Aran, 20. 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



245 



This classifies Uou-irraade in thfe order of relative importance 

 as it appears to the writer, although tlie migrants may be 

 regarded as a class of equal importance wifh the wiuti r vis) 

 (aiils. Slragdcrs rank lasi in 'importance and interest as a 

 class, although some individual instances arc ..!' ornithologi- 

 cal importance. 



In reading the Catalogue as published 1 notice many errors 

 of a typographical nature, perhaps due to careless!; written 

 manuscript, but 1 trn^< that readers, will comprehend sUch 

 enor~. 



In tlie preparation of these notcsfnr publication in Forest 



AND BTBEAM the writer has endeavored to avoid as much as 



possible all te< hnicalities and to express explicitly and with- 

 out verbosity Mich items as ware selected for the object in 

 view. 



Conscious of an inability to convey any information of 

 value to scientific ornithologists, and of the trulhof the say- 

 ing that "there's nothing new trndeV the sun." I have pub- 

 lish^ 1 , in ihis connection such ol my notes as seemed of 

 probable interest or value to readers who. like myself, ate 

 observers and students of birds and their ways, ana in seels 

 hi.: to acquire more knowledge of natural history find a con- 

 By a continuance Of Observations, additions can lie made 

 to the List "i' species enumerated for this region, for the 

 territory is extensive and remarkably varied as regards dis- 

 tribution of speoies. 



In Conclusion T wish to say to collectors, taxidermists, 

 sportsmen and others that it is always a pleasure for me to 

 receive birds or .-kins sent for examination or identification, 

 or any notes in regard to birds. Already 1 am obtaining: 

 agreeable recompense for my labor in preparing this local 

 list of birds by new correspondence ami the receipt of speci- 

 mens, and 1 hope for a continuance of such favors from ail 

 those to whom I have been indebted in the past. 

 rouri.ANi.. Me . u. s. America, t> ERE-TT S:s,ttii. 



THE STUDY OF NATURE. 



AS the game laws will probably not be altered or repealed 

 that professional men and. others may hunt and fish 

 during their summer's vacation, let nic suggest to such per 

 sons that they then study nature and make a specially of 

 some branch of natural history, 



I know ft clergyman who several years ago began the 

 study of ants during a summers vacation. He found the 

 Study so pleasant and interesting that he continued it during 

 succeeding vacations. Tie published a book on the subject. 

 As a scientist he is well known. Now he also studies 

 spiders. One vacation he came to Texas to study its ants. 

 whose domes here arc curious and wouderful. lie then told 

 me that his entomological studies had given him health and 

 much pleasure, 



A clergyman once told mo that he thought it was small 

 business for a man to be looking after "bugs" and other in- 

 sects. T asked him who made' the insects. After a short 

 time he replied, saying that he supposed God did it. lie 

 had not thought of them as the work of God. and hence 

 Worthy of the attention and study of man. 



Geology, also, affords a grand study for all. Everyone 

 should know at. least the main features of the earth, its 



rocfa I at leasl its most common minerals, lint the 



value of such studies is too well known to need any recom- 

 mendation. A knowledge of them gives never-failing pleas- 

 ure to all rambles among hills and mountains, especially 

 where nature Shows herself in her grandest forms of roek- 

 work. 



Botany presents a huge and inviting field of study every- 

 where in the country, especially in the summer, and; even in 

 the winter the trees can be known and studied. 1 have often 

 thought that sportsmen with a general knowledge of botany, 

 particularly of trees, would have their means of pleasure 

 much, increased, Nor would they then be tempted to kill 

 more game tiiau necessary. "When their larder at camp is 

 well supplied with moat or fish they might make notes on 

 the different species of trees around ; their size and height. 

 This would give an increased and more permanent value to 

 their communications, which already many of them have 

 from their observations on other branches of natural history. 

 .Much has been said about the animal life of forest and 

 stream, but very few details of the actual forest have been 

 given in the columns of Fouest and Stueam. 



Austin, Tex.. April 2, 1883. S. 15. Bt< ki.f.y. 



