3o6 



RECREATION. 



not to shoot or catch any birds or fish I 

 have no use for. 



One of the great causes of bird destruc- 

 tion is the indiscriminate collecting of 

 birds and eggs by amateurs. I have seen 

 things done by this class that would put 

 the average plume hunter (on whom be 

 curses) in the light of a pretty good fel- 

 low. 



You are doing good work and you have 

 a hard task. You should receive the en- 

 couragement and practical support of every 

 man and woman interested, and, speaking 

 of women, is it not possible for Congress 

 to pass a law forbidding the sale and ,wear- 

 ing of egret plumes, with a heavy penalty 

 of fine and imprisonment. It seems that 

 is the only way. Women are so consti- 

 tuted that nothing but the severest meas- 

 ures will appeal to their understanding. 

 You are in a position to do it. Why not 

 set the ball in motion and see if something 

 can be done. 



Newton Dexter, Grant, Fla. 



ANSWER 



The ball is already in motion. Mr. Lacey 

 has introduced a bill in Congress, known 

 as House bill No. 6,634, which strikes a 

 hard blow at the plume hunters and plume 

 wearers. Let every friend of the birds 

 write his representatives in both houses of 

 Congress urging the passage of this bill. 

 When we get this law then we will ask for 

 other and more stringent ones. — Editor. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Your valuable publication is always read 

 with pleasure from cover to cover and it 

 always contains items of interest to lovers 

 of sport with rod and gun. I note one let- 

 ter in the December number that I can- 

 not pass without comment. It bears the 

 title "Hunting Muskrats," and it makes 

 me wonder how long people will continue 

 to write of something they know nothing 

 about. No one ever saw a muskrat eat 

 flesh of any kind. He is not a carnivorous 

 animal any more than a rabbit is or a 

 beaver. For instance., who ever heard of 

 a trapper baiting his traps with meat to 

 catch either muskrats, beavers or rabbits? 

 Look at the mouth of a muskrat Has he 

 any carnivorous teeth? No more than a 

 beaver or a rabbit has. It looks to me as 

 though Mr. Wood should take a few les- 

 sons in natural history and not presume so 

 much on the credulity of readers. No 

 muskrat ever dined on duck or responded 

 to the call of one. 



Game in Wyoming is not so plentiful as 

 it was 30 years ago, but deer are increas- 

 ing, owing to our stringent game laws. 

 Trout are plentiful, and the streams are 

 being well stocked under the present sys- 

 tem. C. W. Morgareidge, Wolf, Wyo, 



Is it not true, as a partial answer to a 

 questioner in Recreation regarding the 

 advisability of waging a war of extermina- 

 tion against the blue jay, that nature left 

 to herself preserves an economic balance 

 that within certain limits of flexibility is 

 practically perfect, and that human 

 interference is apt to disturb it to an 

 alarming degree? Certainly it would seem 

 that men's efforts to promote the general 

 good should be on well defined scientific 

 lines and always in harmony with natural 

 law. That being so, I cannot help pro- 

 testing against any suggestion of hostility 

 toward so useful, so beautiful, a bird as the 

 blue jay. When New England is suf- 

 fering so severely from the ravages of the 

 forest tent caterpillar, of which the blue 

 jay is one of the deadliest foes, such sug- 

 gestions appear especially ill timed. Also, 

 I must raise my voice against the slander- 

 ing of the crow, than which the farmer and 

 horticulturist has no more useful friend — 

 albeit generally misunderstood and ma- 

 ligned. 



E. W. W., Keene, N. H. 



I should like to know the name of a 

 small animal caught near here. The full 

 length, from tip to tip. is 22 inches; the 

 tail alone, 5 inches. The specimen resem- 

 bles a mink in shape, but is a little heavier 

 in head and legs. The teeth are same as 

 those of the mink. The color of under 

 part of body, and about half of the tail, is 

 pale yellow, with the coarse outer fur on 

 back and neck almost black; dark brown 

 around the eyes; feet, legs and end of tail 

 black. 



J. W. D., Hamilton, Mont. 



ANSWER. 



It is a pine marten, though the color is 

 not regular. The light streaks on head, 

 back and side are unusual. — Editor. 



You are doing a grand work for the 

 protection Ox the game and birds. 



There are a few ruffed grouse, quail and 

 rabbits here, and it is reported that deer 

 have been seen here. There are also many 

 foxes, which are very troublesome. 



Do any of the readers of Recreation 

 know of an animal that eats skunks? I 

 found the head and one shoulder of one., 

 the other parts having been eaten. 



S. F. S.. Millville, Mass. 



ANSWER. 



The great horned owl frequently eats 

 skunks, and on rare occasions a fox will 

 do so. — Editor. 



In January Recreation Mr. Locke tells 

 of having shot a female passenger pigeon 

 carrying 2 eggs, one almost ready to be 



