FOREST AND STREAM. 



245 



genus of weavils Pachyrynchus -which in their brilliant me- 

 tallic coloring surpass anything found in the whole eastern 

 hemisphere, if not in the whole world. 



In the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, in Mada- 

 gascar and the West, India Islands, are to he found many 

 examples similar to those which have been already given. 



[To be continued.] 

 . <-*•«» 



The U. S. National Museum has Issued as its Fourth 

 Bulletin, a pamphlet of 56 pages, consisting of a cata- 

 logue of the "Birds of Southwestern Mexico, collected by 

 Francis E. Sumichrast." This catalogue was prepared by 

 Mr. Geo. A. Lawrence, of this city, than whom no orni- 

 thologist is more familiar with the bird life of this conti- 

 nent, especially of that portion of it south of the United 

 States. The list which is given contains no less than 321 

 species, and the whole number of specimens examined 

 was 1,700. The publication includes besides a brief pre- 

 face by Mr. Lawrence, and the list already referred to, 

 some valuable "Notes on the Geographical Distribution of 

 the Birds in the Isthmus of Tehauntepec," by Prof. Sumi- 

 chrast, and in many cases the collectors notes on the habits 

 of the different species secured. 



Among the birds mentioned in the catalogue are many 

 of our best known northern species, most of which wera of 

 course taken during the, winter months, while spending the 

 period of cold weather in the south. Among the warblers 

 and the waders especially, do. we notice a great number of 

 more or less common North American forms. We ob- 

 serve, however, that several species are mentioned as being 

 taken during the summer and early fall, which we should 

 scarcely have looked for so far to the southward at that 

 season. Such are Polioptila cerules, taken in "August;" 

 Sulpirides obsoletus, "June"; Contopus borealis, "Septem- 

 ber"; Contopus virens, "May," etc., etc. Not a few very 

 rare birds are included in the collection; among others the 

 Giccaba squamulata, which has hitherto been regarded as 

 a doubtful species, and the great Harpy Eagle, Thrasaetus 

 harpyia. 



On the whole, the work before us must be regarded as 

 a most important contribution to the ornithology of this 

 continent, and having the stamp of Mr. Lawrence's au- 

 thority it becomes doubly valuable. 



■+*&■ 



— Snowy owls have been unusually abundant this fall 

 about Boston, over two hundred having been brought into 

 town, it is said, within a week. This is a chance for in- 

 land collectors, with whom this species is much more un 

 common than with us" on the coast, to secure a specimen or 

 two of a bird n-j where very abundant. All along the coast 

 north of New York these birds have been found in unusual 

 numbers; does their great abundance this fall point to the 

 approach of unusually cold weather? 



■»«<» 



—Mr. H. Fassett, Esq., of Philadelphia, has sent us a 



beautifully marked quail, a partial albino, which was shot 



last week in Worcester county, Maryland, near Pittsville. 



Its plumage is like the autumn dress of the ptarmigan, in 



its transition from the brown of summer to the pure white 



of winter. We have sent it to Wallace's to be set up. 



Quail albino are infrequent, but not rare. 

 _ — ^.•♦^_ 



A New Kangaroo in Papua.— A new kangaroo, of the 

 genus* Borcopsis, has recently been received from the south- 

 eastern part of Papua, or New Guinea, by Dr. Albertis, 

 who has described it under the name of Dorcopsis luctuosa; 

 it is the second species of the genus at present known from 

 New Guinea. It has long been known that the island of 

 Aru possesses a species of true kangaroo, with a hairless 

 naked muzzle, described under the name of Macropus bru- 

 nii. This is a remarkable fact in geographical distribution, 

 ad other known kangaroos being natives of Australia and 

 its immediate surroundings. — La Nature. {Paris, France.) 

 «#..^ 



THE BARNACLE GOOSE. 



