426 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



|i>Efc, 88, 1882, 



Hint for appropriateness of expression and for lornproLi n- 

 sion requires no knowledge of technicalities, being literally 

 translated "blaqk tern;"" or the same ta&y be known as 



Hi/drochch'don la rifnrim's svritiitminsis. The merits of either 

 term need not depend solely upon the signification or num- 

 ber (lour, or fourteen) of syllables used to express a single 

 appellation. For the eight members of the family Wciuif, 

 or -woodpeckers, named iu this catalogue, (lie reader may 



or choose six generic names for the same eight species. 



Although this catalogue ia intended lobemer.li popu 

 lar list of the birds of Maine, 1 have endeavored to make it 

 of scientific accuracy. Authorities or references are numcil 

 for such notes a.s are not Within the personal observations or 

 the corroboration of the writer. As is customary in simi- 

 lar lists, I have included the Dames of some birds which cau 

 hardly lie termed birds of Maine in a strictly literal sense, 

 as they are only of accidental occurrence here. But a 

 record of such occurrences is deemed of interest in this con- 

 nection, and special citations arc generally given for such as 

 come within this class. 



1 have received interesting notes from mai,\ ,. i 



throughout this State, and my own personal ob 

 have extended to every county in Maine, throughout a 

 period of many years, a'nd covering all seasoi 



To those whom j am indebted for interesting specimens 

 and notes of birds sent, to me from time to time, and from 

 whom 1 hope similar favors in (he future I wish to here 

 render acknowledgment and ihanks, And to these friends 

 is dedicated this catalogue of "Maine Birds'" 



Evekett SMirn. 



Poktland. Maine, U. S. A. 



in May. Breeds, usually nesting upon bushes in dense 

 thickets, and lays four or five dark blue-green eggs in June 

 and July, 



9. Rufous Thrush. — Orpheus t'^tis And, ; Harpnrhynrhus 

 rvfus Ridg. 13, Cs. IT. — Common' in Western Maine and 

 east, to the Kennebec Valley Bare or unknown east of the 

 I' i1 Valley. Arrives early in May. Breeds on or 

 near the ground, and lays four or five yellowish white eggs 

 with brown spots, late in Mav and m June. This bird is the 

 largest f the thrush family found in Maine. It is a line 



and of handsome plumage, yet rarely is seen in 



captivity as a cagebird. 



[TO HE CONTINUED.] 



Wise Little Banties.— Falls City, Neb., Dec. 3, 1888, 



—Dr. Arnold, living at Brownville. in this State, has a pair 

 of bantam roosters thai seem to have developed an unusual 

 amount of intelligence. They will fight, crow, etc., at his 

 command, beside" doing a variety of other tricks. The fol- 

 lowing well authenticated incident is told of them: Some 

 lime ago one of them in his perambulations strolled into the 

 1 of a neighbor, and being discovered by the rooster of 

 WSJ soundly thrashed. When the bantam 

 reached home, he presented a most forlorn appearance, and 

 going up to the other rooster, they put their heads together 

 and seemed to be engaged in conversation. After a moment 

 spent in this manner, they Jiot.li started for the neighbor's 

 yard on a dog (?) trot. After they had reached the enemy's 

 ieiiiioiy they proceeded to search for him. They soon 

 found him and gave him a most unmerciful whipping, after 

 which they strutted back ho ne, probably feeling that they 

 had done their duty well. — X. 



Family Ttjkdid.e: Thki sues, 



1. Wood Thrush— I'tinlus mvsteHiius And., Cs. 0; Ihj- 

 locidlla miiri.dina Bidg. 1.— Very rare. Although the occur- 

 rence of this species in Maine has been reported to me at 

 various times, 1 can only vouch for the capture of a single 

 specimen, which was 'shot by the writer at Yussalbo'ro, 

 Kennebec county, Maine, July 37, L88S. 



2. Wilson's Thrush, Tawny Thrush— '/'•</',/ .,<. 

 And.; J/i/hcichUif use, sans Ridg. 3, Tw&ttfiu&i i 



— Common. Arrives late in April and in May. Breeds 

 upon or near the ground, lays four or five blue-gi ei 

 June. A shy bird of retiring habits, usually frequenting 

 dense thickets. 



