FOREST AND STREAM. 



283 



ward (old us that we must hasten, or dark night would 

 ovi uske us before, we could reach the camp our Indians 

 Buid c would find near the upper end of the lake. 



33, Gt, A. 

 Rivek, Ontario, CWt B 



BITS OF FLORIDA EXPERIENCE. 



THIRD PAPEE. 



1 \EER hunting is growing poorer each year in Florida, 

 \-f a>) must naturally eusue where there is no game law. 

 There Ir .- never been a. Kami- l:iw there with the exception 

 of One j ear, and then the natives made such complaint thai 

 ii prevented them from providing themselves with fresh 

 meat, that the Solon, at, Tallahassee made haste to repeal it, 

 jo ii was 84id 1 don't think the observation of the iaw has 

 harmed the feelings of auv native or caused any scarcity Ql 

 \ eniMin in the cabin. 1 suppose it is true that the cow boys 



sail ;s>rk and Bsh, but that 



■ i ig1i1 ii was they itriffhl hnve excepted two or »hree epnn- 



bli .iii'.vn iu the fag end of the Siale, where nothing grows 

 ipting wild cattle, game and i ow boys. 



Deer and turkeys are shot iu almost any month of the 

 year, ihe former certainly are every month, and the laftei 

 "would be if they could be found d iring nesting season, but 

 then they retire into impassable swamps. Dogs will find 

 deer at any time. Turkeys are of not so much importance 

 to i ae native, I know of one hunter in Orange county who 

 ii woods four-fifths of the time. He hunts with dogs 

 and kills more deer than any Other man in the county. He 

 is not such a wonderful shot, and wounds more than he 

 kills, but beintr out all the time, and knowing' ail about the 

 deer, he kills exeat numbers. He spoils the hunting for any 

 one else. Such as he are ruining the sport in Florida, I 

 saw him coming in from a two days' trip last winter with 

 four deer. He said he got seventeen shots. He and all na- 

 mes believe implicitly in the moon business:, that det r and 

 fish feed four limes in twenty-four hours, viz., "moon up, 

 tnoou down, and south moon above and h»!ow," as they ex- 

 press it. Deer in that State are considerably smaller than at 

 the. North, as are quad and gray squirrels. "The rutting sea- 

 sun begins in November. I have found bucks so tired aftei 

 Their all night's run that they had dropped down iu the open 

 pine woods withiu five minutes' walk of my house. 



In September Ihe. black-jack acorns are ripe and begin to 

 bill from the trees. Then the deer leave the hamnks at niphi 

 and resort to the pine woods, in which, singly or in greater 

 , Mack-jacks are found, and wander all night in 

 search Eor aoorns. returning at daybreak to the deeper soli- 

 lud-sof thehaiuaks. A.t such limes, in the dark of the 

 moon, I had sport fire huntiue,-, Some years elapsed after 1 

 went to that Slate before 1 learned to enjoy it. I knew of 

 neighbors going out with tire-pan and "light-wood" knots 

 ami" i ramping half the night through; but I could see no 

 tin it. 1 didn't fan y carrying a gun, lire-pan, hatchet, 



sport 



and light'd knots, wandering around iu the darkness ami 

 stumbling over logs and running the risk of stirring up some 

 rattler. Bui, in some way, my attention was called to the 

 Bondren lamp. as.d I procured one. The only way I could 

 use it was ou my shoulder. I put three pieces of wood to- 

 gether iu form of a windlass handle, the longest arm down 

 my left breast and passing through a loop in a leather belt, 

 the next longest arm resting onmy shoulder, and i short up- 

 right supporting, in a socket, the lamp; a small strap passing 

 over the long .arm, right, shoulder, and under left arm, kept 

 the apparatus in position. By turning the face of the lamp 

 to the left of front a certain distance, it shone just where I 

 aimed when my gun came up. I well remember the first 

 night 1 used the lamo. 1 had never shot a deer by firelight, 

 though 1 had been out with those who had, and had been 

 told how it was done. I took the lamp, adjusted it on my 

 shoulder, and jokingly told my wife 1 was going for venison. 

 1 was nearer right than I dreamed, for in three-quarters of 

 an hour I had a fine doe on the kitchen porch. I found her 

 feeding, and walking up until I '"parted" her eyes, I drove 

 eight buckshot out of the load of twelve through her chest 

 at about forty yards. She was dead when 1 reached her. I 

 shot a Parker, 12-32-8J, the finest shooter of all sizes of shot 

 I ever handled, and which would put eight out ol twelve 

 buckshot into a two-foot square at fifty yards every load 

 with either barrel. If American guns were only as" thor- 

 oughly tested at the factory as English, what a tine thing it 

 would be; but until they are, American makers cannot hope 

 to cunpete with reliable English in dealing with sportsmen 

 who value their lives. All guns should have such stamps as 

 would be a guaranty of safety to the purchaser. 



