FOREST AND STREAM 
525 
with a request for night’s lodgings. We were comfortably 
and hospitably entertained, and soothed by the breakers 
roar, and a blast from the steam whistle which shook the 
house every half minute, we managed to pass the night, 
comforted with the thought that should the wind ora storm 
arise, we might be detained here for an indefinite time. 
But tire morning dawned clear and calm, and four o’clock 
saw us out prying among the crevices of the rocks for eggs; 
and 6ucli a task. Great boulders lay tossed together in 
every shape, and under these the puffins had made their 
nests. But we were lucky to secure these four eggs. 
What contortions and strainings wo underwent for their 
sake. One of the birds we started from its nest was so 
bewildered that Mr. Cheney caught it after a short chase, 
and its skin now reposes together with its egg in my 
cabinet. 
This is, I believe, the most southern point on o\jr coast at- 
which the species js found breeding. 
LYNXES. 
THE LOtTP OERVIER, OR C'ANAD A LYNX. 
A GREaT deal of confusion lias arisen in regard to the 
characteristics of this animal, owing to the fact that 
the earlier writers confounded it with the wolverene ; and 
thirty years ago, when the former annual was very plenty 
in almost every part of Maine, and was quite destructive 
to yoimg lambs, it was scarcely ever called anything else 
than ” wolverine; “ in fact, the trapper’s name for the ani¬ 
mal to-day is ”wolvin,“ which any one can see is only an 
abbreviation of the former name. It was only a short time 
since that the writer read an account in a Maine local paper 
of a stage team being badly frightened by a wild ’’animal, 
which proved to he a wolverene," meaning of course a lynx 
as the wolverene is not found in any part of the State. 
It is the. writer’s opinion that the name “Loup cervier” 
was not given by the early French voyagers to the lynx, 
but to the wolverene, as the name loses all significance 
when applied to the lynx,and genuine hunters would never 
he guilty of the absurdity of calling an a n im al a “deer- 
woif,” which has all the characteristics of a cat, and 
preys on nothing largin' than a rabbit. It is true that 
Heame, or Richardson—I forget which—speaks of it gath¬ 
ering a kind of moss which deer are very fond of , piling it 
up at the foot of a tree, provided with a convenieilt limb 
overhead for the animal to crouch ou, and when the un¬ 
suspecting victim approachesto feast on the dainty repast 
so generously provided, dropping down on to its hack, and 
cutting its tinnat with its sharp fangs. But this is pre¬ 
cisely what is said of the wolvereue and of no other ani¬ 
mal, and the writer alluded to seems to have been misled 
by a confusion of names. 
The lynx has nearly disappeared from the lower and 
central portion of Maine, but abounds in the vast forests 
of the northern border. It cares hut little for the pres¬ 
ence of man, and the writer once saw a very large one 
shot in broad daylight within four rods of a camp door, 
where it was unconcernedly feasting on the offal of an 
ox, slaughtered there the day before. It must, however, 
have been greatly pressed by hunger, as it is essentially a 
uoctural animal. Its huge cushioned feet surrounded 
by a thick fringe of hair enable it to walk on the surface 
of any but the lightest kind of snow, and it iB an expert 
in the capture of the bare. Where these abound it has a 
•curious habit of catching them, apparently for sport, 
sometimes leaving them where killed, and again hiding 
them, as if for future consumption. It is silent, except 
during the pairing season, which occurs in March. Then 
during the night, and sometimes in thick, stormy days, it 
gives utterance to a variety of cries and calls, all more or 
less feline, and. one almost exactly resembling the “Miau” 
of a huge tom cat; They are exceedingly active, and are 
capable of making tremendous hounds, but cannot keep 
up an extended fight, and are easily treed by a dog, when 
one can be found to run the trail, which is not often. 
They leave scarcely a vestige of any trail, but are so very 
cat-like in all then* movements that their earlier designa¬ 
tion of Felts canadensis seems more appropriate, though 
perhaps less scientific than their later one of Lynx 
Qorealis. 
The animal is almost as easily trapped as a dog, and the 
best skins command about .$2.50. But a few years ago they 
were made the subject of a curious speculation. The 
skins were artificially colored by furriers, made into setB, 
and sold as “Black Lynx.” They took amazingly, and 
became at once the. fashion; the' raw skins trebled in 
price, while mink , which they superseeded, suffered a 
corresponding depression. This lasted for two seasons, 
and then there was a sudden collapse. Even the votaries 
of fashion refused any longer to purchase an article of 
which the color, fin - , and skin were equally worthless. 
