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LIST OF THE BIRDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 

 —Land Birds, 



Bi J. Matthew Jones. 

 [C<mch 



101. F. pubescens (L.), Downy Woodpecker. — Common all 

 the year. 



_ 103. Piccridea aretims (3w.), Gr., Black-backed Woodpecker. 

 Not common; as also the var. P. americanm, Brebtn. 



103. Sphyrapiaw turius (L), Bd., Yellow-bellied Wood- 

 pecker. — Common in the interior. A pair of these birds, 

 male and female, were shot on Macnab's Island, Halifax har- 

 bor, last May, and were preserved by Mr. T. I. Egan, taxider- 

 mist, of this city. 



104.. Colupt.es auratus (L.). Sw., Golden-winged Wood- 

 pecker. — This species is extremely common all over the pro- 

 vince; arriving Erom tho South about the last week in April, 

 eparting about the end of Movember. It is known to all 

 countrymen under the name of " Yellow-hammer." On the 

 first warm day occurring after the arrival of these birds, they 

 may be beard! making their peculiar " chuckle " as they lly 

 ftOjh tree to tree. A pair always returned for several succes- 

 sive years to the same Old dead apple-tree stock in my grounds 

 ami reared their young, which were generally fully fledged by 

 the end of July. I have, however, taken nest and eggs as 

 early as the middle of June in other situntions. 



105. Bubo ■Di.rtjuiMniis (Gat), Bp., Great Horned Owl. — 

 Common throughout the year. 



106. Olus vulgaris, L., Long-eared Owl. — Not common. 



107. BracbyMus inxludris, Coues, Short.eared Owl.— Not 

 common. 



103. Syrnivm nebuloaum (Forst.), Gr., Barred Owl,— Com- 

 mon thr mghout the year. 



109. Jfyetea nivea Gr., Snowy Owl. — Baro,- only ob- 

 served in the depth of winter. Some years ago W. Andrew 

 Downs, of this city, kept one in a cage, and I observed that at 

 the commencement of spring its plumage became mottled with 

 darker color, which is doubtless its usual garb in summer 

 time in the regions of the far north. 



110. Surnia ulula (L.), Bp., Hawk Owl. — Not uncommon 

 throughout the year. I have observed if at midday under a 

 bright sua, beating over the marshes at Lawrencetowti in search 

 of prey. 



111. Nyctate Tengmalmii ', Gm., Tengmalm's OwL — Bare. 

 Breeds, according to Mr. Downs, in Newfoundland. 



112. If. Acudica (Gm.), Up., Acadian Owl.— Common 

 throughout the year. This bird is occasionally kept in con- 

 finement as a pet, and one afforded great amusement to a 

 military friend, who, whenever the opportunity occurred, 

 turned a live mouse 1 ose in the room in which it was Con- 

 fined at night time, and Ihe keen eye of the bird soon caught, 

 the form of its quarry, which in an instant was seized by its 

 talons. 



113. Circus cyaneus (h.), Lacep., Marsh Harrier. — Females 

 may be considered quite common in all marshy districts con- 

 tiguous to the coast, but the adult male must be considered as 

 rare. 



114 Actipiter fmcus (Gm.), Bp., Sharp-shinned Hawk.— 

 Common. 



115. Astur alrioapillus (Wils.), Bp., Goshawk. — Common. 

 Known to o'tunirymen as the "Blue Hawk." It is a most 

 daring bird, coming into a farmyard and swooping upon a 

 fowl and coolly devouring it on the spot, as 1 have witnessed 

 myself. 



110. Falco sacer, Faest., Jerfalcon- — Very rare; only one 

 instance on record of its being taken, which occurred on 

 board a snip Of! Halifax Harbor some yeara ago, according- 

 to Mr. Andrew Downs. 



117. F. communis, Peregrine Falcon.— One or two speci- 

 mens have been taken. 



118. F. coiumb'irius, L., Pigeon-hawk.— Common. 



119. F. xparctriu*, L., Sparrow-hawk.— Common. 



120. Buteo borealis (Gm.), V., Red-tailed Buzzard.— Com- 

 mon. 



121. ArcliihuUo Itgiipus (Brunn.), Gr., Bough-legged Buz- 

 zard.— Not uncommon. Mr. Downs informs me that two 

 were taken at Devil's Island, at the entrance to Halifax Har- 

 bor a few years ago. 



