466 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[January 12, 1882. 



Alas for Cassar ! 1 am not ashatued to say that -when I did 

 seo him tumble the high-strung nerves of the bold hunter 



fave Way, and that it was not until Jack came round and we 

 ad toasted him in some good "Scotch," that I had the 

 power to join Jack in his war dance round the slain. 



After that all went to work with a will to cut off his head 

 in order to preserve his skull and his tail, which went to me 

 as tin: trophy, and his feet to be made into footstools, with 

 polished ivory toes or liqueur stands. I home eaten elephants' 

 feet, but take warning by my experience, and -when you 

 inve the chance, don't. Dreams! Why, sir— but I can't 

 detail them all, only this, if you want to know what it is to 

 fall over a precipice, to be murdered yourself, or be hung 

 for murdering some oiif else, trial, judge, black cap and all 

 thrown in, then eat elephants' feet — well-baked and with 

 some native pudding to f 



It may appear cruel to shoot such a noble animal as the 

 elephant, so docile and sagacious as he is in captivity, but 

 one must remember that Only "rogues" are liable to be shot, 

 and that all others are strictly preserved by the Ceylon 

 Government, who capture and tame them, and then utilize 

 them in the Department of Public Works, where their 

 sagacity in moving and placing in position huge blocks of 

 i simply marvellous, and must, be seen to be believed. 

 A " rogue," I may here explain, is an elephant which, from 

 some cause or other, has been ostracised by the rest of the 

 herd and wanders about by himself. He is the terror of a 

 native village and does an incredible amount of damage to 

 their crops, so his removal is as much to be desired as is 

 that of the man-eating tiger. 



And now all our operations are ended. The sun is begin- 

 ning to beat down with its full strength on our devoted 

 heads. We send a boy up a cocoanivtTtree to send down a 

 fresh, cool nut full of delicious milk, and, after one more 

 toast, we return to camp to breakfast, and in the after 

 "snooze" I dream of again shooting my first elephant. 



Shikakkb. 



BIRDS OBSERVED IN CENTRAL DAKOTA 



DuRtSG tub Stjmmkf. OF 1881. 

 BV W. t. ABBOTT. 



1396 Chestnut Street, } 

 Philadelphia, Dec. 29, 1881.) 



THE following is a list of birds taken on a trip through 

 central Dakota, during the past summer, by Jos. C. 

 Binder and the writer. We arrived at Huron, on the Dakota 

 Kiver, July 15, and remaining there about a week, started 

 out with a team on a trip to the Missouri River, through the 

 region known as the Coieau d.u Missouri. First stopping at 

 the Wessington Hills, twenty-five miles'West of Huron, we 

 traveled north and west for about one hundred and twenty 

 miles to the Bourbeuse River. Prom there we went west- 

 ward until we reached the Missouri, at a point about ten 

 miles south of Grand Kiver Agency. Thence we kent 

 southward along the Missouri, past Fort Sully to Siding No. 

 8, on the Dakota Central Railroad. Then, following the 

 railroad line back, we reached Huron, August 9. The whole 

 journey occupied sixteen days, much of it through country 

 about as fertile as the desert of Sahara. We saw a few 

 traces of deer and antelope, but none very fresh, and did 

 not see a mammal larger than a prairie dog on our whole 

 trip. Back from the Missouri and north of the railroad 

 (Dakota Central) water was scarce, and the country generally 

 very barren. In some places there was nothing to be seen 

 for miles except bare, gravelly hills, without a blade of grass. 

 In the absence of larger game we lived mostly upon upland 

 plover and sandpipers, the first of which were generally 

 very abundant. 



1. Barporliynchus rufus— Thrasher. A few met with 

 near the Missouri, above Fort Sully. 



2. Sitta- canadensis— Red-bellied nuthatch. We noticed a 

 single individual of this species fifteen miles west of Huron, 

 many miles from timber ; it was running- up and down the 



•i railroad cut, apparently perfectly at home. 



3. Troglodytes aedon paf&reorai— Westerp house wren. 

 Common' in the Wessington Hills, twenty-five miles south- 

 west of Huron. 



4 Ci«l'->Bt'>r<iK sitilarh— Short-billed marsh wren. Taken 

 at Huron and in Hand county.. 



5. Nevwys upraguei— Missouri sky lark. Generally com- 

 mon, but hard to find when on the ground, so that we look 

 very few specimens. Their song could be heard inalmost any 

 place, however barren, especially in the mornings, the bird 

 itself being scarcely visible as a tiny speck in the sky. The 

 song does not seem to me to be inferior to that of the Euro- 



ky lark, the only objection to it being its briefness. 



6. OiHilnn-a (estiva— Summer yellow bird. Common in 

 the Wessington Hills. 



7. /jiriMiiud'.'oiriit.^uf)r.-KitbitMvid«.<i -White-rumped shrike. 

