Mat 17, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



SOS 



Woodcock--/''.' Summer resident; breeds. 



Arrives about (be 1st of Aptil. 



Wilson's Snipe — ffamnaffo imikoni.- Common during 

 spriuir and fall migration. 



Still Sandpiper -Mirrni»il.ni/iti. /itiii/tnlopus. — Avery rare 

 migrant on 1 ake Erie. 



Pectoral Sandpiper Vrin,gt), Sj/WW&lfto.— Common during 

 spring and Ml migration. 



tndpipei — Yringa nwiittdltt. — Migrant; not com- 

 mon in spring, but abundant in the fall. 



American Dunlin — Trinyti ,dpin<i, var. aiiirrii'una. — A not 

 uncommon spring and fall migrant on Lake Krie. 



Semipalmated Sandpiper— JUrewietet pufiUut. — Common 

 during migration. 



Sanderling, Ruddy Plover -Ca.lid.ri* armaria, — .\ com- 

 mon spring and fall migrant. 



Marbled Godwit * I/mosa- fivda. — Rate spring and fall 

 migrant. 



Greater Yellow-legs;— lottimia tudanokucM. — Not uncom- 

 mon during spring and fall migration. 



Yellow-legs— Toiainix Jlacipn.— Common during spring 

 and fall migration. 



Spoil a 1 Sandpiper— Triayoiiks inanikiriv*. —Quite eom- 

 [ih.ii Minimer resident ; breeds. Arrives about (be middle of 

 April. 



Long-billed Curlew— Nuaanias Jonffiroxtris, —Occasionally 

 Beau during spring and fall migration. 



Wilson's Ph.-ilnro' < ga„ pa* irihoiti.—Vvw have been 

 taken during spring and fall migration. 



Marsh Ilea - /?.i,''"-. rhyans.—ln some localities a summer 

 resident: breeds in tin' swamps in the northwestern pari of 

 the State. 



Virginia Rail — Ball a* rdrginiivnm. — Common during 

 spring and fall migration in some localities if is a summer 

 resident ; uceeas. Arrives about tbe 1st of April. 



Carolina Rail; Bora Rail— Banana earoliiw,, — In some 

 localities a common summer resident; breeds. 



Yellow Rail — Borzaaa i>>rd,i>racan<h. — Not common 

 spring and fall migrant. 



Florida G-alHnule— GaUinvla yakakt.—A common sum- 

 mer resident in the marshes; breeds. 



Cool — Folic,, amrriraim. — A. common spring and fall mi- 

 grant; summer resident in some localities; breeds. 



Snow Goose— Apser /(,/iirrborn'*.— An occasional spring 

 and fall migrant 



:i i i (loose — Brantu caiwdfiuit. — Common during 

 spring and fall migration. 



Mallard Duck— Anas bosfm.—, Ah abundant spring and 

 fall migrant. 



Dusky Duck, Black Milliard— Ana* obscum.—Commov 

 during spriug and fall migration. 



Pintail, Springtail— Bqfila aettta.— Quite common during 

 spring and fad migration. 



American Widgeon, Baldpate.— Mareca aowrimva.— Com- 

 mon during spring and fall migration. 



Bhoveler>— Spatula elypeatdr.— Common during migration; 

 few breed in some localities. 



Blue-winged Te&X—Querquedula ducors.—An abundant 

 spring and fall migrant. 



(.-riven-winged Teal— Q'/frqituduhi carolinensi*. —Quite 

 common during spring and fall migration. 



Wood Duck. Summer Duck— Afx sponsa. — Common dur- 

 ing migration; some remain all summer; breed. Arrives 

 about the 1st of April. 



Little liinrkhead—Ji'uligiila affinis. —A very common 

 spring and fall migrant. 



Canvas-back Duck — Fali'/nta calliiarria. — Common spring 

 and fall migrant on the lake. 



Bedhead, Pochard— Fu^iOH fe.rioa, var. timanigBms— 

 Common; during spring and fall a migrant on the lake. 



Btdlle-headed Duck, Buflerball— Btuvphalo albeoLt..— Quite 

 common during spring and fall migration. 



A iiu-ricau Sheldrake. Merganser— Mertmi mergmser*-^ 

 Common during migration ; in part summer resident; breeds. 



Hooded Merganser— Morgan ewuUaias:— Common durimr 

 Spring and fall migration. 



Florida Cormorant— Chwvlun dilopiin*, var. Jloriflaoitb-.— 

 Occasionally seen during migration. 



Great Black-backed Gull— Lara* marinax. — A rare winter 

 visitor along the lake. 



American Herring GuU—Larus orgeiitatua.—A common 

 summer resident on the islands in the lake. 



Ring-billed Gull — Lara* ddawareiisi*. — Found during 

 Spring and fall migration. 



