** 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



391 



the "Swift River Road," on my return to the hospitable gare of friend 

 Eastman of the "Conway House, " and when but, little more than a mile 

 from the hotel, although not out of the woods, a porcupine crossed the 

 road about thirty rods oefore me. I immediately quickened the speed of 

 my horse, stopped, and leaped out in time to kick the porcupine from a 

 tree which he was climbing, and he would have been far beyond my vdBm 

 had he known of my pursuit a moment sooner. Porky once again on 

 the ground, I succeeded, with the aid of a dead branch which I picked up 

 from among the many lying under the pine trees, in preventing him from 

 starting up another tree, and drove him to the road, when to my dismay 

 lie ran under the horse; but the well trained steed gave but one jump and 

 at my command went no further, but was trembling very much, and Mr. 

 Qnillbearer having come to bay under the wagon, standing erect on his 

 hind legs in the manner of bears, I took this opportunity to coax and 

 soothe the horse for a moment; then quietly getting a bit of rope from the 

 wagon, and making a slip-noose, the porcupine still on his hind legs 

 awaiting my next movement, I went to the horse's head and started him 

 a few paces. The instant the porky was left behind the wagon he started 

 for the trees again, but being fat and his legs short, I easily headed him 

 off, and threw the noose over his head, dragged and lifted him into the 

 rear of the wagon, where I bound him, and then proceeded to extract 

 about fifty quills from the fetlocks and ankles of my horse, which was 

 an operation I would not wish to attempt on any other horse (standing in 

 the road and trembling with fright) than my own. 



Porky rested in a barrel for several days, but I succeeded in attaching to 

 him a collar and chain, which gave him comparative freedom. When 

 he was out of the barrel, I attempted to touch his head with a stick but it 

 would be met by a blow from his tail; but when in the barrel he could 

 not turn quick enough to strike; and with a round stick of soft wood, an 

 inch iu diameter, I drew many of the longer quills from his back with a 

 touch so slight that I depended upon my eyes and not my sense of feel-" 

 pig to know the moment of contact. The animal being less than two 

 years old, soon' lost some of his wildness, and I was able to touch him 

 with a stick (I did not try with my hand) without resentment on his part, 

 except when I was too violent, or in the presence of a dog. In such 

 cases he would strike the stick, but instead of it being bristling with 

 quills after a blow, there would be but two or three or none at all in the 

 stick. 



From the points of the quills, which are as sharp as needles, for a quar- 

 ter of an inch toward the base are minute barbs, which serve not only to 

 retain the quills in the object struck, but when such object be a living 

 creature, if the quills be not immediately extracted, the barbs will serve 

 to draw them deeper into the flesh, where they will travel about, as will 

 needles under similar circumstances, but the quills more rapidly. I have 

 seen a fine hound which with more courage than prudence had attacked a 

 porcupine, to the severe punishment of the dog, whose head and mouth 

 were badly punctured. Every quill which could be discovered in the dog 

 was extracted, but several weeks after the return from the hunt a quill 

 was extracted from the ridge of his nose, about two inches from the fore- 

 head, which had entered the roof of the-mouth and thence worked ) 

 through the cartilege above. After explaining to which species of porcu- 

 pine my article, refers, I have ignored the local name "Hedgehog," and 

 in this connection wish to urge your readers, most especially sportsmen 

 and correspondents, to apply the naturalists 1 names to creatures, and not 

 local names, which vary in different sections of the country and are very 

 often misnomers. Most of the names in this country are adapted from 

 European ones, and should be applied to the creatures which most re_ 

 8emble (not in external appearances, but in habits and internal structure) 

 those which bear the same names in Europe. The European hedgehog is 

 of the badger species; and as Ave have the badger in this country I con- 

 sider the term "hedgehog" a misnomer when applied to the porcupine. 

 I conclude by urging the general adoption of naturalists' common names, 

 and dropping local names. If we constantly read of an object by one 

 name, it will soon require no effort to speak of it by that name. 



-"Roamer." 



NOTES ON THE BUTCHER BIRD-(7o%ra 

 borealis. 

