Jan. 24, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



818 



Pacific District (Washington. Oregon, California, Nevada)— 

 Supt.. L. Belding, Stockton, Cal. 



'the homo of each observer is called a station, and is record ed 

 by number upon the books of the committee. The eomrnittc -c 

 particularly requests that all persons who read thus circular, 

 and are (villi)!- to aid in tie work, will immediately com- 

 municate with the superintendents Of their respe-t.ivo dis- 

 tricts. Those tedding in districts whose superintendents have 

 not as vet been named may address the chairman. 



It is the duty of each superintendent to exert himself to the 

 utmost to increase the number of observers in his distr ct; to 

 answer the questions they mav put to him concerning the de- 



,1 • i! t iir work. "> e. . to collect at frequent intervals the pro- 

 I,,,. ,. - ,„ , i- .. .. , 1 „ thr.s, .lata the where- 



abouts of certain species in -winter, and the times of leaving 

 homes; to determine if possible the number and 

 tixteut of the chief avenues of migration within the limits of 

 hisdistriot, and the average, i tt which the ditter- 



; i cifiS i r,t ■•;<■} , to locate tha breeding areas of tlie summer 

 residents; and, finally, to submit the result of the season's 

 work to the Chairman of the committee. The chairman shall, 

 in turn, arrange, condense and systematize the material re- 

 ceived from the superintendents ot the several districts, and 

 Shall present to the Union the fruits of the joint labors of all 

 the collaborators • : o comments, deductions or 



generalizations he may have made upon the same. 

 ixsTRucTToxs to Collaborators. 



The data collected may conveniently be arranged in three 

 general classes: o, Ornithological Phenomena. 6. Meteoro- 

 logical Phenomena, c. Contemporary and Correlative Phe- 

 nomena, 



m) Ornithological Phenomena. 



Each observer is requested to prepare, at his earliest con- 

 venience, a eompb t list of the birds known to occur in the 

 vicinity ol his station, and to indicate (by the abbreviations 

 inclosed in parentheses] to which of the following five cate- 

 j ' aeh species pertains: 



I. Permanent Reside-nts, or those that are found regularly 

 through I Q entire fear (R). 



',!. Winter PUitants, Or those that occur only during the 

 winter season, passing North in the spring (W V). 



'■',, Transient Visitants, or those that occra 1 only during the 

 migrations, in spring anil fall (TV). 



4. Shimmer Residents, or fhe.se that are known to breed, but 

 which depart southward before winter (SR). 



5. Aiv:idml(il I isilvnts, or stragglers frcmi remote d> < >• • 

 (AV,. 



desirable also to indicate the relative abundance of the 

 different species, the terms to be emploved for this purpose 

 berair: Abundo .■ "■ 'rmliiii < ;„n„Lun, Rare. 



lu many species the males arrive in advance of the females, 

 litis important to note the sex of the first comers, and 

 the da1 e at which the opposite sex is tirst seen. 



In recording arrivals and departures it is highly important 

 todiVti , .,, the movements of the great bulk of the 



Species and those of the forerunners or advance guard. For 

 this purpose two dates should be recorded for the incoming, 

 and two for the outgoing of everv non-resident species, as 

 follows: 



1. The first appearance of the species (F). 



8. The arrival of the bulk (BA), 



8, 'Hie departure of the bulk (BD). 



i i i •. last individual seen (Ll. 



In addition to the above, which may be regarded as essen- 

 tial data, there are many other noteworthy details that bear 

 more or less directly upon the complicated problems involved 

 in tiro study of migration. Among such may be mentionod 

 the bodily condition of the bird (whether tat or lean), the 

 moult, aud the periods of song. The time of mating, wheu 

 Observed, should always be recorded. 



(6) Meteorological Phenomena. 



Extended meteorological data are not required, though the 

 observer would derive material assistance from a systematic 

 weather record. The committee desires information upon: 



1. The direction and foice of the wind. 



2. The direction, character and duration of storms. 



ii. The general conditions of the atmosphere, including rain- 

 fall, 



4. The succession of marked warm and cold waves, including 

 a record of all sudden changes of temperature. 



