FOREST AND STREAM. 



389 



few feet above tne traveler's head and remain in camp 

 until after it is deserted. We have seen one of these 

 Gray jays alight at the feet of a man who was dressing a 

 deer and pick up the scraps which fell from his knife .—Ed]. 



— _ -+•*- 



THE BIRDS OF WYOMING. 



BY COL. A. S. BRACKETT, TJ. S. A. 



The following is a partial list of birds found in South- 

 eastern Wyoming, which has been carefully prepared by 

 Col. A. GK Brackett, U. S.Army. The list is not eom- 

 plete, but is made up of birds which have been taken at dif- 

 ferent times by the Colonel and his friends. In that por- 

 tion of the Rocky Mountain region where he is stationed 

 many birds come in the spring and summer to rear their 

 young ones, while in winter the alpine species descend 

 to the lowlands to escape the severe cold and to procure 

 food. The dates given are those on which the birds 

 were taken or seen:— 



February 20th, 1875— Horned sky ljiixk.,Eremophila alpestris. Remains 

 all winter near Fort Sanders, where it ia called the snowbird. Hun- 

 dreds of them are often seen toge ther. 



March IGth— Gray-crowned Finch, Leucosticte tephrocotis, from Fort 

 Fred Steele, Wyoming. A rare and beautiiul snow bird. 



March 16th- Gray-crowned Finch, Leucosticte tephrocotis, var. Litto- 

 ralis. Fort Fred Steele. See Bulletin No. 2, second series of Geological 

 and Geographical Survey of the Territories. 



March (JOth— Oregon Snow bird, Junco oregonus, at Fort Sanders. 



April 3d— Pintail or Sprigtail Duck, Daflla acuta. 



April 3d--Wild Goose, Branla canadensis. 



April 9ih— Green-winged Teal, Querguedula coi % olinemis . 



April 12-Sparrow Hawk, falco sparverlus. 



April 12th— Scaup Duck, Fuligula mar Ha. 



April !2th— Black or dusky Duck, Anas cbscurus . 



April 13th-Red-headed Duck, or Pochard, Fuligula ferina. 



April 15th— Killdeer Plover, JEgialitis vociferus. 



April 15th— California Squirrel Hawk, Archibuteoferrvgineus. Very 

 common near Fort Sanders, where it finds an abundance of prairie go- 

 phers and prairie dogs. 



April 15th— Widgeon, or Bald pate Duck, Mareca americana. 



April 16th-GrasB Finch, or Bay-winged Bunting, Pooccetes gramineus. 



April 17th— Goosander, Shelldrake, Fish Duck, Mergus americanus. 



April 17th~Golden-eyed Duck, or Whistle Wing, Bucephela albeola. 

 Found on Laramie river. 



April 18th— Wilson's Snipe, American Snipe, Oallinago Wilsonll. 



April 15th— Mallard Duck, Anas b&schas. 



April 21ec — Buddy Duck, Erismaturarubida. 



April 20th— Telltale, or Stone Snipe, Totanus mdanoleuca. 



April 31st— Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tryngites rufescens. 



April Hist— Mountain plover, Aegialitis montanvs. 



April 21st— American Avocet, Becurvirostra americana. This graceful 

 bird was killed by First Lieutenant W. P. (Lark, on Hutton's Lake, 

 about eight miles from Fort Sanders. They breed in the mountains 

 near by, where there are some handsome lakes. 



April 23d— Bittern, or Stake Driver, Botauras minor. 



April 25th -Red-winged Blackbirds, Agelo&us phoeniaeus. There seems 

 lo be no end to the number of blackbirds found in the uplands dur- 

 ing the summer months, embracing all the different varieties. 



April 23th— Meadow Lark, Sturnella magna. 



April 25th— Solitary Sandpiper, or Tattler, Totanus solitarlus. 



April 25th— Swainson's Hawk, Buteo Swatmonii. 



April 25th— Yellow Shanks. Totanus Jlavipts . 