 —[We print the subjoined communication with no little 

 pride, for it is the production of a young naturalist only 

 fifteen years old. We print it as sent us, verbatim et litera- 

 tim, and find it but little defective in any particular. Our 

 young correspondent can not only prepare and mount his 

 specimens, but he had quite a large collection destroyed 

 by the Chicago fire. Since that catastrophe he has col- 

 lected over one hundred specimens of the birds of that re- 

 gion, which he shot himself, devotirg all his spare time to 

 the pursuit.— Ed. F. and S.l 



Editor Forest and Stream: — 



There have been a good many Butcher Birds here this winter. Be 

 fore this I imagined that they were quite rare. They seem to like to sit 

 on the tops of old dead trees about here. They are restless and seldom 

 stay long at one place and are continually jerking their tails like mag- 

 pies and jays, which they much resemble in their ways. They are not 

 gregarious at all (as far as I know), as I have never seen two together. 

 I once noticed one stop in its flight, which resembles that of a wood- 

 pecker or jay, and hover over a spot, very much as a kingfisher often 

 does, suddenly dart down with closed wings, seize a mouse and flit to 

 the top of a dead weed and devour it. There are a great many mice 

 among the dead weeds, and that is what attracts the Bntcher Birds. 

 Theieis a malt house nearby and they stay around it to catch the mice 

 which live upon the grain. I have seen within the area of one- 

 eighth of a mile no less than a dozen impaled mice. They impale their 

 food not only for future use.but also to help them to tear it to pieces while 

 sating. They eat their food, bones, skin and all, only leaving a few 

 tufts of hair on the twig or thorn upon which it was impaled. One day 

 I saw one eaten a mouse, impale it. and then commenced tearing it to 

 pieces. I crawled up near it, but it not liking company while at dinner, 

 flew off, carrying its dinner with it. Another time we heard a great 

 streaming and scolding and went back to find what was the matter, and 

 found a Butcher Bird very much- excited about a little Mottled Owl 

 which it had discovered bid away in a dwarf oak covered with wild 

 grapevine, and which was staring about in a very stupid manner. When 

 one is wounded it will make a hard fight before it gives up, and will 

 often draw blood with its strong hooked bill, from the incautious hand 

 which attempts to seize it. B. P. C. 



Chicago, 1873. 



. -«*+*>— 



CENTRAL PARK MENAGERIE. 



Department of Public Parks, 



New York, January 24, 1874. 

 Animals received at Central Park Menagerie for the week ending Jan- 

 nary 23, 1874: 

 One Common Starling, kturtvw vulgarts\ hab. Australia; purchased. 

 Pour Black Swans. Cygnus alatus\ hab. Australia; purchased. 

 One Mnskrat, Fib, r I presented by M.z. Carryl. 



One Painted Turtle, Emys pictct, presented by Miss Stella Sturgis. 



W. A. CONKT.IN. 



—Mr. Harness tells tills of tlie banker poet, Rogers, who 

 was unfortunate in his servants:— On one occasion, when 

 in the country, Ms favorite groom, with whom he used to 

 drive every day, gave notice to leave. Rogers ashed him 

 why lie was going, and what he had to complain of. "No- 

 replied the mat?, "hut you arc so dull in. the buggy." 



— * — > 



—A purse of $10,000 will be given to he trotted for, 

 mile heats, best three in five, in harness, over the 

 Mystic Park, Medford. Mass., near Boston, open to all the 

 stallions in the United States and Canadas, the winning 

 horse to receive $4,000, the second horse $3,000, the third 

 $2,000 and the fourth $1,000. Each stallion winning a 

 premium will also receive a gold medal. The race to come 

 off on Tuesday, September 15. 



—George Barbee will ride for Mr. P. Lorillard during 

 the coming racing season. 



—The second annual running meeting of the Utica Park 

 Association, is to be held on June 24, 25 and 26. Two 

 stakes are now open to be run for, these are the Ladies' 

 Stakes, for two-year olds, entrance $30, half forfeit, with 

 $300 gold added by the association; the second horse to 

 save his entrance; one mile; and the Oneida Stakes, for 

 three-year olds, entrance $50, half forfeit, with $500 added; 

 the second horse to save his entrance; mile heats; to carry 

 100 lbs. ; the stakes to close on the 31st injst. 