S, Alice's Thrush. Gray-Cheeked Thrash— Tardus uliouli 

 Baird; HyloticUa alta'm Ridg. 3; Turdms udulafm Ds, 



12.— Not very common. Probably breeds here, as it is found 

 in summer, and the young Of the year has been taken, Korm- 

 ii ded as merely a varietal form of the Swainsou's 

 thrush next named, but now ranked as a distinct species. 

 The most apparent difference between these two tortus is 

 shown by Hie plumage of the head. Swaiuson's thrush has 

 a yellowish-white ring around the eve, and a stripe ot same 

 ceil or from the bill to the eye, ami its checks have a bull' 

 tinge. Alice's thrush lacks the stripe and orbital ring, and 

 its cheeks are gray without any bull' tinge. These are ilie 

 chief typical chaiaeteristies apparent to itu ordinal 

 as give'n by published descriptions. But the collector will 

 find such descriptions Unsatisfactory for absolutely deter- 

 mining this form. Although standard authors regard the 

 Alice's thrush a* a form most closely allied lo the Swain- 

 son's or olive-backed thrush, in Maine it is more likely to 

 be confounded with the Wilson's or tawny thrush by ordin- 

 ary collectors; not only on account of comparative size, but 

 also in some instances, because of a general resemblance in 

 markings of the plumage. 



!. swaiuson's Thrush. Olive-Backed Thrush— Turdu 

 . ni Cabanis, Baird; Hi/hiUrhln unlululu xwainscm 



Ridg. 4 a; Tardus uMirlaln* siminsuni Cs. 13.— Common 

 Arrives late in April and in May. Breeds usually upon lie 

 lowest branches of trees in dense thickets, lay's four blue- 

 green eggs with buif-browu spots in June. 



5. Hermit Thrush— Tiirdus solitaiius And.; JJt/heirhhi 

 ■ ■ riil/nxi Ridg ,5 b. ; Turd us umihtsca ■■■minus Cs. 10.— 

 Abundant. Arrives early in April. Breeds on the gnu 

 lays four blue-green eggs'in May and early in June. Com 

 monly raises two broods, the second complement of rugs 

 beimi laid about two months after the fi rst, or iu July. Tin 

 hermit thrushes do not Lave Maine entirely until November 

 although the autumn migration occurs chiefly iu October, 

 at which time these birds are commonly seen in the open 

 woodland groves and about the orchards. They are then 

 silent, excepting the occasional utterance of a singli 

 "chuck" note of interrogation or alarm. The well-known 

 melodious song of the springtime is usually sent forth from 

 the top of a tall tree, and the notes are of a somewhat veu- 

 triloquial nature. I have known this little thrush to be 

 locally termed "apple bird'' in Maine. Probably because it 

 is so often seen in the orchards in autumn, where it is at- 

 tracted by an abundance of food, as are also many other 

 birds. ' 



6 Robin— TuMus ■miymlnrius Vud, Cs. Z. ; MeruUt ttri- 

 Hi-at'ivM Ridg. 7. — Abundant. Arrives early in April, a 

 few in March some seasons. Occasionally found In iv in 

 winter. Breeds commonly throughout the State, where 

 cultivated lands are found. The nest usually is composed 

 of mud, twigs, grass, etc.. and placed upon* a tree. Two 

 broods are commonly raised. The first complement of live 

 blueish-green eggs is'laid iu May. and the second in July, 

 I have seen young robins Hying before June 1 in Maim 

 Mr. Edward Tucker, of Skowliegnn, Me., has given me an 

 ■sting description of a double tenement nest of this 

 species. These two nests, made of mud and lined with 

 grass, were placed upon a beam in a shed, and about fifteen 

 feet from the ground. The nests Were so constructed that 

 the partition between them formed one side tor each nest, 

 and each contained three eggs when found (May IS, 1ST8), 



with a robin setting upon them. One of these robin ilfid 



ils eggs, but the other bird disappeared before a like result 

 could be accomplished. The male uf this species habitually 

 assists in raising Ms family, and possibly this double nest 

 was the home of a single pair, male and female, a suppo- 

 sition furthered by the fact that but three eggs were laid in 

 each nest, or a total of but six eggs, whereas two f, :, i, . 

 would ordinarily lay a total of ten eggs. 