(c) Contemporary and. Correlative Phenvmena. 



The committee desires that the data mete! this head be as 

 full and complete as possible, and requests exact, information 

 n pon • 



1 . The date at which the first toad is seen. 



:i. The date at which the. first frog is heard. 



3. The date at which the tirst tree-toad or "peeper" is heard. 



4. The dates at which certain mammals and reptiles enter 

 Upon and emerge from the. state of hibernation. 



5. The dates at wlueb various insects are first seen, 

 li. The dates of the flowering of various plants. 



7. The dates of the leafing and falling of the leaves of vari- 

 ous trees and shmbs. 



8. The dates of the breaking up and disappearance of the 

 ice iu rivers and lakes iu spring, and of the freezing over of 

 the same in the fall. G. Hart Merriast, 



Chairman of Committee on Migration, 

 Locust Grove, Lewis County, N, x. 



NAMES OF CAME BIRDS. 



I HAVE been almost provoked into writing on the sub- 

 ject of Ihe quail, the partridge, the grouse and the 

 prairie chicken, or grouse again, if that be (he name. These 

 four distinct kinds of birds are so confounded by sports- 

 men in their writings., that one scarcely can tell what bird 

 is meant unless the writer happens to state on what kind 

 of ground or place the bird was found. The bird that 

 announces himself as "Bob White" is the quail, and nothing 

 fllEC, the linked States and Canadas over. The bird that 

 i.i.i [as on an old log, a rock, or any othei conspicuous 

 fuuee, anil has a bu»ch of black feathers tor epaulettes, is 

 the partridge the same territory over. The bird that 

 crows ami inakes a row generally on the prairies of the 

 Western States is the pinnated grouse, and the bird that 

 inhabits the cold northern regions of Canada, and is almost 

 unknown south ot 45 degrees north latitude is the grouse. 



1 have, never Seen a grouse south of the Ottawa River. 

 This bird 1 am cure the majority of your readers know very 

 little about. In the severe cold aud storms that occur iu that 

 seol iu ibis bird becomes very stupid — some call it tame— so 

 that a man on snow-shees can hunt them .successfully with a 

 sih •', or pole, knocking them out of the trees while they are 

 feeding ou the buds. The male bird is very dark, almost 

 black, and the female gray or tighter in color. They become 

 vet y ijoor toward the spring- of the year. 



Lrgwe these peculiarities to identify these four birds. I 

 have. shot, my share of them, and have seen them shot by 

 better marksmen than 1; but I don't like to hear a sportsman 

 say that he has. shot a quail and a partridge at one rise; and 

 I dislike still more to hear one say. that he lulled a pheasant, 

 a partridge and a 1 lifted e rouse, all with one .44 caliber bul- 

 let out of his title; aud i don't like to hear a sportsman talk 

 .about killing grouse who never was north of Mason aud 

 Dison's line. 



1 may bo using the lino toe exactly, but I want to be cor- 



rected if l Jo, and 1 want the Forest and Stream, to whom 

 we look for authority, to set us all right on this subject, 

 Aldeuson, W. Va. 



[Wc publish the above letter, because it shows very clearly 

 one phase of the misapprehension which exists among some 

 of our readers about (he names of our very commonest birds 

 and mammals. Our correspondent dislikes to have names 

 misapplied, yet his letter shows that be is ignorant of the 

 zoological relations of the birds about which he writes. Wu 

 may tell him that the birds which he defines, and calls part- 

 ridge, pinnated grouse, and grouse, are all, of them grouse. 

