Fek. i. 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM 



counts of the latter incidents can he referred to the sharp 

 shinned hawk-. 



This little falcon much resembles the European kestrel, 

 not only iiv its coloration of plumage, size and general ap 

 pearance, bul its cries greatly resemble those of its European 

 cousin And in comparison with the name "sparrow 

 hawk. " it may perhaps be ratllcr more appropriate to term 

 our bird the American kestrel. 



[TO BE CONI'IMKI). I 



REPTILES AND THEIR HABITS. 



JAM I'-nijiled tp 88) a few words I'll th, innate vicious 

 disposition of the snapping lurilo. and to rib r in an 

 incident to which there are living witnesses. An adjoining 

 fnrinci turned up with his plow a number of egga, and 

 brought them to rue- to examine. Tln-v wire near the size 

 of pigeon eggs, and eovered with an dastlf tough mem- 

 brane On Quelling -everal they wel'e all found to contain 

 turtle- alio. il the breadth ol a ihumb nail. All wore alive 

 and soon li -gun to crawl about, and to prevent falling off 

 the board they were turned with u broomstruw, ai which 



they would snap and bite a- vicinu-lv a- would the parent 



turtle 



While on the subject of natural history, and th, pen in 



hand. I will briefly refer to another lucklont, and in pan in 



o articles read in Fom.sr \m> Stkkam. Some 



writers appear, to be of thcopinionlli.it serpent- propagate 



It. ir Species without the intervention of eggs, and also kill 



their prey before devouring it. 

 ffiCl, and know the rattlesnake 

 Some Vests flgd, in company v 

 visited a den three or four 

 Garrett county, Md., for the . 

 early in May, ' We had killed quit 

 one rbek with an explosive shell— when 

 rock which overlooked tin den ona - 

 aeiv ,.f loose -belly rocks. „„ and under 

 w, re usually found Banning themselves 

 den in a semi-torpid stale, and before i 



I' I. My attention was attracted by 



After carefully cxami 



I believe ueith, 

 s propagated from the egg-. 



th several ai-quaii,: :,.„■, -. I 



niles southwest of Oakland, 



pose of destroying them. 



nutniiei — two under 



i I stepped to a high 



south hillside of ail 

 v which the snakes 

 -. after leaving the 



niitg abroad for 



s. 1 discovered 



largo raltle-nake in "coil on an adja, 

 twentv feel distant, and apparently in a great rage. 

 possibly near its maternity. A- u\\ position was 

 fie- from danger, I observed it for several minutes 

 before tiring, I had killed scores and scores of rattlesnakes, 

 and it was the first instance of one causing any sound other 

 than I iv the rattle. The snake would inflate the body to 

 Dearie double its si,... ihi-n so forciblv eject the nir as to 

 pro In' ■ a blowing, and almost a whistling, sound, in addi- 

 tion to the rattling, and could be heard twenty-five or thirty 

 yards. Aloi killing it and approaching to take the rattles. 

 in th,- t,.„i\ mutilated by the explosive- shell, we Bounded 

 tweiily-lhtvo eggs, and each contained a living serpent: 



fa. brio 



A-'to the belief of aoroe thai venomous snakes kill the 

 prey by poison before devouring it. this is. in my opinio 

 incorrect. I have been informed by many intelligent mou 

 tain friends, whom I consider entirely reliable, that they had 

 otien seen rattlesnakes in tin- acl of swallowing their jprey, 

 and ii was invariably alive while visible, not killed piv- 



wai-ly 



Some years ago a friend in the Alleghenies sent nie— and 

 unasked for— a large live rattlesnake in a box. which de had 



capt 1 iu May. My Ural impulse was to destroy it, but 



ii was so much of a curiosity here Unit main' visitors— and 

 from a distance ■ cane- in see it, I decided", therefore. |,, 

 COnStfUCl a secure ratv. and Observe il- instincts: a strong 



box, three i>\ one foot, plate glass for top, and thai covered 



with woven 'wire, a -liding metal door, locked, and key in 

 in\ pocket. With a similarly arranged box placed atone 

 end food and Irink could be introduced without a ross 

 bilitv of danger. It lived ten nion ' 

 ually cold spell fro/e to death In 



lis. but du 



ring thai (inicil took no 



tnhlespoon.-ful of milk. 



but would not 



as introduced. 