—The Savannah Jockey Club have received the follow- 

 ing list of entries for the Ten Broeck Stake, to be run 

 February 3, 1874, which is for three-year olds ; colts to 

 carry 85 lbs. ; 3 lbs. allowed for fillies and geldings ; one 

 mile :— A. B. Lewis & Co.'s ch. f. Belle of Australia, and 

 br. f. Vandelite ; T. G. Bacon & Co.'s b. c. Father Ryan, 

 and ch. f. Flower Girl ; L. A. Hitchcock's br. f. Boone, 

 and D. O'Connor's ch. f. Fannie. 



— The American Jockey Club have the following stakes 

 open for nominations, to close on the 1st of March, to be 

 run at the coming spring meeting: — The Juvenile Stakes, 

 for two-year olds, half a mile ; the Fordham Handicap 

 Sweepstakes, one mile and a quarter; the Jockey Club 

 Handicap Sweepstakes, two miles, and the Westchester 

 Cup, two miles and a quarter. 



—The San Francisco Chronicle of January 8 says that in 

 the Assembly Mr. Wickware introduced an act to author- 

 ize the closing of certain streets in" San Francisco for the 

 purpose of an agricultural and mechanical fair ground and 

 for a race track. It is understood that an association has 

 leased the ground from the owners, and that the Board of 

 Supervisors is willing to grant the right to fence in the 

 streets. The race track is to be a mile. Opposition to the 

 act is anticipated from parties interested in other tracks in 

 the neighborhood of San Francisco. 



THE RACES AT MAURITIUS. 



IN the upper part of the Champ de Mars, a large, treeless 

 grassy plain, believed once to have been a large crater, 

 stands a stone monument twenty feet high, erected to the 

 memory of one of the French governors. At the foot of the 

 plain the Mauritius Crieket Club has erected a pretty pavil- 

 ion and laid out a square cricket ground. On this spot is 

 held, generally in July, the Mauritian Carnival; for round 

 the Champ de Mars runs the racecourse, kept in excellent 

 order by the Mauritian Turf Club, to which glorious insti- 

 tution (dating from 1812) the colonists, rich and poor, white 

 and colored, male and female, young and old, owe three 

 days of blissful madness. 



Not only the race ground itself, but the whole city, rises 

 to a fever heat of enthusiasm as the first day dawns. Every 

 street is crowded with chairs, tables, benches, and stands. 

 Private carriages are driven up and left horseless within the 

 cordon. Tents rise with magic rapidity on the surround- 

 ing eminences, flags fly, and tomtoms beat. The judges' 

 stand is flanked by long rows of stalls or lodges for the 

 more select spectators, such as the governor (over which 

 proudly floats the royal standard), mayor, council, military 

 officers, &c. ; and here the beauty and fashion of Port Louis, 

 in glittering array of jewels, gauze, and silks, win or lose 

 gloves as recklessly as at Ascot or Longchamps. Drawn 

 up beneath the stalls are vehicles of every description wdiich 

 will meet a certain standard of presentability, and in them 

 sit other ladies in equally magnificent attire; but if a re- 

 splendent dress, surmounted by a Parisian bonnet whose 

 flu* tering laces are coquettishly arranged by a tiny white- 

 gloved hand, should tempt the curious bystander to look 

 for a face of equal delicacy, a pair of bright black eyes will 

 flash upon him from beneath "a brow of Egypt," in which 

 his unacclimatized European taste may riot lead him to dis- 

 cern "Helen's beauty," though the possessor, will have 

 probably tried to tone down its lustre by a liberal allowance 

 of violet powder. 



Racing is of course the raison-oV etre of races; but a great 

 charm and zest lies in their concomitants also, and perhaps 

 the less said about the horses and jockeys of the Champs de 

 Mars the better for their English reputation. The Mauri- 

 tian Newmarket is "good for trade," and excuses a general 

 holiday, therefore may its shadow never grow less ! — ibctini 

 James 7 Magazine. 



Wild Horses in Kansas.— From the Topeka Common, 

 health we take the following : 



Large numbers of wild horses abound on the prairies be- 

 tween the Arkansas and Smoky Hill Rivers. They are of 

 all sizes and colors, and are the wildest of all wild animals. 

 They usually roam in bands from six to twenty, and will 

 run at sight of a man two miles away. A great many do- 

 mesticated horses, as well as mules, which have strayed 

 away from their owners, have taken up with the wild ones. 

