284 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Mat 10, 1883. 



appendage or nrm hanging down into the Water, which, 

 from his acgiudntance with the sepia, be concluded to he 



that of the squill, being probably the iml.s one left after the 



fcal hud puiriiiod r.v been devoured. 

 Such "as likewise the opinion of a navigator of much ex 



perieuce am] long observation in the scenery of the Noitli 



Atlantic then ein board, who remarked thai the corrupting 

 lump was intolerably fetid and ollensivr. lo man. and would, 

 if the brig was- suffered to ran against It, impregnate her 

 with the foulness and stencil for the whole voyage. She 



u accordingly kept to Ihe windward for the purpose of 

 flTOtdingit, but the smell was. notwithstanding, extremely 

 nauseous and disgusting. 



On en nversiug with mariners in Hie While Sea, such 00- 

 cnrrcnces wi'ir spoken of by them as too eommon to excite 

 mueh attention or anv doubt. 



Afterward, while at Drnntheirn. in Norway, ('apt. N, 

 diseoui'seii with practical men concerning tliiims of this 

 kind. The prevailing idea was that such drifting lumps 

 were by no means uueommon; that they were bodies Or 

 Eragmenta of [mge squids; that these were sometimes borne 

 iiw:i\ i>\ tin- Maelstrom current, and, engulfed and dashed 

 to pieces by its whirlpools, and thus these broken trunks 

 and limbs sometimes casl on shore and sometimes tossed 

 about on the sea. 



tt is supposed that squids and whales inhabit the same 

 tracts Of Ocean, because the former furnishes food for the 

 latter, at leiist for the oachalats, orco, and other-toothed aid 

 voracious species, 



SPRING BIRDS OF NEBRASKA, 



I'.V A. 1 1 A 1.1, 



union l'n.ra , -ti'/'i , iJi//'«i//iw7i.< liarlr. — This species 

 is a verv shy bird in Ohio, "but here it is quite tame, and 

 takes hut little notice of man. They are often seen follow- 

 ing the plow like blackbirds; 



53. American Magpie — Pia rufti^i liiiil.-,„>ii,;i (Cab.) Ridg. 

 —An irregular visitor, I am told that they were quite com- 

 mon years ago. but uow thev are rarely seen iu this vicinity. 



54 Eluc.Ja;: — ::,//< n- •:?(„■ «..• j-.tnt.t (I jStt.rkl — This spe-jus 

 is rare in Ibis' vicinity, but one seen, April 30, 



55. Kingbird — Tgra n mis nuviinintis lid. —Common j 

 breeds, Arrives in May. 



oli, Arkansas Flycatcher— Ti/riiiinm: irrtlrulis Sm : ;iv, 

 this species in open prairie, perched upon weeds, watching 

 for their insect prey. Habit- like the preceding, hut not so 

 common. 



57. Bay's Pewee— Sayomia «'/// Bd. — Baw this species 

 only tin wooded streams. H was very shy and I was able 

 lo procure hut one specimen. 



: Nighl Hawle— Ghorrieilex popdu* lumryi Oasa,— Tlie 

 night hank is exceedingly abundant here. J have counted 

 upWarfl Of fifty at one time as they were darling about in the 

 in , .in l.iug 'insects. When perching, this species sits 

 lengthwise of a limb, generally roosting upon a tree, while 

 the whip-poor-will roosts upon a log or the ground. These 

 i -. ,i -; „ etes are often colil'ounded, but are ilislinguishable by 

 tin- conspicuous while wing bars of the night hawk. This 

 variety, he-nryi, is lighter and grayer on the back than its 

 eastern representative, but there are no other marked differ- 

 ences. It nestS upon the ground, and lavs but two eggs. 



,V.i, Itched Kingfisher— da ill oh-i/oii (l„) Boie.— Com- 

 mon, breeding upon suitable streams of the West. Nests in 

 a hole in bank, excavated by the bird. Eggs pure while. 



(to. Hairy Woodpecker— Finis niJhmiix 1..— A regular 

 migrant, bill not abundant. Specimens taken. 



01 Red-headed W i ii id] lecker- M&oih rpeti erythroespTiaius 

 1 1, i sv, \ot uueommon in spring. 1 saw no woodpeckers 

 in this vicinity until April. 



03. Golden-wing Woodpecker— C'ohiit&awaAwsQLi.) SwW 

 Abundant, Breeds. 