k on the 



." When 

 .id it and 



killed, did not live two 

 idly afterward attempt to 

 jment it reached the poisoned 

 ,iw it out. Hence, with Ihis 

 live, 1 doitbt the rattlesnake's 

 loiHon. Having a ditcher at 

 bred to "introduce 

 I in the cage the 

 not permit the eel 

 illy as approached 



ict of the noblest game ilnl ever i oauicd these woods. To- 



lay (the 2&th of January) I >lou i 

 beak. Snow buntings are quite 



spat 



Of] 



lies hi 



\ chickadee and 

 yard and the fori 

 'hanging by the all 

 miles east of Mi. \\ a-hu 

 Range, and the thermome 

 -i of the time. — ]. r;. r 



ay beautiful malt 



Oar location ia1 

 the White Mo 

 waa down bole 



PlNi, GtttOSBEAKs in N'kw .Jkiokv.- -Sianle\, Morris t ,,.. 

 N. .1. — While sitting by the window on the Loth of Di ei m- 

 ln-r 1 saw six strange birds light on an apple tree A few 

 yards from the window, and commenced eating the decayed 

 and frost-bitten apples that remained on tie- tree, I finally 

 recognized them to be. pine grosbeaks ffijiieoM enuckutor). 

 They continued feeding for about live minutes, when they 

 Hew to some pine trees near by. where they commenced 

 feeding on the seeds. Having satisfied themselves they re 



turned td 'he apple tree. Thus they went from pine Iri-i to 

 apple tree and back three or four times. 1 noticed one 

 peculiarity in their feeding, that is, each separab 



-elected an apple and alwavs returned to feed on the 

 one. Very unluckily for me it was Sunday, if it hi 

 been 1 would have added some of their skins to my collec- 

 tion. They were mostly immature bird with the exception 

 of one or two mature female-.- Hahky Di: B. Pac-M 



bud 

 d not 



fffijf* j§nq m\d 



To. in s»e : iii-i-i ii/,!. attention, e,,,„,„i, „,,■,, //,,„., should he ad- 

 dressed I" tin- Fofest inni St nn in Pulll.ishinQ Oo„.a/nd ISOtt" 

 individuals, in whose absence from tin- office matters of iu<- 

 /imimirr are liable to delay. 



THE CANEBRAKES OF ISSAQUENA. 



THE cotton-planter and hi.- -on- are. as a general thing, 

 fond of their gnus, rods, dogs and horse.-, and in this 

 part of the country are blest with a land teeming with game 

 and fish, offering unequaled facilities for frequenl -port. 



In hunting the larger game, bear and .leer, as well as the 



smaller, the dog takes an important part, in fact, the prin- 

 cipal one. Such being the case, it maj interest your read- 

 ers to describe the favorite dbg for tin 

 First is the bear dog— a mongrel, part cur 



unOns. 

 id part hound, 

 e "I rail - ' dogs 



.lied b\ M.nie 



f bound is the 



y. the pa- 

 ne: and V 



is I l,a 



Tin- ig 

 merally o 



nixed and 

 distinctio 



hling , 



the 



interm 

 is. \i 



ted 



ise fellows, and gen- 

 ii, and is ihen easily 



mipletel. 



' cssed t 

 the first bet 



It i 

 pier 



and cowed by 

 Diet.- between 

 a \ ipei- and a 



food whatever, except about t 



ll killed all the rodenls pill 

 feed On them. A small crippled 

 This, on hopping on the snak 

 neck and almo-i instant l\ 

 minutes. 1 saw it repea 



swallow the bird, inii the u 



paxt, it would invariably l In 

 and other evidence as couch 

 lulling its prey for tood— by 

 work, hi' came across q 

 it to its brothel- SErpeJ 

 snake appeared to dr 

 to touch it. changing it 

 by the eel. but would I 

 lass a deadly serpent c 

 a harmless "eel. I havi 

 -nakes of different specie 



blacksnake. the latter was the victor by coiling around and 

 either crushing or strangling the viper; the second, quite 

 recently, -was witnessed by several persons— a mottled, 

 black and white snake was captured by one of my 

 sons to send to the Academy of Xatural Sciences as 

 an unusual species, and in the same box was 

 afterwards placed one of another species, about half 

 the length of the largo otic. Volt soon the larger seized the 

 -mailer one. and began to crush ft in its coils; the box was 

 covered with glass securely, and next morning the smaller 

 one was invisible, Nor was there anv mystery about it, as 

 escape was impossible and from the previous conflict and 

 largely increased size and torpor of the victor, it was clearly 

 demonstrated that the Large) 1 on, had killed the smaller, and 

 then swallowed it. Of this fact all were fully Convinced 

 beyond a doubt, and so end my snake -tones. I have heard 

 a saying that "dog wott'l eat dog. ' but I am fully satisfied 

 that snake will eal snake juel as much a- that a cannibal 



will feast on hi- fellows. E. S. 



iSanhv Seiiiso. Maryland, Jan. I*M. 



