164 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



|Skpt. 21, 1888. 



Subsequently 1 sent to Mr. Merrill (and later to Mr. Brew- 

 ster) the skin of it gull exhibiting just such a phase of piu- 

 iiiasro as Hie one in question, 



Although Mr. Merrill's specimen had been announced as 

 the "glaucous-winged gull [LarV.s aUilOemna)," by one who 

 is known th rough" Iris prolific writings asan ornithologist 

 and an "authority," I reiterated my linn opinion that the 

 specimen was "not iw/w glauceiCens, else /,. yhvucmeenx is 

 not a good species." I further remarked that "1 am rather 

 a heretic as regards coloration I presume, as I plitee less 

 value upon this feature than do ornithologists generally." 



f certainly -would not ton 



gull upon "the coloration of 

 In my catalogue of "Th 



a diagnosis 

 Birds of Mj 



1" any spc 



lately pub- 



age was referred to in thi 

 s a phase of plumage, im- 

 eet maturity, in which this 

 •r surface of the first four or 



listed, this latter phase of pi 

 following words: "But there i 

 mediately preceding that of per 

 gull (i. leucoptervs) has the upp 

 five wiug feathers (primaries) marked with a dusky or ash 

 gray color, more or less obscure, but sometimes quite 

 prominent and resembling the Win? markings of the silvery 

 gull; aud although never pOTO black as on thai sp Cii l, vet 

 so dark as to be in marked contrast w ith the pale pearl blue 

 of the greater portion of the wing. 1 presume this to be the 

 form to which Dr. Elliott Coues alludes in his 'Birds of the 

 Northwest' (page 634), as Lor'is'chtileopin-n*: described as 

 •exactly like h.iiropieniti, except on the primaries which are 

 athy gray, with rounded white apical spots.' Dr. Coues 

 adds thai this 'is precisely the character of yfa'UC&CSilS,' or 

 glaucous-winged gull ascribed to the Pacific coast of North 

 America.' There appears to have been w ry little published 

 in regard to this phase of plumage. :,:■-.' -nth s pec iraena have 

 usually been named us of other species than £ I ufl / '"■-'■ 



It is" remarkable that any one with a knowledge" Q~f orni- 

 thology, not confined to literary t rofli iency, could make so 

 obvious an error in regard to thi- (Ull ■- I I ••■''' it to a dif- 

 ferent species. The error is one of those that may be 

 ascribed to the exaggerated value given to coloration, and to 

 some other causes that influence cur moflerh writers m their 

 methods and customs. 



The white-winpvd gull cannot well ! >e eon founded with 

 the much larger glaucoUH gull, and bui for lheerronalready 

 recorded, 1 might say thai nn ornithologist would mistake 

 specimens of the former species lor any other Mud. i have 

 recently called attention to the small northern race of silvery 

 fulls (/."•if.-' ,',:■:, ii'-'itin). The gtdla of this species and 

 race afford a close comparison with the white-winged 

 species in size aud proportions. There is usually a marked 

 difference in the measurements of bill and tarsus, however, 

 those of Lhe L. argwUUm being greatest. 



Tarsus of adult silvery gull, 8.5 inches or more. Bill, tip 

 to nostril (anterior limit of nasal aperture), 1.0 or more. 

 Tarsus of adult white-winged gull, 2.5 inches or less. 

 Aursgo 3.3. Bill, tip to nostril. 1.0 or less. I have not 

 found this measurement to exceed 0.95 inches, and there 

 appears to be no intergradatiou of the above cited measure- 

 ments of these two species of gulls. 



The usual measurements of length, extent and wing, inler- 

 gratle. 



There is a difference between the proportions in length of 

 s and middle toe. 



fdtt{e i§ug m\d 



GAME rtESORTS.—We are always glad to receive for pub- 

 lication si,ch notes of desirable game resorts as may be of help 

 to the readers of Forest axd Stream. Will not our corre- 

 spondents favor us with such advice? 



par 



'•!/■ 



, communications should be ad- 

 ■eam Publishing Co., and not to 

 e from the office matters of im- 



OPEN SEASONS. 



The digest of open seasons, printed In our issue of Aug. it), has 

 been published In convenient pamphlet form, and will be sent tn any 

 address, postpaid. on receipt of 10 cents. 



th. 



