304 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I Nov. 16, lass 



thiil spirit of fun which always prompted him exclaimed 

 ■Wliy ! you would swallow a common man. 1 should like 

 to take hold of you myself if you would promise not to hurt 

 me." The braggadocio instantly accepted, and [hey look 

 hold. Joe, with scarcely an effort, raised him from the 

 flop* and, holding' hitri at arm's length, said: There, now, 

 wrestle ! ' The astonished wrestler could only cry : 'Who— 

 wlio— the devil are you ? ' ' The man you threw— Joe Call, 

 at your service, sir/ 



'• But the mosl remarkable feat which foe ever performed 

 was on the occasion of an incidental wrestling maleh which 

 urcurrid between him=eH and another individual during the 

 late war (ISi!?) at Pittsburgh. It scorns that in the British 

 rump was a celebrated English bully, whose massive strength 

 and great skill both as a pugilist and wrestler made him the 

 terror and the champion of the army. Jne happening to 

 la- in the English camp one day on some errand or other, it 

 was sunn noised about, and some of the officers, by chance 

 getting wind of it and knowing of his great stiength. de- 

 termined to bring about a match between this Yankee Her- 

 cules and their own bully. Accordingly, having been 

 brought together, it was proposed to Joe that they should 

 haven 'set to; 1 but Joe, who was anything but quarrelsome, 

 and whose natural nobility of character placed him alto- 

 gether above anything of the kind, peremptorily refused the 

 match, asserting at the same time that he presumed the Eng- 

 lishman would throw him with Hie greatest ease, as he pro- 

 fessed no skill whatever. To this the bully sneeringly re- 

 plied that he could not only throw him but any other d — d 

 Yankee they would bring on. This fling at the Yankees 

 nettled Joe at once, for although conscious of his own 

 strength, he cared little what taunts might be applied to his 

 0WH person, yet when his nation came to be the object of 

 -neb remarks his blood boiled at once, and he determined, 

 right or wroug, to show the sneering bully that Yankee 

 prowess was not to be lightly esteemed. Yielding to his 

 patriotic feelings he immediate! v announced his willingness 

 and they 'took hold.' The first trial was al what is termed 

 arms' length,' and Joe soon found that his antagonist was 

 no 'Carpet knight,' to be handled in the gingerly manner 

 with which it had been his wont to treat his 'opponents of 

 t he ring.' At the first onset Joe was brought to his knee. 

 Immediately springing uji lie confessed himself fairly 'floored,' 

 uud then requested that they should take a trial at 'back 

 hold,' To this the bully assented. We have often heard 

 Joe say that previous to "this time he never could discover 

 any difference in the strength of men, but that now he felt 

 he must exert all of his power. Seizing hold of his antag- 

 onist he bowed himself with all his strength and squeezed 

 the vain boaster to his breast. The Englishman gave one 

 shriek, his arms loosed their hold, his whole frame quivered, 

 and when Joe released him from his grasp the bully fell, 

 with his eves protruding and blood gushing from his nos- 

 trils, deadat his feet" C. MoV, T. 



jo, N\ Y,. Nov. 1, 1883, 



iur^i ]§i§torg. 



A VALUABLE FOSSIL. 



rjMlK announcement in the press of the discovery by M 

 I L. Stejneger of a complete skeleton of Mi/Una sfelie, 

 will he of great interest to naturalists. This remarkable an 

 inal which, in 1741, was abundant on the shores of Behrin 

 Island and twenty-seven years later was exterminated, to 

 longs to Hie order Sinttiii, and is thus closely allied to the 

 manatee Of Florida and South America. The dugong 

 smaller living member of this group, which is found in Aus- 

 tralia and India. In tertiary time a ^mmxm (lie I it If nmn In- 

 habited the shores of Western Europe. 



The sireuians live in the moutlis of rivers, feeding on 

 grasses, seaweeds and aquatic plants. Sometimes they as 

 eend the rivers far above tide-water. They are sluggish ani 

 mals, without any means of defense, and are easily killed 

 i Inly the fore limbs arc developed, and even ihese are nol 

 divided, having no visible lingers, but resembling the flippers 

 of a whale. 



