ae 
NATURAL 
ming for the headgear of foolish women. 
Most of these are killed during the breed- 
ing season, as the parent birds fall easy 
victims while trying to protect their 
young. A person who went through the 
hunting grounds of Florida says it was 
horrible to hear the screams of the starv- 
mic youn birds. Prof. Eo. E. Fish-estt- 
mates that insectivorous birds save an- 
nually to the farmers of the United States 
$100,000,000. Let all who want birds pro- 
tected do something to stop this increas- 
ing ‘‘slaughter of the innocents,” and give 
the little red squirrel a much needed rest. 
El Sol, Franklin Falls, N. H. 
Yes, join the L. A. S. and help in its 
warfare on bird destroyers. Help us to 
extend its work into the Southern states 
where the slaughter of birds is greatest. 
EDITOR. 

A NEW MOOSE FROM ALASKA. 
Dr. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., sends out a 
bulletin in which he says: 
The moose of Alaska has long been 
known’ as the largest of American deer, 
but hitherto it has not been directly com- 
pared with true Alces americanus.... The 
Alaskan moose differs considerably from 
the animal inhabiting the Eastern United 
States and Eastern and central Canada. 
To the latter the specific names american- 
us, lobatus, and muswa bk been applied. 
I can find no name, however, pased on 
the Alaskan animal, which may be called 
VAlGest= 1805 Spi” NOV..0. 27S 
General characters—A larger, more 
richly colored animal than the Eastern 
moose. Skull with occipital portion nar- 
rower, palate broader, and mandibie much 
heavier than in Alces americanus. 
Color.—General color a grizzle of black 
and wood brown, darkening along spine 
and changing abruptly to clear black on 
chest, buttocks, and lower part of sides. 
Median line of belly hair-brown. Legs 
hair-brown, or broccoli-brown with dark- 
er shading. Head like back, but more 
finely grizzled. Ears yellowish white in- 
ternally, broccoli-brown externally. 
Skull and teeth—The skull of Alces 
gigas differs from that of Alces americanus 
in its larger size and greater massiveness, 
as well as in certain details of form. Chief 
among the latter is the great breadth of 
the palate, relatively to the length of the 
toothrow. In three males of Alces gigas 
the ratio of least palatal breadth (between 
anterior premolars) to length of tooth- 
row is. respectively 47.1, 47.1, and 
44.7. In three males of Alces americanus 
it is only 36, 36, and 39. In this respect 
Alces gigas resembles Alces alces, though 
the Alaskan animal shows no approach 
to the conspicuous deepening of the ant- 
orbital portion of the skull, or the pecu- 
HLS LORY, 385 
liar form of the premaxillary character- 
istic of the European species. The occiput 
is relatively higher and narrower than in 
Alces americanus. In two males of the 
latter the ratio of depth between inion and 
lower lip of foramen magnum to greatest 
width across paroccipital processes is 
68.5 and 72.2, while in three of Alces gigas 
it is 81.8, 84.8, and 87.5. 

A PARASITE INFESTING RABBITS. 
On dressing a rabbit recently killed 
here its intestines were found to contain 
250 or 300 small particles, oval in shape, 
about % inch long, with a small white spot 
at one end. They were transparent and 
had about the consistency of the white of 
an egg. What were they and what book, 
if any, will enlighten me on this subject? 
G. W. Chase, St. Louis, Mo. 

Dr. Hassall, of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture, says the parasites 
found in the intestines of the rabbit were 
probably Cysticercus pisiformis, the larval 
stage of one of the tapeworms (Tenia 
serrata) of the dog. There is no special 
danger in eating rabbits which contain 
these parasites, as the species does not 
mature in man. Dr. Hassall recommends 
as the best English work on parasites, 
Neuman’s “Treatise on the Parasites and 
Parasitic Diseases of Domesticated Ani- 
mals,” translated by George Fleming, and 
published by Wm. R. Jenkins, New York, 
1892, pp. 800. 
SHALL THE SPARROW STILL LIVE? 
Like all other subjects, there are 2 sides 
to the sparrow question. I would not 
claim for him-all the beauties and virtues 
the Almighty is capable of embodying in 
one ornithological specimen, but he has 
some redeeming features and not half so 
many vices as some people fancy he has. 
He is here, and here to stay; it is all non- 
sense to talk about exterminating the 
sparrow. His habitation is largely the 
cities where it is contrary to the ordi- 
nances to discharge firearms; and people 
are too busy to give time to suppressing 
the sparrow when there are greater mon- 
sters that need suppression 1,000 times 
more. It may be true that the sparrow 
drives song birds away from some lo- 
calities. Even if he were not here, song 
birds would not be common in cities and 
towns. In such places the sparrow is a 
welcome guest unless we be prejudiced 
against him. All of God’s creatures have 
some commendable traits and some useful 
purpose, and as a rule man does not need 
to apply his power of destruction to little 
birds to make the natural order of the 
animal kingdom move harmoniously. 
M. L, Miner, Brooklyn, N. Y, 