April 25th— Blae-winged Teal, Quergueduca discors. 



April 25th— Red-breasted or Cinnamon Teal, Querguedula cyanoptera. 



May 5th— Long-billed Curlew, Numenius longaostris. 



May 6th— Least Sandpiper, Trir.ga mmutilla. Several of these hand- 

 some little creatures were found near a pond east of Fort Sanders. 

 Tneir sprightly ways and neat appearance make them remarkably inter- 

 esting. 



May 12th— Brewer's Blackbird, Blue-headed Grackle Scolecophagus 

 cyanocephalus. 



May 13th— Burrowing Owl, Sp\eotyto cunicularia. 



May 13th— Butcher bird, or White-rumped Snrike, CoUurioludovicia- 

 nus, Var. excutytoroides. 



May 13th— Clitf Swallows, Petrochelidon lunifrons. 



May 13th— Blue Heron, Ardea herodias. 



May 13th— Calif orman Vulture— Cathartes calif ornianus . 

 [To be continued.^ 



[The above list is an extremely interesting one, but there 

 are some points about it which need more extended notice 

 than is given them here. Alias obscura, for example, has 

 never, we think, been noticed as far we?t as the Rocky 

 Mountains before, and w e would ask our correspondent 

 "Whether the bird was identified by himself, or only report- 

 ed by sportsmen. Unless the former were the case we 

 should be inclined to doubt its occurrence near Banders. 

 An unskilled observer might easily mistake some other 

 species for this one. The Poocaetes mentioned is no doubt 

 var. confinis, one of the commonest birds of the plains and 

 foothills. The occurrence of the rare. Tryngiies rufuscens 

 is to be noted. Cathartes ealif ornianus is another species 

 about which we wish to inquire. It has never yet been 

 found east of Arizona, and its occurrence near Fort Sand- 

 ers, where, of course, G. aura is very abundant, would, if 

 authentic, be a most important fact. The consideration of 

 one or two other minor points we must postpone for the 

 present. We shall publish the conclusion of this list next 

 week.— Ed] 



— <♦♦-» 



AN ANTLERED DOE. 



Editor Forest and stream:— 



t have recently had the pleasure of examining a full- 

 grown antlered doe that has on the left side of the head a 

 well developed horn five inches in length and nearly one 

 inch in diameter at the base. The born is covered with a 

 Jhin skin and tine short hair, apparently the same condi- 

 tion that buck's horns are usually in until matured. 



the position of the horn on the right side is prominently 

 developed, but no extended growth has taken place. The 

 ueau and jaws are materially elongated, and skull quite 

 ™ 0w between the eyes and highly developed above the 



rs. ^ The jaws are fully two inches longer than is usual 



sh\ ami ?\ aJS ° f ber size ' wbicn > together with the peculiarly 

 aped head and single horn, ffives her a remarkable aD 

 Pearance. 



l&r ■ ? n discovered she was accompanied by two verv 

 spiu e * ns > Probably her own, as the udder shows pre- 

 kiSS t? milk and re cent sucking. This aniaial was 

 ftiri m ecember 3d b y a party ot gentlemen from this 

 w h Mem. S. B. and J. Aniory and N. Boardman while 



on their annual deer hunt in the [northern portion of this 

 State near the Menominee river.^These gentlemen may 

 well be congratulated on having secured and brought to 

 notice such a rare animal, as it establishes not only the 

 fact that horns are not always mature even in December, 

 and that fawns suckle at that late date, but also that does 

 have horns, notwithstanding the experience of all hunters 

 here to the contrary. Even those who have grown gray 

 in the service and claim a record among the hundreds have 

 no story to match it, and silently admit in this case that 

 even in a "deer story" truth may be stronger that fiction. 



Triangle. 



Fonddu Lac, Wis. 



[In December, 1874, a supposed case of a horned doe 

 was noticed in this journal, but we believe it was never 

 confirmed. We have a very strong impression that there 

 has recently been noticed an authentic instance of this 

 anomaly, but we cannot at the moment tell where it ap- 

 peared. Our correspondent has our thanks for this inter- 

 esting information.— Ed.] 



