FOREST AND STREAM. 
927 
employee that I know, and they are very many, have 
ever seen any such an animal; no Indian that I have 
oome across has ever seen or knows about the third sort; 
and surely some of these men who have travelled nearly 
every foot of territory and lived at various localities from 
Mexico to the Arctic Circle, would at least have seen one; 
and if such an animal does really exist, how highly im¬ 
probable it is that at least one specimen would not be 
forthcoming ; and in the absence of any proof whatever, 
it is strange that anyone believes in the’ existence of bucIi 
an animal. 
Both sexes of the white goat have beards, but this ap¬ 
pendage is much more prominent in the male than the 
female, being very much larger and longer. Like all 
other mountain animals it is more easily aproached from 
above than below. It is not easily frightened by a noise, 
being much accustomed to falling rocks, avalanches, etc! 
And the report of a gun does not disturb it to any extent. 
You may empty a Winchester rifle magazine at them 
without startling them, provided they do not see you or 
get your wind ; but should they smell you it is all up. 
Away they go like a streak of lightniiig. There sense 
of smell is exceedingly acute, and they ‘-snuff danger 
from afar” in the highest degree. A knowledge of these 
facts is requisite for the successful hunting of all rumi¬ 
nants, but no more important with others than in hunt¬ 
ing this species. 
A two or three hours’ climb from the beach will, in 
many places, bring you into the goat country. A little 
care and skill will usually insure success in their cap¬ 
ture, but the sportsman who would engage in this kind of 
sport must be steady of head and sure of foot, for the 
prey he seeks is completely at homo where one would 
imagine a cat or any animal short of one possessing wings 
would be unable to travel. 
Among the Indians of early times, to be a successful 
goat hunter was to he a man of note in the tribe, a hus¬ 
band to be sought after by the dusky damsels looking 
for a helpmeet, as he was able to procure at the same 
time food and clothing—two very desirable things in do¬ 
mestic economy. And after his death this qualification 
insured him a sarcophagus, which was placed on posts in 
“ the village of the dead,” and emblazoned with repre¬ 
sentations in relief of the animal in question, as a me¬ 
mento of his prowess in this particular line during liis 
lifetime. 
These animals are often captured young, but I aui not 
aware of any having reached any museum or zoological 
collection. One passed through this place a few months 
ago, on its way, I was informed at the time, to Wood¬ 
ward's Garden, in San. Francisco ; but whether it reached 
there or not I have never learned. Another one, kept by 
a friend of mine for a year or so, became very tame and 
much attaohed to his master, whom he followed about 
the village of Hope (about eighty miles from this place) 
like a dog, and appeared to thrive as much in captivity 
as in his native state. He finally became a victim of a 
“ fool with a gun ”—the general fate of pets of many 
kinds—being mistaken and Bliot for a wild goat, though 
wearing a hell on its neck to protect it from being mo¬ 
lested. Another friend of mine had two kids for a period 
of two or three months. They died from some disease of 
the kidneys, probably induced by improper food or treat¬ 
ment. They were very tame and playful, and an idea 
of their activity and sure .less of foot may be had from 
the mention of this act: Although quite young, they 
would spring from the floor of the stable in which they 
were kept, alight upon the chine of a flour barrel, head 
out, poise themselves there, spring thence, and alight on 
the edge of the manger, jump back to the barrel again, 
and appear to be as much at home as on the floor. 
lam sorry that I have not taken the measurements of 
some of these goats when I have had an opportunity, but 
will dosothenext chance Ihave, and will send them to 
you, if it would be of any interest to you. Why I have 
not done so is probably owing to the tact that ordinarily, 
when an animal or bird is easy to be obtained, little or 
nointerest isaroused, while if extremely rare, the reverse 
is the case. 
I hope that some of your Eastern readers may yet add 
to their list of sporting honors the killing of a good speci¬ 
men of this goat; audit is by no means unlikely they will 
be able to do so, more especially when, by means of the 
Canadian Pacific Railway they are brought into closer 
relation to the hunting grounds on the Pacific slope. 
Perhaps the editor might yet honor us by extending some 
of his vacation rambles thus far westward. 
Mowitoh. 
New Westminster, British Columbia, JSfov. 7th. 
