——— -— - — = — — — ' ^ x AtlJ1 u. t 



horses in search of relief from the hot rays of the sun ; or, if 

 at meal time, gathering up the crumbs with a confident, self- 

 satisfied air. If undisturbed the bird's boldness becomes 

 amusing, and it ventures nearer and nearer, with occasional 

 halts to see if the danger is imminent, or to pick some stray 

 crumb, till at last she— for I do not remember to have ob- 

 served the male so bold— would be actually feeding fiom one's 

 plate. Several times I have thus caught them with my bare 

 hands, and even when caught they showed less fear than 

 anger at such unwarrantable liberties. 



"While spending the winter of 1873-3, an exceptionally cold 

 one, in southern Kansas I observed a female who had taken 

 up her winter quarters in a stable, where she remained 

 perched upon a horse's back. Being somewhat of a 

 nuisance she was several times gently driven away, but 

 always persisted in returning to her warm roost upon the 

 Bame animal's back. When the horse was fed she would fly 

 to another, to return andfeed upon the scattered grain. Each 

 day the animals were driven a half mile to water, when Bhe 

 invariably accompanied them, making a careful toilet while 

 they were drinking, and again returning to the stable. She 

 probably remained till spring, but I last saw her near the first 

 of February. 



39. Agelasus pJunniceus, Red- Winged Blackbird.— A single 

 female taken the first week in May, and a pair June 20, evi- 

 dently nesting on the marsh. None others were seen, and 

 they could hardly have escaped observation had they been 

 there. [In early fall this species was frequently observed.— 

 G. B. G.J 



40. Xanthocejihalm icterooephalus, Yellow-Headed Black- 

 bird.— A single male made his appearance with a flock of 

 Brewer's blackbirds, May 26. Very soon, however, a consid- 

 erable colony had become domiciled among the tall reeds of 

 the marsh, where their noisy and very laborious notes were 

 continuously heard. In the latter part of June their neatly 

 woven nests were not infrequently found. 



41. Slurnella magna neglecta, Western Field Lark.— Com- 

 mon. 



42. 8colecophagu8 ct/anocephalus, Brewer's Blackbird.— A 

 large flock made its appearance May 26, and afterward these 

 birds were very abundant and noisy about the station and 

 marsh. They were very bold, venturing to the doors of the 

 station, but warily taking flight at the least alarm, only to re- 

 turn immediately. They would occasionally have a trifling 

 dispute with the shore larks, in which the latter held their 

 own. 



43. Oarvwi coraz, Raven.— Numerous flocks of these birds 

 were seen the previous December flying about Como Bidge, 

 but were not very common in summer. 



44. Oonus americanus, Crow.— Not common. 



[45. Pieicoraus columbianus, Clark's Crow.— Very abundant 

 both in the Freeze Out and Medicine Bow mountains, and 

 everywhere cautious and wary. If one had a shot-gun they 

 were not to be approached, but when one was carrying a rifle 

 they would sit unconcernedly in the tops of the pines while 

 you passed beneath the tree.— G. B. G.j 



46. Pica melanoleuea hudsonica, Magpie.— -Though more 

 abundant further West, but one was observed at Como. 



47. Tyrannm tarolinenm, Kingbird.— May 27; not un- 

 common. 



{To he continued.) 



that they will wash as well as shamoy leather ; whereas all 

 the other leathers and pells dressed by the Indians, if they get 

 •wet, turn quite hard, unless great care be taken to keep con- 

 stantly rubbing them while drying. 



A full account is also given of quite a number of birds, in- 

 cluding the ruffed grouse, pheasant, wood partridge, willow 

 partridge and rock partridge,; also ten kinds of geese. 



C. T. Jones, Je, 



This very interesting old work is not very common, but 

 you will find it quoted in all works on North American birds 

 and mammals. 



AN EXTRACT FROM OLD HEARNE. 