After 1 had indulged some time in fire hunting, I grew to 

 be very loud of it. There was something fascinating in 

 roaming the silent woods with only trees and stars for com- 

 pany. 1 enjoyed the pleasant voices of Ihe night, excepting 

 when on divers times a pair of huge owls opened their un 

 earthly racket above my head very unexpectedly. It was 

 not tiie common "Hoo, hoo.-hoo, hoo-hoo-a-h," but a series 

 of demoniac and blood-curdling laughs and cal calls which 

 caused chills to chase up and down my bask, and my hail- 

 to rise for a brief season. 



One night, wiien the wind was right, I had perched my- 

 self in a' leaning black oak nestfa bay from which deer 



; ::. |j emerged, coming from the Hat woods beyond out on 

 to "the pine hills. The moon was ueaily full. A light 

 jjreczecfnne from the hat woods. The sky wast perfectly 

 elear, an 1 ihe night was just comfortable. I had sat there 



alehiue for deer, straining rnv ears for the slightest sound, 

 for two hours. I heard foxes bark, the odoriferous per- 

 fume of a skunk permeated the chambers of my nostrils, the 

 ubiqailous mosquito heeded not the oil and carbolic acid 

 witJi which 1 had anointed me the frogs croaked in the bay, 

 and a 'possum wandered past in search for supper. 



As the dew fell and the shadows from the pines length- 

 ened, an owl, with stealthy flight, eaine and perched ou a 

 i inf a lore and in front, of rue. Another took position on a 

 tiee to niv left. I could see the one in front turning his 

 lioad and endeavoring to make out What there was in the 

 Dak lhat never had been there before. He stepped along on 

 the limb, reached down as far as he could cocked his head 

 this way and that, but he couldn't make it out. Then he 

 asked his partner what his opinion was, and he got it 

 straight. She abused me in the most shameless manner. 

 She scolded and cat-called, and hooted and gave vent to her 

 feelings most abominably. Then she flow over to her old 

 man and they gave me a duett iu same key, fortissimo, and 

 when thev had exhausted their repertoire, which took some 

 time, and scared all the deer out of the neighborhood, they 



flew off some distance and da-capoed. I descended and re 

 paired to my welcome couch sans deer. 



There we're a ba. old bucks in the neighborhood that had 

 been lire-hunted until they knew all about it. You might 

 catch the gleam of their eyes once and then they bade you 

 gootl night with a succession of snorts that were ludicrous 

 and tantalizing. Occasionally they would stop after a few 

 bounds iino give you I heir eyes, but if you followed they 

 stopped no more.' 



i went out one night, taking my woolen and rubber bhr k- 

 ets, for the doer varied their hours for leaving the hanmk, 

 and I thought 1 would camp with them one night, taking a 

 round at intervals. I deposited my blankets at the foot of 

 a leaning oak, whose branches protected from the dew, and 

 hunted untill half past eleven o'clock. Not a shine. 1 laid 

 down, put out my lamp, covered myself and was soon 

 asleep, During ray sleep f turned over, and was awakened 

 by a loud snort"; 1 was wide awake enough instantly, but 

 the blanket was over my head, the lamp out and Ihe night 

 pitch dark, I knew ['could not gel, a. sltol at the old buck, 

 so 1 laid quietly. Soon I moved a lilt e; snort, snort, snort 

 again, with a bound or two. 1 could see the old fellow as 

 plainly as though it had been daylight, standing there gaz- 

 ing with mingled fear, couslcrna lion and curiosity at that 

 ottndle on the ground. 1 threw oil' the blanket suddenly, 

 md sat lip, If ever a deer was astonished, 1 suspect it was 

 that one. and the w.a j lielj.ee, his trumpet, and left there 

 was funny enough. 



Suppose we take a tire hunt some night and learn some- 

 thing of it by experience. We Will wait until the moon 

 rises; about eleven o'clock, as that gives the deer time to 

 feed along through the flat woods and get out on the pine 

 nills by nine. At eight we get out the gnu. lamp and cart- 

 ridges and get ready. I discarded the Boudrcn lamp and got 

 a Fergusoib which is much fighter, weighing but a pound, 

 and burning a mixture ol kcioseuc and laid oil, which is far 

 better thair«|fc , e kerosene, which is liable to go out if one 

 stumbles. ^^ 



We don ourittg, put shells iu our vest pockets, where we 

 can Is in. lie them quickly, -ee that our knife is sharp, thai 

 our match box is well tilled, and leaving the house, pass 

 through the orange grove, and thence into the woods. It is a 

 calm, starlit night ; there is just a breath of air from the east, 

 so we make quite a detour to get to the proper place to hunt 

 up wind. 



