3°<5 



RECREA TION. 



Now the question I want to ask is, what 

 were the eagle's intentions? 



He certainly could have had no hope of 

 overpowering a 200 pound buck, in good 

 health. Harry Petrie, Denver, Col. 



RESCUING A RED SQUIRREL. 



I was crossing the Racket river, some 40 

 miles above Potsdam, at the foot of Hedge- 

 hog rapids, when I saw something swim- 

 ming in mid-stream. 



At first sight I took it to be a mink, but 

 soon discovered it was a red squirrel. 



I thought I would give the little fellow 

 a lift, so took him aboard, but not until he 

 had received a thorough ducking on ac- 

 count of the swiftness of the water. 



I placed him on my coat which was lying 

 on the seat in front of me, and resumed 

 rowing. He would cuddle down in one 

 place until it became wet, then move to a 

 dry spot. By the time I reached shore he 

 had pretty thoroughly canvassed the whole 

 coat. 



When the bow of the boat grounded he 

 manifested no desire to leave, so I placed 

 him on the gunwale beside me and spread 

 out his hair that it might dry more quickly. 

 In the meantime the little fellow eyed me 

 with a most approving look. 



When each individual hair was adjusted 

 and dried to his satisfaction, with a little 

 chirk and " I thank you," he scampered 

 along the gunwale and disappeared in the 

 forest. 



What struck me as remarkable was his 

 fearlessness, and apparent appreciation of 

 my help. 



J. M. Graves, Potsdam, N. Y. 



YES, WOODPECKERS SHOULD BE PROTECTED. 



Will you please inform me through Rec- 

 reation whether woodpeckers should be 

 regarded as harmful to trees and shrubs, or 

 as beneficial. These birds are quite plenti- 

 ful in our neighborhood, and many persons 

 shoot them on account of the damage they 

 are supposed to do to young trees. 



H. A. Buehmann, Milwaukee, Wis. 



ANSWER. 



Beyond all question, woodpeckers, nut- 

 hatches and chickadees should be regarded 

 as the special protectors of trees, and them- 

 selves entitled to the most complete pro- 

 tection. Nature has made the woodpecker 

 for the special duty of warring upon the 

 miserable borers which constantly strive 

 to mutilate and destroy the few trees that 

 are spared by the woodman's axe. Where 

 the borers are, there will the woodpecker 

 be found. Depend upon it, these birds will 

 harm no trees that are free from insect 

 larvae. I cannot imagine what they have 

 done that should have caused sentence of 

 death to be pronounced upon them. It 

 is to be hoped that even if they have done 

 a little damage, the vast amount of good 



service rendered by them will not be for- 

 gotten. Many a farmer loses temper at the 

 loss of a few cherries or grapes, and in re- 

 venge kills birds which, if allowed to live, 

 would destroy noxious insects by the thou- 

 sand every season. It should be remem- 

 bered that the laborer is worthy of his hire. 

 — Editor. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Please tell me in your next issue the 

 names of 2 or 3 of the best publications on 

 Natural History, adapted to the use of 

 one who spends a great deal of time in 

 hunting, and who wants to learn the 

 natures and whereabouts of the inhabitants 

 of land and sea. 



Price to be no higher than $30, bound in 

 leather. H. A. W. 



ANSWER. 



I advise H. A. W. to procure a copy of 

 the " Royal Natural History," the latest 

 out, published in 6 volumes, finely illus- 

 trated, and a library in itself. It covers the 

 animal kingdom generally. Its retail price 

 is $27, but it can be purchased through Rec- 

 reation at $22. 



Another valuable work is the " Popular 

 Natural History," by J. S. Kingsley, pub- 

 lished in 2 r0yal.8vo volumes at $9. Of 

 course you already own a copy of " The 

 Big Game of North America," by G. O. 

 Shields, without which no naturalist's li- 

 brary is complete. W. T. H. 



In January Recreation I notice a 

 query as to the whereabouts of the wild 

 pigeons. These groups of the Bahamas- 

 Crooked, Aclius, and Fortune islands — 

 abound with wild pigeons which go in 

 flocks of 100 and sometimes more. I have 

 seen game hogs bag as many as 100 birds 

 in 2 hours. Wood doves are plentiful, 

 but go in pairs. There are a few mallard 

 and redhead ducks. Snipe are numerous. 

 Flamingoes, herons and cranes abound. 

 Wild hogs are also plentiful. They afford 

 good sport, though they are becoming 

 troublesome to the farmers of these islands. 

 Salt water fishing is excellent. Fortune 

 island is a paradise for sportsmen. 

 E. F. Carlton, Fortune Island, Bahamas. 



These are doubtless the band tailed pig- 

 eon, Columba fasciata, and not the passenger 

 pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius. 



I take issue with Mr. F. P. Latham, when 

 he asserts that quails in the South do not 

 rear 2 broods a season. My observation, 

 extending over 40 years, enables me to state 

 that birds do frequently raise 2 broods a 

 year. I have often, in the harvesting sea- 

 son between the 10th and 19th of June, 

 seen a cock and hen quail with a brood of 

 half grown birds that could easily fly out 

 of danger. About the middle of August, I 

 have seen the same cock and hen with a 