 After running wdth them awhile they become as wild as 

 their untamed companions. Various methods have been 

 adopted to catch them, but they have generally proved 

 fruitless. A scrubby colt or a broken-down mule are, as a 

 general thing, the only reward for all the time and labor. 

 Settlers on the frontier would haii their speedy extinction 

 as a blessing, for when domestic animals get with them 

 their recovery is simply out of the question. 



This is interesting as tending to show, how domestic ani- 

 mals will, when opportunity allows, return to their primitive 

 natural condition. 



* — - — 



{We shall endeavor in this department to impart and hope to receive 

 such information as may be of service to amateur and professio7ial sports- 

 men. We will cheerfully answer all reasonable questions that fall within 

 the scope of this paper, designating localities for good hunting, .fish- 

 ing, and trapping, and giving advice and instructions as to outfits, im 

 plements, routes, distances, seasons, expenses, remedies, traits, species 

 governing rules, e/c. All branches of the sportsman's craft will receive 

 attention. Anonymous Communications not Noticed. 



Quod. — To clean rusty guns use kerosene oil. To keep it clean noth- 

 ing is better than skunk's oil. 



J. E. L.— Don't recollect what old "Grizzly" Adams* bear weighed. 

 Jim Conlin of the Broadway Shooting Gallery, or Mr. Daymon, Tiffany 

 & Co., might know. Both have been with P. T. Barnnm. 



W. P., Clinton street, Brooklyn.— What treatment would you advise 

 for a Newfoundland clog with the following symptoms: Loss of appe- 

 tite, very weak legs and bleeding at the nose? Ans. You must state 

 age; most likely the dog has anight a severe cold. 



H. C. S., Ohio.— Is a pigeon sprung from a trap harder or more diffi- 

 cult to hit than a quail in field. I am green as to pigeon shooting,having 

 never shot any except wild ones? Ans. It is more difficult to kill a 

 quail, as it is impossible to tell when and which way the bird will get up 



J. T. E., New York.— I have a setter puppy two months old. Is it 

 time to cut his tail? Ans. Don't cut his tail at all; leave it as nature 

 provided. What is the best kind of food for my puppy? Ans. His 

 mother's; also feed him w*ith weak milk and water mixed with meal, 

 but very weak. 



W. L. S., Amherst, Iowa. — Which is the strongest, laminated steel or 

 good twist barrels (same weight)? Ans. Both shot barrels have their 

 admirers. For all practical purposes laminated steel barrels answer the 

 requirements of the sportsman. We can give you the statistical proofs 

 of both kinds if necessary. 



B. H. A., Parkersburg, Ya. — Among your book reviews I notice 'The 

 Birds of North America," by Theo. Jasper. How many parts are there 

 to be, and how many pages to each part? Is each part bound separately? 

 Is it quarto or octavo? Ans. Thirty-six parts, twelve pages, each 12x15 

 inches, one dollar each part, delivered monthly to subscribers only. If 

 you wish a book from which to study the fauna of North America, better 

 buy Cones' "Key to the Birds of North America." 



*:i=* — The Forest and Stream will be indexed each six months, and 

 twenty-six numbers will constitute a volume. 2. Split bamboo for fish- 

 ing rods is the common bamboo sawed into longitudinal strips of requi- 

 site dimensions and the pith removed. When the several parts are pre- 

 pared, they are adjusted together with the utmost mechanical nicety, 

 giving elasticity, strengt 1 - and durability, which ordinary bamboo does 

 not possess. 



II. Bakber, Brooklyn - — B.ifle practice is^dangerous business in popu- 

 lous places. It would be difficult to find any part of the suburbs of 

 Brooklyn, no matter how thinly settled, where rifle shooting Avouldnot 

 be liable to cause the arrest of the offender, and very justly, too. If 

 you shoot on the beach, seaward, the case is different, and the practice 

 perfectly safe where no boats are in view. 



C. L. W., Weston.— 1st. What is the calibre of my gun, judging by 

 the enclosed wad? Ans. 14 bore. ' 2d. What is the method of measur- 

 ing the charge, both of powder and shot? aiis. By a guage, which you 

 can purchase at any gunsmiths. 3d. Is the principle of choke boring 

 adopted in the manufacture of breech-loading guns? Ans. You can 

 have a gun barrel bored to suit almost any pattern you fancy. See ar 

 tide headed "Guns— aDialogue." 