As the first faded the second was coarse and came out 
easily, and the last was almost as tender as a rabbit’s. 
The other representative of the family, the bay lynx, is 
somewhat rare in, Maine, and is called by hunters “ wild 
cat” and “bob cat." I believe this to be the animal so 
frequently spoken of as being killed in different sections 
of the New England States while engaged in robbing hen 
roosts, etc., though it is often called a Canada lynx. The 
latter animal, in my opinion, is never found at’ any great 
distance from caves, and is best at home where the wilder¬ 
ness is vastest: but the bay lynx is found in the lower 
portion of the State, in small forests surrounded by fields. 
What strengthens my belief that it is often called the 
Canada lynx is the fact that this animal is shown in the 
pictorial illustrations in Webster’s Unabridged as a veri¬ 
table wild cat, with a ringed tail six inches in length at 
least, and the only difference one can detect between that 
and the bay lynx, as depicted, is simply a change in posi¬ 
tion 1 This mistake would readily be made by any one 
familiar with the western bay linx, for tills animal is so 
totally different in color and markings, and so insignifi¬ 
cant in size, as compared with its Maine namsake, that 
no person of common sense would ever dream of calling 
the two animals the same. 
Let me illustrate by a single aneodote in point: An old 
trapper cany it two of the western variety in the north¬ 
ern part of Maine, and never having seen anything like 
them, he brought them out just as they were caught_ 
that is. unskinned. None of his friends would name 
them, and he took them to a well-known fur dealer and 
sportsman. After a long examination he pronounced 
them a pair of half-grown kittens, a cross between the 
bay and Canada lynx, and had them carefully skinned 
and mounted as curiosities, And suoli they certainly 
were, being the first and last of their kind that were 
ever seen in the State. The writer saw them after being 
mounted, but never having seen the western lynx at 
that time, was as much in the dark in regard to their true 
character as all the rest; but the following season, on 
going into the Kansas and Nebraska State Building, in 
the Centennial grounds, he was confounded on seeing 
their exact counterpart, labeled the bay lynx. Since 
then he has seen scores, all alike as two peas—light gray, 
with brown spots. There is not a gray hair in the Maine 
variety, except a narrow strip underneath. It is a very 
dark redisk brown, with black spots ; and it is no exagge¬ 
ration to say that one of them could pick up and carry off 
the western lynx as easilv as a cat could carry a kitten. 
Penobscot. 
A Wrong Name.—W e regret that the authorship of 
the article referred to in the following note should have 
been incorrectly given, by us; 
Boston, 223 Beacon street, August- 3,1879 —Editor For¬ 
est and Stream I see that you' attribute the authorship 
of the paper in the Nuttall Bulletin on the “Rooky Moun¬ 
tain Golden-Eye” to J. M. Brown, By referring to the 
Bulletin you will please observe that the real author writes 
Ids own name of Thomas M. Brewer. 
Sea Lice on G-rh.se,—A correspondent of the London 
Fishing Gazette writes: 
It may interest some of your readers to know how 
grilse get rid of sea lice. While I was watching some ten 
or twelve large grilse in a deep pool in this river last sum¬ 
mer (the first pool that they remain in for any time above 
the tidal part of the river) I saw a large eel come out 
from under the stones and carefully go over the fish one 
after another and eat off the sea lice. The grilse did not 
appear to object to the process in the least. I have men¬ 
tioned this to many old fishermen, who never appear to 
have noticed this or known it. 
To Breed Quail, —From all that we can learn from 
the experience of others, the best way to breed quails, 
which may be easily domesticated, is to place the eggs of 
the birds under bantam hens. The following is evidence 
in point:— 
“Mr. Henry J. Stone, of Shrewsbury, Mass., while en¬ 
gaged in mowing grass in the early part of July, found a 
quail’s nest with sixteen eggs in it. The bird of course 
deserted the nest, and the following day Mrs. Stone took 
the eggs and placed them under a bantam which desired 
to set. Yesterday the bantam left her nest with sixteen 
little quails all lively, every egg having been hatched in 
twelve days from the time they were placed under the 
hen. The bantam is extremely proud of her brood.” 
Domestication of Quail. —I desire to come to the as¬ 
sistance of J. T. Bohon on this subject. On the division 
of my grandfather's estate in Philadelphia, sixty acres 
of mostly improved land fell to one of my uncles, an “ old 
bachelor,” a little eccentric, but withal a very excellent 
gentleman. The only building on this place at the time 
of the partition was a first rate barn, in which the owner 
fitted up a room suited to Iris wants as a dining-room. 