Bonaparte's QuW—Liu-ns Philadelphia!.— Common during 



Sl"'i".:i and fall u:Liaiio,. I,,,!;.,, fin., 



\\ ilson's Tern, Common Tern- S/mia. !!in:i<tti/its.—InsoTne 

 localities a .summer resident; breeds: in others only a spring 

 and fall migrant. 



Black Tern— HydrorheUdoa Jar if or mis. —In some localities 

 a common summer resident; breeds. 



Horned Grebe -Bodinp* run, <tfirs.— Rather common spring 

 and fall migrant. 



Thick hilled (h-ahii—PodUymhiin pod imps.— An abundant 

 •spring and fall migrant; in some localities a summer resi- 

 dent; breeds. 



Great Northern Diver, Loon— Colymbitx lorquatvs.—A 

 spring and fall migrant. 



Red-throated Diver— Oolymbw seplenlrionalis.—A. spring 

 and fall migrant; not rare on Lake Erie. 



A TAME QUAIL. 



HAVING read a good deal in your paper about the keep- 

 ing of quail in confinement, 1 came to the conclusion 

 I would tell you of a tame one that was in my mother's 

 f:onii\ before she was married. A friend of the family was 

 in a bird store in Boston, when a live quail was brought in 

 to be lamed, but the proprietor would not accept ft, saying 

 thai theic never was one tamed and he would not attempt 

 ll. and would not receive il. il was therefore given to the 

 gentleman mentioned above, and by him given to ray 

 mother. Ai first il was very wild, and so beat Itself against 

 the bars of the cage that they gavi it its liberty, and in a 

 few days il y:,o\v very tame. The hird would dust himself 

 out in the yard, and would llv across the si icct into some 

 bushes, bvd. at the, approach of a team would at once lly 

 back lo the house. When mv grandmother took clown the 

 bread-pan, be knew what il uieanl as well as she did herself. 

 He would follow every step she too* like a dog. She would 



pill oill her fool anil give him .: push, and slide him way 



acioss ihe floor; bui be would be back again in. « second 



and would not leave nor until -he gave him a lone thin -trio 

 of dough, which he would take by the end and "commence 

 loswajlow. Sqinetimi - the children would chuse him and 

 gel di. dough aw..\ from him, w uen he would commence to 

 yell until he got it hack. He would not whistle, but would 



make another kind of a noise. M.\ gieat-grandinother he 

 always haled, and would fly at her and pick her heels, and 



top of hi 



p-stanshi wot 

 Whistling all i 

 e sitting down 



1 have his wii 



would let hi 

 called Qua< 



beat her with his wings, all the feathei 

 standing np straight. If everybody was 

 hum through every room in the house, 

 lime. When be found them and thev wi 

 would spread himself on their dresses ai 

 siiviched out, and lay there as long as tbi 

 lie never had his wings clipped. lie w 

 and would always come when he was called, w bethel 

 oi oul. lie lived four or live years, and the family moving 

 into another house he was put in the cellar lo roost, and the 

 drat night the rats killed him. Dash. 



ChelsiU, Mass. 



THE PANTHER'S LEAP. 



I MUST crave permission to add a few words to the very 

 JL sensible article recently published in Fobebs and 

 Sri'.KAM on the panther, catamount, painter, lion, cougar, 

 puma or any other local name he may bear. This faci alone 

 stamps unrivalled character upon an animal found in the 

 length and breadth of both American continents, for, uhile 

 He African lion or tiger may be competitors in strength, in 

 agility he has no rival living. It is this single quality or 

 abilily I wish lo consider; the length anil powerjofhia 

 spring, whether it be to seize prey or lo reach a place of com 

 paralive safety when pursued. 



A gentleman of Iruih and candor said this to me: "I was 

 in Canada some years since, beyond Ihe St. Lawrence, in 



November. The family where 'l was stopping had ju.-t 

 finished Ihe usual slaughter of hogs and a beef for the year's 

 supply, and had hung Ihe beef against a pile of boards or 

 lumber to cool oil', or freeze, as is euslomary. A catamount 

 (the Indian name in New England) smelled the meat from 

 Ihe woods close by and crept out in the night lo get a piece. 

 in pulling down the quarter of beef he upset the whole pile 

 of lumber, which came down with a frightful noise, and he 

 made, three tremendous leaps from the spot. I -aw the 

 bracks in the snow; there was not a mark between them: 1 

 did nol measure the distance myself, but a man did. and. I 

 believe, correctlv. The first pimp was up bill, thirty feet, 

 I ho second, horizontal, to a large rock, fifty-four feet, the 

 third, down hill, sevcuty -two feet." 



A leap of thirty feet perpendicular lo the branch of a 

 I ree, or a forty-foot plunge after a fatal shot, and falling 

 dead almost al the hunter's feet, have been repeated until 

 ihe veracity is r.oi questioned., and after making all possible 

 allowance we must acknowledge I here is not u creature 

 living whose leap compares with il. 