03. Hybrid Woodpecker— O'l'tplrs hi/hnilus B.iird.— 

 Abundant in company with preceding. Examined several 

 Specimens, The one now before me has red maxillary patch 

 (black feathers hardly noticeable), wings and tail under- 

 neath, yellow oramre.'. shafts reddish. 1 may be wrong iu 

 placing this as a distinct specie,. Would like to bear from 

 some one upon the subject. 



04. Red-shafted Woodpecker— t'nlaptts »«'.'/.vi;.«s Sw.— 

 This species is rather rare here, but 1 succeeded in taking 

 an undoubted specimen of this species. 



05. Great Horned Qvt\—fittli» d/yiiiiftmis Cm.— One 

 specimen taken, I think Its occurrence here accidental, as 

 there is no heavy timber suitable for "breeding. 



00. Short-eared Owl- _!-■/■ -in-ip:'/, it, "■- Pall. — Resident. 

 and abundant. Breeds in May. Found nest in hollow of 

 willow stub, fifteen feet from the ground, in which about 

 two feet from the top. upon decayed wood, two while eggs 

 leposited, This species generally nests upon the 

 ground in burrows. 



" 07 Burrowing Owl — SjMOtit/to einiirnlnrifi /<(//■■'■..,,.. < 

 This species is exceedingly abundant, breeding iu the bur- 

 rows of the prairie dogs. On approaching one of these dog 

 towns, you will see these little owls perched upon one of the 

 innumerable little eminences that mark a village, standing 

 erect upon their long legs, bowing and nodding, until their 

 breasts almost touch I he ground. They are quite tame at 

 first, and are then easily Secured, but after a few shots, they 

 become very shy and fly up out of range. 1 never saw them 

 take to the 'hole's unless wounded. 1 dug info several of 



these holes for eggs, hut failed tooi.taiu any; 1 succeeded 

 in finding one, however, within -a foot of the entrance of a 



hole. II was pure white and fresh. This was last week in 

 May. 



08 Marsh Hawk— Cimi« rymii-nn Innl-oniiis (L.) Cs. — On 



plains of the West I saw this species in great 



abundance skimming about in all directions in quest of mice 

 and small birds upon which they subsist. The nest is placed 

 npoh the ground and is composed of dry weeds and grass 

 only The Ogga are live in number, of a dull while color, 

 with light bluish tint. Upon approaching a nest of this 

 species the old bird IVw off and circled about just above 

 my head, uttering in rapid succession the notes /•</»/, kuy, 

 km, and as SOOB as I had retired a lew rods, she at once 

 returned to her eggs, T did not remove them for several 

 days, but. visited them daily, and at each approach thesame 

 performance would be gone through wilb. Occasionally 

 the female would 11 v off and bring her better half to the 

 rescue, bill be being a great coward kept at a respectable 

 distance. 



Oil Swallow-tail Kile— AVcWeVs f.vJir.u'iiK Os.— A regu- 

 lar visitor. While walking along Wood River one very 

 windy day, I saw a hue specimen of this beautiful i- 

 darl into i lit brush ami light upon a, small tree, and as be 

 sat there struggling with the wind. I ru.sily crept to within 



easy range, and added another rare bird to my list. This is 

 the Only one I saw. 



70. Lftflier Falcon— Fiifn nii.rirnii (,., Lieht.— This species 

 is apparently not very abundant in this locality, 1 -au hm 

 two, and they were following up- the streams, ft was im- 

 possible for liie to shoot one , r even to get a shot. The pair 

 1 saw Hew directly over my head, but before I could raise 

 rny gun they were out of range. 



'71. Richardson's I law k— Falco richnnlsoiii Ridg.- Not 

 uncommon. Plumage, lighter on back than its Eastern 

 ally : no other marked difference; size about same. 



73. Sparrow Hawk — Fain/ spuri-trii/s L. — Abundant. 

 Breeds, The- Ohio hawk law which offers a bounty on'all 



hawks. Ought lo be altered so as not to include this beautiful 

 ami useful species. The sparrow hawk kills great numbers 

 of mice and noxicus insects, and therefore should be pro- 

 tected instead <>l' being killed. 



73. Swainson's Hawk — Buteo steaiiisoni lip. — This 

 species is very abundant. During migrations almost every 

 tree contained one. They were quite tame, and Basil] op 

 pioaeheil. They do not tarry long before leaving for their 

 breeding places, in Not litem Dakota and Northwest. 



74. Rough-legged llaw-k— Ari'/rilHti'o hfippiis siiwti jo- 

 haunts (Cm.) Ridg.— This species is very abundant in winter, 

 .and subsists enlirely upon mice, frogs and small rodenls. 

