FOREST AND STREAM 
70.5 
isforg - 
SINGULAR CASE OF A HIBERNATING PIG 
A T one of our groat copper mines lately opened at a 
place called Little Buy, a remarkable instance oc¬ 
curred of a pig passing the whole of last winter in a Btate 
of hibernat ion, without food of any kind, and at length 
coming forth alive, but in a most attenuated and woe¬ 
begone condition. I may state that the following narra¬ 
tive of the ease is perfectly reliable, as I liarl the l’aots 
from Mr. Eblerskausen, one of the proprietors of the 
mine, who was at Little Bay when the event occurred, 
and saw the pig after its incarceration. A wooden house 
for an office was built on sloping ground and supported 
on “shores,” so that there was a considerable vacant 
space underneath the floor. Just before this space was 
finally boarded in, a pig had crept in and coiled himself 
in a quantity of shavings and fallen fast asleep. The car¬ 
penter who was employed on the job did not see the ani¬ 
mal when closing the foundation. The office was not 
immediately occupied, so that the noise made by the pig 
on awaking and his struggles to get out were unheard. 
Finding himself in durance vile, the pig, like a true phi¬ 
losopher, resolved to accommodate himself to circum¬ 
stances, and wisely determined to submit to the inev¬ 
itable. He wrapped himself in the shavings, turned his 
back on an ungrateful and troublesome world, and went 
to sleep for the winter. In the northern part of the island 
the cold is very intense, and soon the temperature re¬ 
duced poor piggy to the comatose condition in which cer¬ 
tain animals pass the winter, altogether uncouscious. His 
mysterious disappearance was mourned and commented 
on, but it was supposed that, being of a truant, roving dis¬ 
position, he had lost Iris way in the woods. When he 
thus retired from active life lie was a remarkably plump 
animal and a credit to his owner, who intended, to turn 
him into bacon about Christmas; and fortunately for 
liimsplf ho carried a viaticum in his own fat which kept 
up the animal heat and sustained life daring the long 
winter. The apartment in which he lay was closed in 
on the 22d of November, 1878, and on that day piggy was 
“lost to sight." The office was occupied, but the tramp 
of feet and the “ pother o’er his head” disturbed him 
not. He slept as sound as one of the Pharaohs in his 
sarcophagus all through the following four months, ut¬ 
terly indifferent to the Afghanistan campaign or the dis¬ 
aster at Isandula. But at length the genial warmth of 
April suns began to thaw the frozen ground, and bis vital 
energies returned ; his provisions were exhausted; he 
rubbed his eyes, turned over and managed to utter some 
feeble grunts, which astonished and alarmed the occu¬ 
pants of the office in no small degree. At first they were 
inclined to attribute the mysterious noises to a supernat¬ 
ural origin, but as piggy’s sense of hunger became keener 
his grunts and kaockings for release became more imper¬ 
ative. A board or two was at length removed and poor 
piggy was drawn out, “ the ghost of his former self”—a 
perfect skeleton. His appearance was described to me 
by one who saw him as most extraordinary, pathetic and 
yet highly ludicrous. The ribs on each side seemed to 
have met; the hams had vanished and only the hip- 
joints stood up, gaunt and angular; the vertebrae could 
be counted, and the ears, which had resisted the disinte¬ 
grating process best, hung from the disproportionately 
large skull in a most ridiculous manner. The eyes looked 
out of deep bony sockets with a profoundly melancholy 
expression, as if their owner had been in the other world 
and had found there specially hard times. For a time 
no one recognized him, but at length the woman who 
owned him declared, with tears in her eyes, that she 
knew him by a peculiar turn in his tail. He had a sin¬ 
gularly graceful curl in this appendage—the only aesthetic 
point about him—and this had survived the destruction 
of all his tissues. The poor woman's joy over the recov¬ 
ery of her lost pet was quite touching. The news spread 
rapidly. The miners gathered from all quarters to view 
the wonderful pig who had lived for 142 days without food 
or drink. One of them, more book-learned than the rest, 
remarked that “ it reminded him of the seven sleepers of 
Ephesus but his observation was profanely scoffed at 
by the others, as it was felt to be unwarrantable attempt 
to disparage the performance of their own wonderful pig, 
of which they had all reason to be proud. Piggy's tor- 
nine was made. Presents flowed in upon the “ craythur.” 