Caroi.tka Doves' Nests. — jEkitor Vbi-ed and Stream: It 

 may not be generally known to many of your readers that 

 the Carolina dove \Zenaidum mromenm) has no regular 

 habit of incubation, A few days since I found one sitting 

 on two eggs in an old robin's neat, reconstructed by a few 

 new twigs placed inside. A day or so before 1 found one 

 sitting on her egg- in a cedar tree, on a newly constructed 

 nest, formed very loosely of small twigs, on a projecting limb 

 about eight feel from the ground. Again, during tlie spriu 

 of 1681 I found a dove sifting on two eggs laid on a -tump 

 in a thick wood, without a twi« or anything pertaining- to a 

 nest.— Om> Tchkey (Long Hill, N. .1., April 2:>, I$83), 



Tikkky Buzzard in Maine,— The following is taken 

 from the Lewiston (Maine) Gazette of April 20: "The bird 

 recently shot by Abel Sanborn, of East Eryeburg, which 

 was supposed to be a bald-headed eagle, proves to be a 

 turkey buzzard (CorthnU* aura), a very care species in this 

 northern latitude, of which only two specimens have lieeU 

 reported in our State." The same bird, or another of the 

 same specie.-, was seen here several times, and a number 

 of persons were within gunshot of it, but, supposing il to i„- 

 an eagle, would not shoot. It. A. Gushee (Applcton, 

 Maine). 



Do S,;ni:i:i.i s Kat EisiiV — A friend of mine, driving- 

 out last Sunday, when near a brook, saw a red squirrel run 

 along on the rocks fining the brook with something alive in 

 its mouth. He stopped" his horse, and when the squirrel 

 came across tbe road in front of him, it. slopped twice, and 

 the living thing in its mouth appeared to be the. wriggling 

 tail end of a fi-h about as longas a finger. On starting ilie 

 horse thelittle fellow scampered off into the bushes 'with 

 its prey.— C. Gekbbh. Jr. 



Win if. Pf.i.uwns in lo wa.- -Charles Citv. la., April 1(1, 

 1883.— There was a large flight of white pelicans at this 

 place early this evening, estimated at over 1,000, and even- 

 one who could scrape up a gun or a .shooting iron of any 

 kind was out after (hem. One was killed by M. G. Tower. 

 A common rat was run into the river here by some boy, 

 and. aftei swimming 100 yards to the opposite' side of the 

 river, recrossed, not much the worse for the swim. — Zip 

 Koon. 



§<m\e §ng m\d §m\. 



GfAME RE&0MT8. Wearenh 



lirtiHi,,! sufli note* ofdesirabk gal 

 tp- the readers of i-'ukfst ami Sti 

 spondentsfarvor ws n-ni, .■,,■,« advi 



'.'/•-• gtod lo receive farjmb- 

 i,- resorts as may be of hdp 



•'.am. Witt not our corre- 



SOME LIARS 1 HAVE KNOWN. 

 \ GOOD portion of mv past life having Been spent 

 J\ around the sportsman's ^flickering camp-lire." it has 

 been my good or evil fortune lo meet with many characters 

 to whom truth was indeed stranger than iicliou. 



The individuals to whom we allude do nut. lie for gain or 

 -elf advantage, lull sic men whose menial and moral idio- 



syncracies render them prone to exaggeration, who, like the 

 Indian magician, will while we listen and wonder, from a 

 budding fact grow a sky-cleaving 



These narrators, who draw upon their imagination- for 

 their facts, may be classed under several head.-, Kirst. ih,- 

 "conscientious exaggerator," who really believes that the 

 talc he tells is true, or very near the truth. Next conn - 

 the "romancer." who. "of imagination all ( ompacl." can. 

 from the "airy nothings" .of his brain, rear castles at en- 

 chanting as ever rose at the command of genii of the lamp, 

 or dreamer ever built in the laud Of the Hidalgo. Ami, 

 thirdly, your straight-forward, cold-blooded, maller-of fact 

 liar, who tells his story wiib a voice ami manner so earnest 

 and convincing, that the listener finds himself startled as 

 with a shock at. the least, shadow of an unbelief. To this 

 latter class belonged old Daw \\\. Who, although he claimed 

 to own a laraeeoUoti plantation on Bed River, aud also to 

 have ai one time represented his native Slate in the halls of 

 her Legislature, was, at the time of which we write, livim.- 

 uponthe bank of the Sunflower River, in a -haniy so small 

 that, notuulikc the Irishman's ancestral palace, one might 

 have almost reached his arm down the chimney and un- 

 latched the door. 



