116 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



may be a question whether a few of Ihem will not do as 

 much good, by disposing of decaying animal mattt r, as 

 they do harm, by destroying a few fish. The greatest fear 

 of all fish-raisers is that their fish will be stolen at night. 

 "Well, there is the same danger here that there is any other 

 property, and no more. In fact, not so much. The risk 

 of the State Prison is too much for any one to incur for the 

 sake of a few fish; and there is only one way in which the 

 fish can be obtained. They cannot be taken out of the 

 ponds with a scoop (or scap) net. If any one will try this 

 a few times, even in broad daylight, he will be soon con- 

 vinced of the fact. A few old logs, stones and branches of 

 trees, strewn on the bottom of the pond, will make it 

 impossible to drag the pond with a seine. Catching them 

 by hook and line is the only means; and if the fish are well 

 ted daily, it will take more time to catch a mess than 

 thieves can usually spare. Trout also find enemies in their 

 own kind. The only way to stop them from feeding on 

 each other is to give them plenty of other food. It may be 

 as well, perhaps, not to feed them on small fish, unless they 

 are chopped up fine, for this reason : Trout soon accustom 

 themselves to certain kinds of food, and will lefuse any- 

 thing strange. If they get into the habit of feeding on 

 small fish, they will not be likely to make a distinction be- 

 tween trout and any other fish. Certain old trout also be- 

 come unusually destructive to their brethren. Like the 

 "rogue-elephants," and the "man-eaters," among the lions, 

 they become morose and sullen, live apart from the rest, 

 and make war upon everything around. When you find 

 one of this kind, spear him at once, as there is no cure, and 

 he will mvanaDly destroy more than he is worth. It may 

 be woi th while to mention here how one trout eats another: 

 An old trout will catch another, in some cases one-half of 

 its own size, by the middle, and with its strong jaws hold 

 it fast and swim around with it, while the prisoner worries 

 and struggles to get free. This performance lasts until the 

 victim gets loose or is exhausted. I have seen one carry 

 another round in its mouth, for halt a day. It the little 

 fellow gets free, it is usually only to die a lingering death; 

 for the breaking of the skin is fatal. When it is exhausted, 

 the old rogue, dropping his victim, which until this time 

 he has held by the middle, seizes it again by the head, and 

 slowly swallows it whole; the operation sometimes taking 

 several hours, and while in progress making the fish look 

 as if it had no head, but only a tail at each end. 



In some localities mink are very destructive. These 

 animals are particularly to be dreaded because they do not 

 only take what fish they want to eat and then leave, but 

 will take out fifty or one hundred before they stop, and 

 having found a well-stocked pond, they will resort to it 

 again and again. The best way to trap them is as follows: 

 Make a box eighteen inches long by six inches broad and 

 deep, leaving one end open, set a common game trap (such 

 as used tor catching muskrats) in the open enu of the box 

 in such a position that when the jaws are closed they will 

 be in a line with the length of the trap. If it is set cross- 

 ways it will be apt to throw the mink out instead of catch- 

 ing it. Put the bait in the further end of the box— apiece 

 of meat or a dead fish will answer for bait — set the trap and 

 cover it over with a large leaf. Now, there is only one 

 way for the mink to get at the bait, which is by walking 

 over the trap. Some trout-breeders also try to raise mink 

 for profit as their skins are valuable; but their habits of 

 eating fish and their custom of getting out of almost any 

 box or yard in which they are confined do not make them 

 agreeable neighbors for the trout. 



The fish farmer can always tell by looking at his trout in 

 the morning whether they have been disturbed during the 

 night. If they have been molested, whether by birds, 

 mink or men, they will appear excited and frightened. 

 The water will be discolored by the mud which they stir 

 up as they dart back and forth near the bottom, and the 

 trout will be nearly all hidden under stones, in the moss, etc. 



There is one kind of trout which we do not possess in 

 ponds, of which we would very much like a specimen. 