7. Mocking Bird."— Orpheus polgglHhu And. ; Mimm poly 

 nlnlhis Bidg. 11, Cs. 15. — Accidental. Specimens have been 

 observed at vaiious times, and some of them may have been 

 stragglers from the South, although it is more probable that 

 each one had escaped from captivity in the North, as this is 

 a very common cagebird. 



8. Catbird. — Orpheus felivox Aud. ; Galr-oscoptes caruli- 

 nemis Ridg. 12; Mimus carolinemis Cs. 16. — Common in 

 Western Maine and east to the Penobscot Valley. Arrives 



Mini; Asp Ferret will not Interbreed. — Brantford, 

 Dec. IS. — 1 think T promised to let you know how I made 

 oi it with my minks ami ferrets this season. I asked a 

 question through the Forest and Stream, if the ferret and 

 mink would cross. 1 have given them a goodtrial, aud find 

 they will not interbreed. I raised a good, strong male 

 mink with two female ferrets, and when they came in sea- 

 son he mated with them readily. Then a friend of mine 

 brought one to him, aud he mated with her, and not one of 

 ill' '• I Wee proved with young. Then to sec if the ferrets 

 wen: good tor breeding, I put. one of them in with a male 

 ferret, about, six weeks after, and siie had a litter of ferrets. 

 A friend of mine tried to cross them the other way. He 

 tried a male, ferret and a female mink. They mated, hut 

 there was no increase, so I think that is as good a test as 

 need be. No one need try the experiment, for it will not 

 succeed. — Geouge Ash. 



A Model Mounted Head.— While at Albany, N. Y., 1 

 had occasion to call on Dr. J. S. Delavan, of that city, who, 

 knowing my fondness for objects of natural history, called 

 my attention to the most perfect specimen of a buck's head 

 1 had ever seen, and 1 have examined many. The head was 

 that of a buck oi Dr. Delavau's shooting', killed only this 

 October, in the North Woods, and mounted by an amateur 

 taxidermist by the name of H. A. Miner, of Saranac Lake. 

 1 venture to say there is uo more graceful or lifelike speci- 

 men existing, and 1 mention it because 1 am anxious that 

 Mr. Miner should make a deposit of his handiwork at the 

 National Museum at Washington, D. C. where there is now 

 a growing collection of such objects, presented by different 

 taxidermists of the country. Mr. Miner's forte seems to be 

 heads, and he should donate a duplicate of Dr. Delavan's. — 

 Homo. 



Baitlesnake as a Swimjiek. — Winter Park, Orange 

 County, Fla. — Do you know if it be a common thing for a 

 rattlesnake lo take to the water? A few days ago a man 

 was pulling across a lake in this vicinity, and he noticed a 

 snake in the watei which he killed. It'proved to be a rat- 

 tlesnake. I took his dimensions and found bi.n to measure 

 six feet long and eight inches in circumference around his 

 largest part. He had ten rattles and a button. — F. W. D. 

 [We think it rather unusual for the rattlesnake to take te 

 the water, though no doubt there are many localities where 

 they are often obliged to do so.] 



§mt(e §<tg m\d §m\. 



GAME SEASONsi. 

 A comprehensive statement 01 the game laws ot America will he 

 found in the issues of this journal for December 7 and 1 ! ■ 

 dividuals and game dubs are requested lo Inform u= of the enact- 

 ment of new local laws and of changes that may be made in the laws 

 of the. several States and Territories. 



A Stu.vnge Eagle's Nest. — Minneapolis, Minn., Dec. 12. 