As we go we must choose some object to aim at until weget 

 the lamp in position to shine just where we want it when tire 

 am comes up. We keep our course by the north star or 

 Pleiades, and passim through a piece of open piue woods 

 reach a bay w, ich we skirl, until a road is cro-.sed, when we 

 turn square east and pay strict attention to business. Deer 

 feed here and it is about lime tney were somewhere around. 

 As we walk slowly aleug avoiding mukiug a noise and ke p- 

 ing the light turning from side to side so as to cover as great 

 space as possible. Suddenly a covey of quail spring from 

 under our very teet and whir away into the darkiies . Our 

 hearts go pil-a-pat for a moment and a chilly sensation per- 

 vades us, so totally unexpectedly does it happen. The air is 

 damp and chill from the Hat wools and bays, and laden 

 with the odor of the fragrant deer tongue. A" steamer pull's 

 on the distant St, Johns and some belated travelers chatting 

 pass on a neighboring road. A couple of sparks on the 

 .'round at a little distance attract attention and you walk 

 up to find a 'possmn sitting gazing curiously at the fight, 

 grinning with wide open mouth. He is knocked on the 

 head with alight-wood knot and left, probably to crawl off 

 in a few moments. An occasional bird frightened from its 

 reti eat on the ground flutters aimlessly away upward. Or 

 it may be that a 'coon out foraging "sees the light on the 

 border of a bay and paces away with a squealing whine that 

 is laughable. 



But, hold! There are eyes near the ground. Don't 

 you see? There, under that oak. There" are more and 

 more. Can it be deer? Of course not, for you Observe tilt 

 eyes shine white and are too far apart. You sec also the 

 horns, don't youV Taiey are cows, lying down, and at our 

 approach rise, gaze wonderiugly and hasten away. A 

 cow's horns can generally be seen as soon as the eyes. 



We come now to a scrub where 1 have frequently fouud 

 deer. 



Look sharp now as we pass a thicket of turkey oak. 



There! Didn't f seem a gleam yonder as of a live coal, a 

 single spark? 



No! I was mistaken; the imagiua.t: 

 pranks at such times. But, yes t J do 

 Yonder! Look! Now it moves a few 

 Now it. is stationary again. It resembl 

 glowing amid the darkness, and i> about a hundred yards 

 distant."" 



Your gun is cocked at once, and keeping vour light steadily 

 fixed on that coal, ysu walk stealtWy, "steadily, straight 

 toward it. Twenty paces are covered." The coal elongates 

 into a bar of light. A few more paces and the bar df " 



sometimes plays 

 a it. It's a deer. 

 >sas if suspicious. 



and two coals appear t 

 paces Ihe coals are just fai 

 eyes. There stands the 



together 

 enoug' 



deer" 



At frou 

 >rt to 



forty to lif 

 ovi. r a doer's 



straight at vo 



u. and there is uc 



be off in a iuc 



merit; but don't 



swiftly but li 



mlv to your sho 



little so as to 





The report 



Bverberatesthrou 



in a clffl.ni, ai 



d vou listen witn 



cartridge in. 



No sound. Tin 



see if eves ca 



i be found in the 



up to when 



the deer sttod 



ly, and pull. 



o lost 

 Drav 

 the 



lithe 



your gun 

 «, drop a 



imoke hangs 

 slipping a fresh 

 light is turned a moment to 

 ieinii v. and then you walk 

 Wind is that light object 

 yonder? Can it be; it is, as sure as guns, a deer. There he 

 lies, a fine buck stretched oiu, with his head thrown back 

 aud eyes glazed already. 



Do you teel a bit proud, and do you wonder what the folks 

 will say in the morning when you suggest that broiled veni- 

 son would be about the thing? 



Sometimes the deer is wounded, and goes oil' on two legs 

 and i wo stumps, as did a buck I shot one morning just 

 before day -break. But 1 got between him and the. h'amak, 

 and waiting until light 1 went back, jumped him from his 

 cover in the edge of a pond and grassed him. 



I have shot, them and had them go away without sign, 

 when I was sure 1 struck them, and ucxt mornin : find them 

 not tar away dead. Occasionally on a long stroll a person 

 gets lost, bul that is no hardship" where the w wither is net 

 severe and light wood is plentiful. It rather adds to the 

 sport to camp impromptu in the midst of game, S. 