 We mean the trout which comes to dinner at the sound of 

 a bell, or at the call or whistle of his feeder. Many 

 writers about fish tell us to avoid all noises around the 

 ponds lest they frighten the fish, and to be particularly 

 careful never to fire a gun on the grounds lest the delicate 

 ear of the trout should be too much affected. JSow, having 

 made somewhat careful experiments with the view of writ- 

 ing this, we would only remark that trout cannot hear the 

 sound of a bell, nor the voice of their feeder, nor even his 

 whistle, neither will they stir one fraction of an inch at the 

 sound of a gun fired one foot above their heads; but the 

 sight of a trout is very keen, his eyes are magnifying 

 glasses, and make everything look larger, and at the same 

 time indistinct. His enemies are to be avoided by the aid 

 of his eyes, and the trout starts and runs at every sudden 

 motion, whether it is the shadow of the angler, or the tail- 

 ing of a leaf upon the water. But this is not exactly trout 

 breeding; let us return to the subject. Seth (j»kjeen. 



California Salmon Operations. — The following is a 

 complete catalogue of the salmon eggs taken at the United 

 States Fishery, McCloud river, California this season:— 



Date. No. of Eggs. 



September 2 54 l, 500 



September 3 25b" 500 



depLemoer 4 03t>,7oO 



jepternoer 5 ~ 670,7^0 



Date. No. of Engs. 



AugustS2d aeouo 



August 23 ... . 1 ! 8,5U0 



August 24 186.750 



August 25 153,751 



August 26 2i8,0U 



jepiember 6 221.00U 



Auguet 27 160,500, September 7 . . . 



Augusi-28 232,500 September 8 704 000 



August 2a 246, 750 1 Sep tern Der 16 ^73,000 



August 80 337, 750, September 17 300,000 



August 31 419,000 



September 1 657,000| Total... 6,665,000 



The applications for eggs this year are as follows: — 



A. P. Kockwood, Utah 100,000 



E M. L« es. VV e.-tport, Conn 500.000 



J B Thompson, New Hope, Bucks Co., Fa 50.000 



James Duffy, Marietta, Ha 400 000 



E. a.. B'-aekeu Winchester, Conn 200,000 



Pack Tut mas, Louisville, Ky 200,0 



State Haicmug douse, Malison, Wis 100,000 



Lewis (J. btri'idel, uellvilie, III 100.0V0 



l>r. W. A. Pratt. Elgin, 111 ,. 100 000 



New Yo k Aq. aiium, 35th street and Broadway 50,000 



Boston Aq-mriuiu, 13 West street 10,000 



T. N lark, Nurt nville, Michigan 500,000 



T B Forgiisou, Baltimore, Md 1,000,000 



Provinces of Canterbury and Auckland, New Zealand 250.000 



Province of In -pier, New Zealand. . 50.0 



Sandwich Plaids o *0 000 



Sportsman sUub, San Francisco 25 0.0 (0 



Caliu rma & ish Commission in nn i 



Cemenni;.! Exposition • lOOOii 



Total. 5 890, 000 



Most of the eggs, going East, will be shipped from Sac- 

 ramento on September 35th. They are at present in fine 

 condition. Livigston Stone. 



Mnml ^istorg. 



GAME BIRDS OF CONNECTICUT. 



Ectopistes migratorius . Wild pigeon. Common in spring 

 and fall ; breeds, but neither regularly nor in large num- 

 bers. 



* 



Zenaidura carolinensis. Dove or mourning dove. A 

 very common summer resident; breeds. 



Bonasa umbellus. Ruffed grouse or partridge. Common 

 and abundant in thinly settled |districts; breeds. 



Ortyx virginianus. Quail. Abundant; breeds. 



Although the smaller shore-birds are shot by gun ners 

 they can scarcely be called game birds, and I will omit 

 them. The comparative abundance of the birds below 

 refers to them only in the migrating seasons, except in two 

 or three cases where the birds remain and breed with us. 