*^» 



Antelope or Prairie Dog.— It was on the U. P. R. K 

 The old lady was going to visit her daughter in California, 

 and for the first time in her life was on the "boundless 

 perarie." But her thirst for information was as unlimited 

 as the plaiiis over which she was being whirled. Presently 

 the train stopped at a small station, and the old lady 

 anxious to see everything, puts her head out of the window 

 and looks around. A "yaller" cur trots by. Eagerly the 

 old lady looks at him, and seeing the conductor on the 

 rlatform screams out to him, "Say! Conductor! Mr. 

 Conductor! is that a prairie dog or an anlelopel " She had 

 not reader. Coues' works. 



foadfattd, <$mm mid %mdm. 



SPRING FLOWERS, 



WE can never have too many of these "gems of earth'' 

 that "come before the swallow dares, and takes 

 the winds of March with beauty." They should have a 

 place in every garden however small; they should fringe 

 the lawn and shrubbery borders, and if they peep up here 

 and there on the fresh grassy turf itself, in sheltered nooks 

 and sunny corners, or on outlying portions of the pleasure 

 grounds, so much the better. By the irregular margins of 

 woodland walks v or drives and in other wild situations they 

 are peculiarly attractive, and a single afternoon in fall 

 spent in dropping a few seeds or planting a few common 

 bulbs in such positions as those indicated will be the means 

 of producing charming glimpses of bright color where 

 otherwise there would be none. Violets, Blue Bells and 

 Wood Anemones may perhans be naturally plentiful in 

 such places, but this should by no means prevent us from 

 gilding the margins with Crocuses or golden Daffodils. 

 The Dog's-tooth Violet is also very effective. Many of the 

 dwarf and even the taller Irises, Aconites, dwarf Phloxes, 

 Hepaticas, hardy Cyclamens, Sedums, the lovely little 

 Houstonia or Bluets, and its congener the beautiful Clayto- 

 nia or Spring Beauty, Solomon's Seal, Smilacina and Lily 

 of the Valley, are but a tithe of those flowers which, plant- 

 ed in out-of-the-way corners and nooks, where they are 

 dropped upon unexpectedly, will give an added charm to 



many a spring ramble. 



-»♦♦. 



Cool Orchids. — I am about making a collection of 

 orcnids to grow in a cool house; will you kindly name 

 about a dozen of the best sorts for this purpose. They 

 will have a temperature of not less than 50°. J. P. 



[You cannot do better than obtain the following cool- 

 growing orchids as a commencement: Odonto glossum, 

 Alexandrae, 0. Nebulosum, 0. Pescatorei, Masdevalliaveitchii, 

 M. Lindenii, Sophronitis grandiflora, Oacidium Macranthnm 

 and 0. cucullaium, Di&a grandflora, Laelia anceps and Au- 

 tumnalis, Lycasie skinnerii and Gypripedium insigne. Thene 

 will ail do well in a moist atmosphere that is uot allowed 

 to fall below 50° in severe weather. During hot weather 

 let the thermometer range from 60° to 80°, and give plenty 

 of air night and day. They should never be allowed to 

 get quite dry at the root, and plenty of water should be 

 thrown on the floor during clear frosty weather to keep 



the atmosphere of the house moist and congenial. — Ed.] 

 . ■«»»»■ ■■ 



Orchids. — The following is from a valued correspond- 

 ent : 



Of all our native orchids perhaps tbe most lovely is the 

 Gypripedium Spectabile. Though scarcely found in the 

 neighborhood of New York it is tolerably plentiful north 

 of Albany, and quite common in the Western States. 

 Many of your readers may not be aware that it can be 

 forced into bloom quite readily by potting it early in the 

 fall in peat and then treating it something similar to the 

 Hyacinth. It can be had in this way to bloom from March 

 to May, and makes a splendid addition to our plants for 

 spring decoration. The forced plant should be allowed to 

 ripen off gradually through the summer, and when well 

 established can be brought - into bloom at any time desired. 