THE MIGRATORY QUAIL. 
Boston, Dec. 15, 1879. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
Noticing your remarks in reference to the importation 
of migratory quail, and my connection therewith (paper 
of Dec. 11th! 1879), I take oocasion to say that I had sup¬ 
posed my experience as an importer was to close with the 
shipments of last spring. I have, however, received so 
many inquiries during the last month or two, that it 
is pretty evident that there are a large number of people 
who would like to import quail, but do not know when 
to send their order, how to remit their funds, how to get 
their birds through the Custom House, bow to get them 
forwarded from the steamer to their respective destina¬ 
tions, and who, in the lack of this information, are likely 
not to import. Advices from Mr. Braun, appended 
hereto, indicate a possibility that the exportation of birds 
from the kingdom of Italy will be forbidden after this 
season. In order, therefore, to assist in getting as large 
an importation as possible this year, I offer my services 
free of charge to any gentlemen who have not facilities 
or time for managing their own importations. I am ex¬ 
pecting to receive, in the course of two weeks, from Mr. 
Braun, a full statement of his prices and terms for the 
coming season, which will be at once forwarded to you 
for publication. His prices last year were graded, ac¬ 
cording to quantity. All the orders which were put into 
my hands were consolidated into one order, which was 
large enough to secure the greatest wholesale discount, 
and each purchaser consequently had the benefit thereof. 
I presume a similar gradation of prices will be made this 
year, and if so, the orders going through my bands will 
be massed into one order to obtain the discount. 
All the responsibility that I assume in the matter ia as 
follows ; I will receive any money that may be sent me, 
and will buy foreign exchange with it, which 1 will remit 
to Mr. Carl F. Braun, Messina, Sicily, with full instruc¬ 
tions in reference to the shipping marks upon the cages 
ordered. Upon the arrival of the birds in New York I 
will see that they are passed t hrough the Custom House, 
duty free (unless there is a change in the tariff laws in 
regard to them, which is not likoly), and will also see 
that they are delivered to the express companies to be 
forwarded to their respective destinations. 
By way of contributing my mite towards furnishing 
your correspondent, W. R., with the information asked 
for by him in your issue of Dec. 11th, I give the follow¬ 
ing extract from an article written by myself for publi¬ 
cation elsewhere, but which seems to hit his case ; “A 
batch of 200 migratory quail released by me iu the town 
of Wareham, Mass., last summer, mated, nested, reared 
their young, were seen occasionally through the summer, 
and have now left, presumably for the South. Evidently 
they take kindly to our climate, and evidently also their 
instincts will preserve them from the heavy snows and 
severe cold of- our winter, which prove so fatal to our 
nativequail. This part of the problem having been solved, 
I am now awaiting with interest the solution of the re¬ 
maining branch, namely, will they return next spring to 
the spots at which they were released ? 
There would appear to be odds of ten thousand to one 
that the birds, flying down the length of our continent, 
spending the entire winter in the South, and spreading 
over thousands of miles perhaps in their ramblings there, 
would not return to this same State ; and still more, to a 
particular county in this State, to a particular town in 
that county, and finally to a particular wood-lot, brook 
and meadow in that town. Yet the evidence is fast ac¬ 
cumulating to prove that they will do so. Here is the 
latest instance: 
In the town of North Falmouth, on Cape Cod in this 
State, is a long, wooded peninsula known as Nye’s Point, 
and owned by Mr. Downer. In the summer of 1878 Mr, 
Downer released upon this point a batch of migratory 
quail. In time they bred, raised their young and disap¬ 
peared. In the late fall of last year not one was to be 
found upon the point. In the eariy part of November of 
this year two large [locks of migratory quail were found 
upon that same wooded point from which they had 
taken their flight the preceding year. How many more 
could have been found by searching is unknown, as if 
was not desirable to disturb or harass the birds. Pre¬ 
sumably the two covies accidently walked up were but a 
small portion of the birds that had returned to take pos¬ 
session of their old quarters. Such instances are very en¬ 
couraging for those Northern and Western sportsmen 
who are interested in the introduction into this country 
of a rapidly breeding, thoroughly gamebird, adapted to 
furnishing abundant sport, and able to protect itself by 
its migrations from the deadly winters of the North and 
West. 