The average leiurth of the third toe varies but little with 

 ic two species, but the tarsus of L, argmtkitJU is appreciably 

 longer than that of L. interim*. 



These comparisons apply to specimens taken on Bile Atlan- 

 tic coast of North America. 



Spe. 



this coast e 

 ern race, ii 



The deec 

 own notes, 

 sirous of m 



As in ii" 

 menl of Mi 

 nay be \ 



imost race of /.. wgenmm on 

 r contrast than those oi tli i north- 



ms leii&jptmis ate given from 



:-:sh specimens to any readers de- 

 o£ this species. 



his species, I refute « recent state- 

 er, who disparages my "methods." 

 j boj something ifl regard to those 

 birds lies chiefiy in the study of 

 rary record. Some 

 My studies htve 

 al notes are chiefiy 

 the licsh.'' As to 

 lieation: the raluc- 



iy 



their li 

 ny tecbi 



•al 



ithodi 

 their natural history, and ik 

 such records I deem unnat 1 

 been largely in the Held, am 

 6f freshlji killed specimens, e.-.a 

 nomenclature, 1 am an advocat 

 lion instead of progressive iuul._ r _ 

 of species, but of genera, aud perl: .1 ;■• iv :,..-. :d ..-. ;i 

 I always seek to relet a newly acquired sp.-.-imcn to some 

 species already known and descaoed. L-y pur.-umg these 

 methods I am fully aware that I am quite outside of the 

 beaten paths of many Uterary ornithologists and "collectors, 

 by whom I must expect to be disparaged and ignored. 

 ' I have ventured above to repeat some notes Irom 'The 

 Birds of Maine," and I may in (hat connection fairly retort 

 Brewster, in his own words as applied to 

 B.," in Hull. K. 0. 0. July. 1883). My 

 really an ardent (collector) whose extensive 

 awakened such a love lor (technical orni- 

 has become almost" — one of the best orni- 

 irth America, nnd as regards the smaller land 



v take such n rank 



, Mi 



iligently aud usefully of 



ts of his study 

 nior 



uid 



n already 

 bird of so 

 f another 

 an of the 

 rds of this 



to the c 



the. wri 

 critic — 

 expeiiel 

 tfcology 

 thologis 

 birds, ti 



"Such an obs< 

 the. birds which have been tlie 

 or pursuit, but he should not 

 general field," not'heedlesslyvi 

 Surely no one with a lile-rar 

 standing as an ornki. i . 

 "authorifv," should contribu 

 caused by ornithological write] 

 common a species as the Whit 

 species, merely because of a vi 

 primaries. In calling atteuliot . 

 -pecies, 1 would suggest to future writers a thorough revision 

 of the whole subject from the time of Bnich to that of 

 Brewster. Everf.tt Smith. 



Poivilakd, Maine, 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION. 



A NUMBER of gentlemen met at the Natural History 

 A Museum in tins ,.1-v v,s.,„l;,y, and established the 

 American Ornithologists Linion Those present were: [>r, 

 Elliott Coues in Chair, Mr. E, P. Bicknell, Secretary yratem.; 

 Messrs V Aldrich, Loiva; V. I'\ Batehelder, Mass.; Capt, 

 ("has. Betidiie. Oregon; N. 0. Brown. Me.; W m Brewster, 

 \Ias« ' M I'hamliet lain, New Brunswick, Cam: C. B. Cory , 

 Mass ; f). C Elliott, :N. Y.; Dr. A K. Fisher X. Y ; Dr. 

 J. P, Holder, ti. Y. ; T. Mel 1 wraith. Can.; Dr C Hart 

 Merriom, K. Y\ : Dr. E, & Mearns. A. \,; Dr. D. W, 

 Prentiss, "Washington; Bobcrt Hidgway, Washington; Dr. 

 B. W. Shufeldt, L n. /v report of the meeting will be. given 

 in our next issue. 



CAMP LIFE AT PAYNE'S PRAIRIE. 



