FOREST AND STREAM. 



— The introduction of the Angora goat into Australia 

 seems to nave been quite successful. The goats were first 

 sent to Victoria in 1856, and now are found in fair quantity 

 in other sections of the country. The annual fleece is from 

 three to nine pounds of mohair, which, when properly 

 washed, is worth about 3s. 6d. a pound. There will be a 

 rivalry some day between the Pacific and the Australian 

 goat, and cashmere shawls may yet be within the means of 

 the most economical of women. Happy day! 



—Professor Le Conte, of Oakland, California, sends the 

 fotlowing interesting account of the Flight of Birds, to 

 Nature: — 



_ u In Nature, vol. viii. p. 86, Mr. J. Guthrie calls atten- 

 tion to, and asks explanation of. a curious phenomenon in 

 the- flight of birds observed bv him:— 'In the face of a 

 strong wind,' he says, ' the hawk remained fixed in space 

 without fluttering a wing for at least two minutes. After a 

 time it quietly changed its position a few feet with a slight 

 motion of its wings, and then came to rest again as before, 

 remaining as motionless as the rocks around it.' 



I have often observed the same phenomenon, but, until 

 recently^ not carefully enough to warrant any attempt at 

 explanation, though always convinced that it was not due 

 1° ™ y mvisible vibratory motion of the wings, as suggested 

 by Mr. Guthrie. During the past summer, however, while 

 on a tour through the mountains of Oregon, I had a fine 

 opportunity of watching very elosely a large red-tailed 

 hawk {Buteo montanus) while performing this wonderful 

 feat, and of noting the conditions under which alone, I be- 

 lieve, it is possible. These conditions are preciselv those 

 described by Mr. Guthrie, viz., a steady wind, blowing 

 across an upward slope, terminated by a ridge. For a half- 

 hour I watched the hawk, with wings and tail widely ex- 

 panded, but motionless, balancing himself in a fixed posi- 

 tion for several minutes in the face of a strong wind; then 

 changing his position and again balancing, but always 

 choosing his position just above the ridge. 



I explain the phenomenon as follows:— The slope of the 

 hill determines a slight upward direction to the wind. The 

 bird inclines the plane of his expanded wings and tail very 

 slightly downwards, but the inclination is less than that of 

 the wind. Under these conditions it is evident that the 

 tendency of gravity would carry him backward and up- 

 ward. The bird skilfully adjusts the plane of his win as 

 and tail, so that these two opposing i forces sliall exactly 

 balance. He changes his place and postion from time to 

 time, not entirely voluntarily, but because the varying force 

 or direction of the wind compels him to seek a new position 

 of, equilibrium." 



—Mr. Frank Buckland is the authority for this:— Btirjng 

 my journey north last week I saw, when inspecting a sal- 

 mon river, a remarkably strong, active, intelligent little 

 bey, between four and five years old, playing about a weir. 

 The father told me a very curious story" about the child. 

 Last Christmas he was taken to see a pantomime in which 

 monkeys performed a great part. The scene so impressed 

 the child's mind that the next morning he imagined him- 

 self to be a monkey. He would not speak, and no kind- 

 ness or threats would make him speak a single word, he 

 would not sit at table with his brothers and sisters at meals, 

 but would only eat out of a plate placed on the ground, 

 out of which he ate his food, being on all fours. H anv- 

 thing to eat was presented to him he always put it to his 

 nose and smelt it, just as a monkey does before eating it. 

 He was continually climbing up trees and throwing down 

 boughs and grinning at the people below like the monkeys 

 in the cocoa-nut trees in the pantomime.* When his father 

 tried to correct him the little fellow, still on all fours, ran 

 after him and bit him on the leg. He would stave his 

 brothers and sisters the same if they teased him. This 

 curious monkey fit lasted until a few weeks ago, but the 

 idea has now quite passed out of his head. I wonder if 

 this story may possible be of any use to Mr. Darwin. [So 

 it seems that there are naughty little bovs all over the 

 world.] 



Gizzaiids op Insects.— Everyone knows that turkeys, 

 fowls, geese, and many other birds that take their food by 

 the peck are supplied with gizzards, and that such birds 

 swallow grains of sand, small pebbles, and other hard sub- 

 stances with their food. The action of the gizzard upon 

 this mixture may be easily understood; the hard substances 

 are made to do the duty of teeth by crushing and grinding 

 the softer ones to a pulp, so that teeth in the mouth of a 

 fowl would be out of place. Many who know all this may 

 not be aware that several insects have gizzards too, and stiil 

 more wonderful, the gizzards of insects are much more 

 complicated affairs than those of birds. If the gizzard of 

 a cricket be laid open it will be found lined with rows of 

 formidable teeth— a gpod substitute, you will say, for the 

 sand and pebbles taken into the gizzards of birds at every 

 meal; and, as these teeth are permanent they no doubt save 

 the possessor of them a vast deal of trouble, unless, in- 

 deed, the cricket should ever be subject to the toothache. 