I enclose copies of my latest advices from Mr. Braun, 
and will promptly send you his list of prices, which 
should soon be here'. Horace P. Tobey. 
Messina, Sept. 10 th. 
Mr. Horace P. Tobey, Boston 
Dear Sir —Your valued favor of the 23d ult. came duly 
to hand, also three numbers of Forest and Stream. 
I am glad to see by the papers forwarded to me that 
the importers of the quail seem to be perfectly satisfied 
with the result of this year’s importation, which certainly 
could not be expected to come out any better. 
The fact that fany of the quail previously imported 
have returned from the South, shows that the stocking of 
the birds in the States can be considered a success. Of 
course, with the comparatively small quantities imported 
up to the present, it would be difficult to find out whether 
the birds return to the exact spot at which they are re¬ 
leased. In my experience with quail in Germany I have 
found that in most instances the quad, return to the same 
spot where they have nested before, provided that no 
particular change has taken place in such localities, 
which might disturb their family life. 
Have you much rain and heavy storms in the months 
of June, July and August? This influences largely the 
increase of the birds. The releasing of the birds ought 
to be done in places which are fit for their nesting, and as 
the quail usually nests where it can find plenty of food 
near, your importers ought to put the birds at liberty only 
in such localities, if they want to have them return to the 
same spot where they were originally released ; or else 
the birds will look for a more convenient place in the 
vicinity. 
No doubt, if your sportsmen continue importing the 
quail on a larger scale for the next year to come, they 
will soon see the benefit of it, and can before long avail 
themselves of the pleasure of shooting the birds, provided 
they meet with a good reception for the first years in the 
Southern States. 
The birds which have up to this time been 
imported into your country are, with their descendants, 
scattered all over the States, and can, of course, hardly 
be noticed in such a large space. The quail increase, how¬ 
ever, very rapidly, and if your sportsmen continue im¬ 
porting they will soon see our quail plentiful in the 
States. 
Nothing new as yet, as regards giving out licenses for 
the next season, for catching the quail in this island. 
Hope, however, that the matter will be decided favora¬ 
bly before long. Carl F. Braun. 
Messina, October 29 th. 
Mr. Horace P. Tobey, Boston :— 
Dear Sir—I wrote you last on the 10th ult., and have 
since none of your valued favors to reply to. 
The object of these few lines is to inform you, that a 
law has been given out by which the pay for the licenses 
for the quail catching lias been raised' to £60 sterling, 
and, according to which, every catcher has got to have a 
different license for each property he wants to catch in. 
This circumstance will no doubt influence the prices of 
the birds considerably the next season. The sportsmen 
here have protested against the patching of the quail, 
aud it is said that the law will be passed by whicb the 
catching will be prohibited entirely in tiie whole king¬ 
doms of Italy, If so, the importation would be at an 
end; but I think that if such a law is to be passed, it 
won't come into force until after next spring, so that the 
next year's Importation would he the last, for which I 
should be very sorry. I think it would be well if you 
would make this known to your sportsmen and quail im¬ 
porters, saying, that perhaps next spring there will be 
the last opportunity to import the quail 
Carl F. Braun. 
Lakeville, Conn., Dec. 15th. 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
In answer to “ W. R.,” Quebec, in your last issue, I am 
happy to say that the migratory quail imported by our 
club a year ago last spring returned and hatched in this 
vicinity in considerable numbers this season. They stayed 
with us later this season than last as indeed our woodcock 
or native song bird, did. I saw a covey myself the last 
week of September consisting of about ten or a dozen 
well grown birds ; and I heard of a covey of about twenty 
late in October working on buckwheat stubble. Last 
season I tln’nk they all left some time before October 1st. 
I feel satisfied that they will prove a valuable addition to 
oui- list of game birds, especially in the North, where 
Bob White is winter killed to as great an extent as with 
us ; and also I am satisfied that they will be an earlybird 
to shoot and will be in season by'September 1st if not 
soonerlin this locality. They must grow with marvellous 
rapidity, as I have not. heard of their arriving here before 
May 1st. and all that I have seen in August so far seemed 
to be full grown. We have not killed any here yet, pre¬ 
ferring to have them get well settled first! Ruffed grouse 
suffered severely here from wood-tick the past season 
and woodcock were scarce. W. H. Williams. ’ 
Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Dec. 18th. 
