FOREST AND STREAM. 



51 



| Singula.il Pate of a Mocking Bird.— A mocking bird, 



| an exquisite warbler, owned by Col. J. E. Elliott, came to 



' its death in a singular manner Thursday afternoon last. 



On that day, after the Colonel had listened to its melodious 



notes tor some time, he retired to his room for the purpose 



I of writing. Having finished his labors he again thought 



S of his "pet," and went out on the piazza, intending to feed 



f it. Upon taking down the cage, he was shocked and 



I grieved to find the unfortunate little songster lying upon 



I its back on the bottom, its breast and neck (from which 



I the feathers had been plucked) all torn and bleeding, and 

 1 its head twisted completely from its natural position. A 



lady who resides in an adjoining house explained the mys- 

 tery. She, while sitting upon her piazza, noticed a bird 

 . very much resembling a mocking bird flying around and 

 J occasionally alighting upon the cage, as if wishing to hold 

 ! communication with the other. Suddenly as "Pet" came 

 near the bars, the stranger dashed forward his claws, 

 J'caught its little victem by the breast, seized the neck with 

 '"its strong bill, and suddenly letting go its hold on the cage, 

 "'revolved round with lightning rapidity, by which means the 

 tl poor inmate's neck was as completely wrung as is a fat 

 ^chicken's by a kitchen scullion. Both the colonel and his 



II lady were very much attached to little "Pet," as they had 

 ' ('named it. The other bird belonged to a species known as 

 flthe "loggerhead," and it is not a very generally known 

 'S'fact that they invariably attack mocking birds when in 

 lr their vicinity, and always in the manner described. — Jack- 

 •«.W)ii<i)ille, {Florida) Union, Aug. lAth. 



%t MmneL 



n An Alligator Puzzle.— Last October Mr. Greenleaf 

 P&ud a number of small alligators, about eight inches long, 

 %m the alligator pen. On the arrival of cold weather they 

 ""disappeared, and it was thought that they had creeped 

 ''through a small hole under the adjoining building. When 

 ^Spring came they did not appear, so they were considered 

 ntas dead. Last week the large alligator was taken away, 

 l and on removing the tank six alligators from two to three 

 iifeet long were found under it. They were strong and 

 ((active. What could they have lived on all that time is the 

 [puzzle, as no food of any kind was ever left in the place. 

 I They could not get any water either, for the large 'gator 

 would not allow any other-s in the tank — Florida Agricul- 

 turist^ Aug. 21st. 



<*$.•«. — , . 



IE — The Scientific American describes a method of putting 

 /my rooster into a state of catalepsy. Select a dark colored 

 ll,! 'table with a smooth top; place it so a narrow fttreak of 

 sunlight will fall across the surface. Then set the rooster 

 i'W the table, and hold his head down so that his beak 

 jjfeomes in contact with the wood. Now, with a piece of 

 '"chalk and in the sunlight, draw a line straight from the 

 ""bird's beak. Move the chalk very slowly, and by the time 

 "lie line is a couple Of feet in length the rooster will fall 

 '; nto a cataleptic or trance-like condition; and although the 

 Sands are removed from his body, he will remain perfectly 

 "igid for a minute or two. It is said that a black line on 

 ™ J t white surface will produce the same effect. Hens may 

 1 je similary treated, but it takes much longer to get tlietii 

 'Lnto the trance state, it being necessary to hold the head 

 ijlown several minutes before they come under the influ- 

 ence. 



jl Fed by an Eagle. — The Seneca Falls Courier tells the 

 following: — A party were out of town on Monday, picnic- 

 '' ng and fishing along the shores of Cayuga Lake. Iu their 

 dffcambl.es they took in ihe camp of the Seneca Falls boys, 

 jyvho are whiling away a few days near East Varick . After 

 posting the boys about home matters, and being told by 

 J, hem that the fish were not in a biting mood, which some- 

 what disconcerted their plan of action, they concluded to 

 ifeusb. on to a shady nook a short distance up the lake, 

 where they exercised their squatter sovereignty by squat- 

 ting on the rock preparatory to further developments, 

 \vhen lo! and behold, an eagle was seen approaching, bear- 

 ing iu his talons a large fish. When nearly over their 

 i'lciids they all gave an unearthly yell, which so shocked 

 p he propriety of Mr. Eagle that he loosed his grasp of the 

 , ish, and it fell at their feet. It proved to be a pike weigh- 

 ing some three pounds, and still alive. They all returned 

 '<> camp in high glee over their good luck, and fresh fish 

 %as on the next bill of fare for dinner. 



