NATURAL HISTORY. 



235 



from mounted heads, and so far are the 

 largest on record. 



Bozeman, Mont., July 10, 1897. 



HORN MEASUREMENTS OF 3 FULL-GROWN 

 BISON HEADS, 



Circumference of left horn at base 



( ircumference of left horn above base. 

 Circumference of right horn at base. . . 

 Circumference of right horn above 



base 



Length of left horn— base to tip 



Length of right horn — base to tip 



Spread of horns — from tip to tip 



Spread of horns — at widest part 



No. 



16%" 

 14& " 



14V 



22" 



35" 



14*" 



i5#" 



14k" 

 20" 

 20X" 

 27" 



33" 



17%" 

 M*" 

 I7%" 



13 K" 



19 V 



19" 



I9M" 



3°" 



We, the undersigned, who measured the 

 3 bison bull heads in Bozeman, Mont., do 

 hereby certify, that the above measure- 

 ments are correct. 



James M. Robertson, 

 Aug. Gottschalck. 



I hereby certify that on this 10th day of 

 July, a.d. 1897, personally appeared before 

 me James M. Robertson and Aug. Gott- 

 schalck, who being first duly sworn say 

 that the above and foregoing statement is 

 true and correct in every particular. 

 A. D. McPherson, 



Notary Public. 



I also enclose photos of 2 unmounted 

 buffalo bull heads, which outmeasure the 

 noted "J. G.," Middletown, N. Y. head. 

 The measurements are as follows: 



Circumference of left horn at base 



Circumference of left horn above base. . 

 Circumference of right horn at base — . 

 Circumference of right horn above base 



Length of left horn , 



Length of right horn 



No. 4. 



14%" 



14M" 



14V 



14" 



19^" 



!20%" 



*3%'' 

 13" 

 14" 

 13 J* " 



19 ft" 

 19V 



August Gottschalck. 



Photographs received but are not repro- 

 duced because the heads shown therein are 

 not materially different from others recent- 

 ly illustrated in Recreation, except as to 

 size. The photographs show tape line 

 tacked on horns, and the reading of the 

 lines shows above measurements to be cor- 

 rect. — Editor. 



AN HEGIRA OF HAWKS. 



Wichita, Kans. 

 Editor Recreation: An unusual sight, 

 and one which it is the privilege of but few 

 men to witness, was seen on the military 

 reserve surrounding Fort Reno, Okla- 

 homa, in October, 1896. Only the few 

 who happened to be passing across the 

 reservation at that time saw the occur- 

 rence, and it was a' great source of wonder- 

 ment to all. Some of them were old time 



hunters and plainsmen, but had never seen 

 the like before. 



We were driving North, and on reaching 

 the top of a hill, a long, dark streak could 

 be seen, to the West, about a mile distant. 

 It extended to the Northward about 34 °f 

 a mile, and stretched away to the South 

 more than a mile. 



At first it seemed only the shadow of a 

 cloud, but the sky was perfectly clear, and 

 the real cause was then a mystery. Driv- 

 ing faster we soon found the long, dark 

 streak was a gigantic convention of hawks, 

 of various species. 



The road lay directly through the line, 

 and we hesitated before driving near them, 

 as we expected them to fly when we ap- 

 proached, but not one of them stirred. We 

 drove in among them, and they paid no at- 

 tention to us, except that those in the road 

 leisurely walked out of the way and 

 stopped. 



All the species of hawks I ever saw were 

 there, except the little sparrow hawk. 

 Some were as black as ravens, and there 

 were a few goshawks — which are seldom 

 found so far West. There were many of 

 the common chicken hawks, a few pure 

 white,* some red shouldered, and other va- 

 rieties, with which we were unacquainted. 



Some of the birds remained so near that 

 our driver struck at them with his whip; 

 but even these only ran out of reach and 

 did not take wing. 



The birds all faced North, and not one 

 of them even looked around at us, save 

 those who were compelled to get out of 

 our way. They seemed very tired, yet ev- 

 ery eye was open. 



We passed through this great throng, for 

 a distance of 24 of a mile. The birds stood 

 3 to 8 feet apart. It was a very strange 

 and interesting spectacle. They were ev- 

 idently bent on some long migration, and 

 had simply stopped here to rest. 



After we had left them about 34 of a mile 

 behind, those at the Northern end of the 

 flock first arose, and flying just far enough 

 Northward to gain their balance, swung 

 off to the left and turned South; the oth- 

 ers getting up and following in order as 

 their turns came. It looked like an im- 

 mense scroll, as the birds arose in perfect 

 order, and gracefully swinging around to 

 the left, followed the head of the column. 

 The noise made by the- wings was dis- 

 tinctly audible when the nearest birds were 

 200 yards away; and the movement of the 

 air, as the first half mile of them passed 

 over us, was sufficient to disturb the loose 

 ends of the handkerchiefs about our necks. 



Franklin L. Paine. 



GAZING INTO THE GATES OF HELL. 

 It would indeed be difficult to decide as 

 to which is the most wonderful feature 



* There is no species of pure white hawks in America, 

 and these must have been Albinos. — Editor. 



