Sept. 31, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



143 



bonome entirely oMteraled. Nothing indicates its former 

 existence excepting Perce Rock and tin- low island of Bona- 

 venture, which is a mil, i.r so in l.-nrrlh, ;iud composed of 

 the same material we find on t In- in:itiil:irid. The former is 

 nth named from it- tunnelled base, which is marked by n 

 perforation large enough to allow a large boat to pass 



ihroueh. Pi 

 tower of i 

 Th. tope 

 and its a 



llc|llir-il- c 



WjliCl) lm 



ad 5 



almi 



hi fp. 



I -.,-. 



l tin'- In 



iumI by tin exaretnentitiouB 

 tigs, gulls and cormorants, 

 ;: i probably ever since the 

 irrace epoch as their roost, The pelting 

 by the moltipg of 1 1n- spring snow-, tend] 

 vi tlr- ■ \( -ivments of the hii <1- BS Lasi 

 iv deposited, and such accumulations- of 



They co 



ni' 1 









Hi" 





-iv 



spring, 



is', (lav after day, 



cliicily t 



ir si 











in 



..Il 



.dinning 



.t casual ilciscn of 

 ars north and south 





















Of Perce 



Ko« 



k. i 



II .1 



lis 



1:111 



r 



Of over fifty 



miles, where thev 



may be < 



sen 



con 



1IIJ 



al 



il p 



oniLC t 



i iiin-l fr< 



each moriiiii"' and 



night, 



Sine 



in 



Mill 





an 



cu 



mb 



up their 



ilmosl perpendicu- 

 pra ni'— of their 





















mi savor 



■ il 



ah, 



th 



\ 



Hi 





e ; 



lul illcl 



indcrfully, 



though i 



nl\ 



uii 



n:i 





.il ■ 



ni 



In 



■ bu-v 



ishing settlements 



named a 



iter 



tlci 





rk 













There 



i- ti 



m\ 



kn 





.il 



;,- 



iiil> 



one mot 



e breeding ground 



of the c 



iniii 



ran 



an 



It'- 



th 





mi-, 



s ill' ihe 



(3ril£ of St. :.,■> 



rence, a 



mil! 



tw 



•I1M 



ll 



Lies 



\\ 



C-ll 



vard ol 



Vata-iiquan, where 



a small i 



OlOl 



V 11 



pro 



111 



■ pi 



re 





. 



is to have formed 



:in indei 



elllll 



111 



-it - j i ■ 





i nt 





Tin 



problei 



iiislo whether all 



birds. w}fl increase if unmolested in their breeding grounds 



can be studied here as by experiment in a contracted ana. 

 since the average mass of the cormorants on Perce rock, 

 though not exactly countable, yet allow of ;> rough estimate 

 As their average pumber doesnot appear to suffer any ap- 

 preciable variation, it would he ins! ni, -live in I, am 'whal 

 beeoine- oi all of rhc young birds whi< li ■•:. raised here in 



i:'n of the'gri 

 ,vlietlierit is 



g number: 

 ill lock 

 inly the o 



appi 



and st I-.: 

 I an. 



t the basis of the Ditr 

 igest only survive. 

 ■■- p i" Miampio, 



return, < 



imged, 

 ■ their 



is perhaps 

 y. thai tin 



Fittest 



I ill". 



lie cormorant, some of 



luces of catching trout 



and 1 pitch while passing by in the steamy a ■• -v 



balls from my rifle among -he thickly-massed iloek which 



Ltidude their chosen ami protected 



them, which waves to and fm about the rock as 



Willi aid of the field glass wValso noiieed tluit there seems 

 to he a friemily feeling between ihe separate tlocks of gulls 

 and cormorants, though each tribe occupies its own special 

 territory, in illustration of flwaxiom, "birds of a feather flock 

 together." 