Delicacies unheard of in the dietary of pigbood were lib¬ 
erally supplied to nourish liini during his invalid condi¬ 
tion. Warm compounds of oatmeal and biscuit, flavored 
with delicious scraps and tit-bits from kindly housewives, 
soon began to tell on his condition and swell out his lean 
flanks. His story went the round of the mines, and ev¬ 
erywhere awoke sympathy and enthusiasm. He is now 
as plump as ever, and the curl in his tail is even more 
strongly pronouncod than before. He is observed to shun 
oarefully the scene of his imprisonment. Whether hiber¬ 
nating in thiB way, in the case of a pig, is a new fact in 
natural history, I am unable to determine. 
M. Harvey, 
How Fish Heak. —In connection with the apparently 
inexi>licableactionof the Upper Soda Springs (Cal.) trout), 
recently narrated in our columns, and growing out of the 
investigation of that subject, Commissioner B. B. Bed¬ 
ding sends us the following communication, which con¬ 
tains, in tlie discovery of the true hearing of flshos, one 
of the most interesting scientific facts of the times. The 
loug mooted question of the hearing of fishes is now sat- 
isfactoril 3 T settled, Our correspondent writes : 
San Fhanoisco, Sept. 19 tjt, 1879. 
JSditor Forest and Stream :— 
In Forest anp Stream of Sept. 11th you publish the 
fact, reported by me, that the trout confined m a pond at 
Uppor Soda Springs, Siskiyou County, Cal,, would jump 
up into the flume which, supplied the pond with water, 
swim through the flume to a certain point, four feet be¬ 
low which, on the ground, an independent stream of 
water was passing at a right angle. When the trout 
reached tills point they would leap out of the flume into 
the rivulet, and so escape to the river from which they 
had originally been taken. 
You ask, as many others have asked, now did the fish 
know, when they reached this point in the flume, that 
an independent stream was flowing benoath them ? 
The attention of Prof. E. D. Cope, the eminent natural¬ 
ist, having been called to the above facts, he has given me 
an explanation which seems entirely satisfactory. He 
tells me that at the base of every scale of the trout, at a 
point where the scale is united with the skiu, is a nerve ; 
that all these nerves, from the base of every scale, lead to 
a large ganglion situated on the centre of the forehead of 
the fish below the eyes ; and that nerves from this gan¬ 
glion communicate to tlio internal ear. These nerves, at 
the base of each scale, are formed to receive vibrations in 
water. Any vibrat ion in water reaching the scales of the 
fish is thus communicated to the internal ear. If, as was 
the fact, one of the timbers that supported the flume rest¬ 
ed in the running water on the. ground, the vibrations of 
this running water on the ground would Ire carried by 
this timber to the flume and to the water in it, fom - feet 
above, and the ear of the fish would separate anti take 
cognizance of the difference in the vibrations, as the 
human ear in the air distinguishes the difference between 
the voices of friends. 
Prof. Cope's explanation was complete in scientific de¬ 
tail, and made clear by a drawing of the scale, ganglions 
and internal ear, and, while not attempting to quote his lan¬ 
guage, I think I have givon the substance of his elucida¬ 
tion of what To me and others has heretofore been mys¬ 
terious. K. 
Habitat op Sharptailed Grouse— Marietta. On., Sept. 
29tli.—Your correspondent in the issue of Sept. 25th, writ¬ 
ing of the slmrptailed grouse, thinks that it has never been 
found south of latitude 43. 
In 1840-45 this species was abundant in Southern Wis¬ 
consin and Northern Illinois as far south as Chicago (lat. 
42), always frequenting the timber, which gave it tire 
local name of burr-oak grouse. We used to consider its 
flesh of finer flavor than that of its congener, the prairie 
hen. S. 0. C. 
Abnormal Growth of a Parrot’s Beak.— Our con¬ 
temporary, the London Field, in a recent issue, publishes 
a wood-out Bhowing to what an extraordinary size the 
bill of a parrot may grow when it is not kept worn down 
by constant use. The Field says :— 
Tlie abnormal growth of an organ which, under natural 
conditions, should be worn away by use, is well known 
to naturalists, being in itself of very common occurrence. 
Not a season passes but we receive a number of heads of 
rats, rabbits and other rodents, with the incisor teeth 
enormously elongated from tlie want of exact opposition 
of the two jaws, arising generally from some accidental 
injury which has caused the displacement. 