Streator, La Salle county, 111., Nov. 6th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



In your is6ue of October 26th is an article having reference to the 

 barnacle goose, and from the observations of the writer, Mr. G. C. Ken- 

 dall, (as he does not give us the ornithological name of the bird) I am 

 led to Delieve that this is a bird comparatively unknown. In Giraud's 

 '"Birds of Long Island" but two species are mentioned, viz: the Anser 

 Hutchimii and the Anser bernachs or common brant. Of the latter 

 there are many on the Atlantic coast, exceeding in numbers the other 

 varieties; therefore this cannot be the one named. The former, Anser 

 Eutchinsii of Audubon and Swainson & Richardson, appears to be much 

 more of a rarity. Audubon says that there are plenty around Hudson's 

 Bay, and unknown on the Atlantic, while Giraud reports that there, 

 eoine thirty years since, when he compiled his valuable work, 'at the 

 eastern end of Long Island this bird is not uncommon, etc., while on 

 the south shore it is not known." 



I have been in this locality but a short time. My father, Mr. Martin 

 A. Howell, Jr., the author of "The Waterfowl of the West," in Har- 

 per^s Magazine of November, 1871, has a fine collection of photos and 

 negatives of the various waterfowl and wafers of this migratory tract, 

 and among them a specimen of the Anser Hutchinsii, procured from the 

 well-known shipper of game, T. D. Randall of Chicago, who reports it 

 not a rare specimen, and generally considered a young specimen of the 

 Anser canadensis, which it resembles exactly, save that it is about one- 

 half size; but a careful examination reveals the fact that it is an adult 

 specimen of a distinct species. A fine specimen shot on the prairie near 

 this place was hanging at the door of one of our meat markets last 

 ■week, and the only person here, in a population of 5,000, who could 

 identify the bird was Mr. M. A. Howell, Jr., above. This was an 

 adult bird, 27 inches in length. These birds are frequently shot through- 

 ont this tract, and usually come in company with the Canada goose. 

 Most shooters call it brant, just as they call the Anser aMfrons or white- 

 fronted goose, brant. Is this the bird mentioned in your article, "The 

 Hutchins Barnacle Goose?" Thos. H. Howell. 



[The bird referred to by our correspondent Mr. Kendall 

 was probably no* the Anser Hutchinsii of Giraud, but the 

 much rarer _4. leucopsis of Audubon, the Branta leucopsis 

 Ql repent writers, The foijner .is. oily occasionally tak^n. 



on the Atlantic coast, while it is not uncommon in the 

 west, and it is extremely abundant on the Pacific coast. It 

 is now regarded as only a variety of B. canadensis, the 

 common wild goose. Branta leucopsis, on the other hand, 

 is a European bird, which is very rarely taken in this 

 country, and then only as a straggler. Audubon never saw 

 it alive. The difference in size of the two species is not 

 great; in length only about two inches, but the patches of 

 white on the throat and sides of the head of leucopsis are 

 much more extended than in -the other. — Ed.] 



<^»» ■ 



MELANISM IN CYNOMYS LUDOVICI- 

 ANUS. 



[Editor Forest and Stream:— I send you an interest- 

 ing account of a black prairie dog, from the agreeable pen 

 of the lady who recently wrote of her pet prairie dogs; 

 and I am sure the brief article possesses popular interest 

 as well as scientific value— Elliott Cotjes.] 



Cheyenne Depot Wyoming, Nov. 13, 1876. 

 Dr. Elliott Coues, JJ. S. A., Washington: 



Dear Sie— Would an account of a black prairie dog prove of inter- 

 est? You know, I believe, that he was presented .to us in a dilapidated 

 bird cage Of his antecedents I know nothing. He was much larger 

 than th« brown dogs, and totally black: so black that our little girl ex- 

 claimed "Why, he must have been painted with shoe polish! 1 ' lie 

 seemed very quiet, even gentle, in his restricted quarters, but obstinately 

 refused all food, even sugar or apples, which the others devour with 

 avidity. When we placed the cage on the verandah his brown brothers 

 gathered around him with what we considered affectionate attention. 