\\ J E were a jolly party of five, who had made Pay ne's 

 » T Prairie, Florida, our headquarters for several Seasons, 

 out object being to enjoy the fine chooting aud fishing, and 

 also to collect specimens of the many rare aud beautiful 

 birds found in the lakes and hammocks. We had sealed 

 ourselves one evening around our camp fire for a quiet chat, 

 As the lire blazed and crackled it. seemed to impart some of 

 its warmth and cheerfulness to usalso; when the well-known 

 sound of a hunting horn mingled with the baying of hounds 

 came echoing through the hammock, making us quickly 

 jump lo our feet. This night had been appointed for a grand 

 coon hunt. We had barely time to get our axes and guns 

 when our guide arrived. Uncle Ben was a herculean darkey, 

 With a countenance which might be said to be decidedly 

 open, aud a row r of ivories which age seemed not to have im- 

 paired. Formerly a slave, he was now possessed of consid- 

 erable property, and had the enviable icputatiou of being the 

 best 'coon hunter in the country. The dogs were a spei of 

 mongrel hound, very common 'to the South, and understood 

 their business thoroughly. We had concluded to go to the 

 Rocky Point. iuuumoekS a very heavy hammock about five 

 miles Off, noted, as Ben expressed it, "for the size of its var- 

 mints." After providing' ourselves with a plentiful supply 

 of light wood to be used for torches, we started on our way. 



No one can fail to be impressed with the weird beauty of a 

 Florida, hammock by torchlight. Giaut live oaks and mag- 

 nolias are on every side, their tops so interlaced as to almost 

 exclude the heavens, while immense creepers and lliana 

 stretch from tree to tree, making an almost impenetrabli 

 network from all of which the beautiful Spanish moss 

 I TiHunsia) hangs in long graceful festoons waving to and fro 

 with every passing breath of wind. 



We start off in Indian file, scarcely a sound breaking the 

 stidness except the loud laugh of the barred owl or thi 

 shrill cries ot some solitary heron winging its way to thi 

 neighboring marshes. The dogs have left us and are off 

 some distance on either side. Ever and anon we catch a 

 glimpse of their dark forms as they quarter buck and forth 

 in their efforts to strike a trail. We had gone about a mile 

 when their having far off in the hammock told US that they 

 had at last, found the scent. With quickened footsteps we 

 hurried on as fast as possible in the direction of the sound 

 and in a few moments the clamorous chorus assured us that 

 they had treed him. Scrambling over logs and through briars 

 we arrived at the spot, There was a tall slender gum with 

 a large vine clinging to it; at its foot were the dogs, their 

 eves intently fixed on the topmost branches. It was the 

 woi U oi i very few moments for us to cut through the soft 

 wood of the tree, and it fell with a crash, tearing the vines 

 from the neighboring trees. Xo sooner had it reached the 

 ground lhan the does were in ii; ami iliey immediately 

 dragged out a largo 'possum, which was hailed by us with 

 shouts of delight and corresponding howls from the dogs, 

 for the 'possum is considered quite as much a dainty as the 

 'coon. , . 



After dispatching the game we proceeded on our way, and 

 at last reaching the desired point had barely entered the 

 hammock when the dogs opened with a sharp yelp, which 

 old Ben said "meant a 'coon dis time, sure." Away we 

 went after them as fast as we could scramble through 

 the matted vines and undergrowth, shouting every few 

 moments encouragement to the clogs. Ben's "Hunt 'em 

 up, pup," resounded loud and clear through toe ham- 

 mock, 'peals of laughter greeted some unfortunate in- 

 dividual whose muttered exclamations of disgust could be 

 heard as he vainly endeavored to break through the mass of 

 vines and briars that firmly held him, aud from which there 

 is no escape save to back out and try a new direction. But 

 the enraged pursuer may have hie revenge shortly, for if he 

 watches closely he mav sec another unfortunate who, con- 

 fident in his own security and with a smile still on his lips, 

 is suddenly consigned to oblivion as he disappears, torch and 

 all, over some unseen lo?, and for the balance of the night is 

 content, to limp along in the rear. Amid such scenes as this 

 we at last reached the tree, a large leaning live oak, against 

 which the dogs were jumping and whining. 