 Quite common near Turtle Creek Siding, on the railroad 

 Dakota Central). 



8. Petivchdidon lunifrons—'Eiiye swallow. There was a 

 large colony under the eaves of the round-house at Huron, 

 and we found them throughout our route, often in places 

 that were many miles from cliffs or anything else that could 

 afford them nesting places. 



9. Jlirundn crytlirogastra — Barn Bwallow. Common along 

 the Missouri. 



10. Ootite riparian-Hank swallow. A number met with 

 about twenty miles southeast of Grand Kiver Agency. 



11. Btdgidopt/sryx serripenms — Rough-winged swallow. 

 A few noticed at same place with last. 



12. Ocnlroplianesurniitus — Chestnut-oollaredbuhttng. One 

 of the commonest birds, and abundant in the most barren lo- 

 calities i most of the specimens were in extremely worn and 

 bad plumage. 



lb. Ctnlronyx bavrdi— Baird's bunting. Very common 

 everywhere, excepting in the neighborhood of the Missouri. 

 We did not see 'any within twenty or thirty miles of this 

 river. The specimens were mostly in fresh and good plu- 

 mage. . 



1.4. Pooecetes graminew confinis— Western bay winged 

 bunting. Common at Huron. 



15. ('uiurnie'dus pas«criniis— Yellow-winged sparrow. 

 Very common at. Huron and along the railroad line. 



16. Okmd&tesgrammiea— Lark finch. A flock met with 

 fifty miles north of Fort Sully. 



17. Zonotriclda guerula— Harris finch. A male seen at 

 Turtle Creek. 



18. Spiaella pallida— Clay-colored sparrow.I.Coinmon near 

 the railroad. 



19. Mdospiza faseiata -Song sparrow. Common in tho 

 bushes by the Dak' ta River and near the Missouri. 



20. Passerina ainoena — Lazuli finch- A male taken near 

 Swan Lake, Missouri Kiver. 



31. tipiza americana — Black-throated bunting. Common 

 wherever a few tall weeds were to be found on the prairie. 



22. Oalaroosplza btcolor — Lark bunting. V nry 

 everywhere. The males had nearly all lost their bl 



ing plumage by the first week in August. They were shy 

 near Huron for some cause, but we found them nearly always 

 quite tame in Other places. 



23. Dulichonyx d^eivorus— Bobolink. Everywhere abun- 

 dant. 



24 Moluth'US ater— Cowbird. Common and extremely 

 tame, coming about the camp within a few feet of us to 

 forage for crumbs and scraps. 



./25. XanthmphaluH (cterocephaita— Yellow-leaded black- 

 bird Common in many places along our route. 



26. Agekms phmnicefus - Red-ahouldered blackbird. Com- 

 mon. 



— 27. titv.rnella negkota— Western meadow lark. Very 

 abundant. 



28. Icterus xpiirius- Orchard oriole. A few seen in the 

 bushes by the Dakota River. 



29 tic lUcophngiiH cyavocepfadus— Brewer's blackbird. Com- 

 mon about Fort Sully, and near the line of railn, 

 with vast flocks of blackbirds of which this species formed 

 the majority. 



80. Corow eorax ■earnivorus — American raven. One seen 

 near Huron. 



31. Corvu-sfrugivoms—Gvoyi. We sawn few at the mouth 

 of the Okaboja Creek, Missouri River. 

 ■•32. Eremophila alpestrk lew Shore lark. Gener- 



ally common, I think all the shore larks we n 

 longed to this pale colored form. 



33. Tyrannus caroline/tsis — Kingbird. Not so common as 

 next. 



34 T. vertical's— Arkansas flycatcher. Very common. 

 Wherever there were a few trees or bushes to be found, this 

 species was sure to be present. At Huron they were not so 

 common as the kingbird. 



35. Empidonax pusxilw trailli (?)— Traill's flycatcher. 

 A flycatcher which apparently belonged to this species was 

 seen in the Wessington Hiils. 



36. B. flwivrntris— yellow-bellied flycatcher. A single 

 specimen taken thirty miles southeast of Grand Kiver Agency. 



37. OhordeiUs popebue h nryi— Western night he 

 common everywhere. Q 



38. Melauerpc.t /ryl/irocephahis — Red-headed woodpecker. 

 Common along the M issourt, near Swan Lake. 



39. Oolapies ej era to— Flicker. Not very numerous ; ob- 

 tained a male at Swan Lake that had the. red cheek pa, 1 ches 

 of 0. mexicanvs. Other specimens, some from Northern 

 Iowa, show red feathers in greater or less amount in their 

 cheek patches. 



•10. Ceryle alcyon — Kingfisher. A female shot on Turtle 

 Creek. 