As. the -mi sinks slowly behind the lofty peaksof the 

 Qa-spfi Mountains, after having given usagratj's entertain- 



lueili nt the silnsel. almost as brillianl a- Hell SO glowillgh 



described in Byron's "Corsali'," we round the bold promon- 

 tory ut Ship's 'Head, and steam into the placid, winding bay 

 of Gaspo, This rasin, as it iscalled, is tin- very picture of 

 a typical Norwegian dorti on this side of the great deep, and 

 unquestionably tbc most romantic, no less than the most 

 secure harbor along the whole coast line from Quebec to the 

 Straits of Belle Lsle. A glance at the ehait explains on 

 sight much more than could and ought to be said in favor of 

 ■ i-ii. like :. bidden gein oi' the deep, is still secure 

 from tin- prying gaze of the inquisitive crowd of fashion 

 able pleasure seekers, who have noi vet invaded its quiet 

 seclusion. Its isolation is due Id its great distance from the 

 of population and the lack of well- 



hack woods (prairie rather; of Arkansa-. without any 



library, not even a dictionary, ' "Byrne," after carefully look- 

 ing over the ground and the material and data on band, feels 

 that .Mr. Robertson has cut bim off a "little bigger chunk 

 than he can chaw" conveniently. Until' I had a complete 

 icluhyoli.-ical library, and had the collection, of fishes in 

 fchi National Maiseum at Washington (when completed) at 

 hand, together with my vast i xperteace In field and Mood to 

 draw fro iii. I would tackle these questions Of Mr. Robert- 

 son^ with an energy and industry such as knows no failure. 

 4s it is, I will have in do the la-si i can. or. resign (and re- 

 sign 1 never will so long as this occupation has no salary at- 

 tached). 

 Where did Prni G, Brpwne Goode gel the name Ambfo 

 ■• Did he coin this name just to create arisen 

 I cannol keep those specialists in ichthyology 

 -irai-hl if they go to work and coin a new technical name 



every time they gel puz/bd. If Prof, flood, • had identified 

 Mr. Robertson's specimens ns Oorviau oOnila, De Kay; or 

 Haphidonetuii gntniwtui, Raf„ SBtheothcr specialists have 

 done and keep oil doing; on told us tlurt the pasper-gou is 

 the white buffalo with a mouth formed like a sucker, and 

 that the buffalo is •BubaUcfitiiys inihnins, Agas-iz --an excel 



lent food fish, "as llail.-.ck li." -. -livrne" would have had 

 plain sailing: but for him lo give il a nameihai 1 havcnevei 

 heard of before is simply outrageous, and relegates tin- 

 whole question hack to Major Lewis, of whom Thad the 

 mo.-i of my information. 



Kisi.erin'en who have been very familial- with the fishes 

 of the upper Mississippi waters, on coming here and seeing 

 tin- \\ hit,- RiVQT gasper-goU, name it at BJgbJ cither sheeps 

 head, grimier, drum or white perch, for by these names 

 they are vcrv familiar with Ihe fish known scientific, llv as 

 Oonmn -,„/„. li,. k.i. etc. i and they call dot gasper-'gou 

 by Ihe same names. Bui if the two fishes were placed aide 

 by side, of the siinie si/e. thev would ic-cnilile .-om.whal 

 but would show distinctly different. The Western sheeps- 

 iie.cl i- more rounded ibmritudiiiallv on the hack, more 

 himip-sliouldci'ed or heiivy in front, n'ld dwindles inorc 



abruptly toward the tail, seldom tat, flesh while, belly 

 white. The gasper-gou is yellowish on the belly, flesh yel- 

 lowish, but the most marked difference in the twofishes 

 is in the thoracic plates or grinders, for both t! use fishes 

 have, as the hoy-- Say, "their teeth in their throat." or three 

 plates, two above, small, and one below, large, thickly 

 arhied with peculiar and beautiful gremlin!; teeth iu then- 

 throats hack of the mouth pan- proper and in the mouth or 

 the millet. These in lln- shecpshead of the upper rivers are 

 imlCU larger than those in a gaspor-gou of the same size. So 

 far as [ have observed the sheeps!,.,,,! 1',-cds ^ncrally on 



(i.-ii doesn't need - strong an apparatus for grinding cray- 

 fish as ii docs for shellfish, hence, as I think the difference. 

 The only fish I lind anywhere mentioned— though mv 

 researches have not been extensive — that <i-rtu± very nearh 

 like our ■raspcrgou is this. 1 copy from the "Sportsman's 

 Gazetteer," JJallock. page 888. ' 



•'Sci.knid.i-:.— MnMit':j<iti«!i, sheepshead : Corvina ritiiwrtir 

 Simla. Cuv. and Val. 