INSTIiNCT OR REASON-WH1CH? 



/ditor Forest and Stream. — 

 In a livery stable at Waukegan, Illinois, is a horse that has been 

 >ronght up in the business from colthood known to every one in the 

 jplace as Gold-dust. Becoming lame recently, his owners had the shoe 

 akeu from the lame foot and the horse turned into the street. His first 

 l;icl, upon gaining his liberty was to walk through the town until he came 

 j; u the. blacksmith shop where all the work of the stable is done, upon 

 ' each ing which place he deliberately entered the shop and placed his 

 'nine foot upon the customary block. Being driven back to the stable, 

 ie soon found the shop a second time, and was a second time driven 

 ..way. This being repeated many times, the blacksmith at last gave the 

 persistant animal the attention he required, after which he was taken 

 l: ',»ack to the stable, where he remained perfectly satisfied. This intelli- 

 gent animal had doubtless, when previously lame, received relief by 

 qavinghis feet attended to at this establishment, and the fact remained 

 But by what faculty did he revive the experience, m- 



Uph, 



ipon his memory, 

 tinct or reason? 



-^«-*» 



CENTRAL PARK MENAGERIE. 



Department of Publto Parks, J 



, New York, August 29, 1875. f 



|j Animals received at Central Park Menagerie for the week ending Au- 



| 'list 28r.h, 1875: — 



t One Raccoon, Proeyon lotor. Presented by Dr. E. P. Miller. 



I Two African Elephants, Mephas Africanus. Smallest one three feet 



mx inches high. 



One Barn Owl, Strix flammea. Presented by Mr. Joseph 6. Harrison. 



One Booby Garnet, Sula fiber. Presented by Mr. James Kiug. 



I One Blue Macaw, Aramucao. 



, One Zebu. Eos indie us . Bred in the Menagerie. 



\V. A. Conklin, Director. 

 .*♦♦. 



; —The failure of the funds required for the support of 

 ;he kVnikese sehool established by the late Professor 

 *Vgassiz, together with its indebtedness, has compelled the 

 faking- o£ an inventory of its property for the purposeXof 

 /losing up the business. 



Chickweed and Ebacampane.— A highly valued cor- 

 respondent, who is a physician of note, sends .us the fol- 

 lowing prescription for Hydrophobia, with the qualifica- 

 tion that he does not indorse it, although it is highly 

 thought of in Pennsylvania: 



1 quart of Beer; 16 ounces Red Chickweed; 16 ounces Thrirac (molas- 

 ses). Steep in a new earthern vessel until reduced to 1 pint; drink 

 while fresh". 



He adds: — 



"The red chickweed can be obtained from. Dr. A. J. 

 Snively, Hanover, York county, Pa., or from Johns & 

 Cramer, apothecaries, Race street, at Third, Philadelphia, 

 Pa. I do not send this as an advertisement for Snively, 

 fori do not know him, but I occasionally see people in- 

 quiring for such and, such a remedy for Hydrophobia. 

 (Give me the scalpel and nitric acid.) This (the chickweed 

 and the elecampane remedy) are both popular in the coun- 

 try." 



With regard to elacampane, it is a plant well known to 

 most persons, and is to be found in many of our gardens. 

 Immediately after being bitten, take one and a half ounces 

 of the root of the plant — the green root is preferable, but 

 the well dried will answer, and may be found in our drug- 

 stores — slice or bruise, put it into a pint of fresh milk, 

 boil down to a half pint, strain, and when cold, drink it, 

 fasting at least six hours afterward. The next morning, 

 fasting, repeat the dose prepared as the last, and this will 

 be sufficient. 



These are the directions given by a gentleman of verac- 

 ity, who had a bitten son and four children of neighbors 



cured by the remedy, as well as others. 



*+*+. 