Standing one day upon the bank of this most beautiful of 

 Southern rivers, 1 saw my neighbor, Ben II., riding up. 

 up, with bis Winchester lying across hi.- lap. A- I !,ii,-v 

 that Ben would shoot al anything, from a baldheadcd eagle 

 to a COttOn-mouth moccasin, I pointed oat to him a water 

 turkey (as the snakehird is here generally ealli 

 motionless upon the limb of a dead tree overhanging the 

 river, and some three hundred yards distant. Alighting, 

 Ben elevated Che sights of his riiie. and, resting ii against a 

 tree, sighted and fired. Bv accident thelead sped true to 

 its mark, and the bird fell" dead upon the water beneath, 

 .lust at this moment old Dave, wiih his slow, gliding; siill 

 hunter walk, came up to where we were standing. 



'A pretty good shot," I said to him. as coming to a hall 

 lie leaned his long hunting rifle against the tree under which 

 we stood. 



"Pretty fair, pretty fair," he replied; enemost as good as 

 1 wonst made myself." 



•Well, Dave, tell us about that shot," 1 said. 



Hitching up his panls and making them more secure wilh 

 a thorn, which he had substituted for a button, h- sank 

 slowly down upon a projecting root, and began as follows: 



"You see. 'twas while me and Tom Powell u as a renin' 

 up on Sky Lake endurin' the high water of ,">8. We was -o 

 busy a-euttin' out our float road we dideiit have lime to 

 hunt, so one day just afore sundown we found out we 

 dident have any grub. So what does I do but pick up old 

 JS.etsy, which she was a long Kaneiuck rifle what 1 had 

 named altera gal 1 was sweet on. wbal lived down on Big 

 Ghaffurliar, an' says 1 to Tom. says I. Til irit cr duck.' So 

 1 walked down lo the bank of the lake, an' all I seed was 

 three woolly-heads about a quarter Of a mile from shore. 

 Says 1 to myself, 'It's duck or no meat, an' anyways I'll try 

 ver.' So I u]i an' drawed a coarse bead on the nearest one, 

 an' when old Betsv -poke if thai duck diden! turn over on 

 his back dead as a doornail my name aim Dave. Well, 

 think- I to myself, -One duck won't be much for two hongry 

 men.' so 1 loaded up Old Betsy agin, an' by thai time them 

 Other two ducks was dean a'niost out o sight. Von -u: 

 they dident fly when 1 shot, the first one, but kept a-swinimin' 

 cross the lake. So I Hung up old Bets an' gin cr Squint 

 long her top side, an' then I gin her a kindei tilt an' pulled 

 trigger, an' would you a- believed it I killed both of them 

 vuliicr ducks, for they was swimmin' in a Line, von see " 



"How far oit, Dave," said Ben II., "do you think those 

 last ducks were when you pulled Iriggi V:" 



"That's hard lo tell," answered Dave, "but as near as I 

 can come at it, it. must a been about two mile, anyways it 

 took Tom jest one hour to go in his dugout an fetch 'em in. 

 and 1 think he was a paddling aboul a four-mile li r k all the 



time." 



As neither of us madcanv remarks on this extraordinary 

 Shot, Dave look a chew of tobacco and continued, "That 

 was about as long a range allot as I ever knowed, exceplin' 

 wonst, an that was the time a fellow shot me clean through, 

 down at the mouth of Big Sunflower. " 



We did not eil her of ns express any surprise at this last 

 remark, only Ben said, -Well. Dave, tell US how that hap- 

 pened. '' 