Ulij/iiim is remarkable from the fact, that it is without 

 teeth. Instead, it had a bard horny palatine plate, which 

 worked against another one covering the symphysis of the 

 lowei jaw." 



The.' following account of the securing of this valuable 

 specimen for the United Blatea National Museum is taken 

 substantially from the San Francisco Ali.i: 



"A rare and valuable specimen was brought down from 

 Behring's Island by the Alaska Eur Company's steamer St. 

 Paul, which arrived on Sunday Last from the North. Tin's 

 was no less than the skeleton of the arctic sea cow found on 

 Behring's Island by Dr. Leonard Stejneger, a member of 

 scientific soeietio both in this country and Europe, who was 

 sent to t!ie island in the interest of' science by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. The doctor was hampered in his re- 

 searches by the jealousy of the Russian officials, who are act- 

 ing in the interest of the Russian Imperial Academy, which 

 is also eagcrU searching for a specimen of the sea cow. but 

 in spite ol their interference he succeeded in carrying away 



a skeleton, which is of the -Teat,-; possible interest. Thi's 

 peculiar animal, which is iv.v. supposed lobe extinct, once 

 made if- home on the isla.ul. Whether it has ever lived any 

 where else is a question. The fossil beds of Europe contain 

 bones of sea cows, but none which could have bi (ongi & to 

 animals like this. In the Indian Ocean there are .also Sea 

 cow's, but they are rare, and they arc nor like the Behring's 

 Island extinct species. The sea cows of the Indian Ocean 

 have teeth, but those at Behring's Island had none; only 

 tWO rough hone plates in the mouth with which to 

 grind up the sea weed on which they lived, when, 

 resting their arms on the shallow sea bottom, they 

 browser,! in droves or flocks along the shore. Whalers killed 

 the sea cov. s. and natives used their bones to make runners 

 lor their dog-drawn sleeiges. The only account given of 

 them by an observer is that of the scientist Stcller, who was 

 one of Behring's second expedition, which was wrecked on 

 rids island and wintered there in 17-11 . The specimen 

 brought here on the St. Paul is perfect, with the exception 

 of the end of the tail and tho wrist bones. In addition there 

 is a collection of seventeen sea cows' skulls, all in a good 

 stale, of preservation. The animals, when alive, must have 

 been El'om twenty-eight to thirty feet long, with a head about 

 two feet long. It8 arms, of which there were two on. the 

 seal-like portion of the body, bad no hands. They were 

 simply blunt ends, which were carried on the back when I lie 

 cows swam, and let down to support if as it fed. The mouth 

 was small and unarmed with teeth; the eyes were small; the 



pose 



ears merely small orifices in the bead, without anv sign of 

 an external ear; the tail and tins were like those of a whale. 

 They were not prolific, the offspring being limited to one 

 per year to each female, and they were therefore easily ex - 

 terminated. 



"Dr. Stejneger said he was forced louse considerable di- 

 plomacy in dealimr with the natives, for had he at once told 

 them that he would pay more than the Russians would, 

 there w amid have been an order prohibiting; the natives from 

 selling any of the bones, as there has since been. All that 

 lie could do was to say that he would give as much as the 

 Russian officials, and.' making himself passably well under- 

 stood, the natives worked for him. They did not go to work 

 to bunt for bones exclusively, but as they walked along the 

 beach they took their Stieks and felt for skeletons. Xo other 

 government has ever sent any one np there expressly for such 

 a hunt, but the Russians are much interested,! 

 several skeletons. He also established a signal 

 Bearing's Island. Dr. Stejneger, who is not, apparently, 

 over thirty-eight years of age, congratulated himself upon 

 the satisfactory results of his expedition, and stated that the 

 skeleton which he brought with bun was worth almost its 

 weight in gold.™ 



THE BIRDS OF PROSPECT PARK. 



Editor Fores! fl ml Slrei'v: 



In tin- issue of this paper for October 18, 1SSM, Mr. W. E, 

 Wyman "prepared a list, giving the names of the birds 

 which inhabit" Prospect Park. The list is without any an- 

 notations whatever, and mentions eighty-one species, twen- 

 ty-one more than the number given ov Mr. George Hughes 

 Cones, in his "List of Birds Observed" ia the Naval Hospital 

 Grounds, in Brooklyn Oity." (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, Vol. 