 The first is the ruffed, the second the pinnated, and the third 

 the spruce grouse, aud any one of tliem may properly be 

 called grouse. "Bob White" is commonly called quail in the 

 North, but throughout the South he is usually, and more cor- 

 rectly, called "partridge," which name in the New England 

 States is invariably applied to the ruffed grouse. The ruffed 

 grouse is also culled pheasant in Pennsylvania, Minnesota 

 and the South, very incorrectly, of course. Strictly speak- 

 ing, we have no true quail or partridge indigenous to this 

 country, but "Bob White" and his Southwestern cousins be- 

 long to Ihc partridge family (Perdkedft), and are so closely 

 related to the true partridges that it is not a misuse of terms 

 to give them that name] 



Two Heroes.— East Onondaga, N. Y. ( Jan. 1ft.— Editor 

 Forest, and Streo in: "More trouble." Your statement that 

 my si range bird is very common has led me to thiuk that 

 the authority I swear by — the only work I possess — is indefi- 

 nite aud vague. We have a bird that is very common, 

 nesting on the bank of Onondaga Creek, belonging to the 

 family of waders, which 1 have, long supposed to be the 

 least bittern (Ardctia cn'lif), but since the strange bird (to us) 

 is the least bittern, what is the bird by us styled least bit- 

 tern? I send you the head aud wing of both, please name 

 them and oblige not only myself, but several in this locality 

 interested in the study of animated nature. We also have 

 the bittern (BoUutrux kntigiiwsus). [The specimens sent are 

 the head and wing of a green heron (Butorides virtecem) aud 

 those of a least bittern (A.rdett/i ceitu). The smaller speci- 

 men is I he least bittern. We did not say that the least bit- 

 tern was a very common bird, hut that it was not very un- 

 common.] 



Sons Sfarrows. — Cleveland, O., Jan. 14.— While out 

 collecting Jan. 12 with a friend wc came upon a flock of 

 tree sparrows, and out of five birds which we secured, three 

 proved to be song sparrows. These birds tire occasionally 

 found to winter here in small numbers during mild open 

 winters, but this has been anything but a mild winter, as 

 the thermometer has stood at zero and below for days at a 

 time.— S. R. Ingersoll. 



Late Snipe.— Cleveland. O., Jan. 14.— On the 2'M of 

 December a specimen of Wilson's snipe was brought tome 

 by a person who said he had shot it the day before. This is 

 the latest that I have ever known it to have been taken in 

 this locality, and we have had quite cold weather already. — 

 S. K, Ingersoll. 



fattie j§n$ m\& 



SHOOTING IN CUBA. 



X DAT AAtONO THE GUINEA FOWLS. 



IT was 4:30 A. M. when the policeman of our street rapped 

 iu a lively way upon our outer door, as he had been pre- 

 instructed to* do, I turned out of bed, partook of the smok- 

 ing hot coffee and milk, which is always the first thing to do 

 iu Cuba riflev rising, and wended my way to the railroad sta- 

 tion. 



My cunjue companion capered and yelped for exuberance 

 of joy as we crossed the park, well knowing the significance 

 of this early rising. At the station she took her accustomed 

 place beside my equipments while I procured the necessary 

 tickets for myself and her, and on my return eagerly led the 

 way to the train, which she knew so well. Several other 

 sportsman were among the bustling crowd of passengers, 

 which was a molly one of various colors, but very orderly 

 and proper in behavior. 



At 5:30 o'clock the whistle shrieked out its warning "all 

 aboard," and the train slowly drew out of the station on its 

 way to La Union and intermediate stations, to be followed 

 lry the Matanzas express at 5:40 (the express goes after the 

 way train in this country'). 



The hour is a very charming one. and when clear of the 

 city the air was redolent of vegetable odors, and musical 

 with the sounds of reawakening life. Even the dog insisted 

 upon frequently putting his paws upon the window-sill and 

 projecting his nose outside to sniff in its morning fragrance. 

 Luxuriant fields in richest verdure filed past in continued 

 procession, ami the royal palm trees in stately rows, looking 

 for all the world like long lines of feather-capped warriors, 

 rushed past us as we sped along. A belt of lurid sky to the 

 height of fifteen degrees along the eastern horizon, against 

 which these tret's aud the cocotera palms stood out in bold 

 relief, furnishing a most bewitching landscape scenery 

 peculiar to inter-tropical regions. 