Philadelphia, March 14, 1879. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



I own an old book, which I think is rare The title is, " A 

 Journey from Prince of Wales Fort, in Hudson's Bay, to the 

 Northern Ocean, by Order of the Hudson's Bay Company, 

 for the Discovery of Copper Mines ; a Northwest Passage, in 

 the Years 1708, '70, '71 and '72. By Sam'l Hearae. Pub- 

 lished in Dublin in the Year 1796." It contains an account 

 of the natives, climate, soil, minerals, rivers, lakes, trees, 

 grasses, and fishes; and in an interesting way describes all 

 the birds and animals that inhabit those regions. I will give 

 you part of Chap. X. It is as follows : 



In order to rectify a mistake, which, from wrong informa- 

 tion, has crept into Mr. Pennant's "Arctic Zoology," in page 

 21 of that elegant work, he classes the moose with the we- 

 was-kish, though it certainly has not any affinity to it. The 

 we-was-kish, or as some (though improperly) call it the was- 

 keesse, is quite a different animal from the moose, being by 

 no means so large in size. The horns of the we-was kish are 

 something similar to those of the common deer, but are not 

 palraated in any part. They stand more upright, have fewer 

 branches, and want the brow antler. The head of this animal 

 s so far from being like that of the moose, that the nose is 

 sharp, like the nose of a sheep ; indeed, the whole external 

 appearance of the head is not very unlike that of an ass. The 

 hair is usually of a sandy red ; and they are frequently called 

 by the English who visit the interior parts of the country, red 

 deer. The flesh is tolerable eating ; but the fat is as hard as 

 tallow, and if eaten as hot as possible, will yet chill in so 

 short a time that it clogs the teeth, and sticks to the roof of 

 the mouth in such a manner as to render it very disagreeable. 

 In the spring of 1775 I had thirteen sledge-loads of this meat 

 brought to Cumberland House in one day, and also two of 

 the heads of this animal unskinned But the horns were 

 chopped off, a proof of their wearing them all winter. They 

 are the most: stupid of ail the deer kind, and frequently make 

 ashrillwhistlingand quivering noise, not very unlike the bray- 

 ing of an ai-s, which directs the hunter to the very spot where 

 they are. They generally keep in large herds, and when they 

 find plenty of pasture remain a long time in one place. Those 

 deer are seldom an object of chase with the Indians bordering 

 on Baaquiau, except when moose and other game fail. Their 

 skins, when dressed, very much resemble that of the moose, 

 though they are much thinner, and have this peculiar quality; 



THE QUAIL AND WOODCOCK OF 

 FRANCE. 



New York, April 25, 1879, 



Having just returned from a visit to France, I thought your 

 readers might possibly like to hear a little about how the 

 brethren of the sporting fraternity amuse themselves across 

 the water. 



The hunting season in France opens some time during the 

 last two weeks in August, the exact day varying in the dif- 

 ferent departments, and being fixed by law from year to 

 year. The prevailing opinion, I regret to say, seems to be 

 that a Frenchman cannot shoot unless gaudily attired in a 

 complete costume, from a pair of patent leather topped boots 

 and corduroy knee-breeches, to a velveteen coat and a cut- 

 away cap. I confess I had some such idea as this myself be- 

 fore experience taught me better ; but I soon learned that, 

 while from their superior advantages in the quantity of game, 

 the average American was by far the best shot. Yet the 

 sportsman who could kill his red legged partridge in the midst 

 of a mountain forest might compete with and hold his own 

 against anybody, from whatever country he hails. 



The first bird of the season, and the first one I tried my 

 hand at, was the "caille," which I suppose to be the same 

 bird as the Messina quail, but may be mistaken, never having 

 the opportunity of seeing the latter. 1 did not find them very 

 abundant, for, after the first week's shooting, they disap- 

 peared, migrating duriDg September. If this little quail cor- 

 responds—and I think it does— to the recently imported birds 

 from Messina, I must say that for my part I want to keep my 

 dogs aloof from it. In the first place, they are inveterate run- 

 ners, and many a time I have followed one up and down the 

 whole length of a corn-field only to have him get up at per- 

 haps the very spot where the dog first struck the scent. If 

 this tends to increase the steadiness of a dog, I am mistaken. 

 Again, being most easily found and shot, nine-tenths of all 

 the dogs in France are brought up on it, and with a few ex- 

 ceptions French bird dogs are the worst set of curs it has ever 

 been my lot to be obliged to endure. 



A little later in the season I found agreeable recreation in 

 hunting the red and gray partridge, "perdrix rouge" and 

 " perdrix grise." The former is always found in the thickest 

 woods on the tops of mountains, and when once disturbed and 

 shot at will fly great distances, and it is barely possible to find 

 them again. The latter resemble more in their habits our 

 quail, being found in weed and stubble fields, always near 

 some cover. 