Any person sending their add rasa to R, H, Pooler, Serena, La Salle 

 Co., IU, will receive in return free a Hue colored lithograph repre- 

 senting pinnated grouse .shooting on die prairies, also a catalogue 

 of cartridge holders, belts, vests, &C.—AQV. 



^Htut[nl 'jffiiiorg. 



BIRD MIGRATION IN THE MISSISSIPPI 

 VALLEY. 



FROM OI:!SlCHVATIo:<S COLLATED by W. W. COOKE. 



Editor Mml md Sti-m,,,: 



The following notes on the birds of tie Mississippi Valley 

 were sent me by different observers in answer to a letter 

 asking them to send a list ol winter residents and date of 

 first arrival of migrants last spring. These notes are from 

 twelve stations, all in the Mississippi Valley. As ninny 

 more promised to contribute, bul, alter sending'a little found 

 they could notBpara the time necessary and'stopped, while 

 the notes of one more observer, Mr. Widmnnn, have already 

 been published in Fobbbt and Stream, 



Ji was not expected that much would be done the lir-i 

 year; in fact, the number of nabs received is greater than 1 

 looked for. 8011 the work has not been without value, aud 



1 think each observer is better prepaicd by this sul 



work to give a fuller record next spring. 



I did not commence the work oni'Iy enough last spring. 

 The birds were already on the move before the records were, 

 commenced. I should like to have n xt year's work com- 

 menced now. and trace the birds into tin ir winter quarters, 

 keep watch of them while there, and note the first sign* of 

 migration next, spring, In this work a great deal can be 

 done by one person, as will be seen by Mr, Widmann's 

 notes, which I consider the perfection of "spring notes." 

 flow much more could be accomplished, ami how much 

 more valuable the reeordswoulitbe.il we could have, all 

 over this grenl Valley of the Interior, a half hundred or 

 more ornithologists continually watching the movi meals of 

 our birds. 



I should like to hear by postal from anyone in the Missis- 

 sippi valley wuo is willing to aid in the work this winter 

 and next spring. Even if they nave not lime to be on the 

 lookout for the rarer birds, yet all can nolo the movements 

 of our common birds, the study of whose doings will serve 

 as a foundation for more intelligent study of Ihe other 

 species. 



In tabulating the notes, I have given each station a num- 

 ber, as follows: Station No. 1. (l)isat Fayeiteville, Ark., 

 and the observer Prof. F. L Harvev; (2) 'is Kansas Citv. 

 Mo., Geo. E. Stil well; (3) is Manhattan, Kan.. Q P. 

 Blachly; (-1) is Liter, Morgan no., 111., Dr. S. Griffin; (5) is 

 Petersburg, ill., E. H. Hamilton; (G) is Caithage, 111., W. 

 S. Baker: (7) is Vesta, Neb., H. A. Kline; (ti) is Grinnell, 

 la., L. Jones; (9) is Ames. la.. Prof. F. E. L. Beal; (ID) is 

 Racine, Wis., Dr. P. R, Hoy; (II) is Mi meiipolis. Minn,, 

 J. Roberts; (13) is White Earth. Becker co., Minn., W. \V\ 

 Cooke. The following abbreviations have been used: R., 

 resident; W. R., winter resident ; W. S., winter sojourner; 

 N. N., numerous and noisy. Where a date alone is' given it. 

 means the first time the bird was observed at that station: 

 thus wood thrush (8) 3, 13. mean, that Mr. Slillwell saw tin- 

 wood thrush f, r the first lime March 13. 



Hoping that this our atteu.pt to enlarge our knowledge of 

 the interesting subject of migration will find favor in the 

 eyes of brother o.uithologist-, 1 remain vours respectfully. 

 " W. W. Uooius." 

 r, Wis., Oct. 15, 1883. 



Ili/hx-ichhi, mmWwt-WoMl Thrush.— (2) 3, 13, (3)5, I; 

 (9)5, 18; (11)4, 7; (12)5, 21. 

 i^hmefUafummas—WTlBOii's Thrush.— (12) 5, 20. 



y/ Wl 'er..W.7e „.'„,.'„- -(-,,■:. v-'.'hecLed Thi ush. - ( 1.31 5, 19. 



IhjiodrhU, ,,,..,,,,,,,, ,„■„,•„*„»•— Olive- Backed Thrush.— (12) 

 5, 19. 



llyfoeisMn iinalaicm paHad— HfeiMit Thrush.— (4) 5, 14; ' 

 (12) 5, 21. 