■■Well, you see-," he went on in his low monotonous mat- 

 ter of-iad touo, " 'twas While I was a workin' a long old 

 Billv Tucker jesl above the mouth of this ver Very river, 

 when one day We boys found wchad about run shovi o' had 

 fur bullets, lii them days wcdidcnl have these ver new-fangled 

 guns (giving a conlcmpluous glance at Ben's Winchester) 

 what you load with brass thimbles. We had lo mould our 

 bullets, an' a- I said we had sorter run short o' lead to make 

 'am, so we concluded, as there was always a good manj of 

 them scatter-gun fellows travclin' up an down on the boats, 

 as how we'd skin er deer an' stuff him, an' put stick- in ins 

 legs, an' set him up on the pint jest in front ov a big sand 

 hank, knowin' that every boat that went by they'd be a pop- 

 pin' away at him. Sun- enough, the- lirsi boal that come 

 along, bang! bang! went their gun6, till if you'd a bin thar 

 you'd a thought another war had done broke out down the 

 river. Well, 'twas pretty much ihe samethmgev 

 an' ! think we must a due- about a hundred an 'fifty pounds 

 o' lead i r that bank every lime one Went by. Ilowsom- 



evcr, after a while the thing loaked out, an' as we had 

 enough lead to lasi us aboul ten year, we look our game 

 down. 



"Will, one dav old (.'apin' Wilev he landed his boal al 

 old Billy's camp a:,' called me to come aboard, an" when 

 he'd got me ahind the pilot-house, savs he. Dave,' says he, 

 'i'm going to have ar big load ov them thai ahnotin J fellows 

 up from Yicksburg 00X1 nip. an' I waul you to have old 

 Billy- |„i decrs dowu on the pint when you hears me a 



blow-in' down the river. Von si 



them thar fellows that we will s, 

 ihe Sunflower, an' he wont be ; 

 rigid', says I. spn-.en as how yt 



wbi. 'All right,' says lie, We 



.' says be. 'I wan: 

 ■ a dew soon as we strikes 

 .leal deer neither.' 'All 

 'il go iia, nns in whal vou 



the "Id Argo. that was the name o' Capin Wily 's boal, 

 blowin' down the river, ■.,, I _i|s a head o' cabbage an I tolls 



Uiciu decrs down lo ihe pint. Well, presently I seed the 

 boat push her nose round Ihe bend way down tbe river, so 

 1 laid thai oabbage down on the sand, an' I crept into the 

 edge of the bushes, an' ihar 1 -ol down a tbiukin' all the 

 lime how much my bavuiis in that bet would be. when the 



first tiling I knoWed so iMug'boul a-Sblg-asuiy list took 



me "(hip'"' fight in He- small of my back, an' when 1 turned 

 around an' seed er pull' u\ while smoke curl up from the 

 hurricane roof of (he boat. I knowed (hen I wa- -lioi lot 

 certain. You see, one of them .-hootin' fellows had one uv 

 them old-fashion Dutch ynwgers Hiai carried about a pound 

 an' a half hall, an' he had plngged me clean through, though 

 that boat must a bin at least five miles off when he pulled 

 trigger on them decrs. for 1 bcerti afterwards il was by 

 accidcni be hit inc." 



"Pretty near killed you, too, didn't it, Dave?" said Ben W. 



"Yes, pretty nigh," said Dave, yfiry slowly, as lie took 

 another cht w of tobacco, "laid me up for enomoal a week." 



Alas for poor old Dave. His body "lies a. mouldering iu 

 the ground." and be will be no more. He has crossed over 

 lb" river. He has l'oiiii In tlie ".-piril land, " and doublless 

 the "Spirits," aS he always (-ailed the demon in hi- -liille 

 brown jug"— more deadly tar than "Dutch yawgers '— had 

 much to do with Ids unlimciy biking oil. 1'eaei- lo iiis 



bones. TnfcKAnoE. 



THE GRADY COMPROMISE BILL. 



i'n.A. N. Y.. April 21, 1882. 

 hjiiO-r r<n;»i nut/ Slntit,,: 



I have i be Compromise Bill. Senate Doc. 'loo. We haw 

 carefully read it four editorial, "Patent Coffee Mil!,'* is 

 as applicable to l hi.- as i,, the <)'( o„r,or bill This bill is all 

 destruction and no protection. It opens ihe New York 

 market practically without limit, especially on woodcock, 

 tosupply summer resorte from. July to February, Mow York 

 is the great center from which illegal game is distributed 

 over tin whole country. AYith the allowed month for sale 

 after open sca--on. both .luiv and August are open lo them. 

 by Which I in- ■law-breakers" can "skin" the whole State, 

 while the law-abiding, who need no law. got entirely "left." 