 Alas! for our shortsightedness. No sooner had we opened the cage and 

 driven him out than the perfidious little wretches withdrew, and held a 

 council of war, while the poor little "fifteenth amendment" stood per- 

 fectly bewildered at his surroundings. Finally, as be gained courage 

 and ventured to move, live of the largest dogs attackad him furiously, 

 and in spite of our efforts to save him they struggled and fought him 

 successfully into the hole wuich must have proved his tomb. From that 

 day to this he has never been seen, and the brown dogs carried their 

 scars for weeks afterwards, showing the fight had been seveie. 



Are not black prairie dogs uncommon? Even iu this much-be-prairie- 

 dogged country he was considered a great curiosity, and many people 

 saw him while he was caged. We very much regret now that we liber- 

 ated him, but of coarse could not foresee the consequences. 



We were much interested in your account of our foundling pappy.* 

 He still lives and thrives, is as gentle and affectionate as if he were re- 

 ally the Newfoundland which he so strongly resembles. 



Yours truly, Julia S. Gilliss. 



[^Lately published in Forest and Stream under the 

 heading of "Reversion of the Dog to a Wild State." — Ed. 



F. & &.] 



. -♦••»■ 



TAPE WORM IN. A HARE. 



Warren, Pa., November 11th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



Yesterday, while gunning, 1 shot a brown hare. When first 

 started he seemed to run very slowly, making short jumps, 

 as though something was wrong. This aroused suspicion, 

 and it was lesolved to examine him closely. Upon dressing 

 him he appeared to be in rather poor condition for this 

 season, ana upon searching among his intestines a tape 

 worm— taenia solium — was found, which measured eighteen 

 (18) inches in length, and a trifle over one-fourth (£) of an 

 inch in width Is this a rare case? H. E. B. 



Tape worms are liable to be found in any animal, and 

 they are not even very uncommon in fishes. 



GUNNER'S NAMES. 



Framingham, Mass., Nov. 11th. 

 Editor Forest and Stbeam:— 



In looking over the ''List of Gunner's Names ," printed from my man- 

 uscript, I notice two errors, or rather one repeated, which should be cor- 

 rected. Against the two trinqas—Alpina and Bonapai tei— for "stile," 

 as you have it, read "stib." Why stib, I cau't make out; it seems en- 

 tirely arbitary. Most of the local names are derived either from (1) the 

 color, (2) the form, (3) the note, or (4) the movement of the bird in 

 question; no one of these applies here. 



Apropos of your remark on the fitness of gunners names, I would say 

 that in working out the above list, I gave particular attention to that 

 point, and satisfied myself in some cases, but failed iu others. In the 

 case of the yellow-leg, if any one familiar witb its note will whistle 

 it, prefixing a. c. (a commencing consonant beiug naturally required in 

 rendering the note into a name ready to the tongue) he will have the 

 "cucu" of the gunners. The appellation of the turnstone is also evident- 

 ly derived from its rasping note — "chicane." The loud, rather startling 

 note of the golden plover gives him his title of "squealer." I could 

 make out no reason for "skinner," (the sanderling) unless it be that the 

 birds are generally so fat that the skin slides off easily. The black- 

 breast plover gets his tittle fairly enough— "bottlehead"— (I never heard 

 the "becrlehead" of the books at Plymouth). "Plunkett" or Plunk-it 

 could be nothing else than than the bittern. The red-throated loon car- 

 ries his "pegging awl" in front of him, as for that matter do all the loons. 

 The "quaudie," (long-tailed duck) is also called the "old squaw," (never 

 "old wife" hereabout) from its coi stant chattering. The surf duck is 

 often called "skunkhead" which '.'goes without saying" if yon have an 

 old male in hand. The "driver," (redbreast snipe) "doe bird" (.Esqui- 

 maux curlew) "pine kn®t" (little auk) and "Daniel gull (black-backed) 

 puzzled me. The "brant bird" and "humility," I failed to indentify; 

 not being able to obtain specimens. Probably some of your readers can 

 do it. Yours truly, F. C. Brone. 



For Forest and stream. 

 OUR HAPPY FAMILY. 