 — When up in Northern Dakota this fall, I was told by a 

 herder of a very curious eagle's m-st, composed largely of 

 buffalo ribs, winch I went to see. It was upon a hillock, 

 and could be seen a long distance off. There were about forty 



end of each turning up, then tilled in with nearly 



a earl load of turf and rubbish. It had been used this year, 

 and looked as if it had been used many years. Saw no birds 

 as they had left, so could not tell the 'species, but the large 

 buffalo ribs in the foundation of a bird's nest looked very 



i : : —Geo. A. Boardman. 



The Oppossbm on Long Island.— Wading River, L. I.— 

 One of my neighbors killed, a few weeks ago, an oppossum 

 in his hen roost, and 1 hear of two being killed on Strong's 

 Nest this fall, is not this uncommon for Long Island, and 

 where did they come from',' — T. 0. [Very unusual. we think.] 



Prolific Mocking Birds.— In J8S0 1 kuew a pair of 

 mocking birds in Charles City county, below Richmond. 

 Yn., I o raise lour broods of four birds each, iu one season. 

 — ExqUlRER. 



famp $ir$ tgHchqmgs, 



"That reminds We." 



4 S old Bob S. was out hunting one day he saw a flock of 

 1\ ducks settle in a small pond hole iiot far away. To 

 call the dog in to heel and creep within shot of the fowl was 

 the work of but a few miuutes, To use his own words: "I 

 gol within easy range am! gave them the right barrel, and 

 The dog retrieved them all five and the rest of 

 the bunch ilew away. When 1 got home and told Bill, 

 my brother, what a Dtcfl shot I had'and how many I killed, 

 ali he said was -Cob, why in thunder didn't you give them 

 the other barrel?' Saysl, "Bill, I never thought of it.' " D. 



Brookline, Mass. 



Vermont Law.— A correspondent informs us that the 

 open season for ruffed grouse m Vermont is from Sept. 1 to 



THE YOUNG MAN AND HIS UNCLE. 

 /^kNCE upon a time a young man started out upon his travels tie 

 ^-'f ound a place where life looked rather easy, and being of a lazy 

 disposition by inheritance he concluded To take up his abode there 



.•ruiaueutly. So he rusted in. 



Having no longer use for a gun that he possessed, lie lent it to his 

 uncle, who kept a little shop of various cl rious commodities, with a 

 Juggler tossing three gold balls In the air for a sign. 



And many times afterward the young man repented, looking wistful 

 3 a wild goose tied by the legs at a passing ftoek.as often as the shoot- 

 ing season «arne around ; but long abstinence from active life made 

 t to move; the longer he looked, the more his body protested 

 against beiug exposed to the cold and wet and clamored for letting 



ell enough alone; so his good intentions went foruaugbt. 



The young man's uncle kept the gun in a safe place until lie should 

 time again. But be did not come. 



Years passed by, and each year the same battle was fought be- 

 tween the young man's soul aud bis body the same vows were made 

 and byi iter , and tbe good intentions went to serve as paving stones 

 in a certain locality much hi need of firm footing. But each year 

 the fight was less fierce as the soul grew weaker, and the body like- 

 wise and at last one day they agreed to disagree, and parted. 



His uncle's face grew brighter as often as he looked down the street 

 and saw Rim not: and at last one day he beheld a curious black 

 carriage, with along procession of other carriages following, and 

 he cried out, "Solomon I Solomon Tsaacs.' Dake dat lcetle gun and 

 polish him till he shines like a newly coined shekel :" 



"But do young man?— " answered .Solomon Isaacs timidly. "If lie 

 see him bright he may want aim back." 



"Ah, never more;" aud the young man's uncle rubbed his hands. 



"It Is too late: Ho have gone to shuperlntend his own pavingl" 

 J. P. True. 



NOTES" ON GAME AND SHOOT1NC. 



BUSINESS engagements have prevented me. to some ex- 

 tent, from indulging my fondness for held sports dur- 

 ing the present season, but I trust 1 shall be able to engage 

 in it more after the lapse of several weeks. Not many days 

 ago, however, T. 0. L. and 1 went on a visit to our "friend 

 and kinsman, Bishop Clicked, of Saints Best, in thecounty 

 of Anson, fully prepared for any amusement which our hos't 

 might be able to offer. We hail our dogB and guns, aud a 

 supply of loaded shells sufficient to have killed ail the game 

 within a circle of several miles in diameter— lor we In neve 

 in being ready lor the gun e iu the event we, should be so 

 fortunate as to find it. But we brought back home two- 

 thirds of what we carried, aud laid it away for future use! 