After vainly endeavoring to "shine lus eyes," we con- 

 cluded thai we would have to cut the tree down, an opera- 

 don which requires a great deal of work, as the live oak is 

 one of the hardest known woods. We went to work with a 

 will, and after a few strokes found to our great satisfaction 

 lhat the ti unk was hollow. Tm half an hour down it came 

 with a crash, splitting half way lo the top with a report tike 

 a cannon. We. all rushed up expecting to see the 'eoou by 

 tlm aid of the large (ires which we had kindled, but lo our 

 astonishment he did not make his appearance. Sudilenly 

 we were greeted with a terrific growling and snarliug, and, 

 forcing our way through the broken branches, we found a 

 large hole in the trunk into which one of" the dogs had 

 Crawled, and, judging from the sound, was being pretty 

 roughly bandied. & fter considerable difficulty we succeeded 

 m pullins; them out eoou and rdl. but before v/c could extri- 

 cate ourselves from the ireetop the prey had escaped, closely 

 pursued bv the dons. Old Ben shook his head and said 

 "we might as well gib it up, for dat 'coon wouldn't stop 

 short of de bigaest tree in de hammock." The big.- ' i"-- 

 in the hammock, however, pioved to he not very far on. 1 1 

 was an immense iivE oak which we thought it would take 

 u= all night to cut down; but: the sight of the badly scarred 

 s made us determined to have that 'coon if it took us two 

 days, Dispatching two of the party to the nearest cabin, 

 which was several miles distant, to procure sonic provisions, 

 the rest set vigorously to work chopping. In about two 

 hours, the reh-f espediti: n relurn-d ual we soon had the 

 "Yellow Nancies" in the ashes and the bacon toasting before 

 tin elns iy blaze. Having refreshed ourselves, wealtack.d 



the tree aeain with renewed vigor. The rest of the party 

 lay down to sleep. 



The steady ring of the axes sounded sharp and clear as 

 the hours flew by. Changing off every hour, we succeeded 

 just at sunrise in making the true crack, as if about to fall. 

 We stationed ourselves at different points, aud with a few 

 more, blows dowji came the oak, crushing in its descent 

 several smaller trees. Away went the 'coon again with the 

 hole party close at Ilia heels. He was soon brought to bay, 

 id after a lively scrimmage, in which dogs, men and coon 

 were promiscuously mingled, we succeeded in killing him, 

 and returned to camp too much excited to feel our loss of 

 leep. 



Payne's Prairie is an oval sheet of water, about hf teen 

 miles long by seven broad, and situated about three miles 

 from Gainesville. Before the war it formed part of a large 

 plantation, only a creek running through its center, but a 

 natural sink into which this creek" formerly emptied having 

 for some unknown reason become choked up, all tue ad- 

 joining lowland was converted into a lake, which still re- 

 tains the name of Payne's Prairie, As one sails over the 

 shallow parts he can" easily distinguish below the ridges 

 Where cotton and com were formerly planted. Tin tine 

 house, with its broad verandas, is now deserted. The 

 daikeys, who still occupy the old quarters, give glowing 

 accounts of the wouderud crops these lands formerly pro- 

 duced. The shores of the lake consist of high bluffs, which 

 in some places are quite rocky, aud covered with a heavy 

 growth of live oaks and water oaka and magnolias, inter- 

 spersed with wild orange. 



The surrounding country is rolling, nnd in some places 

 reaching an elevation of several hundred feet. Near here 

 are numbers of uatural wells; of one, although scarcely a 

 yard in diameter, we were unable to reach the l.natoin even 

 with the combined lengths of our buss lines. Another a 

 short distance from out camp, was about one hundred yards 

 in diameter aud perfectly circular, although it had no per- 

 ceptible outlet, its waters at all seasons of the year were of a 

 beautiful translucent blue. It was a glorious place for bath- 

 ing', and all through the summer months we daily vUitcd it. 

 Here also on the bluffs Overlooking the lake are lneban 

 mounds enough to delight, the heart of an archaiologist, all 

 of which remained undisturbed with the exception oi one. 

 This we opened. In it yvas a great qtnnlity of curiously 

 wrought pottery, and the finest -specimens ot llinl hatchets 

 and arrowheads I have ever seem The waters of the lake 

 for the distance of a mile from the shore are coveieu with 

 "bonnets." which bloomed throughout the summer, impart- 

 ing a delightful fragrance lo the air, and dotting the water 

 fof miles with their snowy blossoms. Here also in profusion 

 grows the yellow water-lily i -.v a flam) This lily 



was figured for the first time on one of Audubon's bird 

 plates, remaining otherwise unknown to naiuialbis, and 

 considered by some as merely a creation of hi:, pencil, until 

 a few years past, when it was rediscovered in Florida (Its 

 original station), and the great naturalist vindicated. 