 It seldom if ever preys upon birds. 



7,7. Ferruginous Rough-leg Hawk — Archibllteo feiTU* 

 ijim -its (Lieht.).— Its occurrence here is accidental. One was 

 taken near Grand Island, Neb., in winter of 1881. 



70. Fish Hawk, Osprey — Pan/lion ImUaciius Sav.— Not 

 uncommon on Platte River. 



78. Golden Eagle - Ai/iiitn rltriisni'his CuV, — An irregular 

 visitor. I received a fine specimen of this species in the 

 flesh, shot January, 1881, from my friend F. W. Powi II 



78. Turkey Blizzard— OaffuirtW (twa I..— Common. 

 Arrives from the South early in April, and probably bri ,-,!-.. 



^0. Carolina Dove — Ztntaiiltiru oawoWiMmm Bp. — Abun- 

 dant, nesting upon the ground, on the banks of wooded 

 si reams. Found none nesting in trees. 



. y 0. Sharp-tail Grouse — Mi/t'.m Its p/inshi/i, this rtAiimliitimis 

 Os. — This species is no longer a resident of Northeastern. 

 Nebraska, where it once used to breed. A few winier, in 

 company with the prairie hen. breeding in North Nebraska 

 and Dakota. 



81. Pinnated Grouse— CupUhmia mpi&o Bd.— Abundant, 

 svery year, notwithstanding the de- 



f eggs every year by prairie fires. I 



and b, 

 structi 



found e 



Vi: 



, l':i 



ridg,.— Orfit v 



I'd in this way 



Bp.— The quail, 

 or Bob White, is quite abundant, but is confined mostly to 

 thick wooded streams. I have, however, seen them far out 

 UpOB the Opett prairies. They are seldom shot by the resi- 

 dents who say that they are too small to kill. 



S3. Kildeer Plover— JlgviUtvs cociftnis Cass. —I was very 

 miieh disappointed, in nol seeing more plovers. I bad ex- 

 pected to get several species, and this is the only one of the 

 family i saw. The kildeer arrives the last week in March, 

 and breeds iu May. 



84. Avocet— Seairvimatra amerioam Cm.— My friendF. 



W. Powell shot a line specimen of this species upon the 



Platte River in the, spring of 1.888. 



86, Wilson's Phalarope — Stegangpu* tcilsqni Cs.— Appa- 

 rently not verv common. I took two specimens, male and 

 female, which' were the only ones I saw. They probably 

 breed upon the Platte. 



80. Wilson's Snipe, English Snipe — QaUilUfrjo wilsoni 

 Pp.— Apparently rare in spring; but one specimen was seen 

 on the Platte River. 



87. Bemipalmated Sandpiper— Ereuneta pmilltu - aM ..' 

 aHi Gs. — A .common migrant. 1 baveexomined several of 

 this so-called Western semipalmatcd sandpipers, and I think 

 it identical with B. pttsOktsai the East. Would like lo hear 

 from others upon this subject 



SS Least Sandpiper — Af-Uulrnmns mhitillllu Cs. — Common 

 on Loup River, feeding upon the mud bars. When standing 

 perfectly still upon these bars they would run around me 



like chickens. 



89. Baird's Sandpiper — Aefodr 



species arrives from the south in s 

 is i he most abundant of the family. 



90. Great Marbled Godwit— lam 

 moil migrant, frequenting the sand 



91. Greater Tattler— Ibtanm 

 migrant ; common. This Species 

 long, yellow legs— hence the name. 

 I look's fish three inches long. 



Lesser Tattler — TMnniu jtiiripis Gm. — Regular mi- 



ninis birinli Cs. — This 

 nail flocks in April, and 



sa t'ceda Grdv— A corn- 

 bars of the Platte. 



■•• ■'.'-■• Gm. — A regular 

 - easily identified by its 



From the throat of one 



nl. Co] 



< Imigic, 



mil an 



i hni/iriMi 



dry 'place 



prolong 



mlu Cs.— Corn- 

 week in April, 

 often killed by 



Wils.— 



,-bere it 



vhistle 



vcr, in shooting live by 

 1 the flock and urging 



it. — A common 



rit's vii/f/itiuis Os. — Com- 



98, Barlramiau Tattler— Burtnoiu 

 rurally known as upland plover, An 

 Breeds in May. They are very tami 

 the herders with their long whips. 