Maine Winteh Notes, — Bethel, Bite, 

 private letter last week from an old hunlc 



January. — by a 

 fiiend over in 



Somerset county. Me., he informs me thaj recently pros 



peeling in iho.-e'deep for 



and he followed up the budding.- and breakings 



winter works, and finally -truck- Hie slo ,>r ti 



moose freshly made, and bv careful creeping h( 

 in the distance two bull moose, both armed with 

 antlers, looking the picture of loveliness to Ids 



eye-. In trying to creep near, r togel a -l.oi. tie 

 stepped on a dry limb, which cracked with so 

 as to frighten the game. Who made off ai a ncm 

 This show- ib. -n ibe Main,- wood- arc nol entin 



i fall to 

 i of two 



full cur. full hound— a motley collection. TI 

 are usually full hound, although il i 

 whether tlie full hound or half pointer 

 best for this purpose. He this as it ml 

 view aie led by full hound. English - 

 hound, and they are capital ones, toe 

 those who do the hi aviesl work, arc ;. 

 grel kind— terriers, curs, hounds, etc, 

 until ii would be difficult to trace 

 stands a poor show in a contest with t] 

 crallv trees after a race of an hour or 

 .-hot by the hunter. 



.Now" and then a "tough Customer" i.- iou-,d. and a 

 square twin with the doe- i- made, aaUallj ending in Bruin's 

 defeat, and another short race, a second stand and fight, 

 anolher run. and so on. until some fortunate hunter gets 

 into the fighj in time to get in a shot, which terminates in 

 the death of Bruin. The'victory is signalled by the " call 

 blow ■" sounded from the horn. This "call blow ,-oii-i-i- 

 of Ihi'ee long, distinct "blows" or sound.- from the horn. 

 The hunters congregate upon the spot, and after each one 

 has related his particular adventures during the chase, ami 

 all of the Incidents Of the chase have been related, the hear 

 is placed upon a mule and -enr in camp, While the rested 

 dogs and hunter- proceed to repeal ihe fun by jumping 

 anoiher bear. 



The dense ciiieliiaki- make this -pori partake somewhat 

 of tllO hardest kind of work, and nolhine but tin- keenest 

 relish for the excitement of the spoil would urge a person 

 to indulge in il. yet il is the finest sport of all out hunting. 

 Once you try it. il sticks, and the fondness for it will not 

 shake or wea'r off. 



Tin- blood-curdling stories told of tlie bear's dangerous 

 fighting qualities are a humbug, for unless he be badly 

 wounded, and cannot get away, he is. next to ihe panther, 

 lie- veriest coward that infests our forests. There is no 

 danger in him, except to your dogs. These In- handles 

 pretty roughly, and many of them are killed ; scarcely a 

 chase occurs but some of the dogs are seriously wounded 

 or killed. Especially is this the case if your dogs are any of 

 them green iu the, business. 



We use in the bear chase every description of gun. My 

 friend Smith and the members of our club mostly use 

 breech-loading shotguns, 12-gauge, with round bah- This 

 gun is certainly the best lor the purpose, and the hammer- 

 less would be especially so since, the danger of accident- bv 

 the hammers being caught against the cane, and the gun 

 discharged, is removed. Several of our •'bear-hunters" pre- 

 fer the breech-loading rifle used in the L'. S. Array, and 

 commonly called "neetlle-guu." None of "Byrne's" pistols 

 are used here. Allan.' armed, in addition to* the gun, with 

 heavy hunting Knives, which are used mostly for cutting a 

 way 'through the dense cant;. 



