NATURAL HISTORY. 



223 



are preferred. Homemade traps catch 

 skunks easily. Yes, put about a foot of 

 the wire fence in the ground, slanting in- 

 ward slightly. Skunks can not climb. 

 They can be fed or driven into a small 

 locked enclosure at night, the same as 

 poultry. You can keep 500 females on an 

 acre if you have old buildings for them 

 to hide under. One male to 15 females is 

 about the right proportion. Change the 

 males about. Aim to have litters come 

 so as to be full grown by January first. 

 You then get January fur, which is best. 

 To distinguish these animals;, mark them 

 on the ears with a poultry marker, shave 

 spots on their legs, or put on collars. 

 There were at one time at least 3 men rais- 

 ing skunks in Pennsylvania, but I can not 

 recall addresses. Skunks are easy to 

 trap and stock up with. All books of nat- 

 ural history contain something worth 

 looking up. Odorless skunks are good 

 fur bearers, the scent sac and testicles 

 being entirely separate. 



SPARROW DEPREDATIONS. 



Elmwood, Mass. 

 Editor Recreation: 



I read with some amusement in De- 

 cember Recreation Mr. John A. Dyer's 

 attempt to defend the English sparrow. 

 Mr. Dyer is a tender hearted man, and I 

 appreciate that quality; but when he 

 speaks of the sparrows helping to 

 beautify our streets, in winter or any 

 other season, I think his ideas of beauty 

 are too easily satisfied. The sparrows' 

 work does not stand so much against 

 him in the country, in the beauty line, but 

 if he happens to be a city sparrow his 

 work is anything but ornamental. 



I am 27 years old, and can remember 

 when English sparrows were quite scarce 

 in these parts. When I was about 12 years 

 old I put up a tenement house for birds. 

 In a few days I had a charming colony of 

 blue birds occupying the house. Then 

 one little ragged sparrow took possession 

 of the house, and as fast as Mr. Blue 

 alighted he was promptly driven off. 

 The blues would put up no fight at all, 

 and in a short time the sparrow owned 

 the whole house. After getting every- 

 thing his own way, he went off and got 

 him a wife, and then entered into the con- 

 tract of supplying the immediate vicinity 

 with sparrows. Just then a bad boy rob- 

 bed his nest. 



When I was very small we had in the 

 heart of our little town a colony of mar- 

 tins living in a large bird house. They 

 staid only a short time, however, after 

 ihe sparrows came. I know of 2 men 

 who had colonies of martins staying with 

 them, who were able to protect them only 

 by continually shooting the sparrows, 



In the town one mile from here, some, 

 men put up a large house for martins. I 

 did not think a martin would be able to 

 stay there, but am > glad to say they do 

 remain, and breed along with the spar- 

 rows. I never saw this anywhere before, 

 and think it is because the house is ex- 

 tra large. 



Years ago I had blue birds and swal- 

 lows living in the apple trees around my 

 house, but last summer every hole con- 

 tained a pair of noisy, scolding spar- 

 rows. Early this winter I noticed the 

 sparrows were making my back yard a 

 feeding ground. A box about 3 by 4 feet 

 lies 70 feet from my kitchen window. I 

 baited the sparrows with cracked corn 

 for.a few days, on the top of this box, and 

 then I took a few shots at them from the 

 window with my shot gun. At one shot I 

 killed 12, at another 9, another 6. I have 

 several other times killed one to 3, and 

 now I seldom see a sparrow around my 

 house. I have shot a few with my 38-55 

 Winchester. I did not use steel jack- 

 ets or smokeless powder or any tin to 

 make my bullets hard, but I think my rifle 

 sufficiently big and powerful for that kind 

 of game. I don't think the 30-30 or the 

 45-70 would have killed them any quicker. 



Austin R. Knapp. 



COON CHATTER. 



In June Recreation I note what Carey 

 C. Waleman says about coons making a 

 noise. I have heard several disputes on 

 this subject and am interested. I have 

 hunted coons for several years, but as yet 

 have never heard a noise from a coon ex- 

 cept when the dogs had him. I have often 

 gone in the direction from which came 

 the supposed coon noise, but never started 

 a coon. I have often seen screech owls 

 fly from same locality. I certainly believe 

 the alleged coon noise comes from the 

 owl. Woodchucks make a noise very much 

 like that made by a coon. I have often 

 heard coons in captivity laugh, but never 

 when at large. Other hunters here are of 

 the same opinion. 



Last Sunday as a party were out for a 

 ride on the bluffs South of this city they 

 were surprised to see a large wildcat and 

 a woodchuck in desperate combat. The 

 party watched the affray until the chuck 

 succumbed. Then they started for the cat, 

 but as he was in his fighting clothes they 

 decided to leave him alone. 



Last summer a large wildcat followed a 

 schoolgirl nearly 2 miles. Allie Smith, 

 living a few miles North of here, went to 

 Mirror lake lasl winter, rabbit hunting, 

 and on his way home was surprised to see 

 ;i large timber wolf chasing his beagle. 

 Allie got out his gun, got a close range, 