— Some dastardly scoundrel lately poisoned a fine setter 

 pup about a year old, belonging to Major Geo. E. Alden, 

 of Savannah, Georgia, also a litter of five exceedingly 

 handsome setter pups two months old, belonging to the 

 same gentleman, out of his fine bitch Josie, by Mr. ~D. 

 Brook's Bismark, by Gapt. White's imported Irish setter 

 Yock. Mr. E. F. Lovell also lost a fine pointer in a simi- 

 lar way. 



■ -*•♦- 



BLOODHOUNDS IN PHILADELPHIA. 



IT is about eighteen or twenty years ago that two blood- 

 hounds appeared at the beer house of Engel & Wolfe, 

 th/Bn situated on Dillwyn street, above Callowhill. They 

 were of the German breed, a male and a female, of a 

 brownish black in color, and of immense size. Since then, 

 by importation and natural increase, the number has grown 

 until scarcely any of the many beer breweries is without 

 one or more of them, while the German butchers as a rule 

 take a pride in seeing who can own the biggest and savage- 

 est. There are three varieties— the Siberian, the Russian, 

 and the German — in this city. The best specimen of the 

 Siberian, the most ferocious of them all, can be found 

 within the walls of the Eastern Penitentiary, where any 

 one can interview them by becoming a prisoner, and then, 

 breaking out of his cell, skirmish around the yard of 

 nights. The Russian and German vary in size according 

 to the purity of the breed, and are without exception the 

 most ungrateful, vicious, and untamable brutes that exist 

 among the domestic animals. It is as much as a man can 

 do, when attacked, to escape unharmed from their fangs. 

 Some few years since a well known down town lumber 

 merchant possessed one of these villainous pets that lie had 

 raised from puppvhood. As it grew towards full size he 

 was compelled to keep it chained, because not a workman 

 in the yard dared to lay a hand upon even a lath but the 

 dog would fly at him. He had fed the dog always himself, 

 and therefore imagined he would never attack him. But 

 one day, when removing the dog's pan in order to take it 

 away and return it filled with food as usual, the dog ilew 

 at him and the chain only saved him from a bite. Then 

 he took a stick and soundly whipped the chained blood 

 hound. But the next day the villain was shot; for when 

 the lumber merchant that night unchained him be barely 

 escaped with his life by flight to a board pile, where he was 

 all night besieged. It was only last Summer that the 

 writer, happening at Bridgeport, opposite Norristown, saw 

 slowly stalk across the road and into the yard of a large 

 factory, a most superb female of the Siberian breed. The 

 watchman of the factory was standing by, and with the 

 visitor conversed about the animal he had just seen. I'll 

 show you something, he said, and opening a stable door, 

 out jumped a pup as big as a full grown Spanish pointer. 

 This, he said, was one of her pups, and nine months old, 

 but I have an older one, a brother of the pup, and he in- 

 troduced an immense fellow. This, he said, is nineteen 

 months old, and weighs 190. (Think of what chances an 

 unarmed man would have with a hound of this weight.) 

 Did you ever chastise them? was inquired. No, he an- 

 swered, I would not dare. The fact is that these blood- 

 hounds are dangerous, even to their owners, are utterly 

 useless to anyone, and are kept only because of a competi- 

 tion between a certain class of citizens as to who shall own 

 the biggest and most f erocious .— Philadelphia Times. 



[In Forest and Stream, Vol. 3, page 310, is the descrip- 

 tion of a magnificent Siberian bloodhound that was brought 

 to our office. So far as his manner and record goes, he was 

 passive and gentle. But this is exceptional. We are 

 aware of a little girl in England who was nearly killed 

 while feeding two of these creatures which she had reared 

 from infancy. We believe that most dogs and cats are 

 snappish, if not vicious, at their food. — Ed.] 

 , -*»*-*■ 



The Tolley Medal.— Through the kindness of Dr. 

 Rowe we have had an opportunity of examining the beau- 

 tiful gold medal presented by Messrs. J. & W. Tolley and 

 won by Mr. B. W. Jenkins' pointer dog Saneho at the last 

 Watertown show. The medal is of solid gold, and hand- 

 somely ornamented. 



