NATURAL HISTORY, 



61 



and jays in the balsam. I went down there 

 and found the robins' nest and eggs were 

 things of the past. Not only did the jays 

 destroy the nest, but they cleaned out the 

 whole 4. I am an enthusiastic member of 

 the L. A. S., an admirer of Recreation, 

 and wish both all success possible in the 

 course they are taking; but I draw the line 

 on protection for the blue jay or red squir- 

 rel. 



W. S. Mead, Woodstock, N. Y. 



While hunting deer in the woods of Ot- 

 tawa county, O., I observed a black squir- 

 rel under a hickory tree searching for nuts. 

 Soon a red squirrel appeared and made 

 him run. A second red squirrel joined in 

 the pursuit and they chased him out of 

 my sight. In less than an hour I heard 

 a great chattering on a tree near me, the 

 noise going rapidly up the tree, on the 

 opposite side, and when near the top a 

 grey squirrel came in sight and ran down 

 the tree, closely followed by a red one, 

 which drove him out of sight. 



My brother, Dr. F. B. McEl Hinney, has 

 seen red squirrels drive fox squirrels, at 

 different times. I have known them to rob 

 hens' nests, and have no doubt they rob 

 bird's nests, also. I am like Mr. Billings 

 and always kill them when opportunity 

 presents itself, but never more at a time 

 than I can use on the table. I find them 

 fine eating, although somewhat tedious to 

 dress. 



J. H. McEl Hinney, New London, O. 



A DISINTERESTED PLEA FOR THE 

 CAPTURE OF LARGE GAME. 



Some people object because others catch 

 elk, deer, etc., and sell them to Eastern 

 parks where everyone can see them. At 

 the rate game is now disappearing before 

 the small bore guns, it will be but a few 

 years until it will be exterminated, if not 

 propagated in captivity. I frequently hear 

 a protest, through individuals and period- 

 icals, against the ruthless destruction of 

 game by catching it in deep snow. 



At Henry Lake, Mr. Chas. Rock and I 

 caught in the neighborhood of 300 elk 

 while we were together, a period of 5 years. 



Of all that number we lost only about 

 20 head. We disposed of the others to 

 Eastern parties, and now Eastern people 

 who might otherwise never see an elk, can 

 gaze at those majestic animals in all their 

 glory. Mr. Rock was the swiftest and har- 

 diest snow shoer I ever saw. He could run 

 down any elk in half an hour, on 2.y 2 feet 

 of snow. I merely wish to refute the state- 

 ments of those who say 60 to 75 per cent, of 

 the captured animals die. « 



Why should anyone, either in the East or 

 West, begrudge to women and children the 

 pleasure of seeing these beautiful animals 

 in captivity? Even our Montana laws pro- 



hibit anyone from capturing alive any 

 sheep, elk or moose. It is only a question 

 of a few years when there will be none to 

 capture. How much better it would be if 

 our Western cities would start parks and 

 get a few animals now, instead of legislat- 

 ing against their capture until it is too late. 



Vic Smith. 



CAN A DOG COUNT? 



Not long since I loaned my Irish setter 

 " Sport " to a friend for a few days' hunt in 

 the country. As I could not go, I let Sport 

 go, for he is as fond of quail hunting as I. 

 They flushed a fine flock of quails and Sport 

 came to a stand, on a single bird. George 

 (my friend) made him flush it, and it fell 

 at the first shot. When the dog started to 

 bring it in he came to a stand on another 

 quail. George killed that one, too, and out 

 went Sport to retrieve and again came to a 

 stand on a third bird. Sport flushed it and' 

 George killed it. When told to bring in the 

 game, the dog went after the first bird shot; 

 brought it and laid it down at George's 

 feet. Then he went after the second and the 

 third, in the order in which they were shot. 

 When he returned with the third quail he 

 himself lay down and looked up at George 

 as much as to say, " That is all, let's hunt 

 for more." This is the first time I ever 

 knew a dog to show any knowledge of 

 numbers. 



R. Boyd Cabell, M.D., DeWitt, Mo. 



I am greatly interested in Recreation, 

 especially its natural history department. 

 In a recent number, Mr. Brooks criticizes 

 the color of eyes supplied for mounting 

 wild goats and sheep. I assure you these 

 are much nearer right than the eyes the 

 manufacturers are making for coyotes. 

 The coyote has a grey veined iris, while 

 eye makers furnish for it a plain brown 

 eye that would be about right for a golden 

 eagle if smaller. This should be remedied, 

 so a taxidermist could get a correctly col- 

 ored eye without painting it himself. 



I think I have a record breaking ante- 

 lope head, although it is not nearly so 

 large as the one described in March Rec- 

 reation. Mine has its horns in the velvet. 

 It was in the act of shedding its horns 

 when Hon. W. A. Colt, of Manzanola, 

 Col., shot it. It is his property but as he 

 did not take proper care of the scalp it 

 burnt, and I am waiting until the next 

 open season to get a new scalp for it. 

 There have been disputes in different 

 sportsmen's papers as to whether an ante- 

 lope sheds its horns or not. I was never 

 convinced on the subject until I got this 

 head. I have found antelope horns on the 

 prairie and always believed they shed them, 

 but I never obtained positive evidence like 

 this before. 



Nitro Powder, Rocky Ford, Col, 



