NATURAL HlSl^ORY. 



3°7 



brood of young ones that could easily run, 

 and in a few weeks the first brood joined 

 the parent birds. I knew these were the 

 same birds because they were in my field 

 and I am a close observer. I do not say 

 all birds invariably have 2 broods a year; 

 but that they frequently do in this section, 

 cannot be successfully controverted. 



J. P. Buford, Lawrenceville, Va. 



I find the following in the Williams Bay 

 (Wis.) Observer: 



" An item is going the rounds of the 

 county press to the effect that the wild 

 pigeon, which used to flock in such large 

 numbers in this locality, is now extinct. 

 This, however, is not the case, as a flock 

 of some 200 or 300 of these birds nested in 

 a strip of large timber North of Lake 

 Geneva last summer, and we can mention 

 half a dozen gentlemen who can testify to 

 having secured several of them. It is also 

 stated by those who know, that they are 

 on the increase." 



I am quite certain it is true about pigeons 

 nesting there in summer, but I am afraid 

 they will not be allowed to remain in peace. 

 If left alone for some years they would in- 

 crease rapidly. 



J. M. Olson, Delavan, Wis. 



I investigated this report and find it is en- 

 tirely without foundation. — Editor. 



I shot an antelope October 22d and still 

 have the horns. From the measurements 

 given below it will be seen that they are 

 larger than those described by Mr. Comp- 

 ton, in November Recreation. 



Inches. 



Length of left horn around curve 17]^ 



Length of right horn around curve.. 17^/s 



Spread of horns at tips 6 l /z 



Spread at widest part 15 



Girth of left horn at base 6 x /2 



Girth of right horn at base 6% 



Girth of horn at largest place 10^2 



Weight 125 pounds. 



E. S. Dodge, Acadia Ranch, 



Oracle, Ariz. 



Having seen occasional reports in Rec- 

 reation regarding fine deer horns, I give 

 below measurements of a most remarkable 

 pair of mule deer horns. The deer was 

 killed September 15, 1896, in the Sawtooth 

 mountains, Idaho, and the horns are owned 

 by L. Skow, a taxidermist in this city. 



Measurements are as follows: Extreme 

 spread, 34 %. inches; width at front beam, 

 31 inches ; length along either antler, from 

 skull to tip, 31 inches; circumference of 

 burr, y% inches; circumference of beam, 5 

 inches; number of prongs, 16. Weight 

 (with cleaned skull), 8^4 pounds. 



Isador S. Trostler, Omaha, Neb. 



I noticed an article in April Recreation 

 stating that Mr. F. M. Hondlette, of St. 

 Louis, had sent you a set of rattles number- 

 ing 43 and a button. I know Mr. H. well, 

 and after I had looked this string over 

 carefully, he told me it was made up of the 

 rattles of several snakes. It was neatly put 

 together. I have killed a great many rattlers 

 in Arizona and California, and some big 

 ones too, but I never saw one snake have 

 more than 18 rattles and a button. In 

 crawling over rough ground and through 

 the bushes they frequently wear or tear 

 some of them off. 



B. P. Hooke, Jr., Loysville, Pa. 



I recently visited the Page Wire Fence 

 Park, at Adrian. They have 2 bull elk in 

 an enclosure by themselves where the fence 

 is not more than 5 feet high. They and 

 most of the other animals are quite tame, 

 and will eat grass from your hands. The 

 main park fence is 10 feet high. They have 

 many deer, and a buffalo calf. In a small 

 yard 2 coyotes are kept, also a bear chained 

 to a post, who makes great sport for the 

 boys. Tecumseh, Mich. 



One day, while wheeling along pictu- 

 resque coast roads, in the island of Jamaica, 

 I saw my first pelican. He was plying his 

 trade as a fisherman, a few rods from shore. 

 He sailed slowly along, a few feet from the 

 surface, then dived, going entirely under. 

 Coming up, he sat on the water like a duck, 

 and gulped down his prey. I noted that 

 every dive resulted in his securing some- 

 thing. He is a fisher surely. Stam. 



One morning as I was in my garden I 

 noticed 2 robins looking around, seemingly 

 for a nesting place. Thinking I could be 

 of service I made a short shelf and placed 

 it under the peak of a roof. Within 2 hours 

 the birds were on it, and next morning 

 were hard at work building a nest. 



A. O. Palmer, Cortlandt, N. Y. 



Would say to M. P. Dunham, Wood- 

 worth, Mont., that I have known a common 

 brook trout to eat a snake, a foot long. My 

 father and I both saw the fish with the 

 snake's tail sticking out of its mouth. The 

 snake was of a harmless species known in 

 this locality as a striped snake. 



C. M. Davis, Syracuse, N. Y. 



Ammonia is an effective antidote for rat- 

 tlesnake bite. My father, who is a physi- 

 cian and has practiced in the country for 45 

 years, has frequently prescribed ammonia 

 with success, and never lost a case. 



B. P. Hooke, Jr., Loysville, Pa. 



Blue birds, robins, ducks and meadow 

 larks are plentiful here. 



Frank E. Butts, Froelich, Iowa. 



