470 



RECREATION. 



green. Their feet are red. When flying 

 they make a whistling sound much like 

 that of tame pigeons. I fear to question 

 any hunters, as there are many here who 

 would not hesitate to destroy them. Per- 

 haps you can tell me what they are. 



J. M. Austin, Middletown, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



It is impossible to identify them from 

 your description. They may be either 

 pigeons or mourning doves. — Editor. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



I notice in November Recreation that 

 Charles Murphy, of Florence, Pa., says 

 wild pigeons usually lay 2 eggs, sometimes 

 4, and that the eggs are slightly speckled. 

 The wild pigeons in Pennsylvania must 

 be a different kind from those we used to 

 have in Wisconsin. The last year we had 

 pigeons in this State I went to their nest- 

 ing place near Kilbourn, in this county; 

 also in Adams county, adjoining. I 

 climbed tree after tree, to a height above 

 most of the nests. No nest had more 

 than one egg in it, and that was pure 

 white. On one tree I counted 83 nests 

 below me. It seems to me Mr. Murphy 

 must be mistaken or else had the nests of 

 some other bird in his mind. I don't be- 

 lieve I am the only one who has investi- 

 gated along that line. Let us hear from 

 someone else who has. 



O. M. Dering, Columbus, Wis. 



In the June number of Recreation, 

 1899, one man said he had seen a white 

 bird resembling a robin. I should like to 

 let the readers of Recreation know there 

 is such a thing as a white blackbird. 

 While on one of my fall trips to Livingston 

 county, Illinois, I saw with a flock of red 

 winged blackbirds a bird that was in every 

 way like the red winged except that one 

 wing and about half of the other were 

 white. Two tail feathers and some feathers 

 on its breast were also white. There were 

 red spots on the wings also, as on the 

 wings of the other birds. The white bird 

 seemed more tame than the others and I 

 got quite close to it, so I could examine it 

 carefully. 



R. S. Consol, Lostant, 111. 



I like your editorial in November num- 

 ber regarding the use of correct names. 

 The sooner a stand is taken in that mat- 

 ter the sooner will people become in- 

 formed regarding the correct names of our 

 birds and mammals. Our magazines and 

 papers teem with such names as par- 

 tridge, pheasant, hedgehog, coon, bobcat, 

 and hundreds of others. The correct 

 names would sound much better, and no 



one could be misled in regard to the iden- 

 tity of the bird or animal mentioned. 



Recreation is the best magazine of its 

 kind in the United States, and I always 

 buy it as soon as newsdealers get it. 



Isador S. Trostler, Omaha, Neb. 



Further answering the inquiry of Mr. 

 D. C. Henry, in the May number: 



There is one species of mountain sheep 

 which is a creamy white in color, and 

 another which is almost black on the back 

 and sides. The latter is found in British 

 Columbia, on the headwaters of the Stick - 

 ine river, and is known as Ovis stonei, or 

 Stone's mountain sheep, named in honor 

 of Mr. A. J. Stone, a member of Recrea- 

 tion staff, who discovered it. The white 

 mountain sheep is found farther North, in 

 Alaska, extending almost to the Arctic 

 ocean, and is known as Ovis dalli, or Dall's 

 mountain sheep. 



Dr. C. W. Haentschel, Mattawa, Ont, 

 has sent me the photo of a mounted Vir- 

 ginia deer that was, when killed, appa- 

 rently in a transitory stage from normal 

 color to albino. The natural gray color 

 predominates on the back and extends 

 about 1-3 of the way down the sides, 

 but the remainder of the body is beauti- 

 fully dappled gray and white. The speci- 

 men is a buck about 2,y 2 years olH. It was 

 killed by William O'Connor, of Bonfield, 

 Ontario, near Lake Tolon, 25 miles West 

 of Mattawa, and was mounted by William 

 C. Le Heup, of Mattawa. It is said the 

 owner has refused $250 for the skin. 



In your issue for December, '99, I see 

 the statement that the scarcity of bluebirds 

 is due to their being killed by men and 

 boys. That may be one of the causes, but 

 the English sparrows can account for more 

 dead bluebirds in one hatching season than 

 all the men and boys can in 5 years. I've 

 seen sparrows take young bluebirds out of 

 the nest, drop them to the ground and ap- 

 propriate the nest themselves. Wrens are 

 getting scarce for the same reason. All 

 States should encourage the extermination 

 of English sparrows. 



James A. Elliott, Laclede, Mo. 



What can I feed salamanders, lizards and 

 small snakes to keep them alive in confine- 

 ment? 



C. B. Meeks, Daytona, Fla. 



ANSWER. 



Salamanders and lizards take earth 

 worms, and the larvae of the brown beetle 

 (meal worms) in captivity. Small snakes 

 feed on earth worms, small fishes and 

 frogs, according to the species and locality 

 whence obtained. — Editor, 