In the case of wild birds living in a state of nature a 
similar mal-formation will sometimes occur. A corre¬ 
spondent has kindly forwarded two heads of the common 
green Indian parrot, the most remarkable of which we 
engrave of the natural size. The following note accom¬ 
panied the heads: 
“At Hauppev, near Meerut, Northwest Provinces, 
India, Lieut. E. D. H. Daly shot into a flock of the com¬ 
mon green parrots, when the heads of two old parrotB 
were found with the bills singularly deformed. He sent 
them to England, thinking some naturalist there might 
be interested in seeing these bills. Probably the parrots 
were shot in the month of May or April, 1879.” 
In both these skulls the under mandible appeared to be 
somewhat abnormal, wanting its sharp cutting edge, con¬ 
sequently the upper one, not being cut or worn away, 
grew until it attained the singular dimensions shown in 
the wood-cut.” 
The wood-cut shows the bill, in the specimen figured, 
to have grown downwards and backwards until it almost 
or quite reaches the bird’s throat. 
A Mistake Corrected. — W e have received, under the 
above heading, and print without comment, the follow¬ 
ing note :— 
In Forest and Stream of July 11th, 1878, Dr. James 
C. Merrill, U. S. A., records the capture by himself of a 
new accession to the avifauna of the United States, in 
the Buteo albo-caudutus. This was the first announce¬ 
ment made in print of this interesting discovery. Nev¬ 
ertheless in the August number of the American Natural¬ 
ist Dr. Coues makes this statement: 
“ According to an editorial note, Dr. Merrill's additions 
to the United States fauna are twelve in number, includ¬ 
ing two also taken by Mr. Seunett, and first published by 
us as such, namely, the Mexican Mi/iurehus and Buteo al- 
bo-candatus." 
So far as the Buteo is concerned, this claim is wholly 
unfounded. Dr. Merrill was the first to make mention of 
his own discovery. See Forest and Stream, July Utli, 
1878, page 443, column 2, line 18. More than this, in the 
number of tlie Country for July 13th, to which Dr, O. 
refers as his medium, the announcement of the discovery 
of this new species by Dr. Merrill was made by the under¬ 
signed. So that Dr. C. was not in advance of my state¬ 
ment, while Dr. M. was in advance of us both. 
It is not a very material point to claim, even if it wore 
woll founded, as it is not. T. M. Brewer. 
Whose Mist a ke V— Cleveland, O.. Sepl. 2<$tln —In your 
article in issue of 18th inst., telling of capture of yellow 
rail (P. novaboraceusis) in New Jersey, there is a mis¬ 
statement in your saying it is confined to Pastern North 
America. I now have three specimens in my collection 
(have had five), all shot by my father in this locality with 
one exception, aud that was caught by his dog, the little 
fellow refusing to fly. Besides these, I know of the 
taking of three others near here in the laBt seven years. 
They are rare here, but their taking to wing so reluc¬ 
tantly mokes them seem more so than they really are. 
My father is very confident that he saw a black rail (P. 
Janiaicensis) last spring; but a good two hours’ hunt 
where he saw him alight failed to move him. He first 
arose so near him that lio was afraid of shooting him to 
pieces, and he had a good chance to observe tho bird. 
H. E. Chubb. 
We would suggest to our correspondent that Cleveland, 
O., is not so far west as to be excluded from Eastern 
North America. The yellow rail has been before re¬ 
ported from Ohio, and even from Illinois, and yet its 
habitat is givon. by those who know must about it, 
as Eastern North America, We recommend our cor¬ 
respondent to look this matter up. Eastern North Amer¬ 
ica does not necessarily mean the Atlantic seaboard. 
Wild Rice. —Mr. Richard Valontine, a prominent citi¬ 
zen of Janesville, Wis., has confeiTed many obligations 
upon sportsmen by assisting them in procuring wild rice 
for sowing around private ponds and preserves. Of 
course he expects to he paid the incidental expenses of 
procuring the same from the Indians; ho asks nothing 
more. He has justnow ad vised ns that he has procured 100 
bushels of this season’s crop (which ho had to engage a 
year in advance), and offers it for sale. Those wishing to 
buy should apply at once, as the kernels should be sown 
before they become hard. 
In Memoriam. —Frank — than whom a more devoted and 
fdUhful friend never lived—is dead I To tho many who 
never knew him, it is of no moment whatever. To some 
wjio knew him, but to whom ho refused that attentive 
friendship which he gave to others, Iris death is but an 
idle tale, of momentary interest only. But to his master, 
friend, and to the children whom he loved as they loved 
him, it is a different matter. 