122. PandioiihaMa{U8(L.), Savigny, Osprey. Fish-hawk.— 

 Common throughout the province. It often chooses an old 

 dead tree, with no branches, save at its summit, whereon to 

 make its nest, in which the eggs are laid about the last week 

 in May. 



123. Aquil'i cittymlus (L.), Golden Eagle — Not uncom- 

 mon. Mr. William Win ton has taken two or three pairs alive 

 about his residence in Colchester County. It breeds iu the 

 interior. 



124. Jfaliaitus leucoceplialus, (L ), Savigny. — Common in 

 some of the sparsely inhabited districts ot the coast, Where 

 they build their nests on the topmost and generally dead 

 branches of the largest forest trees. The nests, which are of 

 great sizes, are but vast masses of sticks, layed upon each 

 other in the best position to render the fabric secure. They 

 are about four or five feet in diameter, having the interior 

 lined with dead grasses and rough herbage. On one occasion 

 I shot a female on the tree by her nest, "and on visiting i he- 

 spot next morning 1 found the mule sitting on the eggs, and 

 that so close that he allowed me to get"uuder the tree and 

 malic a noise, before he would go off, 



125. Ecpjptiles migratorim (L.), Sw., Wild Pigeon.— This 

 hird some thirty or forty years ago was extremely abundant 

 in the fall, but. has now, apparently, almost entirely forsaken 

 the province. 



126. Zthi: . nm (L.), Bp., Carolina Dove. — Not 

 uncommon on its southern migration about the cad of Sep- 

 tember or the beginning of October. 



127. Tetruo emadensM, L., Canada Grouse.— This bird, 

 which is known to the countrymen as the " spj lice partridge," 

 is not SO coiimon as the ruffed grouse. Its nest is extremely 

 difficult to find, as It selects the deep recesses of the spruca 

 woods for its position, and there are only a few instances on 

 record of its having been found iu the province. Some years 

 ago 1 dissected a specimen, which had died while in confine- 

 ment at Mr. Down's aviary, and I found its windpipe tilled 

 with "gape worms," which had evidently caused its death. 



128. Bonasa umbellus (L.), Steph., Buffed grouse. — Very 

 common throughout the province. It is kuown to the 

 countrymen under the name of "partridge," or " birch par- 

 tridge." About the first week in July the young may be ob- 

 served in the forest, running about in an unfledged state • but 

 by the middle of the month they are able to lly and take care 

 of themselves. Iu the depth of winter, when the snow coverB 



the ground and the berry-bearing bushes, with theft dried 

 trnit, are hidden from sjgbt, tbeae birds "resort to the birch 



trees and greedily devour the buds ; and so intent are tbey 

 upon their work, that 1 have Sien one come and alight upon a 

 birch beneath which a wood-cutter was chopping, "and cat as 

 tamely na a barndoor fowl. The Indiana say that they can 

 prognosticate a Bevere winter by the appearance of the feet 

 of these birds late in autumn, which, if the coming season is 

 to be a severe one, will be found feathered close down to the 

 toes; while if it is to be an open winter, nature does not 

 clothe them with the extra warm covering. Experience, 

 ho never, I fear, will not substantiate the assertion. 



"Wifn toe Woodcock Cava.— Editor Forest and Stream": 

 Seeing several articles in one of your late numbers about the 

 early appearance of woodcock, reminds me of something I saw 

 on March 2. As I was walking through an old sedge field, 

 with a marsh running through the middle of it (a place where 

 there has always beeu a brood of woodcock hatched), I flushed 

 an old woodcock. I thought nothing of it then, except that the 

 bird was on time ; but it eo happened I passed by the same 

 place in the evening, when the ground was while with snow 

 (and it was then snowing hard), I found the woodcock in the 

 , The snow was one of the deepest we had. Now, 

 m is, how did that bird get anything to eat, for 

 even had it. been able to get below tho snow the ground was 

 too frozi D for it to bore?" I will be obliged if you or some of 

 your correspondents will answer this. M. 



Bath, Ind., April 16. 



We have found woodcock feeding about warm springs in 

 the coldest weather, when the ground was frozen a foot 



deep. 