'This specie- is coiuiiioti in Lake Iluroii. where il is 



Inifidji ■prised "«./ 

 principally feeds 



with (lark trans\ 

 Yellowish. 77» ,- 



ii»7t 



ep-leail an 

 is that the 





raMish'oiilv. 

 our gasper- 



n]i!eted. will destroy 

 ii il from the tr.inee'ii 

 clninge will before li 



iiniration". which, 

 primitive charm and i 

 il seems to have fallen 

 over the spirit of its 

 nnisi accrue io it by reason of its geographical position 



Should turn nut to be' idle fancies and sj,."ul:. 



strange indeed that the highly-favored natural situation of 



riably, as if by instmct, upon the uearesl and safest landing 

 points fpr freight and passengers- on all highways of trans- 

 atlantic iiilercommiinicalion. |,. 



liiUmd f}i$iorg. 



THE CASPER-GOU. 



IMAVK received thefollowi: 

 fish Oommissioner of !'• x 

 '•3fy dmr «»«— As I have i„, 

 of win letters tq Foukst a.\i 

 Byjfne.] 1 t |ke the liberty of wn 

 particularly in vour letters ci 

 'White RJver,' [I was, too, espc 

 pari of ilciii. — Byrne |. 

 ■ 



have ill this Maf. ami 1 am a! 

 fish, its time of spawning, etc., 

 ii-h artificially or not. 



'In May last 1 sent some specimens to Prpf. llaii-,1 for 

 identification. Mr. (I. Brown Goode, of the National 



iiiiiiiiicatii.in from the 



li interested in some 

 \m [Why not all?— 

 .■■ii. I was interested 

 lg ihe -. Monsters of 

 i the congestive eiiil] 

 n' with us is, withthe 

 boil! i he besi li-h we 

 oknow more of this 

 r 1 can propagate the 



MllS! 



for I. j 



class 

 (hefial 



. thi 



speeo 



hga.sper gou, \vln 



Kit ca. bill 



rust 38, a-k- n,,'. 

 t used aiiywlierc 



"Is it possible a mistake Ua« boi U made in the identitica- 

 lion i,\ Mr. Gi 



"Certainly hen [And. here Also. B | Hie fi-h is a eoo.l one. 

 and win n bom two pouiids down to (he smaller sizes, aaj 



live to -ix iiiei.es long, a fil'st-ChlSS [,an fish. When niinii 

 laie-er than two aiel a !e,l! |i, four poiUlds, lie li>h is good 



baked or boiled, -.- you probably have seen. 1 would like to 



Ileal from you on the ■guspi-r-gnii 



"B, K. Uoia-ici's,,-,-, Austin, Tex." 



As an amateur. naturalist and ichthyolpgist, only in the 



igain I in not be bashful, gentlemen, if you make mistakes; 

 [ will correct you as kindly as 1 can. and if Mr. (I. Brown 

 toode wants further specimens of these two Ashes, some 

 me will i>leasc furnish them, for I cannot, as 1 am forty 

 niles from an express office or any ollur modern incou- 

 'euiences. 

 Is Ihe gaaper-gon an edible .fish? Yns, emphatically yes. 



ml il has a peculiar Ifnor. like the ovslcr. COdfish, lobster 

 :tc. not always nlished at the stall, but. like them use 

 nakeson, very fond of it. 