Kennel Produce,— Miurkvrk Furnace, Prince Georges county, Md., 

 Chas. E. Coffin, Owner.— On July 19th, six puppies to his black pointer 

 bitch Meg by his liver dog Ponto. Three are now living and doing well, 

 namely, one black gip, one white and liver gip, and one liver dog with 

 roan breast. 



A KANGAROO DOG. 



San Francisco, Cal., August 18th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



A friend residing in Australia, conceiving the idea that I was short of 

 dogs (I have only eighteen) sends me a dog from that far off land— a ver- 

 itable kangaroo dog, and a noble fellow he is. As some of your readers 

 may never have seen this breed of pups, I give you a description: He is 

 a cross of the greyhound and bloodhound, stands 34 inches, and from 

 tip of nose to stern post, 54 inches. In form he resembles the grey- 

 hound, but in muscle and power is equal to half a dozen. His limbs are 

 symmetrical— a mass of muscles— ears small and pointed; nose long; 

 mouth deep; eyes large, lustrous, and soft as a woman's; color, a decided 

 brindle, with bars of black across his back and loins; weight, 85 pounds. 

 In body and limbs he seems all muscle, lithe, wiry, and as elastic as 

 rubber. In disposition, as affectionate as a setter, playful and good na- 

 tured; allows all my little King. Charles dogs to bite his legs (they can't 

 reach his body standing on their hind legs). I let him loose in the stable 

 yard and he seemed perfectly delighted to have his liberty, and amused 

 himself by leaping over a buggy that a groom was washing, and finally 

 cleared a twelve foot fence as easily as he did the buggy. I thought I 

 had lost him, but in a moment here he came back again, sailing over the 

 fence— several feet over it, at that. He frolicked and played until he ex- 

 cited the ire of my old setter* Bob, who had been lying on a pile of 

 straw, hugely disgusted with the attention the stranger was receiving. 

 Bob evidently thought the thing had been going on long enough, and 

 forthwith sailed into knagaroo, who did not seem to understand the 

 cause of Bob's enmity, and wanted to play, but Bob was jealous and 

 seized kangaroo by the throat. The new comer could take a joke, but 

 the matter was getting serious, for Bob's blood was up, and he kept 

 chawing away until kangaroo concluded that it was time for that fun to 

 stop, and freeing himself, seized Mr. Bob by the scuff of the neck, and 

 with no apparent effort slung him clear across the yard, twenty-five 

 feet, and then continued his frolicking. Bob gathered himself up, took a 

 good long look at his enemy, jumped up into the buggy, and could not 

 be induced to come out again all day; and now, when he sees knagaroo 

 about, he gives him the widest kind of a berth. I never saw such power 

 in a dog, and never such a perfect specimen of symmetry. 



My Australian friend writes me that by next steamer he shall send 

 over a fine slut, fully equal to the dog. He could not get her in time to 

 send with "the dog. So I shall be all right on kangaroo dogs, but at the 

 present writing am a little short on kangaroos. My friend will have to 

 continue his favors and send me some. He says they are fine deer dogs 

 as well, and I am going to take my new acquaintance down into the 

 country in a few days to have a run with an old friend, who keeps a 

 pack of greyhounds for coursing, and if my dog don't eat np his whole 

 pack or sling them over into the next county, we shall have some fine 

 sport. I have hid some fine dogs in my day, and have some now— Gor- 

 - don and Irish setters, pointers, etc.— but I never saw such a perfect 

 specimen of a dog as my kangaroo. They are bred with a great deal of 

 care in Australia, and are highly prized there, a good pair being worth 

 £120, or $6%. At the present writing my leviathan is rolling on the car 

 pet with a little three-year old girl, who has tier little fist flown his throat 

 and kangaroo is enjoying it as much as she ist I will tell you more of 

 my dog and of his performances when I have tried him. Yours, 



Podgers. 



A VISIT TO MR. LAVERACK. 



, _♦ . 



London, England, August 9th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — . 



On Thursday last, the 5th inst., onr party of two took our departure 

 hence lor Whitchurch, Shropshire, via Crewe. The railway runs through 

 a beautiful country, and the ride from Chewe to Whitchurch, a distance 

 of some twenty miles, is remarkably pretty. From the station we drove 

 to the Victoria Hotel, arriving there about five o'clock P. M. Whit- 

 church is a very ancient town, with old buildings, narrow streets paved 

 with cobble stones, and kept scrupulously neat, and houses standing 

 close to the roadway. The sidewalks, where they exist at all, are very 

 narrow. 