Charadrius pluvialis. Golden plover. Common, but 

 stopping only a short time in the fall. 



JEJgialitis vociferus. Kill- deer. Not very common; 

 breeds. 



Squatarola helvetica. Black-bellied plover. Common. 



Hcematopus palliatus. Oyster-catcher. Occurs rarely in 

 summer. 



Strepsilas interpres. Turnstone. A rare summer visitor. 



Phuoliela minor. Woodcock. Common and breeds. 



Galiinago Wilsoni. Wilson's snipe; English snipe. Not 

 at all regular; usually abundant in spring and autumn, but 

 sometime scarce. 



Maerorliamphuslgriseus. Gray snipe. Rather common. 



Tringa canuius. Robin snipe. IS ot common; breeds. 



T. maritima. Rather common. 



T.alpina. Red-backed sandpiper. Very common. 



T. maculata. Pectoral sandpiper. Common. 



Totanus semipalmatus. Willet. Rather common. 



T. melanoieucus. Greater yellow-legs. Not very com- 

 mon. 



T. flampes. Lesser yellow-legs. Abundant. 



Actiturus Bartramius. Field Plover. JSot common, but 

 breeds. 



Tryngites rufescens. Buff-breasted sandpiper. Not 

 common. 



Limosa fedoa. Marbled godwit. Not common. 



L. tiudsonica. Hudsonian godwit. Rare. 



Numenius borealis. Ebquimaux curlew. Rare. 



Ballus virginianus. Virginia rail. Very common; 

 breeds. 



Urtygometra Carolina. Sora or Carolina rail. Exceed- 

 ingly abundant. Breeds in large numbers in both salt and 

 fresh marshes. Very few sportsmen know that the rails 

 breed here, on account of the nature of the breeding 

 grounds, and I have frequently had excellent sport while 

 the other gunners were "waiting for tnem to come." 



Fulica americana. Coot. Mud hen. Not uncommon; 

 breeds. 



Cygnus americanus. The swan. Is occasionally seen 

 here but only as a straggler. A flock of seven remained on 

 the sound in the vicinity of New Haven lor nearly a week 

 last winter. 



Bernicla canadensis. Canada goose. Rather common 

 during the spring and fall migrations; especially the 

 former. Most of the flocks do not tarry with us, but pass 

 by high overhead. 



B brenta. Brant. Very seldom seen. 



Aiian boschas. Mallard. An occasional visitant. 



A. obacura. Dusky duck. Very common during a 

 greater part of the year. A few remain in summer and 

 breed. 



Dafila acuta. Very rare. In a number of years of shoot- 

 ing, both on coast and inland, 1 have seen not more than 

 three or four. The bird is not known to our gunners, al- 

 though it is common in the States around us. 



JSettion carolinensis. Green-winged teal. Common. 



Querquedula discors. Blue-wmged teal. More common 

 than the other. 



Spatula clypeata. Shoveller. Not at all common. 



Ghaulelasmus streperus. Gadwall or gray duck. Not 

 common. 



Mareca americana. American widgeon. Not as com- 

 mon as the shoveller. 



Aix sponsa. Wood duck. Very common; breeds with 

 us more abundantly than any other duck. 



Fulix marila. Scaup, or big blue-bill. Abundant in the 

 winter, and in spring nearly as abundant as the next. 



F. affinis. Scaup, or little blue-bill, exceedingly abund- 

 ant. 



Aytlvya americana. Red-head. Rather common: 



A. "vallimeria. Canvas-back. Rather common, but sel- 

 dom killed, being very shy. The canvas-backs here eat 

 nothing but small clams, and their flesh is no better than 

 that of any other sea duck. 



Bucepliala americana. Golden eye; whistler. Very 

 common. 



B. albeola. Buffle-head. Very common. 



Fuligula glacialis. Southsoutherly, or old squan. Ex- 

 ceedingly abundant. 



F. fusca. White- winged duck. Exceedingly abun- 

 dant. 



