138 



RJECkEATlON. 



HOW GROUSE TAKE WATER. 



I have been much interested in the dis- 

 cussion as to whether ruffed grouse 

 drink water in the same manner as the 

 domestic fowl, and until recently was of 

 the opinion thev did not, as I have watched 

 their habits closely in Maine, Massachu- 

 setts and Minnesota, and never saw a 

 grouse drink, though they will pick drops 

 of water from twigs and grass. At the 

 Sportsmen's Show, in Boston, I was 

 watching a male grouse, standing on a log, 

 with ruff extended, wings dropped and 

 tail partly spread, as though about to drum, 

 when another grouse came out of the 

 brush in the pen and drank water from a 

 tin pan exactly as a hen would do it. This 

 may be a result of domestication, as I have 

 noticed that many birds and animals 

 change their habits under different condi- 

 tions. 



We have been feeding the squirrels about 

 our house for more than a year, and 

 have 2 red and 7 grey squirrels that 

 come regularly for peanuts. The cats hunt 

 these squirrels continually and have caught 

 several. Yesterday morning I noticed a 

 strange squirrel in company with one of 

 our old pets, whose mate was -killed by a 

 cat last fall. The new squirrel looks thin 

 and acts hungry, but does not know what a 

 peanut is for. It will examine the one be- 

 ing eaten by its companion, and then hunt 

 around with it until it finds a nut; but it 

 will not eat a peanut, though it will take a 

 walnut at once. 



C. G. Brackett, Boston, Mass. 



Mr. E. T. Seton, in his book, "Wild Ani- 

 mals I Have Known," page 312, story of 

 Redruff. says : "Then came the drink, the 

 purest of living water, although silly men 

 had called it Mud creek. At first the 

 little fellows didn't know how to drink, 

 but they copied their mother, and soon 

 learned to drink like her, and give thanks 

 after every sip." The illustration at the 

 top of the page shows the young grouse 

 standing along the bank of the creek, drink- 

 ing. Assuredly, Mr. Seton would scarcely 

 assert such a thing if he did not have good 

 ground to base his claims on. 



David S. Wegg, Jr., Chicago, 111. 



If you will read, in November Recrea- 

 tion, 1901, the article by Mr. A. F. Rice, 

 which started this discussion in regard to 

 the manner in which grouse take water, 

 you will note that he says a certain author 

 admits, "I have never seen grouse drink." 

 That author was Mr. E. T. Seton. — Editor. 



Being interested in the discussion going 

 on in Recreation about grouse drinking, I 

 took pains to watch the ruffed grouse at the 

 Boston Sportsmen's Show, March 8. One 

 of the grouse stepped into the pan of wa- 



ter provided, dipped its bill in, and therl 

 raised its head between sips, exactly as a 

 hen does in drinking. No doubt many 

 others have noticed the same thing, as the 

 enclosure contained a number of these 

 birds. H. P. Libby, Eliot, Maine. 



While at the Sportsmen's Show in Bos- 

 ton, February 22d, I stopped a few min- 

 utes in front of the enclosure containing 

 a number of ruffed grouse. One of the 

 birds hopped on the edge of a pan con- 

 taining water and drank copiously. It 

 seemed such a natural thing to do that I 

 should not consider it worth recording 

 had I not noticed the discussion regarding 

 the matter in Recreation. 



Wm. L. Skinner, West Cambridge, Mass. 



COON CHATTER. 



I have hunted coons 20 years, and 

 am not tired of the sport yet, although 

 coons are scarce here. I see in Recrea- 

 tion letters about the noise a coon makes. 

 I do not believe coons have any call. W T hen 

 a coon wants company he comes down 

 from his bed tree and hustles off to find 

 friends. I have a tame coon in a cage 

 close to the house, and have never heard 

 him make a noise except to growl at me 

 when he is eating. I have had him 2 years. 

 He is large, with a beautiful coat of fur. I 

 have 4 hounds with which I hunt coons. 

 One old one is the finest tree dog I ever 

 went in the woods with. I have hunted 

 with all kinds of dogs, but with long ex- 

 perience I will take the hound, and the 

 finer blooded he is the better he suits me. 

 I like a hound because he can work a trail 

 after the coon has been gone a long time. 

 Coons are scarce, and I like to give them a 

 chance for their life. I go to hear the chase 

 more than to get the game. I have a tent 

 and go on a camping trip one week each 

 fall. Last year we went to Slaughter 

 Neck, 25 miles from here. I should like to 

 correspond with anyone interested in coon 

 hunting and anyone having pedigree fox 

 or deer hounds for sale. Should also like 

 to hear direct from the Baltimore man 

 who saw the coon eat the bird eggs. 



W. L. Barnes, Seaford, Del. 



I have read with interest the articles 

 which have appeared in Recreation from 

 time to time, in regard to coons barking 

 or making calls. For more than 20 years I 

 have hunted coons and have yet to hear 

 one bark or make any noise except when 

 worried by dogs. As I usually hunt alone 

 I should be likely to hear any such noise 

 if any were made. I have also kept a num- 

 ber of pet coons. Have never heard them 

 make any sound, except during the mating 

 season. I own some fine coon dogs and 