Editor Forest and Stream 
It gives me great pleasure to state that a migratory 
quail was observed a few miles north of this place’on sev¬ 
eral days of last September by Mr. Geo. P. Reynolds and 
others. He unhesitatingly pronounced it a quail, hut 
said it was the most curious quail he ever saw. Ho did 
not know such a bird bad been introduced into this coun¬ 
try. On being asked to give a description of it he did so • 
liis description of its size, color, flight, etc., beinv almost 
precisely like that of Mr. H. P. Tobey in your’issue of 
Dec. 11th. It could not possiblv have been’our common 
quail, as they do not ocour in this section, It was un¬ 
doubtedly a bona-fide migratory quail. J. w, S. 
A Mule-Footed Deer. —Our reader will remember that 
some time since Dr. Elliott Coues, in the Bulletin of the 
U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territo¬ 
ries, called attention to the breed of single-toed hogs 
which appears to be well established in Texas, and lately 
a somewhat si mila r case has been noticed by Prof. Cope 
in a deer. The specimen in question came from Mendo¬ 
cino County, California, but as nothing but the feet were 
preserved it is uncertain to what species of tire genu 3 
Cariaeus it belongs. The most interesting point about 
these feet is the fact that according to Prof. Cope, in the 
fore-feet only one toe is fully developed, all the others 
being rudimentary. In the hind-feet, however, the two 
toes were continued to the hoof, but were united through¬ 
out. 
We should be glad to know whether the toe developed 
in the fore-foot is the third, as we should expect, or the 
fourth. 
A West Virginian Squirrel Story,— A correspondent 
J. W. C.. jr.. of Oneida, N. Y., sends us an extract from 
the Wheeling Intelligencer of Nov. 6th, which contains 
a curious story. Our correspondent, though having no 
personal knowledge of the occurrence, states that he has 
heard several responsible men say that they saw several 
squirrels after they were killed, and he is therefore will¬ 
ing to vouch for the truth of the story. The tale runs 
thus :— 
One day last week while Jessie Huff was out hunting 
near Dallas, he saw a squirrel, as he thought, in a tree 
He took aim and fired : but still the squirrel remained 
stationary. He repeated the firing three times in succes¬ 
sion, thinking that his gun had gone back on him 
until the last of the three shots fired, when to 
his surprise down tumbled four squirrels, all joined 
together. After the three were shot they pulled 
the other one off. not being able to hold them up. They 
were joined together by a narrow strip, so that one could 
not move without the other, and had been born that way 
and were all grown. It is the talk of the whole neigh¬ 
borhood. 
Zoological Notes.— In the Forest and Stream of Nov. 
20th Major Merrill speaks of the abundance of the Caro¬ 
lina rail (Pozana Carolina) in Wisconsin. I Imve never 
met with it in that State or in Minnesota, but I have seen 
and killed a great many in the vicinity of Fayette, Iowa 
at different times. I am inclined to think it nests in that 
locality, although I have never seen it before the middle 
of August; but dining the fall grouse-shooting, rail are 
quite plenty. 
Many a time I have enjoyed a hearty laugh at a cer¬ 
tain tyro, who in his excitement and anxiety to bag a 
grouse has fired at an ortolan, mistaking it for the noble 
Cupidonia cupido. 
Nov. 6th, my friend, G. F. Benson. Esq.. Lake City 
Minn., shot a fine white swan, probably Cygrms ameri- 
eanus, m Lake Pepin—rare in this locality. He is having 
it mounted. 
Last summer I was so fortunate as to secure a Melano¬ 
tic pocket gopher—I forget the technical name—in Min¬ 
nesota. Although I have skinned a large nuniberof these 
gophers, this is the first black specimen I ever saw, or 
beard of, lor that matter. Albinos are frequently met 
with, at least I have known of two being caught within 
a year. I consider my specimen a rara avis, so to speak. 
The trout-fishing in Wisconsin was not as good this 
year as last, wh en we all had such a merry and successful 