F. perspicillata. Surf duck. Exceedingly abundant. 



F. moUissima. Eider. Not at all common. 



F. rubida. Ruddy duck. Not uncommon. 



Mergus serrator. Red- breasted merganser. Abundant. 



M. americanus. Buff- breasted merganser. Common. 



M. cucullatus. Hooded merganser. An occasional 

 visitant only. Robt. T. Morris. 



New Haven, Sept. 1st. 



Skip -jack in the North River. — The North river, for 

 some weeks, has been the resort of numerous skip-jacks, 

 known to scientists as belonging to the genus Garanx, and 

 probably of the species chry*os, the last appellation being 

 an allusion to its golden color. It affords much sport to 

 anglers, as it is very voracious and lively. The young blue- 

 fish, Pomatomus saltatrix, as barbarously named by the 

 bookmen, is all-abundant, and are better morsels for the 

 table than our new but tough visitors. 



Brooklyn, JV. T. J. Carson Brevoort. 



—After lecturing in this city September 18th, 20th, and 

 22d, on the direct evidences of Evolution, Prof. Huxley 

 left for England last Saturday. 



THE FAUNA OF TEXAS. 



Fort Clark, Texas, Sept. 12th 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



Quail have been abundant here, and have bred during 

 the summer. The young have recently attained shooting 

 size, and the sport of hunting them has just begun. The 

 large blue quail are quite plentiful, especially in the more 

 mountainous regions. The killdeer plovers have for more 

 than a month been regaling us with their not very intt rest- 

 ing notes; little attention is given to them. A few nio-his 

 ago black plover were distinctly heard on the parade. Hunt- 

 ing parties have failed thus far to find them. On the 10th 

 instant, after a slight norther, I saw a large flock of teal 

 duck on Devil's river, 40 miles from here. "Wild turkeys 

 abound from this time onward. A few have already bi ea 

 obtained. A very few bears have been observed which 

 have descended from their mountain summer retreats. The 

 red deer is a frequent sight to the hunter or traveler. Scout- 

 ing parties generally capture enough for practical pur- 

 poses when time is not pressing. 



Black bass fishing affords ample opportunities for the 

 enthusiast of the rod and reel. All the running streams 

 abound with them. The basi in this climate is not, how- 

 ever, the gamey fish which the same variety in northern 

 waters is. Their movement is more sluggish. Fly fishing 

 is not a successful mode; minnows and frogs form the prev- 

 alent bait. The cattish inhabits every pool and stream, and 

 is very easily hooked by sinking a heavy bait. When taken 

 from lively water the cattish forms an excellent di-h, yet 

 many decline to accept the so called scavenger on account 

 of its habits, and the warm water in which it lives. The 

 sunfish, the buffalo, and the gar, frequent the. waters of 

 this Slate. They are rarely caugtit except by wholesale pot 

 fishing — a practice customary even in this country, so 

 well stocked with the finny tribe. W. (J. 



American Pterodactyls.— Prof. O. C. Marsh contrib 

 uted a paper on this subject at the Buffalo meeting of the 

 American Association, from his own western experiences. 