04, Long-billed Curlew- At/ ,/»■/// 

 Common on the Platte, and also upo 

 feeds upon various insects. It uttei . 

 that can lie heard a great distuuec. Breeds on the Platte n 



98 Eskimo Curlew^ Hfiummrtu MreMl L— This species 

 arrives upon the wheat fields in April in small flocksand. ' 



then very shy, 1 succeeded, h 



him sidewi.se until within easy 



96. Great Blue Herc-n 

 migrant, seen on wooded -treat 



97. /.etleru, Stake. Iriver— »J 

 mon. Breeds iu May. 



98. Whooping Crane— fin>s mnevininit (L.) Temm.— A 

 common migrant. Wliile camping upon the Platte. Riyer, 

 1 had a good opportunity to watch these beautiful birds as 

 thev came in from the praiiies every evening. Usually 

 fifteen or tWEIity were seen together, flying close to the 

 water's edge in single tile. They would alight upon a sand 

 bar at a distance of perhaps fifty rods from me, carefully 

 folding their beautiful wings, and strutting proudly about, 

 This species is very shy, and impossible to take with an culi- 

 nary shot gtm. 1 offered a bounty of five dollars apiece, hut 

 failed to secure a single specimen. The white crane arrives 

 about the middle of March, and none are seen her.' after 



'.ill. Sandhill Crane— Unis eaiiarfeiisi* (L.) Temm.— This 

 species is as large as a turkey, and is equally asgood eating. 

 They seem to delight in mounting high in the air, and soar- 

 iinr around iu thesame manner as the turkey buzzard, utter- 

 in" as I hey go, a coarse, rolling, rattling note., somewhat 

 like that of the fame pigeon, but very much louder. They 

 i M ii ,n Ibe Platte in June. 



t00 i arolihn Rail— 7W- ■ -' ,,„ L,.)V, -A very rare 



migrant. 1 saw but one specimen on the Platte. My friend, 

 F. W. Powell, a very close observer of birds, tells me that 



bl nev.r saw it before. 



101. Coot, Mud Hen — Fulka ameticatia Cm.— Common. 

 Breeds upon small lakes near Roup River. 



102. U bite Homed Goose— .lew o/bifroits Gm.— A tare 

 migrant. One specimen was taken upon tin Platte by F. W. 

 Powell in spring of 1881. 



103. Snow Goose— Chen hypsrboreus Boie.— Locally called 

 brant. It is the niosi abundant of all the geese 1 saw upon 

 the Platle. and the most difficult to shoot, as th63 Qy very 

 high and seldom come within range. As they sit upon the 

 sand bars thev look, in the distance, like huge' snow banks. 



They leave the Platte Cor their northern breeding places the 



last week of April. 



104. Canada (Joosi — Befniclti rmimh nsis Boie. — Regular 

 migrant, but not so common as the following. Locally 



(Idled ■'Mississippi goose." 



io.y iiiitehins Goose*— Bernkta canadensis hvUHfinti 

 Cs,— Same as preceding, hut smaller. Hunters who 

 make a business of shooting geese for their featln r- tell me 

 that one man has been known to kill forty in a single day 

 with a shoulder gun. I saw hundreds of them .silting upon 

 the ice early in March. All geese leave the Plane by the 

 last week of April 1 do not regard a spring goose as lit to 

 eat. They are lean and taste very fishy. 



106. Mallard Puck— Anas bosetis L — Regular migrant. 

 A few remain to breed. 



107. American Widgeon— .\ltn-fn vmerieQM Gm. — A 

 regular migrant, but not common. 



108. Green-wing Teal- Qverqueduki avtoTmenm Steph. 

 -A common migrant, frequenting the small streams Are 

 considered worthless as food being too email 



ion, Blue-Wing F. :.l - -V" "/'" •'"'" tK»WS Steph.— A 

 regular migrant, but not so common as the preceding. 



no. Shoveller Duck—Spatula cfypeatm Boie. Saw them 

 in company with teal. Not common. 



On. Merganser — MergUn mei'ffaftW I. —A common mi- 

 grant. 



111. Hooded Merganser— Mny.- <->„„//,itiis L. — Occa- 

 sionally seen in winter, hut rather rare. Mr, T, W, Powell 

 shot a pair in the winter of 1880. 



118. White Pelican.—^ PeUwtnm traeia/fJipndlim Lath.— 



Occasionally seen on the Platte River. 

 IIS, Herring Gull— Lnrus urt/en/iitiis Bn. — A common 



migrant. 