During the latter part of October and throughout Novem- 

 ber the woodcock begin to come on, and, whew ! what wood- 

 cock ! Although aware that the English woodcock was much 

 larger than our American bird, I shall never forget my aston- 

 ishment on the occasion of my first experience with it- 



"How would you like a day after 'becasses'?" my par- 

 ticular chum and friend said to me one morning shortly after 

 the opening of the season. My answer must have been satis- 

 factory, for five p. si. that same evening found us on board a 

 train bound for Isere, a part of southern France well and de- 

 servedly known for its game. Next morning found us bright 

 and early on the grounds. Accustomed as I was to shooting 

 American woodcock in the fall, I naturally kept my gun in a 

 ready position, expecting each moment to hear a whistling 

 noise and see a brown body traveling "en grande vitesse" 

 through the bushes ; but what was my astonishment when the 

 dog flushed within ten feet of my nose a bird which flopped 

 off in a hawk-like manner and was killed by my companion, 

 falling dead less than fifteen yards from the muzzle of his 

 gun . On picking it up I could not believe my eyes. Here 

 was a bird with all the appearance of, and being without 

 doubt, a woodcock, and yet rising like a chicken-hawk and 

 flying off as leisurely as if he did not know the effect of an 

 ounce of lead propelled by three drams of powder. In shoit, 

 after a hard day's tramp, with the usual number of hits and 

 misses, I came to the conclusion that to be able to kill Ameri- 

 can woodcock does not necessarily imply one's ability to kill 

 some birds in France ; but he who can cut down one of our 

 fall birds would find the magnified bird of the same appel- 

 lation an easy victim to his prowess. 



One bad habit I did discover in France and Germany, and 

 it is one imported into this country by the mass of pot-hunters 

 who throDg all available places within fifty miles of New 

 York, shooting anything, from the farmers' chickens to the 

 little singing bird, and accompanied by dogs whose appear- 

 ance beggars description. They will do this at home, and 

 what a ridiculous sight it is to see a full-fledged Dutch sport, 

 followed by a small terrier, crawling carefully along in ortier 

 to slay some poor little creature, who, trusting in the miser- 

 able fellow, allows himself to be approached and murdered. 

 Any one living in New Jersey will fully appreciate the truth 

 of this remark, if he has ever been out on the opening day. 



W. D. 



The Birds of Guadeloupe.— The results of Mr. Ober's 

 investigations in the Lesser Antilles have already furnished a 

 very considerable amount of material for scientific study, and 

 we have already called attention to the interesting ornithologi- 

 cal results of his explorations. Mr. Lawrence, whose inter- 

 esting papers on the various collections have been noticed 

 from time to time in these columns as they have appeared, 

 has recently published a list of the Birds reported from Guade- 

 loupe in the Proceeding of the United States National Museum. 

 The specimens upon which the present paper is based num- 

 ber 132, and the observer's notes refer to 45 species, either 

 taken or observed. A very interesting and instructive list of 

 the birds observed in these islands (Guadeloupe and Grande 

 Terre) by Dr. L'Hermionier, between the years 1827 and 1844, 

 appears here for the first time, and contains the names of 135 



systematic positions of several species are made in this 

 notably With regard to Ehipltoniaflwifrons. Mr. Ober brought 

 with him from these islands three specimens of Geolrygon 

 my»t<ma alive, and two of them are now to be seen in the 

 Central Park menagerie. 



The present paper is the last of the series upon the orni- 

 thology of the Lesser Antilles. The results of Mr. Lawrence's 

 study of the birds of these islands are very valuable and have 

 added much to our knowledge of their ornithology. It is a 

 matter of general congratulation that the examination of these 

 collections was intrusted to one so admirably qualified to do 

 the subject justice. 



Chesapeake Zoological Labratory. — The second session 

 of this new school of study of the products of the sea will 

 be opened at Crisfield, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore of the 

 Chesapeake Bay, about June 30, and will be conducted by the 

 John Hopkins University, with the co-operation of the Mary- 

 land and U. S. Fish Commissions. One of the barges of the 

 Maryland Fish Oommis ion, with a building upon it fifty feet 

 long by nineteen wide, will be fitted up as :» laboratory, with 

 tables, aquaria, etc., for ton persons, and another barge, with 

 state-rooms, will be used as a dormitory. The Assistant U. 

 S. Fish Commissioner, T. B. Ferguson, will accompany the 

 party with a small steamboat, and will take charge of the 

 dredging and collecting. The barges will be at Crisfield from 

 June 20 to July 11, thus affording an opportunity for the 

 study of the fauna of the large and important oyster beds of 

 Tangier Sound. About July 11 the laboratory will be moved 

 to some point not yet selected, near the mouth of the bay, 

 either within or outside the Capes. On account of limited 

 accommodations, none but those who are already acquainted 

 with the methods of zoological work can be accepted as mem- 

 bers of the party, and no formal instruction will be given. 