 IV., p. 31.) 



On glancing at the list 1 was surprised to see Hyhekkla 

 miulatn (l'usset-baoked or Oregon thrush) enumerated 

 among the TmtlMtv. In 1874 (North American Birds, Vol. 

 I., p. Hi) Dr. Brewer gave the habitat of this species as 

 the "Pacific Provinces of the United States" and southward. 

 And, continuing, says. "So far as we are aware, this thrush 

 has a very limited distribution, being mainly restricted to 

 the Pacific coast region, from California to Alaska, in the 

 breeding season, though migrating southward in winter to 

 Guatemala." And since then further observations have not 

 greatly extended this habitat. To find this west coast form 

 here in the east would be very interesting, and if Mr. Wy- 

 man really has an authentic record of its occurrence in 

 Prospect Park, ornithologists would be extremely obliged to 

 him if he will publish the data relating to it, at' least some- 

 thing more than the mere mention of its name. 



Perusing the list further, I was not a little astonished at 

 finding the name Zopjiophdtm atrocrimtatUi (black-tufted or 

 Texas titmouse). Hitherto this species has nol been record- 

 ed from anywhere in this region, its habitat being the "Val- 

 ley of the Rio Grande, south into Mexico. Sail Antonio, 

 Texas, Vera Cruz." (North American Birds. Vol, 1.. p. 90), 

 1 can only say here, as 1 said above, if the record can be au- 

 thenticated, our eastern avifauna will have received an im- 

 portant addition But as our common chickadee (Parm at- 

 r^npi'Hii.s) is not given. I presume (hat the latter bird is re- 

 ferred to. 



In the next species Mr. Wyman has doubtless confused 

 the English name of a western variety with that of its east- 

 ern representative, "white-bellied nuthatch" [Sifttt coroliiteit- 

 *i» Gmel.l.reading for "slender-billed nuthatch" (6'. etinlii,, it- 

 m nr. thiiltt [Cass. 1 Allen). Again, the name Certhio famili- 

 iiri-i oieaficava (!) is affixed to "brown creeper." but I cannot 

 imagine how this southwestern variety could in this locality 

 be confounded with our own, 0. it'iiit'liari* rufti, (Barti\) 

 Ridgway. 



Among the remaining names of interest are Million poli/- 

 gtoUw,(fadinaMgwrgintamu8,AfouxJto.mmei!8umerfantt,an(l 

 Ijtrt'K lencojd.ru.t. One specimen of the mocking bird 

 wtis observed in the Hospital Grounds, but was not se- 

 cured ; so other authentic records for the vicinity of 

 Brooklyn will not come amiss. Although 

 bird is rather an abundant resident 

 given in Mr. Coues's list, and conse 



Long Island is worthy of note. The ban! owl is every where 

 rare in this region, and (as St'op* mn'o [Linn.] Bp. is not men- 

 tioned)! fear the so-called "A.ihuitimMHtui,, riem.o" is naught 

 bin our little screech owl. The, white-winged gull is a boreal 

 bird, whose distribution, as given by Dr. Cones, is "Areiie 

 Anierh d : s. coastwise in winter to the Middle States" ("Key 

 to North American Birds," p. 311). Of course a record lure 

 would be a goou note, and 1 can only regret that a few lines 

 were not added, explaining the cause for the appearance of 

 this name in the list. 



Had annotations ot these Prospect Park birds been given 

 in full, the list could, no doubt, have been classed as a 

 famed paper of much interest and value. But (although Mr. 

 Wyman is "certain as to their identity") as it remains, I fear 

 some errors have crept in, and not until full data are given 

 can the list be deemed of any importance. 



Loris A. Zekega. 

 Xbw STORK Crrv. 



[We may slate that we have, since publishing the note- on 

 the "Birds of Prospect Park." received contributions throw- 

 ing doubt on the knowledge of their author, and a glance at 

 the list confirms, as Mr. Zerega observes, these doubt,-. It is 

 perhaps proper to say that the list was published during the 

 absence of the natural history editor of this journal,] 



the e 



, Central Pa 

 icntly iheoc 



■k, 



HOW TO PREPARE BIRD SKINS. 