Why is it, that as the story of this dog's death when 
first repeated, brought hot tears to the eyes of his play¬ 
mates, so each rehearsal of the touching scene opens these 
salty fountains afresh ? He “ died in his harness.” His 
years were not few. Of patrician blood and a pedigree 
which crossed the water, now along time since, ho hon¬ 
ored his strain both in his life and in his death. The nat¬ 
ural characteristics of his canina nature were such as liis 
master oft noted with profit. Unusually gifted with in¬ 
telligence, modest, affectionate to a degree seldom seen, 
absolutely devoted to tho presence, whose hand and voice 
he loved, and never so happy as when that hand and voice 
commanded or oaresBecl, active, stanch, and '"always 
faithful, he was an example to many who boast a higher 
intelligence and nature. 
His edueation had been thorough, and the innocent, 
pride winch he manifested in demonstrating liow much 
aud how well he knew, was fairly pathetic. 
When he saw the gun taken down from the rack, or de¬ 
tected those first preliminary steps toward a day’s sport, 
Ills eye brightened and his pulse quickened until he fairly 
renewed his youth, and became as active as tlie youngest. 
We shall not soon forget that joyful voice which assured 
us again and again that the day’s work and interest was 
to be in common. 
Mindful of his age, wo had not allowed him to fret dur¬ 
ing these hot days, while looking up our friend Philopela 
minor, but had taken his fellow-worker, Cush, leaving 
him at home, to welcome us upon our return. His re¬ 
proachful look, however, decided us a few days since, to 
take our faithful friend along for a day's work and fun, es¬ 
pecially for him. And so we. started one fine September 
morning, with the old fellow never so cheerful, bright, 
and active. Once in the field, how well the ground is 
covered ! As we leave the open cornfield and approach 
the cover, knowledge that comes of instinct, education, 
and experience, shows itself in every movement, and tho 
delight of the hour is evident. Ah ! Poor Frank I Enjoy 
each minute to the full I Thine horn's are numbered ! In 
the full pursuit of what was given to be thy work, shalt 
thou shortly cross to the “ happy hunting grounds " be¬ 
yond ! 
And so the morning passes, working slowly as may be, 
in his favor, until speaking to him, commanding him to 
“seek dead,” we suddenly notice a hesitancy new to him, 
and as we look in growing doubt if he hears us at all, he 
turns to the brook, laps a few drops of water, turns his 
head toward his master, who loved him, and whom lie 
loved, lifts one foot, as though to cross the boundary, aud 
falls, never lo • ■ seek dead ” again — never to answer to auy 
call more! 
Ilis work is done. To him who never knew a dog's 
faithful affection, this story is empty. To the “ hand of 
brothers,” who each know and watch the friendship of 
some such humble friend, this story of an empty kennel 
will have its interest and moral. — [Communicated. 
ANOTHER DOG STORY. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
Having read “ A Good Dog Story ” in a recent issue, 
and thin kin g the author will expect some one to try to 
“ beat it if he can,” I furnish tlie following 
We were all seated around the old fashioned wood 
stove that graces the bar room of the Porter’s Lake 
House, enjoying our pipes, relating our experiences of the 
day, and discussing the relative merits of our dogs. All 
of us were in the finest humor, for we had good shooting 
that day, having bagged, I think, thirty-eight birds (ruffed 
grouse). 
Sir Wes. Drake, aswealwaj'sealledhiiu, was very tired, 
having tramped over more ground, and shot two more 
birds than the best one in our party, and sat only as a 
listener. After all had told their stories, Sir Wes. said lie 
wanted to tell of his pointer, Fanny. “You know, sir, 
that Fanny was the best pointer I ever owned. I could 
trust her anywhere, and with anything. Why, sir, she 
used to stain I on her game, and then emop softly up, put 
her foot on it, and return to the house. No money could 
purchase Fanny, but I was obliged to part with her alter 
all. One day she crossed the stream on the ice, to hunt 
in a meadow opposite, and returned as far as the middle 
of the stream, when the ice gave way and Fanny was 
drowned. Poor dog I I mourned for her a long time, sir, 
I did, aud would have no other dog ; in fact I needed no 
othei - .” 
Here Sir Wes. stopped to light his pipe, and one of the 
party knowing he was a lover of a good dog, asked him 
how this was. •• Well, sir, I Will tell you. I wauteS 
something to remind me of Fanny, aud as I found hertlie 
next day, I took her hide, had it nicely tanned and made 