At 6 o'clock the color of the eastern sky gradually light- 

 ened to orange, while northeast and southeast it was fading 

 toward the blue, till at (5:30 a deep golden hue centered in 

 and radiated from the east, steadily rising like a golden 

 crown over the inimitable display of nature's handiwork. I 

 gazed enraptured on this absorbing scene, while broad- 

 brimmed planters returning from town gossiped unmoved 

 ou the possibilities of the gathering crops, and the hhfh 

 prices of labor and its limited supply, iuterspersed with 

 schemes for the fomentation of immigration, wliich are here 

 Interminable, and thus far confined to words, words barren 

 of results. 



We reached the station of our destination at 7:15 A. M., 

 where two darky boys were waiting for me, from the plan- 

 tation of my friend and companion in the day's sport. 

 Arrived at the house 1 donned my shootiug suit and took a 

 short turn among the quail while waiting for breakfast, after 

 which we took horses about three miles to a cuttle farm 

 owned by my companion, in which several bands (flocks) of 

 wild guinea fowls had their habitat. 



Joiucd there by the Mayoral and two of the colored boys 

 who knew something of the habits of the birds, we started 

 for the fields about noon. The hacienda cousists of about 

 two thousand acre?, not much wooded, but with many fields 

 'of tall grass divided by wide hedges of bromelia (piilada 



ptiton) interspersed with century plants and small trees, 

 furnishing excellent cover and an impenetrable retreat for 

 the birds when they became fully aware of what was going 

 on. 



This combination of circumstances made the work too 

 heavy for the dog, so we determined to keep her to heel, 

 using her only for retrieving, and to work the fields oyer 

 with our horses until we located the birds. 



The first half hour was drawn blank aud we re-united for 

 consultation. During this conference, we hoard a subdued 

 call of guineas in the distance, and well knowing the intelli- 

 gence of this wily fowl we moved cautiously forward till wc 

 felt sure the birds were not far away, then dismounting, left 

 our horses in charge of the servants to follow at a few yards 

 behind. The game was to windward, and the dog, with 

 head erect and nose pointirg directly up the wind, begged 

 for orders to move on. Keeping her well in hand, and wait- 

 ing till my companion got well forward to Ihe side, we fol- 

 lowed her lead but a short distance when, with a thundering 

 whirr, a band of more than fifty flushed wild. 



All hough we had approached with great caution, some 

 cunning old cock had been stationed with his ears. open, or 

 perhaps with his eyes above the grass, and giving his fellows 

 warning of the approaching danger led them in rapid flight 

 far away over the fields toward the cover of the hedges. But 

 not all of them, for wild as they Hushed 1 could not resist 

 the temptation to feel out for them with my choke barrel. 

 Drawing a fine bead on one of them I sent her my best com- 

 pliments by my seven-pound Parker, and almost to my sur- 

 prise she turned quickly over and "tumbled to my racket," 

 a victim to my winning ways. Another flew within reach 

 of my partner, who brought her also to bag. 



Marking down the rest the best we could, we saw that 

 some of them did not. go into the cedar, but scattered in the 

 high grass aud weeds on opposite sides of them, This gave 

 promise of good sport with single birds, so remounting we 

 quickly traversed most of the distance intervening, and again 

 left the horses to the servants, and separating somewhat, we 

 aud the dogs covered the ground pretty well over as we 

 skirted the hedges where we had marked the birds down, 

 though indefinitely, owing to our distance at the time of 

 marking. The grass was so high and thick that it was very 

 difficult for the dog to get through it, and the guineis lie so 

 very close in such cover, choosiug not to run the gauntlet of 

 two guns, or perhaps they had run into the hedges after 

 alighting, suggested the Mayoral, who now came riding up 

 with the darkies, when suddenly whirr, whirr, went up ttvo 

 birds from the ground we had just passed over. My friend 

 was ahead, and bang-bang went my two barrels in quick 

 succession, scoring a clean miss with my right, but my left 

 dropped its bird, a heavy old cock, wiih'a solid tumble into 

 the next field. 