Next morning after breakfast we ordered our turn-out— a dog-cart with 

 a fine black cob and a "tiger"— and drove over to Mr. Laverack'a, about 

 a mile beyond the station, arriving there a little before noon. This house 

 — Brouglmll Cottage— is nicely situated in a field, though inclosed by a 

 hedge, a brick wall, and an iron fence. The stables, kennels and other 

 outbuildings are on the side nearest the road. The two-story cottage, 

 which is of unpainted brick, with a fine wide hall separating the parlor 

 and dining room, fronts the other way. We found the famed breeder of 

 English setters at home, and were received wi th a courteous welcome. 

 This prompt invitation to remain and dine with him was gladly accepted, 

 and we sent the dog-cart back to return for us at a later hour. Mr. Lave- 

 rack, one of the oldest and most thorough sportsmen in England is a 

 gentleman well advanced in years, but his fine physical and mental pres- 

 ervation prove-if proof were needed— how beneficial to constitutional 

 health and vigor are the exercise and air found while 



"Walking o'er the meadows with a dog and a gun." 



Our first visit was to the kennels. Old Dash, greatly to our regret, was 

 in Scotland, but we saw, first. Cora, orange and white, but little ticked, 

 a few spots on her side and with orange ears, head all white. Her mark- 

 ings are very dark, almost red— a beautiful deep orange. She is the 

 mother of Ruby, now iu America, and is the best and handsomest bitch 

 we ever saw. Her head is perfect, though at first glance, owing to color 

 and wave of hair, her ears look high, but they are not. She is of good 

 size, larger than Fairy, who won your pitcher at Watertown, and is of 

 long body, flat thighs, very much curved quaners, long feather like floss 

 silk, and is nine years old. Take her all in all, she is a slasher! 



The next to show was Blue Prince, four years old, sired by Pride of the 

 Border. Prince is black and white, and is marked like Mr. Reid's !Sam 

 with whose picture many of your readers are familiar, but is more ticked 

 than he. Blue Prince is without exception the most beautiful dog we 

 ever saw, though slightly under size. We had never before seen such a 

 head, and the only way to describe it is to call it perfect to a hair. His 

 coat is very fine, long and soft; his quarters droop, droop, droop, and his 

 thigh is as flat as a pan-cake. His motions were perfection. We had 

 already seen most of the famous Laverack setters outside of their home 

 kenntl, both in America and in this island, and are free to say that Blue 

 Prince in looks and action is facile rwinceps, or, as we say in Brooklyn 

 he just "lays over" them all. He has but one fault, or rather misfor- 

 tune: a second and severe attack of distemper left him with a slight 

 twitching of the muscles of the hind legs. Mr. L., however, assured us 

 that this does not in any way affect or interfere with his great speed 

 and staying powers in the field, and his value as a stud clog is well at- 

 tested by the finest progeny in England. 



The next seen were two puppies three months old, by Blue Prince out 

 of Cora. They were very fine— one black and white mottled, the other a 

 perfect blue with a few black patches; in fact, almost as blue as a blue 



greyhound. Next four orange and white puppies, same age, by out 



of a white and black bitch by Prince, one of which is named Fairy 2d. 

 Fairy's American bred litter by Pride were, as we remember them, finer 

 and bigger at the same age than any of these English puppies. Next the 

 mother of the litter last shown— a very good setter, but in low condition 

 The last shown was Rock, and against him our admiration met with its 

 first shock. He is black and white, three years old, with a nearly per- 

 fect head and very intelligent eyes. His coat, too, was fine, soft and 

 thick. But his shape did not suit our American ideas of a well-made 

 setter, being very long in the body and very short in the legs, which m 

 their turn were not as straight in front as we like. He was, however of 

 the pure blood, and is for that reason preserved by his owner. 



We were most hospitably entertained by the courteous and hale pro- 

 prietor of this snuggest of cottages, and greatly enjoyed his well-ma- 

 tured ideas upon the subject of breeding his favorite strain. As an evi- 

 dence of the success that has attended his efforts hie sideboard is both a 