J. E. W., Newbem.— The Julia mentioned in the article by E. M. was 

 a large sloop of some seventy feet over all and belonged to Capt. Water- 

 bury. She was in her prime from 1858 to 1861, and was so fast as to be 

 often ruled out of matches when other sloops, such as the Bebecca, Bo- 

 wena, Mallory, Bonita and others were to be competitors. She was af - 

 terw aids changed to a schooner, and the last time we saw her was in 

 1871, at which time she was cruising in Narragansett Bay, where she 

 was owned. W T e know your Julia to be a good one, but she is not the Ju- 

 lia mentioned. 



W. Ellingwood and Others, New York.— 



1 lb. avoirdupois weight is 7,000 grains. 



1 lb. apothecary " " 5,760 grains. 



lib. Troy " " 5,760 grains. 



1 oz. avoirdupois " " 4371 grains. 



1 pz. apothecary " " 480 grains. 



1 pz. Troy " u 430 grains. 



1 drachm avoirdupois is 1-16 of 437£ grains,a little less than 27f grains. 

 1 drachm apothecary is i of 480 grains, or 60 grains. 



M.uch obliged. Shall be glad to hear from C. E. again. 



F. E. E., New York.— Can you inform me of the pulsations of the do 

 me stic and wild animals? Ans. After a great deal of trouble and search 

 we found it. Vatels Veterinary Pathology: 



The Horse 32 to 38 Pulsations in a minute. 



The Ox or Cow 35 to 42 



The Sheep , 70 to . 76 



The 1 Goat 72 to 79 



The Cat 110tol20 



The Hare 120 



The Dog...' 90 to 100 " •' 



The Crow 136 



The 1 Duck 136 



The 1 Hen; 140 " " 



The Heron 200 



F, W. C, Paterson.— 1st. Have you got the right to fish and shoot on 

 your own land at any time, in season and out of season? Ans. We be*- 

 iieve you have the right to do anything you please with your own prop- 

 erty, id. What is an ''Ely's Concentrator," and what is meant by pat- 

 tern, as applied to shot guns, or rather to the way they throw shot? Ans . 

 See ( to-day's issue, article headed "Guns— a Dialogue." 3d. What can 

 you import me a rabbit beagle for. I should want a puppy about two 

 months old. How long would it take to get it here; what kennel would 

 it be from? Ans. A rabbit beagle should be at least 6 months old, and 

 would cost $20— English. 4th. Is there any breed . of dogs that are good 

 to hunt rabbits and make good house dogs of: a hound lying around 9 

 mouths in the year eating his head off is somewhat of a bore? Ans. The 

 Dandie Dinmont Terrier. 



Hatmaker, Clyde, N. Y. — To awy one crossing the line into Canada, 

 what is the arrangement with the Custom House- officers abontguns, 

 boats, and other necessary articles of a sportsman's outfit? . Ans. We 

 have always found the Custom House officials very obliging and quite 

 ready to pass a sportsman's baggage without examination, when they 

 were assured of his identity. In one instance only (it was about the time 

 of the Fenian raid) we knew of a gentleman who had some trouble with a 

 gun. These worthies have little difficulty in detecting suspicious per- 

 sons. 2. Is there any duty on game or furs brought from either couu-" 

 try or sent? Yes of game; except what you carry on your person, and 

 as to furs the law isveiy strict. 3. Is it necessary to have "hard 

 money" or can we pay for whatever we want in our currency? Ans. 

 Greenbacks pass at market rates in all hotels and stores in cities, but in 

 the rural districts Canadian money is necessary, and among the 

 French people nothing is current but silver. You can supply yourself 

 at any brokers on either side the line. 3. I am fully aware that it would 

 not pay to transport boats any great distance, but we are so sit- 

 uated that the principal part of the transportation would be on the 

 steamer, for instance from Oswego to Cobonrg, and have an idea that 

 we could take them cheaper than buy them in Canada? Ans. Note 

 our advertisement and write to Bond, of Cincinnati, for circular as to 

 portable boats. You can pack your traps in these and they will go ais 

 trunks. 