114. Franklin's Rosy QnU — C/in'/rorfp/mlns frunhiini 

 Rich.— Rather rare. Saw a small flock of five flying up the 

 Platte River, which were the only ones I saw. 



THE MAINE TAXIDERMIST LAW. 



F,iit„r Fares! nut! Stream: 



The Maine Legislature of 1883 has 

 parts of acts authorizing the appoiattt 



and also Section 17 of ('hap. 50 Pub. I 



TJii previsions r,f this set shall net 

 commissioned by IheGovernor with the 

 to take and kill birds for scientific pu 



epealed "all acts and 

 •fit of taxidermists," 

 awsof 1878. Chap. 

 t. 17 reads as follows; 



q.plv to taxidermists 



irivice of the council, 

 poses, provided thev 



kill the birds for such purposes only." 



No law has been enacted as a substitute whereby the cause 

 of science may he legally advanced, and so tar as I can learn, 

 the only argument in favor of the repeal of "Ibis law was that it 

 had been viilated and its privileges abused. Such an argu- 

 ment can he applied tosomeof our most wise and beneficent 

 laws, and tie p "IL-v ot tola! pr. :l:'i Lion of reason: IT? pr:- 

 ilf-f.es not only fails in practice to remedy abuses, but really 

 aggregates and increases evils arising therefrom. Yet the 

 ,'■ u ■/■■ i 'oils advocates of such a policy are seldom convinced, 

 even with constantly repeated examples before them, of the 

 fallacy of their theories. Upon such a reasoning one might 

 advocate a perpetual close lime for game, because thepriv- 



Heges allowed ^ertjjqglfcm gg*J»j g^g^ggS 



rorVeTnactn^ so often urged by 



theoretical zealots of little or no practical knowledge and 

 experience, tend toward extreme prohibition and the final 

 abolishment of field sports or the alternative revulsion ot the 

 popular sentiment in favor of legal restrictions. In regard 

 to this taxidermist law 1 may claim to have some practical 

 knowledge, both as regards its bearing on the cause of science 

 ami tiie ett'eel or." He. la" "' praem-e. 



In the Fish and Game Commit ! : ' : "' ! i 



1880 I inserted a list of fish and game law violations prose- 

 cuted during six months of tbat year. In that list was the 

 following item; 



"Fillinf song birds in June, 1880. Fines and costs paid. 



In this case tin example was made of a taxidermist who 

 Was Shooting hirdB-dnrmg the breeding season for the sole 

 object of selling their skins for millinery purposes. Ami 

 such abuses are" much more easily detected and punished 

 than ordinary violations of our fish and game laws. It is 

 possible tbat'iu a few instances there have been taxidermists' 

 licenses issued to persons who neither practice taxidermy 

 nor seek to attain, for themselves or others, any information 

 or a collection of a scientific nature. This matter could 

 eag |ly | uanied. however, by a requirement for all ap- 

 pointments and licenses of taxidermists to be approved by the 

 Commissioners of Fisheries and Came, either upon each ap- 

 plication before appointment or upon each license to render 

 it of effect. . . , 



Omitting those who might attempt to procure taxider- 

 mists' licenses for a fancied shield of game law violations, 

 there are two classes of persons to whom such licenses 1, 

 been issued herelolore, and by whom such would be son. 

 (if possible to be obtained) in the future. These ! wo classes 

 are the professional taxidermists and the students or orni- 

 thology the two often being combined in one. 



The' professional taxidermist who. by his skill, can pre- 

 serve in natural form and appearance specimens tor our 

 'natural history societies or game birds for sportsmen, aud by 

 his labor add'to his needed income for a maintenance, and 



e i niiholoeieal student, who must necessarily kill birds to 

 ea rn by close i lamination what cannot otherwise be deter- 

 mined/ It was my pleasure lo personally solicit and obtain 

 the appointment of a non-resident ot Maine as a laxtt ermist, 

 one who has CO! several years visited i-crtaiu oeahlics here 

 each summer for the purpose of studying the birds I o be 

 found, a gentleman known as one ol the leading ornithol- 

 mrist.s of the United States. ,. et. this year he must abstain 

 entirely from further pursuit of his scientific invest. gi.tions 

 of the small land birds in Maine, else render himself liable 

 lo the odium and possible penalties of violating our Jaws. 

 In mv catalogue of the "Birds of Maine, recently pub- 

 lished', I have quoted notes received in correspondence witn 

 many persons resident in this State who are interested in 



ght 