The question then comes up, how is this superiority over 

 Cither animals attained? The answer we shall find in a little 

 natural philosophy and a mechanical law in animal economy, 

 since the (inal conclusion must be that all muscular action, 

 all the functions of life, are strictly mechanical, and thai 

 the locomotive is iis hesi representative in existence. Mind. 

 I do not speak of life itself, which, like, the engineer just 

 hack, directs and governs all. 



The key to the above question we shall rind in the coiled 

 wire spring. This spring, pressed down on a base and 

 liberated, leaps ahead further than any oilier form. The 

 reason is very simple. Every movement of substance must 

 start from a base unless moved by an outside force. The 

 coiled wire spring, when pressed down, becomes a solid its 

 entire length. When let loose, the first turn jumps from iis 

 base which is Hn [second; the second adds its fore, k. the 

 first, jumping from the third, and so in succession to the 

 last, which adds its force after the whole coil is flying from 

 the outside base of all. And this is precisely the case in the 

 panther's leap. The forelegs and head are shot forward 

 from the shoulders, the. powerful muscles of the back 

 stiaighlen the curve of the spinal column from the. hips, 

 While the great posterior muscles through ihe Achilles 

 tendon and over the longest lever in the animal economy, 

 add the last impetus to a body already shooting ahead like 

 an arrow. This serpentine flexibility is beautifully illus 

 trated in the menagerie when the keeper thrusts his slick 

 across the cage and orders Fhtee to jump over it. The head 

 and shoulders rise and gracefully curveover Ihe slick, begin- 

 ning to descend on the opposite side when the last impetus is 

 given by Ihe hind feet, and the body alights gently as ii rose, 

 seemingly without weight, concussion or the disturbance of 

 a leaf. B. Housfoed. 



ScniNm-aKi.D, Mass. 



Tin. War Aounst the English Si-akhow.— The Acad- 

 emy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia will discuss at its 

 n. xi meeting the question of the proposed extermination of 

 the English sparrow in Pennsylvania. A bill is now pend- 

 ing in the State Legislature, advocating the extinction of 

 the pest. Mr. B. 11. Warren, of the Society, has lately 

 dissected over five hundred of the birds, and has discovered 

 thai but a very small portion of them bad been feeding on 

 insects, hui found grain, seeds, etc., etc., had been eaten 

 Mr. W arr en has sent his report to the Academy, and it has 

 been referred to Mr. T. E. Gentry, a prominent ornitholo- 

 gist of the Society. Prof. Leidy. President of ihe Academy 

 favors the bill for the extinction of the English sparrow 

 or its being kept within proper bounds, and considers that 

 Mr. Warren's investigations prove the English sparrow to 

 be far from the blessing it was expected they would be. 

 Already the bird is becoming the target of the Flobert rifle 

 within the bounds of the city, and we expect before long to 

 see it used for trap purposes.— Homo. 



male from female, or young from adult, 

 day shooting song birds for their collection 



liayburn. of the Pennsyh 



spend day a 

 -. w hen piol 

 cilueu, Spl 



II. T 



hly 

 ker 



at infi 



•esl i 



lie 



'I'm: Taxiukiimists' ExiiiLunoN — New York, May 8. — 

 Editor Tforeet and Stream: Your liberal notice of the Tax- 

 idermists' Exhibition has iust come to mv attention and 

 since I mounted II. EL Warner's Old Frank'. I am compelled 

 to make an explanation, old Prank was elevon years old 

 andverj fat, and furthermore was siok for a yearwith a 

 tumor. Mr. Warner tried all the known Oiedloai skill lo 

 cure him, but to no avail, hence he was turned over to my 

 hands to chloroform. His fatness was no faull of mine, and 

 previous to his sickness her was a- good and staunch a dog 

 in the field us over stood on four legs.— T. W. Pii.un 



MiiiiM.us and Kono Bikds.— Philadelphia.— Kdihr 

 Forest md Stream: There is again greal complaini on the 



parlollhose who are interested in ihe protection of our 

 song and insectiVQTOUS birds ol Ihe indisci iniinah- slaughter 

 of all the varieties, under excuse of biljing lor scientific 

 purposes, when nearly all (he birds procured liud a place in 



the millinery stores for the ornamentation of [ad 



Our law allows tin.'. shooliug of birds al. any season of the 

 year lor -iri . I , scientific purposes; hut Should not some 

 qualification be made? Again, lads, unable to distinguish 



lortsman. Might not his attention be drawn lo Ihe 



%m\\t §ng m\& 0atf, 



forpub- 

 be „f help 



BOYHOOD REMINISCENCES.-III. 



PIGEONS. 