IT* OR the benefit of several inquirers we reprint, the follow 

 L ing directions from our issue of Dee. 1,1881: 



A Texas correspondent writes; "Cap you direct me how 

 1,0 remove and preserve the skins of birds SO that they may 

 be mounted by a taxidermist'.'" We can certainly glee 

 directions which will enable our correspondent, if he has 

 patience and perseverance, to make skins which a taxidermist 

 can mount, but we venture to say that his iirsl essays at skin 

 making will nut be satisfactory.' To unpractical i i g. - 

 bird skin is a very delicate thing to handle', but use will soon 

 give the requisite' dexterity. Our method of making skins is 

 as follows: 



Fill the bird's throat with cotton, and plug nostrils and 

 any large shot holes with the same. Place the specimen on 

 its back on a table with the tail toward you. Break both 

 wings close to the body, Separate feathers along the median 

 line of lower breast and belly, and make an incision from 

 the, posterior extremity of the sternum to a little beyond the 

 vent, taking care not' to cut through the walls of the abdo- 

 men. Push the skin aside and raise it on one side until the 



knee joint is visible, using the handle of j our knife and voitr 

 Angers, and avoid cutting as much as possible. Do the same 

 on the other side Outoff theh-gsal the knee, skin down 



carefully as near to the tail as possible, and then divide 

 the vertebra*, taking great care not to cut through the 

 skm. Stand the bird „n the point of its bre; 

 push the skin down evenly, and using the knile little 

 or not at all. Cut off wings at. break, and continue to " 

 work Iheskin down until it has passed over the head and 

 is thus turned inside out. Pull out the delicate ear mem- 

 brane with the finger nails and cm that behind the eye 

 taking care not to injure the eyelid. Remove lie 

 ingenr uot to puncture them; and having cut off Uie head 

 cutaway the tongue and all the tlesh from il u . sUuiL Break 

 away the base of skull and remove brain. Cut awa\ the 

 broken end ol the humerus, and the flesh lying between the 

 radius and ulna, loosening with the thumb nail the n ,iill 

 feathers from the latter. Skin legs down to tibio-tarsal 

 joint, and remove the flesh. Powder the inside of the skin 

 everywhere with white arsenic. Use plenty. Place ft 

 of cotton large enough to till it in each orbit, and with large 

 birds wrap a little cotton around the leers. Turn the skm 

 right side out again, and draw out legs and wings into their 

 proper position. Give the skin a few shakings, and the 

 feathers will fall into their proper places. Take a long wad 

 ot cotton about as thick as the bird's neck and carefully or 

 troduce it into the neck, making sure thai it passes into the 

 brain cavity. See that the neck is short and thick rather 

 than long and slender. Introduce another little bit of cotton 

 into the throat from below, to give that the requisite fulls 

 ness. Fill the body with cotton until it is about the size of 

 the bird iD life. Do nol get it too large. Close the Opening 

 in the belly by two or three trtitehes, or by a pin or two. 

 Open tlie eyelids and pull the skin about the head up or 

 down, as may be necessary to give the head and neck a nat- 

 ural appearance. 



To fix the wines in position is the 

 whole process. They musl b. phi 

 the body, as the bird holds them wl 

 in just the right position will take a 

 must be pulled upwa 



ist difficult part ol the 

 I close to the sides of 

 alive, and to get them 

 ide.-abie practice. The 



Ml, that is. toward 



the head and back of the bird, and the scapular fefr. 

 brought forward over it, It should then he bent and pit 

 close to the side, the feathers of the hi east covering 1M> 

 border. If its position is right there will be no feathers 

 Standing on end near it; if wroug. the leathers will point 

 half a, dozen ways. It must be made right, or as ileal I v so 

 as possible; for as it is let! 80 it will dry, and then, after' the 

 other wing has been arranged, and a 

 out of place have been lifted info U 

 specimen should be placed on its h 

 paper, pasteboard Ql tin, iii such a \ 

 properly rounded, and left to dry. 

 ever, the feet, should tie crossed as 

 prevented from opening by a pin or: 

 nostril and the throat and "tied. A 1 

 eality, date of capture, collector's ni 

 of interest, should be tied to the feet. 