We have many of us seen in the museums a large cage wherein cats, 

 rats, rabbits, squirrels, birds and mice live together in peace and harmo- 

 ny; and at a country fair we have seen a small cage which held a cat, 

 rabbit and pigeon. The first is sometning truly marvelous, the last is 

 simply ridiculous, for the poor cat, under the effect of an anodyne, 

 might have been surrounded with rats even, and they might have slept 

 between her feet and yet had their lives secure from danger. But this 

 has nothing to do with our happy family, you say. True enough; but 

 wait friends, until we have written our introduction, for our article may 

 need one. Well, now, to commence. Our happy family consists, or 

 consisted for a short time during the summer, of Fan, a large Englisn 

 setter, who has before appeared in Forest and Stream; Trip, a bright 

 little black and tan; Jeff, a handsome Irish setter; two pups, children of 

 the above Fan; three cats, plenty of pigeons, and quantities of peeping 

 turkeys and chickens. And we may as well include rats and mice, for 

 thou gh these do not as often appear in our sight, we have proof positive 

 that they help to make up our happy family. Do all these live peaceably 

 together? you ask. We answer in the words of the old nursery rhyme, 

 !"$is rat rag. after tU© burner; the butchjr raft after the 05." But to 



speak more plainly, they all agree to disagree. Trip, who is rather el- 

 derly, is decidedly cross and surly; he says to all children, "hands off! 11 

 and he reigns as supreme in our happy family. With Fan he shows 

 some degree of politeuess, except at meal time, and then he fills his own 

 stomach before she may take a mouthful. After he has partaken freely 

 of the repast he stands back, and the great dog, who is large enough 

 truly to swallow him, walks meekly forward and finishes the pile, for 

 there's no end to Fan's capacity in this respect. This is laughable, bnt 

 to see the same little brute with Jeff is funny- -extremely so. Jeff 

 although not fully grown, is large and quite majestic in appearance, and 

 one would think that a mite like Trip would fear him. But no, the lat- 

 ter is very jealous of him, and has always considered him an intruder 

 and treated him accordingly. When Jeff is chained Trip goes up to 

 him with bristling back and flashing eyes, and growls and scolds (dog 

 fashion) till poor Jeff whines and begs piteously. The latter is peaceably 

 inclined, and has frequently tried to obtain black and tan's friendship, 

 but has been decidedly denied. "I make no friendship with such as 

 you," says Trip, and ho coaxing or imploring will alter this decision. 

 The young pups he treats as badly. They try to gambol about him, but 

 such snaps and growls as they receive warn them to desist. All of the 

 dogs growl at the cats when they can do so unobserved, and the cats sly- 

 ly catch the pigeons when they may unseen. The young pups devour the 

 small fowls, not by one or two, but by the dozen. Trip gives the rats 

 no time for second thought when he seizes them, and of course the mice 

 suffer death when caught by the cats. Fan, who evidently wishes her 

 young children to forget the relationship subsisting between them,' growls 

 whenever they venture near her, and Jeff is furious if they even come 

 towards his kennel. 



Yet all these dumb creatures have enjoyment of their own. Trip in 

 being petted and carressed; Fan in going out with master and guns; Jeff 

 occasionally has a share in the same; the pups delight in eating and mis- 

 chief, for what does a pup like so well as eating, except doing mischief? 

 The cats lie in the warm sun and are happy, if they can do this unmo- 

 lested. The little peeping broods go round and around with their cluck- 

 ing mothers, happy in their protection and the food they provide for 

 them. And even the rats and mice find enjoyment in nibbliug away our 

 walls, and building homes where they fancy none can molest or make 

 them afraid. The pretty pigeons coo wiih their love to their mates, and 

 enjoy life in a sweet way of their own. This ends the description or our 

 happy family. A. I). W. 

 ♦•♦ — 



Arrivals at tiie Philadelphia Zoological Gardens Nov. 16th. 