The fishing in this lake is superb. We had fished the 

 State of Florida pretty well over but never found elsewhere 

 such sport as is to be obtained here. One of our party cap- 

 tured fitly-one pounds of bass in an hour and a half of fish- 

 ing. The majority of the fish are of large size, the largest 

 taken weighing twelve pounds. Being out of the regular 

 line of travel, few tourists visit this lako, and during a con- 

 tinuous residence of nearly a year on its shores We never en- 

 countered a single white man". The darkeys have a way of 

 fishing which, as it was m w. to us, may not be without in- 

 terest to Others, To a stout pole thev attach a line barely 

 eighteen inches in length, a piece of red flannel being ihe 

 onlv bait used. Sitting in the bow of us dugout lie is silently 

 ps; i fled alone the edge of the lily-pads, geu'ly skippnig tP,3 

 hook over the top of lhe water. The fish bile eagerly, and 

 as soon as hooked are led around to the stern of the boat and 

 the other darkey lifts it out of the water; great numbers of 

 them are taken in this way. 



On the north side of the lake and connected with it is a 

 bayou some two miles long and not exceeding hall a mile in 

 width called Bivius Arm, it narrows down to about a rod 

 in width, where it enters the lake, leaving a grassy slope 

 some fifty yards wide on either side. At morning and even- 

 ing great numbers of ducks pass between these points, fly- 

 ing with great velocity, and we used to station ouiselves 

 here for shooting, ft was the most difficult shooting 1 ever 

 tried, and it took us sometime to accustom ourselves to tir- 

 ing at least ten feet ahead of the uirds. They were princi- 

 pally ring-necks, although mallards, pintails, teal and wood- 

 ducks were not uncommon, and all were in tine condition. 

 Should a wounded bird escape to the lake it had an em any 

 quite as deadly as our guns, for a pair of duck hawks 

 had made their nest, containing young, in a large gum 

 tree close by. It was interesting to watch lhe operations of 

 these birds "as thev hovered over their victim. It mattered 

 not bow deeply it would dive, or how cunningly try to con- 

 ceal itself uueler the lily pads, the sharp eyes of the hawks 

 rfere sure to discover ii, and pouncing down ou the victim. 

 carry it off to their nest. The strength of these birds is 

 very great; a duck fully equaling their own weight was 

 carried with seeming ease. We never molested them, con- 

 sidering ourselves well repaid for the loss of an occasional 

 duck by the rare opportunity their presence affoided us, of 

 not-mg "their habits. . . , , 



The one- great drawback to this region is its abundance ot 

 snakes; they are numerous and decidedly dangerous. Ten 

 species' were common, of which three were poisonous, viz., 

 lhe rattlesnake, a small species of sand viper called by the 

 natives ground rattler, and the mocetein. To our knowl- 

 edge four colored people met their deaths from snake bites 

 within a radius of ten miles. We bad some narrow escapes, 

 one Of which will long be remembered l.y a. friend who was 

 paying us a visit. We were out deer hunting and our dog 

 ran upon a large rattlesnake, We, who were following 

 close behind, received the attack of the reptile. The snake, 

 struck our guest at a point about half way up bis boot-leg, 



c pletely penetrating the leather ami breaking the f ug 



off fortunately, however, not touching the skin. A load of 

 buckshot prevented further damage. Its tanned skin, in 

 the shape of a pair of slippers, now adorns our friend's feet. 

 There are BOjne peculiarities about the rattlesnake which 

 entitle him to be called a king of makes. Blmuld be bo 

 aware ot your approach he generously gives you fair warn- 

 ing and having once struck, makes no attempt to rei oil. 

 When moitallv wounded he flattens himself onl ami dies at 

 once, no continued motion of the tail la ing pcrcepiibl..- as m 

 other species. Another species called chicken snake, resem- 

 bles our Northern garter snake, but often reaches six feet in 

 length It s 'ems very fond of 'limbing hrge trees ai I me 

 was shot that was fully thirty feel from the ground. They 

 often enter the houses, and we lost a valuable set of bird eggs, 



