312 



RECREA TION. 



A most audacious little bird for his size 

 and weight is the sharp-shinned hawk, one 

 of which pounced upon a quail killed by a 

 brother sportsman while hunting last fall, 

 and was about to carry it away for his 

 breakfast. When he noticed the dangerous 

 proximity of the man with a gun he 

 dropped his prey and flew to a tree near by, 

 to watch his movements. 



The hawk weighed less than the quail, 

 but he would have carried it off had he not 

 been frightened away. Finally, however, 

 he followed the quail into the hunter's 

 game pocket — but remained there *as a 

 much desired natural history specimen. 



Great horned owls were abundant last fall 

 and winter, and many fine specimens of 

 both the Eastern and Western varieties 

 were obtained. The latter seem somewhat 

 in the majority, and all are fat, showing 

 that they find plenty to eat. 



M. K. Barnum. 



SWIMMING POWERS OF THE SKUNK. 



Tacoma, Wash. 



Editor Recreation: I was interested in 

 the testimony of 2 of your correspondents, 

 in the July and October numbers of Rec- 

 reation, controverting the generally ac- 

 cepted belief that rabbits cannot swim. 

 This belief is also entertained in regard to 

 other animals that are not naturally am- 

 phibious. Dr. Elliott Coues some time ago, 

 in writing of the skunk remarked that they 

 " neither climb trees nor swim in the wa- 

 ter." Dr. Charles C. Abbott in a chapter 

 on the same animal, in " A Naturalist's 

 Rambles About Home," writes as follows: 

 " While not exhibiting the aversion to wa- 

 ter that characterizes our common cat, the 

 skunk does not appear to take to swimming 

 voluntarily, even when closely pursued. 

 Thus, when trying to evade an enemy, if it 

 comes to the bank of a pond or creek, it 

 will usually turn from its course and seek 

 safety in some other way than by flight. 

 Occasionally, however, in the upper valley 

 of the Delaware, where these animals are 

 much more abundant than in the Southern 

 or tide-water portion of the State, the heavy 

 freshets of early spring will catch them nap- 

 ping, and then they are forced to seek 

 safety by clinging to floating logs. In this 

 position they take an unwilling ride, often 

 of many miles, and if luckily they escape 

 drowning, it is only to find themselves 

 landed in a level, scantily wooded country, 

 the very opposite in all respects to their 

 original home. When their involuntary 

 river-voyages are taken, it often happens 

 that a short swim becomes necessary. This 

 is always so clumsily done that, if a skunk 

 has more than a few yards to go, it will 

 probably be drowned." 



Regarding the natatorial abilities of the 



skunk I once witnessed a very interesting 

 instance. I was encamped on the banks of 

 Beaver creek, in Columbiana county, Ohio. 

 One evening in July, when the shadows 

 were lengthening, I was in my boat, very 

 slowly and quietly floating along where the 

 stream was possibly about 125 feet in width. 

 Presently I saw a mother skunk, with 6 

 young ones, almost fully grown, come down 

 to the water's edge. They played about, 

 for nearly half an hour, when the mother 

 deliberately waded into the water and with 

 the greatest ease swam entirely across the 

 stream, passing within 10 feet of my boat. 

 On reaching the shore, she quickly disap- 

 peared among the bushes on the opposite 

 bank. I waited until it was nearly dark, 

 watching for her return, but saw her no 

 more. At last, with some reluctance, and 

 with several well developed twinges of con- 

 science, I raised my gun, fired into the 

 group of infant chicken-thieves on the shore 

 and killed 5 out of the 6. Frequent com- 

 plaints from the neighboring farmers, on 

 account of depopulated hen-roosts, fur- 

 nished abundant reason for this wholesale 

 " slaughter of the innocents " (?). 



Meriden S. Hill. 



INDIAN DOGS AND PONIES. 



Editor Recreation: The Wyandot and 

 other Indians, who ranged through this 

 Maumee valley 50 and more years ago, were 

 possessed of a peculiar breed of dog. Our 

 oldest inhabitants now living, who had deal- 

 ings with these Indians for a period of 

 about 20 years previous to their removal 

 to the Western reservations, agree in de- 

 scribing these dogs as all of one breed, uni- 

 formly about two-thirds to three-fourths 

 the height of the wolves, Canis occidentalis, 

 var. ater and griseo, then here abounding. 

 Their bodies were not so much shorter or 

 smaller than those of the wolves, but their 

 legs were shorter, stronger, and somewhat 

 bowed. In hair, color, nose, ears and tail, 

 they greatly resembled the gray wolves, 

 though occasionally one was darker, like 

 the black wolf. These dogs were very cour- 

 ageous in hunting and attacking bear, and 

 the Indians depended greatly upon them in 

 the pursuit of this game. They did not 

 bark like ordinary dogs, but snarled and 

 howled very like the wolves. Where did 

 the Indians first get this breed of dogs, and 

 what was its origin? 



These Indians had ponies also, small in 

 size, with small, well-shaped heads, full 

 manes and tails, and somewhat shaggy in 

 appearance. They had great powers of en- 

 durance. They were mostly of a dun color, 

 but some were darker, and many had a dark 

 stripe along the back. An occasional one 

 had a bald face, and such were ridden by 

 the chiefs and other prominent braves of 