The deer-driving is made with full-blooded bound. Eng- 

 lish -tag and foxhound preferred. Sometimes the hunter 

 is placed upon stands ahum ihe favorite runs, and the deer 

 is shot a- he i-- driven bv, but this feature of deer-hunting; 

 lie. i- little favor here, afltO occupy a stand mean- the loss of 



the best part of the. sport, which is the helter-skelter ride 

 through the timber/a perfeci steeplechase, with the mu-ie 

 of the hounds' voice thrown in to add zest to tin excite 

 ment— this is to the hunters music indeed; I've tried il and 

 know — fifteen or twenty bounds in full cry make .-oul stir- 

 ring uiusic to Hie hunter's ear. In our drives every man 

 must look out for himself, each one's chances for a shot is 

 equal to that of the. others, provided all are equally well 

 mounted, ft is a-race, as. usual rewarded to the practiced 

 and swiftest, who heads the deer and kill- him, if he can. 

 •y lime. I a-sure you, 



deer wen iiewa friglltl t'"i away bv driving with hounds 

 try ii here and you "will be convinced 



"Sometimes in our hunts wi start a paftthOV. "ue ot those 

 large, ugly brutes thai are -,, frightful tpgajsc upon, measur- 

 ing often nine .feel from no-c lo lip ,,r the tail. When we 

 .strike these fellows, th,- race is short and sweet. The cow 

 aidlv ras.al will take to the first tree, like his con-in the 

 cat. ami is easily shot. Ii sometimes happen-, however, 

 that he does nol tree, especially if he is surprised by the 

 dogs and caught before In has time to "shin up" a' tree. 

 When this happens you may count on some good fighting, 

 and a dozen dead and wounded dogs; for an average sized 



panther can whip all the dogs v 



Several years ago. a party of 



the lower end ol ihis eonni\ w 



eleven ill folll da\s. Ol, tll'c In 



break camp we were lip early, pi 



b. f,,r. leaving. Alter going ah 



can,,,, we earn,- upon a I, ,-hh I, 

 devoured bv some animal, wide 



died bv our approach, and hud 



coi, on" up soon found Ihe trail 

 it. displaying uneasiness ;u 

 their growl.--, but one lav 

 cana- up. look ihe trail 

 When once started tin- wb 



we followed close Up. A 



id fe 



'and' I 



rbythcil 



old Jac 



■Iv 



into fullviewaniagnilic. 



no desire for a race, but 



light. She did no! have h, 



their fright, wen- in for it, 



then the fun began". Accor 



she lay upon her back, feel up. ami I 



twenty da 



hair !lv. Pantb 

 npell 



vd upon hi 

 s on a camp hunt in 

 after deer, and bagged 

 we had appointed to 

 g to have a -horl drive 

 !■ hundred yards from 

 00 that had 'been partly 

 ividenth been fright- 



ded it-elf. ThC 'logs 



-ii d loth I,, follow 



bristling backsand 

 , a pointer-bound, 

 Cd off the chase. 

 iff in fl hurry, and 

 ed yards brought 

 . which manifested 

 determination for a 



seized hetTadvship, and 



ir usual fighting tactics 



erfour feet containing 



Ivniade dog meat .-net 



pletelv mixed thai 



' of lolling 



:ond a dog would crawl 



-ted only a few seconds, when 



got in a shot that satisfied 



Several Severely crippled 



he list of casuah'u 



img panllu 



id some 

 ngto tin 



ihnrr 

 r and d. 



I lo withhold our shots' f, 

 thl 



more do- Iba 



oul satisfied; the figl 



Waller Smith, one of ihe party 



the panther and ended Ihe fight 



do;;.- and ,,ne dead panther w,r, 



There aie main of these annually here vet. One wa- 

 killed within half 'a mile of my dwelling, by E. V. Miller, 

 thai measured nine feet from' nose to tip of tail. Three 

 were seen on 

 a terror to tl 

 tattoos. Thl 



of that mnsa 

 divd. every i 

 killed unite a 



ground last spring and became quite 

 negroes living on this and adjoining plan 



- the "yaller cur." thai infests it In the bun 

 key owning at least three. The panthers 

 iiu'ber and devoured them— in fact, the dogs 

 pal food of these animals while they re- 

 mained. The brutes finally became such a terror that friend 

 Smith was called in with liis bear dogs, and drove them off. 

 failing to kill anyone of them. 



My dwelling stand- in the c-nie,- ol <i ore- of rjulti 



vatci'l field, and the track- of these panthers were made 

 Within JbU yards of the house. 