Here he spent the remainder of his life, surrounded by 
his horses, cows, and fowls. Dog nor cat had he; he 
prefered the society of. the birds to cats. He never used 
a gun, and the sound of burnt powder was seldom heard 
near his place : the result was that quail abounded, and 
as he made it a point to feed them regularly they became 
as tame as domestic fowls—no more shy of strangers than 
the latter. To me the sight of these beautiful birds so 
familiarly inhabiting my worthy uncle’s home was a 
gratifying sight, and confirmed my natural liking fer 
Boh white. I have not been in that part of Pennsylva.- 
nia since the death of the old gentleman, hut presume 
that with new owners came new practices, and the happy 
family became dispersed. Miles. 
The Blood Temperature of Fishes. —We have mis¬ 
laid a communication of a correspondent who makes an 
inquiry in respect to the above, but are pleased to print 
what Professor Gill has kindly furnished us ou the sub¬ 
ject at our request:— 
Washington, July 31,1879. 
Respecting the temperature of fishes I would state that It gen¬ 
erally does not range from more than two to five degrees above 
that of the surrounding- water. This generalization is applicable 
to ail of our fresh-water Ashes. There are, however, a few species 
Of the Scombrid family, especially the Tunnies and Bonitos, where 
the muscular system is quite highly developed and a temperature 
little if any less than 100 degrees is maintained. Dr. J. Davy, a 
number of years ago, ascertained for example that a bouitxi taken 
In water of the temperature of eighty and a half degrees had 
blood whose temperature was of ninety-nine degrees. 
YotU's very truly, 
_ Theo. Gill. 
A New Variety of Rooky Mountain Goat. —Our 
friend Captain Charles Bendire, of the First United States 
Cavalry, now stationed at Fort Walla Walla, Washington 
Territory, and who is known to the scientific, world as 
one of the most eminent of our North American oologists, 
has written us a letter in which he makes reference to 
the new species of goat alluded to by a former corre¬ 
spondent. He writes: 
On my last trip I passed through a section of country 
north ox the Columbia, principally new to me, which in 
the proper season no doubt abounds in game; but I did 
not look for any, and consequently saw but little. All 
the streams, however, notably the Ipokane River, abound 
in the finest trout of large size, and furnish excellent 
sport at this season of the year. 
I am lust reading the numbers of your paper which 
came to hand during my six weeks’ absence, and in the 
number of May 22, under the heading of “Range of the 
Black-tailed Deer,” signed by Geo. H. Wyman, I notice 
an item of particular interest to me. . The writer speaks 
of a small white goat. I have for years had knowle " je 
of the existenoe of such an animal; have corresponded on 
the subject with Professors Baird aud Allen, bnt have 
never been able to »ee one or obtain the Bkin of one. I 
am perfectly familiar with the ibix and the bighorn, have 
hunted both of the latter, and am satisfied at least m my 
own mind from descriptions received from different par¬ 
ties out here, that we ha ve still another species of white 
goat considerably smaller than the ibix and which has a 
much finer fleece. This goat is something like our red 
trout out here—hard to get specimens under the observa¬ 
tion of competent naturalists—but the day will come when 
some one will forward good specimens for examination. 
An Armadillo Hunt — Washington, O. C., July 3, 
Mi).—Editor Forest and Stream .-—Referring to the 
armadillo, as mentioned in your number for June 26, I 
have no recollection of ever having my attention called 
to them in Texas—my hunting in that State having been 
confined to its northern and elevated regions. But they 
abound in Tamanlipas, beyond the lower Rio Grande. 
Coming many years ago overland from Tampico to Mata- 
moras, a week’s journey, it was my habit to stroll in ad¬ 
vance of my ambulance armed with gun and revolver, 
and Impelling over an occasional jackass, rabbit, crane, 
Mexican eagle, etc. One afternoon I encountered an ar¬ 
madillo, the first I had ever seen outside of a menagerie. 
Knowing his armor to be proof against small shot, I open¬ 
ed upon him with my revolver, and after an exciting 
chase, during winch T'emptied five chambers, the unfor¬ 
tunate little pachyderm bit the dust. Just at that mo¬ 
ment up came, running at full speed, my Mexican guide 
with flashing eyes and cooked revolver. To his excited 
inquiry of que hay, Seftor ? I pointed to the wriggling 
little quadruped. The scene was too much for his native 
politeness, and bursting into a roar of laughter he said : 
“We don’t shoot those creatures, but just catch them 
with our hands : I thought you were attacked by a tiger 
or by robbers.” However, we made game of the quarry, 
and a famous roast he made in the ashes and embers of 
our camp-fire that night, with his belly filled with pota¬ 
toes. onions, and red peppers. The flavor reminded me 
of young pig; there was nothing musky about liim. But 
that was my first and last taste of armadillo. 