 Tables, microscopes, aquaria, boats, collecting nets and a 

 small library will be provided, and a fee of ten dollars will 

 be charged by the university for the use of the laboratory 

 outfit during the season. It would be well to send a model 

 of barges, tenders and apparatus to the coming Fi3h Exhibi- 

 tion at Berlin, Prussia. 



—We have received from an irascible correspondent a 

 peppery letter, finding all sorts of fault with a writer, J. O. H., 

 for saying that he killed near Fayetteville, N. Y., four young 

 woodcock in thick corn the 31st of March. The fact is that 

 the note complained of came from Fayetteville, N. O. (which, 

 being interpreted, means North Carolina), quite a different 

 latitude. 



Domesticated Ruffed Grouse. — M. W. Clark, of Dan- 

 ville Junction, Maine, writes us -. 



" I have three— one cock and two hens— grouse, and the 

 two hens have just made their nests, and to-day one nest 

 shows two and the other one egg— a pretty and interesting 

 sight. I have a circular coop ten feet in diameter and six 

 feet high, built on the ground, without a floor, and small 

 evergreen trees set about in it, making nice sheltered nooks 

 for hiding and for their nests. I have just obtained ten eggs 

 from a wild nest in the woods and set them under a hen, and 

 shall try what I can do with them in raising any young grouse. 

 Surely "shall not have enough to spare this season. Now, can 

 you tell me what food to feed to the little chicks when they 

 first come out?" 



Ahs. Our correspondent probably knows as well as we do, 

 that the natural food of the grown ruffed grouse is buck- 

 wheat, corn, beans, grapes, strawberries and all other berries, 

 buds, and in winter aeorns and sometimes laurel. The young 

 chicks doubtless eat such food as the woods provide at the 

 season of the year when they hatch; and this food must con- 

 sist largely of larv.», grubs, worms, and tender shoots of 

 plants. In the absence of such food, a small proportion of 

 oatmeal, with cracked corn partly soaked, would suggest 

 themselves. Bread, unless very dry, is unsuitable for any 

 birds. 



A Backwoods Zoological Garden.— Mr. M. W. Clark is 

 the proprietor of a summer resort and chalybeate springs 

 near Danville Junction, Maine. He also has a very pretty 

 collection of wild creatures which he pels, and which attract 

 the interest of his guests. Writing from Danville Junction,, 

 he says : 



My mineral springs are about U mile from here, and 

 have built three small but nice trout ponds— two 

 of them with stone and cement, and the larger one of stone, 

 not, cemented. In these 1 have fifty or more splendid trout, 

 some of l hem from the celebrated Kangeley and Richardson 

 lakes. How they will jump from the water when I throw 

 them their bits of liver! And I have also, a few rods away, 

 a nice pond for water fowl, which is now inhabited by one 

 r air wild geese, one pair wood ducks, One pair black ducks 

 and two and a half pairs domestic ducks ("pekn 

 they make a happy and interesting family. I have also neai 

 that a paddock of peacocks and wild turkeys and another of 

 rabbits, and on some high posts near by, a rustic pigeon-house 

 inhabited by fan-tails. I have also four deer and three ruffed 

 grouse. 



A Snow White Seal.— A young seal was caught on the 

 coast of Maine, at Cupe Elizabeth, a week or two ago, as 

 white as snow ; but he died of too much handling, before he 

 could be taken proper care of. 



Some interesting announcements with regard to the proper 



ARRIVALS AT THE PHILADELPHIA ZOOLOGICAL QABDSN FSOJ. 



Mat j to May 21.— Six alligators, AUiyatar m ;-,-,,',' '■■' 



Virginia deer, Oi-vw, niaUnianvs ; two tallow .i 



: one black bearcnb, Ursus vanericanuij 006 bog-coned 

 rhinos; one pine Bui 

 six ga'mr snakes, Eutamia sirlalis ; one lenee Uaal 

 duiictu.-,; one bullfrog, Bam catesbiana ; four red toj 

 onellltle black-headed Unci., Futinila nfinia ; ail presented One red 

 kangaroo, Maera/ms rw/tw, and one Virginia deer, Cermu vtrginfawtu, 

 both born in garden. Two European badgers, Shies lasewt; one gray 

 ichneumon, HerpetUt grium* ; taree Anabla baboons, CyrwctpMw 

 «n«Wa; one emu, Drtmuem iwoa-hoWmdia; one scarlet Ibis, law n*- 