 Is the up-river slicepshead (Corvina omuIo, be Kay) an 



diblc Ash? Well, yes, bar. ly. Ten years a-o on ili'e llli- 

 lpis River they were seined and thrown away by the thou 



yi'WiJ one ol these sadly imposed upon fellow creatures 

 immediately after he had dined on a "grunter," 1 oannal 

 give I i opinion as io its edibility. Of it- wlioli-nmi n, — i 

 am certain, for there have been no «■( idomicS in that lllinoi.- 

 country back from ihe river, and the people continue io 

 raise corn cnoue.li to make "French brandy" for the rest of 

 the world. "God blesS 'enj," for they have distinctly an- 

 -weiiil Mr. F. Mather's question, namelv, "Gan-youcat this 



takesof his cookery, he shall receive as rewards full peck 



of '-lucky cye-loiies'- |' l( ,m old (Irunnien's hi a. I. In lslid tbc 

 ftrsl extensive German emigration quartered here, and as 

 cheap food was a necessity to them, they resorted daily to 

 the fishing grounds: to their surprise a fne large fish (they 

 called them --wra-s." 1 think) was offered to them irratis i'f 

 they would take them away. I heard a fisherman remark 



one day: "Those ere sheeps will try those Dutchmen's giz- 



/aid's. '• and 80 it proved; in a short time the Dutchmen pre 

 lei-red "store fish." At one time .neat numbers of "sheeps- 

 hc.ids" foUfid their way to Cincinnati and other Southern 

 mark, Is. They were in -real demand for a while for the 

 reason thev had foreign airs upon them, somelhim; c, w. If 

 I mistake no1 a city council now and then in the Dili,. \'al 

 ley passed an ordinance prohibiting thesaleof Lake Erie 



si psheads. A few year- later than this a -rind hotel was 



opened lure by two of Baltimore's most popular landlords. 

 Among other enterlainincnis given was a fish bn-ak 

 lust to a lew chosen ",,l,| In-ads:" d, addition lo 

 the products of salt water, fresh water was also 

 to be represented; one of the "old heads' proposed the 



l.'k, Erie sheepshead as a piece de reHiatoncc M th,- fea-i to 

 which lb,- two joilv salt-water landlord.- readily consented 

 as they knew all about thai ti-h. Thev had Ihe same down 

 n Hi" lower bay, near the I'o-to-nilick. The landlords and 

 hii-l cook did wonders in their wBy to make perfect ibal 

 breakfast, end so did lL>),h,i.b„,„t,^ ',/,■„„„!,„*. n„ w 



..Ug he looked broii-ht on the bible garnished with line 

 dressing, herbs and leruon-pcel. Due stroke of the fork and 

 knife; then a suspense. The word went forth, "Waiter, 

 loll the cook to give this fish a little longer turn; it's not 

 done quite enough." Soon the dish reappeared, but on 

 te-iii-,L; twa- loioj-hcr than before. "Try it again, and tell 

 tin- cook lo 'tend to bis business or else I'll return him to 

 Baltimore." The cook in spite of his skill gave up the job, 

 came lo the table and in sell-defence declared. "Thai prapa 

 Dial .re lish might be one of them are sheepshcads. but he 

 never came 1'ioin (he ole Che-peek. Them. sir. gotetripeson 

 thur sides and teeth like sheeps' in the end a booth jaws. | 

 thinks, misters, this var lish is a confound moiurrei." Tin- 

 old darkey cook was exactly right. Now let the "Ichthyo 

 plianus" try,- l)c. K STEXLtNfr. 



FLIGHT OF BIRDS. 



rpHERE appeared fn the scientific journals lately notices 



I describing ihe results secured hv photojrrapiiing birds in 



then-flight by newly-invented instruments as the "Photo 



graph Gun" and others. The figures of birds printed seem 



-oinewliai confusing, but are nevertheless ver'v suggestive 



and 1 beg losenda few notes on them, byway of interpre- 

 tation of the actions represented. Certain tgnnshave been 

 customarily used for the motion of the wimrs. a- depn ssion 

 and elevation, the former indicating the wings pointed 

 downwards, and the latter pointing upwards, as il lln- Wings 

 had been struck up and down through the air hv the effoyuj 

 of the bird, while the body remained stationary all Ihe time, 



Now. the same appearances may verv well be shown lo be 

 due to converse actions in the bird, viz., thai lln- wings 

 really remained stationary, while the body of the bird wa.- 

 elevated msb-ad'each lime. 



.similar mechanical action occurs in quadrupeds » hen the 

 feet are planted firmly on the ground, and the muscular 

 effort of the animal projects its body fw-ward, using that 

 base lor a fulcrum. 



I; needs only hinting to mention that thcl'mdvof a bird 

 would be easier moved through the air than lb, wings per 

 pendicular to their surface jilames. both on account of ils 

 rotund form and superior density. 



Tin process of normal flight ii.-nce may be- considered to 

 he due to iwo influences— tke muscular eil'ori of elevation, 

 and the muscular relaxalii.n of snding dfjwtl an inclined 

 piano, which view may tend lo simplify tin- explanation 

 ventured on. 