 «*H» • 



Banking up Cellar Walls. — We marvel that anyone 

 should ever be willing to place a bank of manure against the 

 exterior cellar walls of a dwelling, the odor as well as the 

 appearance of which is not exceedingly attractive . Another 

 common mode is to throw up an embankment of fresh 

 earth, which is not much more ornamental. It may be too 

 late at the present time to apply the protection which we 

 have used with satisfaction, to buildings where a pro- 

 tection of this sort is needed. First, rake up the fallen 

 leaves from under the trees of the door yard or orchard, 

 and bank them compactly against the wall so as to form a 

 slope about two feet thick at bottom and less above— vary- 

 ing according to the amount »f protection required. Then 

 take the trimmings from the evergreen screen, or from 

 other evergreen treea which seed shortening into shape, 



and place these neatly in an inverted position sloping 

 against the leaves, cutting them just long enough for this 

 purpose. They hold the leaves, add to the protection, and 

 become a positive ornament instead of a disfigurement. 

 They form a beautiful evergreen underpinning. — Country 

 Gentleman. 



• ■ - • «♦»»» 



Iowa State Horticultural Society. — Oskaloosa, Jan. 

 19, 1877.— The eleventh annual meeting of the Iowa State 

 Horticultural Society was held at Oskaloosa, Jan. 16th-19h. 

 The meeting was a decided success. The reports of the 

 Secretary and Treasurer showed that the Society was in a 

 prosperous condition, and the display of fruits and plants 

 greatly exceeded that of any former meeting. Probably 

 the most important exhibit was the truly magnificent col- 

 lection of apples. Any person who saw the display of 

 Iowa fruits at the Centennial can form an idea of the ex- 

 tent and variety of this collection. Mahaska County bears 

 off the palm in regard to apples, the exhibit consisting of 

 about 600 plates. One gentleman in this county, Hon. 

 John N. Dixon, has the largest apple orchard in the State, 

 numbering over 11,000 trees. Until recently it was the 

 prevalent opinion that apples could not be successfully 

 raised in Iowa. This is humorously illustrated by a pic- 

 ture shown at the Hall, representing a Hoosier about to re- 

 turn to Posey County. The two wheeled wagon, filled 

 with "chips of the old block," is drawn by an ox and a 

 mule, and underneath is inscribed this legend : " Gwine 

 back to Injeanuy ; these young-uns must have apples and 

 you can't raise them in Iowa." During the meeting, nu- 

 merous very interesting and valuable papers were read by 

 eminent horticulturaiists, and by Professors of the State 

 Agricultural College. 



The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: 

 President, H. W. Lathiop, Iowa City; Vice President, John 

 N. Dixon, Oskaloosa ; Secretary, J. L. Bu*ld, Shellsburg ; 

 Treasurer, Henry Strohm, Iowa City. W. L. E. 



Imantophyllum miniatum. — This is a remarkably fine and 

 free growing plant that makes a good specimen, when well- 

 grown, for room or other indoor decoration. It requires 

 little attention for several months in the depth of winter, 

 and if it be grown freely and is carefully tended in sum- 

 mer, it will stand under a stage without injury, and require 

 but little water. In the spriug, if put in a temperature of 

 about 5£o at night, it will flower in about three weeks, and 

 if removed to a cool house will last in bioom for along time. 

 A plant now in bloom in tbe camellia house with six large 

 flower stems bids fair to last two mouths in bloom. 



FMbush. W. B. 