 —One snowy owl, (Nycteanivea) presented by W. Carpenter, Jr., Salem, 

 N. J.; one alligator, {A. ?nississippiensis) presented by Dr. E J. El- 

 dridge, Americus, Ga. ; one white throated capuchin, (Cebus hypoleucus) 

 one black-handed spider monkey, {Ateles mdanochis) four parakeets, 

 one red-billed tree 6ack,(Dendrocygnaautumnalis(?) one vervet monkey, 

 {Cercopithecus lalandii) twelve macque monkeys, (Muoacus cynomolgu?) 

 two pig-failed monkeys, (M. neme&trinns) one Rhesus monkey, (M, Eiy- 

 Ihracus) one mandrill, {Utjnocephalus mormon) Purchased. 



Author E. Brown, General Superintendent 



f oadlmid, Mmm mxd (Bnrden. 



HOME DECORATION, OR WINDOW 

 GARDENING. 



NOTHING gives such an air of home to a room in winter^ 

 as a few plants well grown, and tastefully arranged, 

 and snowing at a glance the tender daily care of a lover of 

 nature. One unconsciously feels their heart warm from 

 the very first, to a good cultivator of flowers in a dwelling. 

 And this is the season when perhaps more care is requisite 

 to have the plants in good condition, that they may success- 

 fully pass through the dull days of winter, and grow and 

 bloom more luxuriantly as the days lengthen, and the need 

 of so much artificial heat is lessened. Many, especially, 

 many ladies think that all they have to do, to have a flowery 

 bower in winter, is, at the approach of cold weather to go 

 out to the garden, dig up, and place in pots those geran- 

 iums, fuchsias, heliotropes, or kindred plants, that they 

 have watched with so much pleasure during the summer 

 and fall months, and that have so amply repaid their care 

 that they are now large bushes with strong sappy shoots 

 and probably full of bloom. They cannot bear to prune in 

 a shoot or cut off a limb, but cram. the roots into as small a 

 pot as possible, and probably place them in a shady, but 

 windy place for a few days, or even in the house at once, 

 and wonder why they droop so soon, the leaves fall off, 

 and they eventually die. This is the experience of many, 

 and a disheartening one it is. Now, if about the middle of 

 September, those plants are selected that are desired 

 to be taken into the house for winter blooming (the smallest 

 plants being the most desirable,) the shoots cut back at 

 least half way, and as soon as the young growth starts nicely 

 the plants taken up and carefully potted in.some good com- 

 post, placed in a shady sheltered situation for a few days, to 

 enable the plants to make some new rootlets, for their sup- 

 port, and then gradually exposed, till they are enabled to 

 stand the full sunlight without flagging; there is no doubt 

 whatever that the plants treated in this way, with ordinary 

 care in winter will, on removal to the house give a pleasure 

 and satisfaction to which many who dearly love plants, 

 but who treat them wrongly, are entire strangers. These 

 remarks, however, apply only to those plants that are ex- 

 pected to do double duty, that is, to bloom in summer and 

 give a supply in winter also. There is a large number of 

 winter blooming plants that are safer to depend on, and 

 that give a larger return for the care expended on them, 

 more especially during the dull months, from December to 

 April. First of all, perhaps, come the purple and white 

 Chinese primroses, blooming from December to May. The 

 Persian Cyclamen, with its carious scented blossoms and 

 beautifully netted or marbled leaves. Hyacinths of all 

 shades of color, that by being brought to tiie light at dif- 

 ferent times, their season can be prolonged indefinitely, the 

 double and single Due van Tholl and Tournesol tulips, and 

 white,striped or purple crocuses requiring similar treatment. 

 Oxalis of different sorts, calla lilies, favorites with all. 

 Cape jessamines, Bouvardias, red and white, Begonia saun- 

 dersii, with its crimson clusters. The crab's claw cacuib 

 (Epipliyceum), of various colors, one of the easiest - plants to 

 manage. The feathery lopezia and cuphea, and even the 

 Chinese daphne and Azalia can be grown with great suc- 

 cess as window plants, and in connection with many others 

 that coul4 be^oamed give a gUow of 4qwer ? during the ej$i 