When the bird flashes down Ihe wing at A (Fig. 1). the 

 hody i- thereby raised to ■> higher level al H than tin- end of 



I i 



asked Mr. Rob 

 Western man 

 name), and we 

 em or any of he 



..-take; this question was rather pointedly 

 •i-tsou. Well. I will answer for Mr. R. A 

 can cat anything (if ii is called by it nice 

 ill know that a Texan can eat several W,--i 



I should - 

 inber here 

 vou-. Bin 



shows in 

 lie mouths 

 but il true 



natural history, 1 want vou io go to work and re 

 Whole thing and publish a new sol oftexl book- will 

 tin change of (. -clinical names— the longer and hi 

 pronounce the better— for some of Ihe old names an 

 ing entirely too familiar. If you should need anv ii, 

 or scienlilic lads, why write to nic and twill lurni- 

 but be sure and enclose stamps, the more the h "**' i 

 -t. imp.-, lor 1. have been obliged to bold mv M 



weeks because our postmaster run mil of slaimi 



I'lii.cKi:'! -i.-'s Blofp; Arfc., Sept. 13. 



.ail In 

 -. I'.v 



Tin. liv-i'Kii-Goi is not Kdihi. K. —Cleveland. ().. Sepl. 

 11 — The "gaajjer-gdu (Haploidanotity gvimrdem) i- edible," 

 co mes the news from Aiisiin, T.-xa- So ii ie Bard of tlils 

 flsh whenever found in the waters of the Mi-i-ipsi \ „!l,^ 

 bill here in the Great Lakes he is tough an, I la-i 



better and longer he i- treated by fire the tougher and 



rougher and more tastel,---. he becomes. 'I'm- artist cook of 



the lehthv.iphagu.s club, ihcy say, make- palatable many 



si range and untried things; lei him try his a,-, ,„, y\ as ,, 0l . 



gou of our lake, and if he succeeds so Ibal a < al. even pal ■ 



-lope, 

 when 



Fin. I.— I'lKlnlatniy ('curse of Fliffht. 

 revio'.i.- -inpe in th.- air. and al Hie next step the wiiiL's 

 icld out horizontally while descent is begun down a 

 inclined plane. B C, where they have become relaxed 



arriving her,.' another flash of the wings i- made down 

 . and the bird rises. to D, al the summit of the next 

 wii.-ii auain ihe win"- are extended horizontally, 

 iclaxalion begins, and terminates ttj Ihe bottom of the 

 o at B where they are let go, and elevated previous tn 

 text muscular effort. 



fie.. 1. All, i-,. ale. V, 



This method oi act 



there might beconth 



short rises and shorl ■ 



Dr. again, if the in 



then an appearan 



pro -ed. when then 



If the W 



< in Flight. 

 n may be repealed rapidly, so Ibal 

 al dapping of ihe wings iiiilic.it i ml: 

 Hies in progression. 



lines are lemrlhened out undul\ over 

 • of a bird sailing luraugh ilieairi.- 

 sailaponlv rarely given by 6h,e wings. 

 ... a bird seem to be elevated we u,.-n sup:,,,-,, 

 that ii is al the bottom of the incline, or-witli win B depressed 



we may suppose il lo be al the top of ihe rise. 



'I he horizontal flight of birds with wings observed to 

 be Happing would probably, therefore, consist ot a swlep-ia' 

 undulations, or-rfees. and falls, like ihe iracimis ,,f „ spin.". 

 mograph, representing circulation or resph-ation. 



The up and down flappings of the win-- would correspond 



with the down and up cUBVeS of the iinc of flight, an. I these 



again with descent andascem of Hi.- body of the bird lo 

 which it would really laliy. and noi with the motion of tbe 

 wings (Fig. 3).— Avis, in hmdo-nd IVWw. 



R^tsasd.Spabspws.— Baltimore, M,i.. Sepl 14.— Mior 



l-:,,:..t ,<...i <i .-,.(,,, .- i wasa witnesstoan incidontafewdaya 



ago which greal ly surprised me. A lot of sparrow- we're 

 .•.•ding in the stable yard, when several large nils ran from 

 Ihcsbiblc. and chased the birds, which did not flyhigh lion, 

 the ground The nils then changed their mode ol opernllons, 

 and sneaked upon ihcm. This iln-.y did for over an hour. Iiul 

 did not succeed iu calchingany of thespanows.— ,1. I, lln- ,. 