So much for bear, deer lialll lea . oul I lie ling- n-ed In hi I 111 



them. It. M. Mniih. Jr.: W. J. Smith, W. K. Allen. John 

 Stem, Mr. We-coll. and It. 15. I'hipps are now oul for a 

 week s rami, bunt fi.r hears, and will doubtless bag ti\eoi 

 six. Two were killed last week h\ W. 1'. Allen. Lee Smith. 



and B. IS. Plripf 



record of the hum 



K M. Smith, Jr., v 



excepl iwo. Mow 



good time for hear 



..nail are plcntifi 

 favorite dog f 



two days' hunt. This -well- Il 

 e present time to eighty -even bears. 

 i al the death of every one of these 

 at for bear hunlingv' It wa- nm a 



Dec: 



plentiful here before the overflow lasl Bprlng, 

 ■ generally short. Bul frequently if a 

 usual ground covered by the drive, he is 

 ce— the dngs arc recalled and another 



of tl; 

 in p, 





ir.-t. day, pr< 



•t me 'say that the 

 ie hunl you could 

 i same deer, or as 



e same deer Tin- 



am! gOOd bags can be made any ilny 

 this -port is Ihe pointer, because of 

 his short hair; the setter loses too much time pulling cockle 

 burrs from bis long hair 



More aimn. Stkki.k's Bxmu . 



ISSA^lKNA I '<>, S I * . Ml-- 



THE NEGROES AND THE BIRDS. 



IF sJy Reynard is tin- champion bird extinguisher of tin- 

 old Dominion— mother of state- and statesmen— how 



dm- il happen that in the southeastern (anilities, where, part- 

 ridgesdo most abound, there, also, the fox is most abundant v 

 "M." who writes in vourissueof Dec. 81 must be amazing 

 ly unsuspecting if he thinks the freedraan kills partridges 

 for the pleasure of displaying them to his white brother, 

 particularly during the close season. Indeed, his faith in 

 their Simplicity is childlike and bland: when a-, the Craftiest 

 diplomatist that ever "wore a white -kin is a novice in the 

 art of concealment compared wilh the Virginia negro. Docs 

 "M." imagine that the colored brother never interview! -d fl 

 henroost, because be has never seen the trophies of the in- 

 terview hanging ou the outer walls of his log cabin? 



I did not mean to assert that the partridge had been exter- 

 minated hy the freedman, or that In- wa- ihe -<,|e caii.se .if 

 scarcity, but I do affirm that scores of negroes from the 

 .lames 'to the Matlapotii River, and east of the Richmond & 

 Frederick-burg Railroad, hunt for squirrels and hares all 

 through the spring and summer, skulking along tlie edge 

 of wood- awftinps, and thickets, and keeping carefully out 

 of sight of white folk: that he pretends lo be nothing but a 

 pet-hunter, and that there is no fairer mark for the pot- 

 hunter than Rob White sitting ou a rail, be he an African or 

 an Anglo-SasOh; and pot-hunting is not confined to the for- 

 mer, by a large- majority. I am sorry to -ay. 



1 remember the winter of Ku.81.hut found rut birds frozen, 

 nor missed any from -viral (locks I watched closely in 



Hanover county (the birth plaeeof Patrick Henry and Henry 



Clay), nor did "l laai ,,i am lieu had been found frozen, 

 although I made diligeni inquiry, and ea-t of Hanover there 

 was -very little dauger of their freezing, but the winter of 

 '81-82 was ih, warmest we haw had since '42; nevertheless, 

 there were not so many birds by half last fall as the fall 

 be!, ,re. I also remember the hitter cold winter of '684; vet 

 in Ihe tall of m tin olde-l huntsmen in Virginia had never 

 .-ecu birds in SUCh innnense number.- And why? Because 

 for four long, weary war- we had been alter bigger game, 

 or rather that bigger 'game had been after us, and tin biid- 

 ha.d been allowed to lay and hatch and rear their brood- iu 

 peace and quid, wilh none |,, make them afraid, save bird- 



and beasts of prey. 



I am well aware, !,„.. Ilial Rob W hue - enemies are legion 

 — the hawk, the fo\. the mink, the weasel, the skunk. Ihe 

 Mni k snake and Ihe half starved bound, th, greatest egg 

 sucker ami poachei on e :lll l,. vel 1 believe the main cause 

 of the general dearth oi partridges in Virginia i.s the » hoi, 

 sale slaughter of the innocents by the insatiate pot-huntei 



;-. in|..r.-.,! by Cue a -ihetie wing'shni What nimc ch.-udh, 



.•..-a; liana teu.llore brecch-londer! or what animal that 



w.-,ik-. mi;, or tli, ■ half so destructive ■>- a sportsman, who 