A Bufflb Head. — Edi-tor Forest and Stream : Can you 

 tell me lhe name and species of this variety of drake duck? 

 It was shot in Oregon, and the species had never been seen in 

 the vicinity before. Following is the description, viz.: Size, 

 about as large as a blue-win? teal ; head very heavily feather- 

 ed, one patch of white ou the top, and surrounding it are 

 feathers of bright metallic tints — purple, blue, green, etc — 

 the majority of feathers on its head and neck are of the last- 

 men lioned colors; breast, white; back, black and white; 

 or:) On the outer joint black, on inner joint white, 

 just at bull of wing jet black ; feet, almost white ; odor, very 

 fishy. Any information ontheabovesubjectwill.be thank- 

 fully received by me. Gbo. A. Stuetbvant. 



Nyack, N. T., April 19. 



A buffl a head, no doubt, Biiccphala albeola ; also known 

 as dipper, diver, spirit duck, salt-water teal, etc. 



FtsHBUMESi and Natubal Histoet. — The United States 

 Fish Commissioner, while al Gloucester last summer, received 

 very substantial aid from the coast fishermen of that port, 

 who contributed many natural history specimens, gathered on 

 their fishing trips. Their interest seems not to have de- 

 creased, the National Museum at Washington being constant- 

 ly in receipt of numerous specimens, some of which are val- 

 uable aids in the study of science. 



At-thals Received at Oentkal Park Menagerie for WeekEnd- 

 Ifo Ai'RiL 28.— One hedge- heg, Erinaceus eurpcem, presented liy 

 llr. Bienarcl J. Shay, N. Y. City; one red-talled hawk, Buteo boriaiia, 

 presented by Mr. T. MeDermott, X. Y. City; two Guinea pigs, Cavia 

 caprera, presented by Master Wtllto B. Ogden, Jr., N. Y. City; one 

 blict duet;, Aims obitcura, presented by Mr. Jnseph. H. Batty, Parkvllle, 

 L. I ; three sharp-shinned hawfcp, Accipiter fuscm, presented by Mr. 

 Charles Kieger, it. Y. City ; one Brazilian tiee porcupine, Sphinyurus 

 prehensitis, presented by 8 gnor Manuel P. de Guraciaga, itai aeatoo ; 

 one African, buffalo, Bubalus caffer, bom in the menagerie. 



W. A. Conkun, Director. 

 »- «» i- ' 



Arrivals at the Pnu.ADEr.rHi* Zoor.oeic.ii. Garden for the Week 

 Endino April 28.— One common skunk, ifephitU mephitwa; two 

 g-eea llzar.O', .t/e.o'a M.i'.iu'fi.tt.'Vi , ewo remaned tiavks, /; ,,- , '......." 



one fox-colored sparrow. Pa&serella iliaca; one broad-winged hawk, 

 Butsapennsylvanicui; one brown snuKe, Storerix decaye; three water 

 snafces, 27 opMo ad two water snakes, T. tebms, all pre- 



sented. Three prairie wolves, Omis latrann; one great kangaroo, 

 Macropus gigemteue, and one bufl'ilo Bison amtrieama, all born in gar- 

 den. Oae Angora goat, Capm hireus; one sulphur-crested cockatoo, 

 Caeahia giiln-iU; one roseate eoekaioo, C. roseicapitla ; one slender- 

 billed cockatoo, Li?m?!is U'liiiiroalris ; two pynnauts par-'akeets, Platy- 

 cercut jiennanlii ; two Kose-hilt parrakeets, P. cximiu*; two blood- 

 rumpfd pairakeets, Psephotus licema'.onotus ; two yellow-collared par- 

 rateets, /*. semilorquatus (?) ; two uudutated grass parrakeets, Mdop. 

 si tious undulatus; four chestnut-eared finches, Amadina castanotis; 

 two spotted-sided finches, A. lathami; two chestnut-breasted tmches, 

 Donacola. castaiieothorax ; two Maja flaches, Munia m-ija ; two spotted 

 munlas, M. im&ttUUu, and two other finches, all purchased. 



THE PHILADELPHIA. DOG SHOW. 