J. T. Pickett. 
Interesting Note on Albinism— Mttltovm, Me., June 
30, 1879 . — Editor Forest and Stream .-— I was interested 
in the letter of your correspondent “ W” about Albii ism. 
He asks if any of your readers had ever known a wild 
bird (albino) to reach the age of a year or more ? 
I knew a white barn swallow, Mirundo horreorum, to 
breed in Mr. John Cofrin’s barn in Topsfield. Me., with a 
mate of the usual type. I wanted the bird for a specimen 
for my collection, but Mr. Cofrin was not willing to have 
it shot. The next spring a white swallow with its mate 
returned to the bam and built upon the same rafter. 
The birds left in the fall, never to return in white plum¬ 
age. Tin: young of each year were of the usual color. 
In moulting might they not change sometimes to their 
normal color? I once had a black robin tardus migratorius 
in-ought me from a nest; it was black as a grackle. I 
kept it in a cage to see how it would come out in fall 
moult. The new feathers all came out black. In a few 
days it began to change to white; the tail first, then the 
wings, the other feathers fast changing to white, and as 
I had two white robins in my collection and Melanism 
was more rare than Albanism, I killed the bird and had it 
mounted ; it is now black, with white wings and tail. 
Yours, very truly. 
Geo. A. Boardman. 
Arrivals at the zoological Garden, Cincinnatia, up to 
August 1,1879.—2 Sea Lions (Zaloplni# gilkspisi) 1 Collared Peccary 
(Ditolyles lortnuitux) all purchased; 2 Macaque Monkeys (Macacos 
aynom-nlgm); lGreen Monkey (Ccrcopilheuscallttrtclius); 1 Virginia 
Deer (C. Virginians); 1 Florida Gallinule (Gallhnula- galeata); 2 
Turkey Buzzards (Coffiarte* aura) ; 4 Ring Doves (Tartar risnrius) 
2 Sparrow Hawks (Fatco opatverim); 2 Cooper's Hawks (AccipUer 
caoperll); 2Bitterns (Botauras lentiginosus) all presented; 2Fallow 
Deer (Dama vulgaris) ; 1 Virginia Deer (C. virgtniamis ); I Llama 
(Lama peruana ); 4 Pug Dogs (Cants (lomesticus) all Dorn in garden; 
1 Passenger Pigeon (ISctoptshes migratoria) ; 8 Silver Pheasants 
( Kuplocanus nycthcmerus) ; 8 Gold Pheasants ( aumalea- Thpicta) ; 4 
English Pheasants ( Phasirnus colcftlcws); 10 Virginia Quails (Ortyx- 
vtrginlanw) all hatched in garden. 
Frank j. Thompson, Supt. 
JP? Spinel 
THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 
The true type of the Newfoundland dog, as judged by 
the English standard, is undoubtedly rare in this coun¬ 
try ; and yet there may be many excellent specimens in 
the hands of non-exhibitors whose real merits have never 
been made public. We mention the English standard for 
the reason that in that country the Newfoundland is one 
of the most popular of dogs, both as guards aud compan¬ 
ions, and much attention has been paid not only to his 
breeding, but towards establishing a carefully selected 
Beale of points by which he shall he judged. Water trials 
have also been held, in which his usefulness as a member 
of the. benevolent society lias been fully developed. In¬ 
numerable are the stories told of the sagacity of the 
Newfoundland, and almost as frequent are the pictures 
depicting his exploits. Sir E. Landseer is responsible for 
conveying to the minds of most people a wrong impres¬ 
sion regarding what is the true type of this breed. In all 
of his pictures he is represented as being an immense, 
-woolly-coated, white and black dog, whereas the true 
Newfoundland dog, as understood by the term, should be 
all black, without any mixture of white whatever, and 
should have a straight eoat. We believe, however, that 
of late years at some of the prinoipal shows in England 
a class was made for the white and black dog, whioh is 
now known as the Landseer dog, and the example has 
been followed at one of the recent shows (Philadelphia) 
in this country. A few gentlemen in this country have 
given attention to breeding Newfoundlands, but, as a 
