, ■, ' ■.. m ... 1 hi, 



individual, thus verifying the adage ttntt " the 1 



inclined." 



1 incline to the opln ill 5 totJi ■ . me 



tralahetls probablv lies in the vital iiciious whi, 



nag- 01 ihe loi-iiiiif ii>ii ul the imici.i. Wlietl" , ■" 1 



" 1 ■ ■ : show an in 



coated nuine 



g op my mind 1 ■■-. 



W. D. llARTUAMM. 



Hybrids.- -The. Brooklyn KagU of July 21 says; "Nine 

 0111 of every ten cases "I suppoBecl hybrid* are tool 

 ignorance and superstition." 



Wfl are glad to have the mailer settled. The mi 

 reproduction, and ol 



a constant puzzle to take 



real" while 1 , intends the mauuftietim 



BtTOsilies, etc., for Barutmi. After all there is nothing like 

 the Eldgle for science. . 