 The gizzards of insects are not at all alike; some are lined 

 with teeth, some with plates, some with horns, and some 

 with bristles; but in every instance the apparatus is a very 

 wonderful one. In a pretty little beetle not uncommon in 

 some localities, and with a name much longer perhaps than 

 the longest to be found in the parish register, the gizzard is 

 about the size of a common pin's head, and is armed inter- 

 nally with more than four hundred teeth ; imagine what the 

 number of muscles must be to set all this machinery in 

 motion, and keep up its action upon the food. In some 

 species'it amounts to many thousands.— The Field, 

 * Trap-door Spiders. — These curious creatures make real 

 doors to their dwelling-places and resent intrusion as" though 

 they were coiners or illicit distillers. The doors are fitted 

 with solid hinges, and are generally so placed on a sloping 

 bank that they fall to by their own weight and shut into 

 the opening like a cork. Some of these spielers even make 

 double doors— the first slight in texture, and covered with 

 lichen or moss, so as to escape detection; the second con- 

 structed for serious resistance. For these double doors, one 

 of which shall open, as it were, from without and the other 

 only from within, there is certainly much to be said, as the 

 experience of both men and women goes to prove. There 

 is something almost pathetic as well as comical in fixe ac- 

 count given of the spider which, or perhaps we ought to 

 Bay who, when her first door was destroyed and her second 

 threatened, was finally captured at her post ; with her back 

 set against the door, resisting with all the pwer of her leg* J 

 ■this violation'of territory. --FV^ Mall Gc: 



Editor Forest and Sream:— 



The following donations to the Central Park Managerie 

 have been received: 



One Bald Eagle, Halwtus Otocephalus, captured in Flor- 

 ida; presented by Mrs. Capt. O. Hazard. 



One Flying Squirrel, Pteromys volucella, presented by Mr. 

 Henry C. Carter. 



One Ha,wk,FalcofennoraM{i, hab. Chili, pi esented by Ernist 

 F. Hoffman, M. D. 



One Turkey Buzzard, Gatltartes aura, captured in Ohio; 

 presented by Mr. Cyrus J. Van Gorder. 



One Southern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus ■vidpinus; is a pure, 

 uniform, lustrous black, with ears and nose white; pre- 

 sented by Mr. M. C. Lefferts. W. A. Conklin, 



Director. 



—Champion English Pointer, "Belle."— The portrait 

 of this remarkable dog, the champion of England, the win- 

 ner of the great Rbiwlas Balla Field trials, elegantly en- 

 graved by the Photo-lithographic Co., with pedigree and 

 points, will be for sale at the Forest and Stream office, 

 on and after Wednesday next, December 24th. Price, $1,00, 

 sent by mail. 



-*•-&» 



DOG ANECDOTES. 



CAPTAIN MARRY ATT and Theodore Hook were wont 

 to manufacture an inexhaustible supply of anecdotes 

 of animals, for the especial benefit of the English provin- 

 cial papers. Perhaps their neatest anecdote was about a 

 Newfoundland dog who, when called upon to fetch three 

 hats of different sizes, and all at the same time, pondered 

 over the job for a while and then assorting them, slipped 

 one hat inside of the other until lie had made a nest of hats, 

 and thus achieved his task. Very possibly it was this 

 same dog who, when worried by a cur of low degree, took 

 the offending puppy in a most deliberate way by the nape 

 of the neck, carried him to the parapet of a bridge, and 

 then let him drop into the river. All schoolboys believe in 

 this story, as do Ave, the children of a larger growth. But 

 it wanted a dmrnemmt^ somethin.g more, and at last a con 

 tinuation lias been vouchsafed to us, coming from a 

 French source. The Newfoundland doggie stands on the 

 bridge and sees Ids puny assailant floundering in the river 

 where he has precipitated him. A tear trickles down the 

 eye of the Newfoundland, for remorse is there; "and has 

 not his enemy suffered enough ?" says the" noble dog to 

 himself. Instantly he springs off the parapet, rescues 

 from drowning the Aery same cMen he has himself thrown 

 into' the water, and brings him to the shore. Believe it? 

 And why not? Is it not so written? 