 The pterodactyl was a flying lizard, and the finding of its 

 remains at the West is among the mott interesting ot all 

 the long series of discoveries of fossils in those little ex- 

 pired regions. The pterodactyl lived in Mesozoic times, 

 and is only found in the rocks of that era. in Europe most 

 of the pterodactyls found were in the Jurassic rocks. The 

 most striking difference between these reptiles as found in 

 the two hemispheres is in point of size. Many of the pter- 

 odactyls of Europe were not larger than pigeons; the spread 

 of their wings rarely exceeds two or three feet; the spread 

 of the American pterodactyls was from 10 to 25 feet, and 

 these flying lizards couk4 doubtless have taken up and car- 

 ried an object of prey as large as a man. The means of 

 flight were membranes stretched at the side. The fourth 

 finger is greatly elongated and supported the membrane 

 when spread for flight. There are six separate carpal bones 

 besides the pteroid bone which supports the wing mem- 

 brane. The pteroid is not a true carpal, but is probably 

 homologous with the small bone in the foot of a bat, which 

 supports its membrane. Another point of difference from 

 the European pterodactyls is that they have the scapula 

 and coracoid bone coossiried. The end of the scapula or 

 shouider-blade in the European specimens is fiat; in one 

 genus of American pterodactyls this bone has an articulated 

 face. .Now jf these shoulder-blades had been firmly fixed 

 together the animal would have found difficulty in breath- 

 ing. But Prof. Marsh has found a small bone placed be- 

 tween the shoulder-blades. It is probably the neural spiue 

 of one of the dorsal vtrtebra. The American specimens 

 give a clear idea of the hind feet of the animal. The lower 

 end of the tibia has a pulley-like articulation similar to 

 the bones of a bird. There are also at least two separate 

 tarsal bones. There is also this remarkable circumstance. 

 In the geological horizon where the pterodactyls are found 

 in this country, all the birds discovered have teeih, and 

 hence are unlike all other birds, while pterodactyls are 

 found having no teeth, and hence unlike all other ptero- 

 dactyls. 



THE TAPE WORM —CORRECTIONS. 



Washington, D. C, September 26th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I am told that I write rather indistinctly, and presume such mast be 

 the fact, as your compositors evidently found trouble with it. .Please 

 insert in next issue as errata to page 9a of last issue, Tape Worm article, 

 in Natural History Department, as follows, in second line, second 

 clause, for "P. Talnia" read The Taenia; sixth line, second clause, for 

 "now familiar" read not familiar; twenty-third line, second clause, for 

 "cellusse" read cellulosae; in last clause but one, second line from its 

 end, for "means" read mucus; in last clauee near middle, for "more 

 hasty" read most hasty; also before last line of the article insert: "Also 

 in what way the salmon takes into its stomach the eggs wbich develop 

 into the worm." (The investigation of this last point may had us to 

 a better knowledge of the food of the salmon) . This last emission was 

 the fault of the writer, who omitted to copy the line in his MSS. 



A. G. Wilkinson. 



WILD PIGEONS IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



Boston, Mass., Sept. 22d. 



Editor Forest and Stream.:— 



In your aiticle entitled '"The Protection of Wild Pigeons," in your is- 

 sue of Sept. 21st.it would seem that the writer was unaware that 

 plenty of these beautiful birds are yet found in our State. I bive just 

 returned from a short trip to my native town, Ashburmham, (situated m 

 what is called Worcester county. North), where four of us shot from 

 traps some 100 wild birds netted there. Seveial thousands are annually 

 eaten. T hey do not, however, breed there, but seem to make these 

 heights a stopping place, and finding plenty of berries and other too ^ 

 remain several days, and sometimes weeks, before proceeding soni • 

 ward Last year vast numbers were noticed circling over Naumkeag 

 Lake and around Watatic Mountain for an hour or more, apparently to 

 get their course, and finally departed in a southerly direction. I am a so 

 told they are netted at other places in the State; however, I regret to 

 say, not in such quantities as in former years. J- W. AdaMS. 



Arrivals at Central Park Menagerie Sept. 2 to 23. -One yellow 

 b*.rd {Chrysomitris tristis) received in exchange ;>ne e\&nd(0reas carina), 

 one red t.hru.sh (Hurporhy n chus rufus). presented by Mr. Geo. Bums, 

 New York city; one spider monkey (Ateles br/zabe'h), from C'lriha.Hena, 

 Columbia, presented by Master Arthur E. Dornin; one yellow-belied 

 cuckoo (Coccygvs americanus), presented by Mr. Thos. Mebtm -Ne 

 York city; two young boas {Boa constrictor) from Panama, pret-ented y 

 by L. M. Barlow, New York city. W. A, Conkion, Director. 