41. Coccys<i>s crylhrophlhahnm— Black-billed cuckoo. Met 



ith in the Wessington Hills. 



43 Speotyto cuniculirin hypngata — Burrowing owl We 

 met with a small colony near the mouth of the Little Cheyenne, 



and a lari 



They were 



43. Hiert 



numerous a 



-44 Tvm 



near the M 



45. Cirm 



4(5. Putt 



i Medicine Creek, 

 irie falcon. Very 



Udsonius -Marsh hawk. The commonest hawk. 



reaUi— Red-tailed hawk. Common. 

 J5. borealis calurm— Western red-tail. Several hawks 

 of this variety met with about fifty miles southeast of Grand 

 River Agency. 



48. P Swainwnt— Swainson's Buzzard. A female taken 

 on Medicine Creek. 



49. Arcliibuteo lagopus Mmctfcjohawrie— American rongh- 

 legged hawk. A female shot on Medicine Creek. 



50. Cathartes warn— Turkey buzzard. Several 

 Huron. 



51. EotopUtos migratoria— Wild pigeon. One seen in the 

 Wessington Hills. 



52. Zenaedura carolinensis—OmAina. dove. Numerous 

 along the Missouri and near Medicine Creek, and in places 

 many miles from timber, 



53 Pedioecetes phasianellus c.olumbianus— Sharp-tailed 

 grouse. Said to be common along the Missouri and at Huron, 

 but we only met: with one specimen. 



54 Potdurus lenMgiiwsm— Bittern. One seen at Huron. 

 55, Nyctiardea grista nanna -Night heron. Several seen 



ue ir Huron. 

 5(5 Oxyeriius vodferus — Killdeer. Common. 



57. Gallinogo media Wfrevii— Wilson's snipe. Several met 

 with thirty miles west of Huron. 



58. Mw-rorltamphiiK grtmis— Bay-breasted snipe. Common 

 near the railroad. 



59. Micrvpalama hinumt&ints-Milt sandpiper. Oae speci- 

 men taken. 



60. Actodrninns macula Common. 



61. A t minHtftya— Least sandpiper. On AugttBl 



mi'es west of Huron, we fell in with vast flocks of 8and- 

 i' species, this being the most numerous. All 

 y fat and unfit for specimens. 



pipers of 



kinds were > 

 02 Lima* 



east of Grai 

 68. Totav 

 64. T.fia 



[Ri 



a — Marlin — Several taken forty milessouth- 



KHW— Greater yellow let's. Common. 

 ipes— Lesser yellow legs. Very common. 

 etnta ienUpalmata — Willet. Less common than 

 last two species. 

 rphilus soUtarius— Solitary sandpiper. Rather 



longlc&Uda— Upland plover. Abundant 



either of 11 

 6, Uky, 

 common. 



67. Parlra, 

 everywhere. 



68. Tryngitex rufescens — Buff-breastrd sandpiper. We met 

 with one flock near the mouth of the Little Cheyenne. 



69. Ttingoid naeuiari/iis— Spotted sandpiper. Not com- 

 mon. 



/,'///-. «(ra— Siokle-billed curlew. We met 

 with large numbers about thirty miles southeast 

 River, in company with flocks Of marlin and willet , they 

 were mostly young birds, and extremidy tame and unsus- 

 picious. 



"1. Stegdnopiu loilsoni— Wilson's phalarope. Met with 

 Once in u slough in Walworth county. 



3. Porec Bora rail. Common in all the 



sloughs about Huron. 



73'. P. nmlebonoens-is— yellow rail. One met with in 

 W T al worth county. 



74. Pernicla cunadensis {/)— Canada goose. A flock of 



geeae that Beemed to be or this species were seen forty miles 

 west of Huron. 



-Mallard. Generally common, 

 i d'scors — Blue-winged teal. Common. 

 77. Zopi %tm— Hooded merganser. Two young 



to—White pelican. Three 

 seen in a slough in Wallworth count3 r . 



79. J.artix (n\\ ?)— We saw a flock of gulls on a sand bar in 

 the Missouri River, but were unable 1 to determine the spe- 

 ll. Sterna foriteH .(f)— Fowler's tern. A tern that was 

 probably tbis species was seen flying over Medicine Creek. 



81. Podilymhis pndiceps— Carolina grebe. Rather com- 

 mon. 



THE RED SQUIRREL. 



A WELL-KNOWN inhabitant of onr " forest primeval" 

 is the red squirrel or chickaree (BciUrw ftwfsoftft/*). 

 In those parts where the spruce and pine clothe the country 

 for miles around, ii is especially numerous, and may be seen 

 jumping from bough to bough, stopping meanwhile to nibble 

 1 i ires and scatter their parts over the ground beneath. 