Here, however, is a story of a, dog, sent us by a kind lady 

 correspondent from Georgia, which is very pretty. We 

 produce the letter of our fair correspondent : — 



Mai)ii-;tta, Ca., November SO, I87y. 

 Editor b'oKEst and Stream: — 



My fa 1 er has an old Newfoundland dog Avho, when her 

 last litter of puppies were born, some four years ago, was 

 thought to be too old to nurse them, and when the puppies 

 were quite little— as I he breed was very much esteemed in 

 the neighborhood— her little ones were given to various 

 friends, and i am pleased to say that all the little fellows 

 throve. Flora's distress at losing her little family was ter- 

 rible. It was not expressed by howls or noisy exclamations 

 of dog-like despair, but by the most intense, quiet grief, 

 which lasted more than a year. Six months ago, my 

 father brought to the plantation three puppies — a terrier, 

 a mastiff, and a Newfoundland, the latter a grandchild of 

 Flora. All three little dogs were taken by my father out 

 of the carriage and placed on the lawn back of the house. 

 They commenced whimpering. Instantly Flora heard 

 them, and with every evidence of solicitude went to the 

 Newfoundland puppy, fondled it for a moment, then tak- 

 it in her mouth, pushing aside the other little dogs, carried 

 it to her kennel. She cared for the little fellow for four 

 months as if it had been her own child, following the col- 

 ored woman who brought the milk from the dairy until her 

 little charge had had his share of milk. If she was all 

 tenderness to her grandchild, she was spiteful, to a degree, 

 in regard to the other young dogs. To-day Dash, her fos- 

 ter son, is a fine young dog, and can take care of himself: 

 Flora is a thoroughbred Newfoundland, rather small, feet 

 well webbed, and was sent to my father from St. Johns, 

 Newfoundland. As we have a large pond on the place, 

 Flora and Dash take to the water every day in summer, 

 and as we live in a portion of the State where the winter 

 is quite cold at times, these dogs never suffer. I trust you 

 will excuse a lady's writing you on a subject our sex rarely 

 indulges in, for, save Grace Greenwood, who can write dog 

 quite charmingly, I am afraid it is somewhat out of our 

 sphere. Very truly, J. . 



Here is another dog story, just sent to us-.— 



Roosevelt Schuyler, Esq., of Staten Island, had a re- 

 markably fine, unbroken, red Irish setter, which >f pre- 

 sented some weeks ago to an officer stationed at ^ ,r( Ham- 

 ilton, L. I. The dog arrived at the fort in ^ morning, 

 had never been there before, but .that very same night the 

 setter was at home in Staten Island, jumping over the gar- 

 den fence and barking loudly at the house door for admit- 

 tance. The setter must have eitjuw Like*) the ferryboat or 

 swam the channel. ^^^^ 



Here is th^-** *? - ^ courage in a dog, as told us by an 

 ^etc^rclecrfriend and thorough sportsman:— 



"I was shooting quail on Land Island, seme years ago, 



with my dog Jack, a full-blooded black pointer. The do» 

 got far ahead of me and pointed in an open field at a bevy 

 of quail. Usually he was a very steady dog, and was such 

 an excellent animal in all respects that I do not think I ever 

 had to punish him. I loved Jack and my affection was re- 

 turned. Well, the birds rose suddenly and I fired, killing 

 four, when to my horror I found poor Jack covered with 

 blood, a great many of the shot having raked him. He 

 had jumped just as I had shot. I could have cried over it 

 I called to him. Jack came up and I talked to him as I 

 would have done to a human being, letting him know how 

 sorry I was, and that it was all owing to my carelessness 

 Jack seemed to understand me, but went on looking un 

 the game, just as staunch and confiding as ever, I made 

 an excellent bag that day, even after my unfortunate acci- 

 dent. I ought perhaps to have taken Jack straight home 

 but he seemed to say to me, • 'It's of no consequence I as- 

 sure you. It ain't of much account." That he was hurt was 

 certain, as he could hardly move for the next three days 

 though I nursed him tenderly. Jack never lost his trust 

 in me. I have alwaj^s thought that Jack, besides his hunt- 

 ing points, was the bravest animal I ever knew." 