 We found few birds in the fields, and if they are iu that 

 county in considerable numbers, they keep in. the forests. 

 i\ly opinion is, that as the season advances they will take to 

 the fields, and thus afford far belter sport titan what we no.v 

 have. It is true, we got a.s many as we could cat, and be- 

 sides this gave several of our friends whom we saw. enoufh 

 to aff ord them a taste of the delicacy; but we had none to 

 take home for the enjoyment of the "duddy weans," of 

 which wc are bountifully supplied. Our ••quivers" arc full 

 of this kind of arrows, -which the Scriptures tell us is "a 

 heritage of the Lord." During a two days' hunt, which was 

 seriously interrupted by a sudden change of weather, which 

 brought the North Pole into shivering proximity with us, 

 and made the pursuit, of Bob While anything bin 

 able pastime, we succeeded iu gelling omy about ..sixty buds, 



I have had information 1'ioin several spotting localities 

 that birds were numerous, but wherever 1 have trad it I 

 have been disappointed. It is uuaoconniablc to me why 

 there is a scarci.y, for the past two seasons have been favor- 

 able for their rearing, and the stock birds were abuuthint 

 enough to have liked the fields. As already .-.aid. 1 think 

 they must confine themselves chiefly to the woods i i u n ill 

 come into the open land when the lorests la.il to afford them 

 full shelter and a Supply of food. 1 expect, therefore, to be 

 able to repo.t to you before many weeks that 1 have made 

 Westley Kir-hards ring repeatedly, an* have been phased 

 with the accuracy of my aim and the efficiency of the gun's 

 execution. 



I noticed in your paper recently an account of a Florida 

 hunt, in which the writer, after speaking of the quail which 

 he aud his companion lino killed, st-n tied voui readers liy 

 lelling them he had killed a deer with 'No. !) shot, (if 

 coarse 1 shall nol doubt, the truth of the statement, but I 

 confess 1 should have been better pleased if he had conde- 

 scended to let us know thf distance at which this remark- 

 able shot was made. I think it probable thai if lie- deer 

 was n»t more than fen yards off— possibly fifteen— a good 

 gun would kill it with No. 9 shot propelled by over three 

 drams of gunpowder. But I must be excused for enter- 

 taining "the shadow of the shade" of a doubt whether it 

 could happen at twenty-five yards, En the "blue season," 

 at forty yards a gun must shoot very hard to force a No. 3 

 buckshot to the center Of a three-pronged buck, and 1 am 

 confident that however large the charge of powder, iSo. 9 

 would not perforate the hide. No. 9 will do lor quail all 

 through the season — I prefer 8 — but when it comes to deer 

 I respectfully suggest the wisdom of using heavier shot if 

 the sportsman expects to odorize his pot with the fumes of 

 venison . 



f trust nobody will misinterpret my meaning in the re- 

 marks 1 chose to make iu regard to the recent Field Trials 

 at Hi 2h Point. It was far from my purpose to speak in 

 derision of the performance and capabilities of the dogs 

 which I saw. Many of them, no doubt, have the power 

 and disposition to do hard and commendable service when- 

 ever real work is required. But having never before seep 

 any exhibition of the kind, and supposing the canines were 

 expected to do iu the Trials ju.-i as they would do in a 

 genuine hunt, I had looked for exceedingly vigorous 

 movements on their part, whereby they would scour 

 rapidly and closely all the ground, find all the birds witbiu 

 the fields, and save the sportsman all severe trial of his 

 physical poweis. Although 1 was disappointed, yet 1 saw 

 quite a number of these loyal dogs, which I would have 

 been pleased to own, if their value had been commensurate 

 with my ideas as to what such animals should be worth. 

 But when it comes to rating a dog as equal in the financial 

 balance with a nrst-elass horse, 1 confess my inability to 

 see it; and, hence, I suppose, I must content myself with 