Mruht mi'jnUoria — Robin. — (1) "W. R. in open winters: 

 (2) 3, 1; (3) R., 2, 28, mo.e plentiful and singing cheerfully; 

 (4) 2, 1-0, nesting 4, 23; nearly full feathered 5, 7; (5) 2. 20: 

 (0)3, 10; (7) 3, 18, becoming plentiful; (8)3, 1; (9) 3, 10, a 

 few nearly every winter; (10) 2, 13; (11) 4, 1, bui.diinr o, 9; 



(12) 4, 2, 

 Ui„v> 



t.fif, 87. 

 Galea 



iug; (4) 

 ffarpc 



13; (3)4. ; 



is— Mocking Bird.— (8) 2, 28, nesting 5, 4; 



;/,,... /.vs--Catbird.-(3) 4, 36; (3)5, .1, nest- 

 1. 25; (9,5, 6; (13)5, 1.1. eggs 6; 10. 

 ;.;..: Brown Thrasher. -(1) 3, l'i ; (2) Bj 

 27. nearly full feathered 5, 7; (5)3 38; 

 (ii) I. 1 : (9) 4, 19; (10) 'J, 10*; (11) 1, -6; (13) 4, 111. eggs 5, 22. 

 Huilin si,diK— Bluebird. — (1) W. R.: (3) \Y. Ii.. thicks from 

 the South 3. 25; (3) R.. by 3. 38 has b. e,, m , ,,„„■,. plentiful 

 aud singing ••heenully ; 8, 3, common and prepWiug to pair- 

 Ill 2, 1-0. ueaiiv full' feathered 5. 1: no 3, 2U: (0) ';), 23; (7) 



3, 18, becoming plentiful; (8> 3, 1; (u) y, 9, a lew; (10)3, 14; 

 (11)8, 31. building 5. 1; (12 5. 13. 



tiititin mi.e/,::/„,i -( alifomiau Bluebird.— (3) 5. 4, nesting. 

 ... /,,'„ nm ,,/ra— Bluogray Ctantuatehcr.— (2) 4. 81; (3) 



4, 12; m 4, 7. 



Ili-ijiilim ciih luhilu — Ruby. Crowned Kinelet. — (8) 4, 10; (4) 

 3,21, N. N. 4, 18; (11)4, 8: (1315, 5. 1S.N1. 



/, irf<w.v,'/r//yie— Golden-Crowned Kinglet.— (9) 4, 39. 



L'ip/i'ij '/...',.. as ij,r„t,>r— Tufted Titmouse.— (8) ;-!. 10, saw a 

 paii ; (4) W. ii. 



P.imx „l.rir,i. l ,il!„«— Black-Capped Chickadee.— Res'dent ^ 

 at, all stations; (S) young 5. 



l'ii.ru.i huxhoiuciis — liudsouiau Chickadee. — (10) "W. R. 

 rare. 



,s,«.i Caroline iisix— "White-Bellied Nuthatch.— Resident at 

 all stations; (9) nearlv gone 4. 20. 



m caiwkmsis Bed-BeUied Nuthatch.— (4) W. R.:(ll) 

 R., not common in Whiter; (l2) have never seen the bird in 

 winter, but have good aut lority for saying that a few re- 



VcH/un friiiiMam rufa—Bfowa Creeper.— (2) AV. R : (R) 

 seen 3, 15; (4)4, 13; W. R. nearly gone 4, 20; (11) remains 

 in mild winters 4, 1. 1881; (131 4, 20, 1881, 



Thryothwu) tafofitow**— Carolina Wren.— (3) 5, 20. 



Troglodytes aedoilr-. Rouse Wren.— (2)3, 35; (8)4. 17: (4) 

 4, 15; (8)4, 30; (9)5. 4; (12)5, 11. 



T ' of/Lodi/Ux anion porknui nn i — Western House Wren.— 

 (2) 3, 25. 



Anoiihum troffladytes ftymetfs— Winter "TOten. — (4) 8, 31; 

 (12)5, 11. 



iMiMdoctytesvalttah'bt— Long-Billed Marsh W T ren.— (3)5, 20; 

 1.12) 5. 14. 



Antlius lUfioviGiamfr- American Titlark.— (3) 3, 3; (4) 



3, 19; 



iitwoii/s Bpraguei— 8prajue's Titlark, — (2' 8, 20. 



MnloHlta turiu — Black and White Creeper. — ,3, 4, 21; ,6) ■ 



4, 24; .9j 5, 21; v ll) 5, 11; (12) 5, 3, 1881, 