Here we called a halt while the Mayoral made a wide de- 

 tour to a gateway through the impenetrable hedge and re- 

 turned with the game; then we proceeded scarcely more 

 than fifty yards when, with a startling whirr, up jumped 

 another, making direct for the same field. He was so near 

 the hedge that why he got up at all, or why he did not run 

 into or pitch into it after he flushed, is a puzzle lo me; but 

 the fact is he did gel up and intended to go over it, but 

 tumbled to my right barrel, into the very middle ol that 

 bristling and impenetrable thorn hedge. Well, I suppose it 

 was not the first, time an astute biped lias committed an error 

 of judgment that proved his ruin. We all stepped forward 

 to where be fell. His wings were still quivering, which 

 movement worked his way down through that, worse than 

 bramble to its very bottom," and through some of its crevices 

 the feathers on Iris breast were visible; but what ingenuity of 

 mortal or canine could ever hope to retrieve him from that 

 inaccessible place? 



Reader, have you any conception of a Cuban rat pine 

 hedge? {0&K& de pfila de raton.) hat me atttempt a de- 

 scription, because 1 wish to relate as ingenious a piece of re- 

 trieving as I have seen iu many a day . 



The piiia de raton, of which Cuban hedges arc formed, is 

 the HtiUinijiu pengofr, — Sanr., of the order Brvmdiucem, a mo- 

 no cotylcdeuous plant that sends out from its stubby sheath 

 an almost endless succession of its prickly blades four to six 

 feet long, which sting like thistles aud "cut like Damascus 

 blades. One row of these planted as a hedge will multiply 

 till they occupy ground from one to two yards in width, 

 presenting their thorned points and edges like a million bay- 

 onets to all animals larger than the hiding birds with their 

 sleek feathered coats of mail. Numerous" small trees grow 

 up iu them and overshadow their tops, thus making them 

 still more attractive to the hiding birds. 



In this hedge both quail and guinea well know they arc 

 quite secure from all intrusion on Ihe part of either man or 

 dog, and 1 know of no way of flushing them out of it, so 

 only those outside of the hedges are available as game. But 

 my'dog saw the guinea fall into the hedge antl appeared 

 even more unwilling than ourselves to leave without it. But 

 how to get it? I could not ask her to retrieve it, but her 

 perseverance attracted the attention of the whole party. 



Carefully she inspected the hedge inch by iuch for several 

 yards opposite to where it lay, about a yard within, then 

 selecting a spot near to thu game she clawed and excavated 

 a space large enough to introduce her head under the matted. 

 thorny and cutting blades. She crouched and thrust forward 

 her paws with her head between them, and in that position 

 wormed her body along the ground, now aud again yelping 

 as the sharp thorns gored her, until she reached the dead 

 bird, and backed out again, even with more difficulty, but 

 depositing her prize in my hand with an air that told plainer 

 than words of her full consciousness of having deserved 

 especial caresses for a difficult performance. 



Remounting we made a detour to gain the other field, 

 where we had marked down a part of the scattered birds 

 and spread our lines to beat, the field parallel with the hedge 

 we had skirted on the other side, but we drew a blank and 

 turned away toward the other side. The grass was thick 

 and high, aud we kept the saddle, with each" a darkey boy 

 astride behind. Near the middle of the field a sudden whirr 

 started directly beneath my horse's feet. Even my horse 

 was startled by its suddenness and vigor; the surprised 

 guinea rose on my right like a flash, and'as my friend was 

 far to my left she was not in much danger, though I iu- 

 itinctivciy rose in my stirrups, and twisting my body to my 

 utmost I fired both barrels in succession and scored a double 

 miss. 



At the report of my gun two others rose, very near and 

 made good their escape. Quickly dismounting ar,d placing 

 fresh cartridges in my gun, I advanced but a few yards 

 when whirr I whirr I two more rose before me, and I fully 

 redeemed my double miss with a right and left that counted 

 metwo very "dead guineas, the Mayoral applauding with enthu- 

 siasm. At the sound of the firing another pair flushed; while 