— From Nature we take the following as an instance of 

 the collective instinct in animals : — 



'*A friend of mine in this neighborhood had a small ter- 

 rier and a large Newfoundland. One day a shepherd called 

 upon him to say that his dogt had been seen worrying sheep 

 the night before. The gentleman said there must be some 

 mistake, as the Newf oundland had not been unchained. A 

 few days afterwards the shepherd again called with the 

 same complaint, vehemently asserting that he was positive 

 as to the identity of the dogs. Consequently, the owner 

 set one watch upon the. kennel, and another outside the 

 feheep-enclosure, directing them (in consequence of what 

 the shepherd had told him) not to interfere with the action 

 of the dogs. After this had been done for several nights in 

 succession, the small dog was observed to come at day- 

 dawn to the place where the large one was chained; the 

 latter immediately slipped his collar, and the two animals 

 made straight for the sheep. Upon arriving at the enclo- 

 sure the Newfoundland concealed himself behind a hedge, 

 while the terrier drove the sheep towards his ambush, and 

 the fate o& one of them was quickly sealed. "When their 

 breakfast was finished the dogs returned home, and the 

 large one, thrusting his head into his collar, lay down again 

 as though nothing had happened. Why this animal should 

 have chosen to hunt by stratagem prey which it could easily 

 have rundown, I cannot suggest; but there can he little 

 doubt that so wise a dog must have had some good reason." 



— The following is Canon Kingsley's charming and spirit- 

 ed description of the hare, fox and fox-hound:— 

 the hare. 



A hare races towards us through the ferns, her great 

 bright eyes full Of terror, her ears aloft to catch some sound 

 behind. She sees us, turns short, and vanishes into the 

 gloom. The mare pricks up her ears too, listens, and looks; 

 but not the way the hare has gone. There is something 

 more coming; I can trust the finer sense of the horse, to 

 which (and no wonder) the middle age attributed the power 

 of seeing ghosts and fairies impalpable to man's gross eyes. 

 Beside, that hare was not traveling in search of food. She 

 was not loping along, looking around her right and left, hut 

 galloping steadily. She has been frightened — she has been 

 put up; but what has put her up? And there, f ar away 

 among the firstems, rings the shriek of a startled blackbird. 

 What has put him up! 



That old mare, at sight whereof your wise eyes widen till 

 they are ready to burst, and your ears are fi^t, shot for- 

 ward toward your nose, and then laid baclc with vicious 

 intent. Stand still, old woman! Do you think still, after 

 fifteen winters, that you can catch a fox? 

 the fox. 



A fox it is indeed; a great dog-fox, as red as the firstems 

 between which he glides. And yet bis legs are black with 

 fresh peat-stains. He is a hunted fox; but he has not been 

 up long. 



The mare stands like a statue; but I can feel her trem- 

 bling between my knees. Positively he does not see us. He 

 sits down in the middle of a ride, turns his great ears right 

 and left, and then scratches one of them with his hind foot, 

 seemingly to make it hear the better. Now he is up again 

 and on. 



Beneath yon firs, some hundred yards away, standeth, or 

 rather lieth, for it is on dead fiat ground, the famous castle 

 of Malepartus, wkich beheld the base murder of Lampethe 

 hare, and many a seely soul beside. I know it well; a 

 patch of sand-heaps, mingled with great holes, amid the 

 twining fir-roots; ancient home of the last of the wild 

 beasts. And thither, unto Malepartus safe and strong, trots 

 Reinecke, where he hopes to be snug among the labyrin- 

 thine windings and innumerable starting-holes, as the old 

 apologue has it, of his ballium, covert-way, and donjon 

 keep. Full blown in self-satisfaction he trots, lifting his 

 toes delicately and carrying his brush aloft, as full of cun- 

 ning and conceit as that world-famous ancestor of his, 

 whose deeds of unchivalry were the delight, if not the 

 model, of knight and kaiser, lady and burgher, in the Mid- 

 dle Age. 



Suddenly he halts at the great gate of Malepartus; ex- 

 amines it with his' nose; goes on to a postern; examines 

 that also, and then another and another; while I perceive 

 afar, projecting from every cave's mouth, the red and 

 green end of a new fir-faggot. Ah, Reinecke! fallen is thy 

 conceit, and fallen thy tail therewith. Thou hast worse 

 foes to deal with than Bruin the bear, or Isegrim the wolf, 

 or any foolish brute whom thy great ancestor outwitted. 

 Man the many-counseled has been beforehand with thee; 

 and the earths are stopped. 



One moment he sits down to meditate, and scratches those 

 trusty counselors, his ears, as if he would tear them off, "re- 

 volving swift thoughts in a crafty mind." 



He has settled it now. He is up and off— and at what 

 a pace ! Out of the way, Fauns and Hamadryads, if any 

 be left in the forest. What a pace! And with what a grace 

 beside ! 



Oh Reinecke, beautiful thou art, of a surety, in spite of 

 thy great naughtiness. Art thou some fallen spirit, doomed 

 to be hunted for thy sins in this life, and in some future 

 life rewarded for thy swiftness, and grace, and cunning, by 