WE print below the full list of awards made at the first 

 annual dog show of the Philadelphia Kennel Club, 

 which closed in that city on Friday last. As Intimated in our 

 last issue, the arrangements for the care and comfort of dogs 

 al this show were not exceeded by those of any previous ex- 

 hibition of a similar character. The members of the com- 

 mittee were most attentive to visitors, and our personal thanks 

 are due to them for many courtesies extended. There are two 

 points, however, upon which we think the show was open to 

 criticism ; first as to the time it was continued, and secondly 

 as to the manner in which the judging was conducted. Five 

 days is too long a period for a dog show, and we imagine that 

 the gentlemen of the Philadelphia Kennel Club are now of the 

 same way of thinking. As to the judging, this was conducted 

 strictly in private, neither exhibitors nor members of the press 

 being permitted to be present. This we hold to be entirely 

 wrong, a view which coincides with the opinions of all the 

 owners of sporting dogs with whom we conversed at Phila- 

 delphia. We believe that this is the first show of importance 

 held in this country at which this system has been adopted, 

 and we imagine that it will be the last. It is unfair to ex- 



hibitor--. general public. A young dog taken 



from his house, perhaps for the first time, and led before the 

 judges by a BtTanger, or Chained to a staple in the midst of a 

 crowd of others, would be very unlikely to appear at his best, 

 or even to have an ecmal chance with the old stager at dog 

 shows; whereas the same dog, with his master present to en- 

 courage him, would be a very different animal. So well rec- 

 ognized has this fact^ -become, that private i bas been 

 entirely abandoned in England, at least B to i libilors 

 are concerned. Then there is another feature. The only op- 

 portunity a representative of the sporting press. Who is also 

 supposed to be a critic, has to see the dogs on their i 

 during the judging. He cannot examine them in their i 

 Ot make comparisons : nor would it be practicable for him to 

 have any dog taken from his stall for in-pection. We beliuve 

 that the mode of judging at Philadelphia in private was 

 adopted, at least as Eur as the sporting dogs were concerned, 

 at the request of the judges themselves ; we can only say that 

 judges who dislike to judge before exhibitors should not jir'ge 

 at all. How are they to know tho age of a dog, upon which 

 very much, at times, depends, unleas by asking the owutr, or, 

 iu his absence, examining a catalogue ? 



THE DOGS AND THE JUDGING. 



Of the eight dogs entered in the champion pointer class but 

 four were present, Air. Orgill's Eose being placed first over 

 Sefton, who had beaten him in New York, a decision in which 

 we could not concur, although Rush was lookii g n tl er tb in 

 he did at New York. Mr. Orgill's Rush had an easy victory 

 in the bitch class over her one competitor. The abseuce of 

 the kennels of Messrs. Burgess and Smith reduced tho judg- 

 ing in the English setter classes, both dogs and bitches,' to a 

 match ; in the first the Messrs. McGraw's Royal Duke beating 

 Mr. Max Hellmich's Grouse, and in the second Petrel winuibg 

 over Rhoda; the latter, however, was big in whelp (to Yum g 

 Laverack). In the champion Irish class Berkley won anothtr 

 victory, his nearest opponent being Rory O'Moore, who, al- 

 though quite as well made, did not equal the winner in color. 

 The only competitors in the bitch class were Duck, .Mi. Fof- 

 tler's recent purchase from the St. Louis Kennel Club, and 

 Fire Fly. The latter very properly was placed first, Duck 

 having a dead coat and not beiDg in show condition. The 

 champion black and tan class gave us an opportunity of see- 

 ing for the first time the dog Grouse, imported by tile Toledo 

 Kennel Club— and a very grand dog he is; one of the best 

 specimens of the Gordon dog, probably, ever brought to this 

 country. He won over two others, the Nassau Keuael Club's 

 Nell beating her solitary competitor in the bitch class. We 

 omitted to mention that Mr. Morris' L irk, owing to an acci- 

 dent, arrived after the judging in the champion English set- 

 ter class was finished, and was judged against Royal Duke, 

 without changing the previous decision. 



The open classes commenced with the pointers, the heavy 

 class of dogs producing nothing remarkable, and the solitary 

 bitch present having a walk-over. The class of dogs under 

 oolbs. was somewhat better, the 1st prize winner being a 

 good-looking red and white ticked dog, with a good bead, 

 but, as far as we could see in his box, rather lotio- coupled 

 and light behind. The 2d, Lord Duficrin, was one ot the 

 unplaced ones at N. Y., and brought there by Mr. Wagatftfl;. 