A \J HAT has become of all the wild pigeons? The vast 

 H flocks almost hiding the sun as they passed over in 

 their northern flight day after day. Why, I distinctly re 

 member one Hock that, crossed over Chenango Yalley, thai 

 was nearly a half hour from their first appearance until the 

 lasl of lie ■ many thousands m epl by. The sun was vvrilablv 

 obscured for the time. Many of tin: old inhabitants ol Ham- 

 ilton village will recall that incident; thai immense body of 

 swift moving creatures, stretching from hilltop to hilltop 

 across the entire valley. And innumerable smaller (locks 

 were in the air for davs. We see and hear nothing of such 

 numbers now. 



These were high times for us hoys. 8. S. Conant, tbe 

 able editor of tfaxpe)''* Weekly, was our next door neighbor, 

 and we huiiled in couples, of course. We wore of nearly 

 the same age. he claiming seniority by only about a half 

 year. Both miuisters' sons, and of course impecunious; 

 but he had a grandfather, and he got a gun first. "We used 

 to take turns in shots. How well 1 remember that first real 

 shotgun. Its old beeehwood stock, single barrel, and no 

 trigger guard. Ho you recall it, atillv Do vou remember In 

 our turns for shots, after vou had killed a 'robin and it was 

 my turn, and I had a good chance lo kill a red squirrel and 

 wouldn't, because 1 wanted ft crock at a gray, which 1 goi 

 and brought him down (a big one) after keeping you waiting 

 so long, how mad you got? Bui when you knocked over 

 that ruffed grouse running along the path in the maple woods 

 the tables wore turned. 



Bui in pigeon time. wIkh i he leaves woe ju-t budding 

 and an nature bursting out in ber sweetest smilesi in what 



clouds they came. Al Brat high up in the air, then lower. 

 then many alighting in the dillerenl patches of woods. 



Whal time- we usrd lo have in old Calkin's sugar bush. 

 Do you remember the old Mnoo;h-hoie nlle that I borrowed 

 of Dave Haseallv It had once been a grooved rifle and had 

 been bored out for shot. It was a good shooter, but it would 

 not reach Ihe clouds. The birds were living high, and il 

 was only now and I lion thai we could bring one down. So 

 in order nol to strain Ihe gun loo nrachl mounted to the 

 to]) of a big beech live and was getting Ihe advantage of 

 some of the others; but those were exciting limes, when the 

 air was so full of thing squadrons, and I did not m.-.-eurc 

 my last charge in thai tree top with the usual accuracy, for 

 the old bored-out weld ali to flinders, and 1 came out of that 

 lop with great acceleration. I struck four different limbs 

 in my descent before reaching the arouud, or this tale would 

 not now be told; bul when I reached mother earth 1 still 

 held the stock of the old gun (all that was left) fast in my 

 rigid hand. As 1. sighted upwind al lln fast moving myriads 

 when ihe burst look place, the pieces must have gone 

 directly over my right shoulder and by mv head. II. was 

 a loud call, but we thought not of the escaped danger, bin 

 that our glorious fun had been so ruthlessly cut short. Mo 

 gun and all those millions passing by. Ii was a sad day to 

 mi'. Afterward Lance Heckwith (since a gallant major in 

 the war), anolher of our bovhood companions, "■<)! a rifle 

 How uv used io practice al marks wiib that rifle, and ai 



crows and hawks silting sosilenily i -nings on ihe dead 



trees, and at Ihe woodclmcks in Ihe meadows and on il„ 

 hillsides. What a place Deacon i'icrce's hill meadow among 

 the clover used lo be. Just before sundown how u. would 

 watch for the rodents to come out lo feed on (he sweet roots 

 and then by a sharp whistle make tbe little rascals get up on 

 their hindquarters while we popped them over "at thirty. 

 sixty and eighty yards. J 



Do yOu. remember the scrape we came near getting into 



about Deacon liurchard - ho,.„ |,., m id 1 had started 



with his rifle after woodclmcks. As Wl . p(Wg6 d along near 

 a cornfield on the flats, the corn jusl then in tassle, Lance, 

 to get his hand in, he said, war, practicing on the bobolinks 

 as tbej for a moment rested on the topmost corn. We 

 thought nol of where the rifle ball might reach, or that 

 nearly a half mile beyond there was a pasture in which 

 was Deacon Burchard's promising colt, a Morgan or Hambfo 

 Ionian Hut when on reaching thai part in our journey thai 

 promising cquus was found in the agonies of death, with a 

 rifle ball through iis heart, il did dot lake lieckwiih long to 

 gel. back home will, his rifle and lake his shotguu. and when 

 we .ven suspected (ue of course we were), was it noi 

 through Thomas \j. James dhe since Hon. ex-Posimastn- 

 Geueral, then editor of our county paper), that the alibi was 

 proved tor he saw us on thai day in a different direction, 

 ■ re bunting squirrels with a sholgun, and how 