 Anierrj is, too, loving to come pear 



the farmer's house, and tew ry door ; now running 



with a sort of mimic canter along the wall: ; then, suddenly 

 surprised by the open i. . ' i nrrying off to the near- 



est tree and quickly appearing at' ttnmil 



Let the frost be ever so severe, and the snow storm rage 

 in all its fury, our little friend takes his daily rounds in 

 search of something wherewith to please his appetite. It 

 maybe a nut, or tasty fungus, cone il rj 



little which, be quietly tak , ' is ■ o In Borne cozy nook— 

 generally in I he angle formed by the junction of a hough 

 ! e trunk. Here, with bis back pushed up against the 

 sheltering tree, and tail held like an umbrella above his 

 head, the red squirrel munches away, heedless of the gale 

 which roars through the fores'. He is a fearless and con- 

 fident creature, for often and often have I tried to get as 

 close as possible to one when thus occupied, and sometimes 

 have succeeded in getting my face within two or three feet 

 of his, and as long as I remained quiet he would continue 

 his repast, as if aware that the eye of one who would not 

 willingly injure was upon him. 



In summer time the red squirrel makes a nest in some con- 

 venient spot the hollow of a tree, Or outside on the bench. 

 In the latter situation it is made of a rounded form of sticks, 

 with a small hole for entrance at the side. I have also known 

 one to rear its family of six young ones in an old nail box, 

 left on a beam in a barn a little distance from the house. 



This squirrel will sometimes change its usual color to 

 black, and skins of this color are sometimes sent from Lab- 

 rador. 



1 find it ranch more numerous some years than others, and 

 people account for this by stating that it occasionally mi- 

 grates fee oi i rlc O anothe During sunny days in 

 iv inclined, chase each 



oth.e'r ii o tree, uttering a peculiar screaming noise 



while in pursuit. 



A more cleanly little creature could scarce be found, and 

 well would it be if the dirty, swarthy Indian who traverses 

 these never-ending forest wilds would take a lesson of neat- 

 ness from this humble denizen of our northern cliinc 



J. Matthew Jonbs. 



THE ENEMIES OF GAME BTRDS. 



FiJiiKisnuiaui, Vt., Dec. 31, 1881. 

 Editor Purest and i 



Mr. Bishop's novel theory of the disappearance of ruffed 

 grouse Will certainly not hold for this region, for red squirrels 

 i ier here than they were thirty years ago. They 

 are not "as thick as house flies," nor is there "fine to every 

 square rod of woodland," yet, for some cause, our grouse 

 seem doomed to destruction. 



The decrease in their numbers is very noticeable this year, 

 for many times since the 1st of October 1 have tanged. through 

 miles of woodland while foxhunting with ul I hinj more 

 th h u two or three i n a day's tramp, w i 

 not have thought it remarkable to h-ive tin. , 

 years ago, after several seasons of scare 

 became quite plenty, and this greatly strengthened my belief 

 in their partial migration. Out now it seems as if I must 

 give this up — which I am exceedingly loth to do, as it is like 

 giving up the grouse — for '••Verde Monte" tells us that he 

 has been to the back towns where they were reputed plenty 

 and found them even scarcer than about Rutland. It looks 

 f the tick must be the villain who is murdering our grouse, 

 ie circumvented f If he is the same 

 OW that infest owls and hawks, may it not be that the 

 ediiveu him to getting his living 

 off the grouse! Not an unpleasant change for him, one 

 would think, but very bad for the grouse and for ub. 



"Canada" finds only one female (D a BCOre <- 

 killed in November. " The nesting bird is, ot 

 likely to fall a victim to the prowling fox, th 



and very likely the lick 

 bird, but thiB will not account fo 

 year's broods. Will "Canada" please teil us 

 were more old I 



question is a puzzling one i 

 theories will not hold when discussed we I iusl give them up. 

 Mr. Bishop dislikes to give up his— as I do mine. I would 

 like to believe that either was correct, for the squirrels might 

 be exterminated and the grouse might come back to the old 

 haunts, whore cover and food in plenty await their return ; 

 end alas, if it is the tick. I do not see the now 



sting birds much mpro 

 ies. Which are the most cocspic u 



eep, on the trees or on 

 umber of robins' nests, black- 

 birds', vireos', hairbirda'and other common tree-nesting bird§' 

 pou have found with those of the bobolink and the 

 ie open fields, with nothing but 

 ■i ; el docs not stand so 

 ground nest i a much 

 , i i of finding and getting at a nest built in a tree. 

 K, E. Robinson. 



Nkw VOEK, Dec. 29, 1881. 



The decrease of our uame birds seems to be meeting with 

 considerable attention in your columns, and it is well that it 

 is so. This matter cannot be discussed too much. Allow me 



ty-one 

 .-, most 

 •i.l the 

 -i quiet 

 In this 

 r there 

 [ Tins 

 lat our 