■ pc 



ition, lb 



lilldci of 



ay that it-- back will he 

 Before leaving it, how 

 1 tied togetbei, the bin 

 thread run through one 

 bel giving age, sex. lo 

 !!, and any other items 

 Some collectors placi 



the birds to dry in paper cones, others put a wideband of 

 paper about the shoulders, and others still merely support the 

 shoulders and wings by wad.^ of Cotton. A little attention 

 paid to the skin while drying will pay for the trouble attend- 

 ing it. ' 



Impoktation ok Gamk. limns. — Boston, Xov. 11. .Mi- 

 Leonard, Of Boston, has this week sen! an order to England 

 for fifty brace of English pheasants, ami an order lo the 

 West for 500 live quail. Mr. Leonard some few years ago 

 let loose rive brace of English pheasants [ml be never heard 

 of them alterward; about a year ago he came across a gentle 

 mau who bad shot the last one, But this lot be will try on u 

 different plan. I doubt if there is a sportsman or game 

 society in New England that has done as much as he has 

 toward increasing the game of the Stale of Massachusetts I 

 have known him to start, in bis team and bring out iwn 

 bushels uf mixed grfilu, aid distribute it for the lards; and 

 biuld brush houses for tin- muni for shelter so that they would 

 not get caught under the s n ow. It was an amusing sighl 

 one day last Winter in his house to sr a dozen or men- live 

 quail walking around, ami his dogs iv ing among' I Irian, neiihei 

 the dogs or the quail paj ing any attention to each other.- .1. 

 -N. S. 



What tS Oivn.iz.vi to:, ';- The town of Vinton is in 

 fesied with rats. They fire in buildings, under the <(SuV 

 walks and everywhere = heie.-volcuily-iiieliiu d mink llring 

 apprised of thc'fael came huhlix into town and commenced 

 ridding us of the rodents, lb' had bill entered upon In,. 

 work when a man saw him and called a lot of dogs and a 

 big crowd. With yells and curses, while the poor little 

 animal sent up the most pileo to heaven for help, 



they worried and crushed its life out and threw its can-as-, 

 into the gutter. They then went home reeling apparently 

 that they had had rare sport in the accomplishment of a 

 good work. In that crowd Of men and dogs there was no 



i nul not one word of Sympathy lo] ,,,; ' I" 1 " 

 luckless friend of the town. VVhal is civili/.atiou ':— K. '.Yin 

 ton, la). 



l,\itoi, lb i.i, SNAie Pinion towa.— .Dr. Meredith, 

 while on a visit lo n prtticnl u mil am i hall northwest of 



town a few we., ks :ejo saw ."lead of him in the road It dog 



running around some nhjeel uad, barking violently. An he 



drew near, tin Iefl and Wi'nl on altera leatii m the d'r- 



tauee. What was his honor to sec before him in the middle 

 of the road a serpent as larae around as ihesleeve of his over 

 coal, coiled up. with its head with flashing eyes and tongue 

 protruding, moving around and around al, the top of thecoil. 

 As il did not leave, and he was without arms, he tried to run 

 his horses over it. Bur, lie: horses became frightened, and 

 spraua- lo one side, while lie snake spranglor the horses 

 With a blowing and hissing sound that could have been heard 



at a great distance.— E 



A Skakks Nest.?- Vinton, Iowa. — Mr. Goodwin, while 

 digging potatoes a f< «v weeks ago jusi outoftown, ploughed 



oul'.i nest lull of eggs. Th ;y were about the size of a guinea 

 hen's egg, with a tough, leathery skin for a covering;. Kaeh 

 one contained a snake nine inches in length, supposed to be 

 of the buM snake variety.— E, 



A BLACK >iqt:ncKK!.. — kockpori, A. Y.. Nov. lo.. M,, 

 Henry Weber, an experl taxidermist of tins town, bought 

 he other day in market, a squirrel which Was entirely black 

 with the exception of a part of its t jail, which was red .— 

 .1. L lb 