Spanish Melon Grounds. — The Melon grounds of Ali- 

 cante, in the province of Murcia (says a correspondent of the 

 Times), are somewhat disappointing. Never would you be- 

 lieve that from those dusty, little-watered plots would come 

 all the wealth of succulent Melons that lie in heaps at every 

 street corner. The Melon grounds look line au English 

 ploughed or fallow field, with a thin carpeting of Vegeta- 

 ble Marrow plants. Yet here and there you see the great, 

 juicy, round fruit, half covered with dust, lying on the 

 cracking earth. All those that were ripe were gathered 

 over night. The Melons are planted in May, in less than 

 a month they begin to bear fruit, and keep on bearing till 

 the commencement of October; they require less water 

 than any of the other plants. The Melon takes, from the 

 time that the white or yellow flower falls off, to the time 

 of plucking, about forty days to arrive at maturity. These 

 Melons are of two kind's— first, the Melon proper, with its 

 yellow, luscious, honeyed fruit, so well known in England; 

 secondly, the Sandia, or Water Melon, grown on the 

 coarsest and most sterile soil, and which is the cheapest 

 fruit in Spain, and the salvation of the thirsty masses. 

 The Sandia weighs from 8 to 25 lbs., and is sold at a 

 farthing or less per pound. Its huge bulk, its hard coarse- 

 looking dark green rind, the rude way in which it is kicked 

 about, would never lead you to believe that it is so justly 

 prized as it is. Every traveler in Spain has been offered a 

 slice of its flesh, that looks like a crimson rock, yet melts 

 in your mouth before you can taste its flavor. On every 

 long, hot, dusty journey, the second-class traveler buys a 

 huge Sandia and offers a slice to his fellow passengers; 

 every table de'hote groans beneath these crimson crags; a 

 lump of this cools the fevered blood; 2 lbs, may be eaten 

 without fear of harm. The growth of the various kinds 

 of Melons is so much in advance of the immediate con- 

 sumption, although poor and rich alike live almost upon 

 them during two months of the year, that the gardener cuts 

 thousands just before they arrive at maturity and hangs 

 them up for the winter. Half or three-quarters of an acre, 

 as nearly as I could calculate, would produce no less in a 

 favorable season than 400 arrobas of Melons. Each arroha 

 weighs exactly. 25 lbs. avoirdupois. Now, at a rough cal- 

 culation, these 400 arrobas, weighing 10,000 lbs., maybe 

 estimated at the value of three farthings per pound, giving 

 30,000 farthings, which, roughly speaking, is equivalent 

 to about £32. This calculation will give some, although 

 but a slight, idea of the importance of the Melon trade. 

 And, in forming his idea of the wealth of Spanish irregated 

 ground let my reader remember that four crops annually 

 are raised upon the same plot; and that growing amid 

 Melon or Apricot grounds stand the Peach, the Fig, the 

 Pomegranate, or the Almond tree. 



. . -*>**» 



Catalogues Keceived.— From James Fleming, 67 Nassau street,, 

 New York, Fifteenth Annual Catalogue of vegetable and flower seeds, 

 wita practical directions for sowing, etc. Brimful of a life's experience. 



From Young & Elliott, 12 Courtlandt street, New York, wholesale list 

 of vegetable and flower seeds, ornamental grasses, palm seeds, etc. 

 Very full aud complete. 



From John S. Bush, Tremont Botanic Garden, New York, Plant 

 Catalogue of many good standard plants, as well as many novelties. 

 Mr. Bush is determined to be second to none in the business one of 

 these days. His list shows great research and care. 



Rat Fishing. — A few days ago a sergent de ville followed 

 some boys he saw entering one of the sewers in the Rive 

 Gauche, and found them, with their hooks baited with friz- 

 zled bacon, seated fishing for rats in the stream. When 

 taken before the Oommissaire they deposed that the glovers 

 gave them from 20 to 30 centimes apiece for their catch, 

 to make ladies kid gloves of. When asked his occupation, 

 one of these pescatori said he was un flot, which, being in- 

 terpreted, signifieth that he ran to and fro under the blue 

 canvass at one of the theatres to imitate the waves of the 

 sea. This fisher in troubled, and by no means savory wa- 

 ters, however, was by Monsieur le Commissaire committed 

 as a vagabond to the House of Detention. -r-i^a^ an$ 