 In the bitch class the judging was something remarkable, 

 Mr. Orgill's Belle was placed first, and second prize went to 

 a puppy under a year old, a rather pretiy little thing, but 

 with a narrow head and very many points behind l£v. Van 

 Waganen's Dutchess, who was good enough to win first in a 

 very large class iu New York, but could only get third iu ttlis 

 class of five entries. A little analysts of this judging is veiy 

 amusing. At New York Sefton beats Rush, 'in the special 

 class for the best pointer which has never won a first prise, 

 Dutchess, who has beaten Belle in the opeu class, beats Sei' 

 ton. At Philadelphia Rush beats Sefton. Belle is : 

 first and Dutchess is placed behind an eleven months old 



puppy, in no way her equal. But then Sefton and Do 



were both sired by Sensation I In the puppy class there wete 

 four entries, the bitch Crystal, alluded to above is i ivino 

 beaten Dutchess, was first, with a dog puppy. Cheswick, < f 

 the same litter, second. Mr. Garrett Roach's Van was also 

 entered in this class, but he unlortunately died before the 

 judging commenced. 



There were some very handsome dogs in the imported 

 English setter class, but the impossibility of seeing them 

 cept in their boxes, prevents any attempt at criticism. From 

 the liberality with which V. H. G. and other alphabetical . ;:.- 

 tinctions were bestowed, it rnuot have been a line diss. 

 First prize went to the recently imported Dash III., and, we 

 believe, was rightly bestowed- Thanks to the courtesy of 

 Mr. Nesbitt, of thy Harvard Kennel Club, we bad an 

 tunity of examining this dog and bis kennel oompanJonfl 

 Hamlet (Rock-Dura) and champion Drake, thelatter not com- 

 peting. They are a grand trio of dogs, and ones that i ny 

 owner might be proud of, Whether a "native" 

 or a "blue" man, no intelligent observer could 

 look at Dash III. without admitting that lhe materia] 

 of which field dogs are made, the possession of nose bang 

 assumed, w*s there. The dogs were very fat, which perhaps 

 gave them the appearance of being rather lumbering; Both 

 second and tbird prizes went to dogs sired by Pride of the 

 Border, viz , Thunder, out of Fairy II., and Pontiac out ci 

 Petrel. In fact, in all the English setter classes Pride of the 

 Border stock did remarkably well and covered themselves 

 and sire with glory. Ray, outofUiinit . .:_■ al : ; -a jnthfe 

 native class, ami Stanley, by Ray, 2d. In the imp ; a -j.i 1 [; ul a 

 lisb bitches 1st prize went to Frost, a handsome lemon and 

 white by Leicester out of Victress, owned by W. M. Slrother 

 of Lyuchouig, Va. Second prize was taken by the Harvard 

 Kennel Club withauother of their recent importations, Coun- 

 tess II., and 3d went to Countess Petrel (Count Dick-Petrel) 

 owned Dy John O. Higgins, of Delaware City, Del, who hud 

 on competition a splendid kennel of a dozen or mi uc dogs, lhe 

 majority of them out of his champion Petrel. In the puppy 

 class he exhibited seven out of the eleven entries, all out of 

 Petrel by Count Dick, and took both prizes. 



In the native English setter class there were fifty dogs en- 

 tered. Although it could scarcely be called a goocT one 

 throughout we thought that there were a number of very fine 

 specimens of the native dog that should have been, noticed: 

 1st, as before remarked, went to Mr. Orgill's Ray, and 2d to 

 R.y's son, Stanley. This last named dog was very much ad- 

 mired at New York, and we preferred him to his sire. Beth 

 dogs are white with liver markings, a somewhat noticeable 

 fact, as it is rather unusual for sellers of tnis color to be re- 

 turned as winners. In bitches 1st prize was very jusdv be- 

 stowed on that beautiful bitch Abbey, by Fouug Laverack 

 out of Dido, bred by Mr. Raymond and owned by Mr. E. C. 

 LaMontagne, of this city. Abbey has twice won second 

 honors at New Y'ork. 2d and 8d prizes went to orange aud 