The "private park* scheme iff the most dangerous one for 

 the public interests CV er put forward. The lastrieritag Oi 

 the public for health and recfesttoa i- in. danger of being 

 turned info a vast "monopoh " for supply of the New York 

 markets, and that loo in the near future upon mere 

 proclamation. Sportsmen going to the Adrrondaoks will 

 soon lim: themselves "not invited.'' 



The whole plan Of this "ill is a- had as possibh c ;m be: ii 

 is as bad as no law. or worse, it is a mere gloss and shun. 

 The penal section abolishes the present accumulation of 

 penalties for each bird. fish, etc., so that for the immense 

 profits of New York markets, as receivers of illegal gome 

 and lish in "monopoly." is imposed a mere paltry penally of 

 twenty dollar-, which they Can cheerfully pay for the mo- 

 nopoly privilege. 



I'bc.-eelion allowing the "surrender" of game "illegally 

 killed," in "exemption of civil and criminal prosecution." 

 is ;l he.oiiilul piece ( ,f sentimental philanthropy, for the 

 benclit of the thousands who merely -hooij'or pleasure, and 

 not for game, it nullities the whole law. 



1 cannot go over the whole bill; the above is a specimen. 

 We sb.-.ll take measure-- lo defeat ii. and it w ill be defeated, 

 even if we get no amendment of benefit this year, ti isto 

 lie hoped thai sportsmen will wake up lo ihe full sense Of 

 the dangers and mistakes of se. kingepecial privileges, ami 

 of looking for their interests in a bill gotten up by 

 attorney of Xew York market men and pushed with cham- 

 pagne and- cigars; .bui\ l>. Collins, 



" Vice-Pres. UliciiFisb. and (iame Protective Association, 



ILLINOIS GAME NOTES. 



D[ IKS, geese and a few swans plenty here this year, on 

 all tin small sireanis. more so than for several years 

 past ; any number of them may be seen ; a friend of mine 

 killed nine ducks al one shot last week. 



Small eame. as prairie chicken-, rabbits, quail, etc., in 

 abundance in season, tjuailso plentiful Uuil in Books 01 a 

 dozen or more they will alight in trees not. fifteen feet from 

 the house where 1 am stopping, Lots uf foxesi "ihe woods 

 are full of them." Any number of rabbits, their I rack-- may 

 be seen in. the snow all around the houses and barns inside 



tbe -Uv h;:.is. Di 



ring the vs 



inter \ 



ve trapped them every 



night within forty 



feet of 11 



e iiou 





came in here with S 



0| iosell. 



Thei 



hunt them with doga 



aud ferret--, also eh 



KG 1 in-ill i 



lie sni 



w drifts, where, unable 



to run. they are -la 



ighteied w 



ith oil 



lis. 



The .game lawao 





espect 



•il nor en forced. Parties 



go out daily for eh 





ail, an 



1 rabbits. Natural re- 



.suit, the supply i 



lasi dei 





. which, as far as the 











Wasreouesicd by s 



line frieni 



S tO :.-' 



wiih them after quail, 



being informed gnu 







: but althougn 



Was in 





in clOSi 



a- WOll a- i 



of thea 



darkies !>: 



sbllt, (A 



er twice lln 



the con 



dry. 



.lul.ll-T 



Ill . April 13 



lot entirely away 



■ipp; I saw'several 

 which Ibey had 

 m.l in Ihis part of 



ClIM'Ml -Mi. 



Bl'TTF. C'lTY, Mont., April i."i. — Al Ihe second annual 

 meeting of Butte City Rod and Gun Club, {hi tollowing 

 ofncerB were fU-r<t*l: President, l-\ ( . r 

 dent, Henry ?ouug; Secretory, Fred. Gilbert: Treasurer, 

 E. s. Passon. We hi vea clnbof thirty live momb r . vie, 



fare, and regard thegamelaw like true sportsmen, A com 

 mittee was appointed to do all in their,ppw«r to bring to 

 justice certain parties who have for a long time :■ 

 e-ardiici ii. DuV first club shoot was bold on !•'; ill 

 hut, Although a cold wind wilh dashes of -now prevailed, 

 sOme good -core- were made. Our treasurer made a hit and 

 ray the medal, which, by the way, wasa leather 

 oik of line' finish, and shows excellent workmanship — 

 B. Utte. 



