NATURAL HISTORY. 



223 



In November Recreation, Pine Tassel, 

 Lisbon Falls, Me., asks if any of your read- 

 ers ever saw a woodchuck climb a tree. 

 Here we call them ground hogs. I once 

 came across one perched on the limb of a 

 black gum, about 15 feet from the ground 

 and about 10 feet out on the limb. A friend 

 of mine on 2 occasions saw them climbing 

 and he says they hugged the tree like a 

 small boy. 



William H. Fisher, Baltimore, Md. 



In October Recreation somebody in- 

 quires if any of its readers ever saw a wood- 

 chuck climb a tree. One day last summer I 

 was out shooting, and came suddenly on a 

 chuck, just at the edge of a ravine. I fired 

 and wounded him. He appeared dazed and 

 started to climb 2 little saplings that grew 

 close together. He was, I should think, 4 

 or 5 feet above the ground, when I fired 

 again and killed him. 



J. H. Westfall, Jamestown, N. Y. 



I have read the discussions in Recrea- 

 tion relative to the red squirrel. I know 

 from personal observation they are a source 

 of terror to the larger species of squirrels, 

 and that birds' nests are robbed by the little 

 red pirates, apparently for their own amuse- 

 ment. The states should allow a bounty 

 sufficiently large to compensate the hunter 

 for the ammunition used in killing these 

 pests. 



M. E. Denison, Benton Harbor, Mich. 



I do not think the red squirrel is quite so 

 black as he is painted. That he will rob an 

 occasional bird's nest, I know without 

 guessing. But he is not guilty of the muti- 

 lation of his gray cousin with which he 

 stands charged. That work is done by 

 mature male gray squirrels on younger in- 

 dividuals. I may be wrong in making this 

 assertion, but I base it on a life-long study 

 of the animal. 

 Charles N. Murray, M.D., Ivory town, Ct. 



Answering your inquiry about the Amer- 

 ican passenger pigeon: I have never seen 

 or heard of any having been seen in this 

 part of Mexico. We have 2 kinds of doves 

 here. The larger, somewhat smaller than 

 a pigeon, is of a bluish gray and is found 

 all over the Southwest in the States. The 

 other is small and tame, entering houses to 

 pick up bread crumbs, etc. 



Charles Wilhelmi, Valardena, Durango, 

 Mexico. 



The article in October Recreation, by 

 Allan Brooks, on the ruddy duck, Erisma- 

 tura rubida, is, so far as my observation 

 goes, fairly correct. I take exception, how- 

 ever, to the statement that the ruddy is a 

 poor duck for the table. I think it one of 

 the best. 



E. E. Farnham, Cambridge, Mass. 



In October Recreation, page 305, Lt. 

 Gardner gives dimensions of a small deer 

 head and horns. In my hunts in Mexico, 

 especially in the state of Sinaloa, I have of- 

 ten seen red deer, when fully grown, no 

 larger than this one of Lieutenant Gard- 

 ner's. In Sinaloa and other Pacific co^.st 

 states of Mexico there are mule, white tail 

 and little red deer. 



Ed. Lycan, Hoquiam, Wash. 



In reply to Mr. La Drew Sherwood. I 

 will say the German hare never holes, in- 

 creases well, lives in meadow, marsh, field 

 and forest, runs for brush whenever chased 

 by dogs, and his meat, when well prepared, 

 is delicious. Can anyone tell me what be- 

 came of the migrating European quails im- 

 ported several years ago by some Eastern 

 sportsmen? 



R. A., Minneapolis, Minn. 



Will some reader of Recreation inform 

 me if an attempt was ever made to domesti- 

 cate the mountain sheep, or if it was ever 

 crossed with any breed of domestic sheep? 

 If so, who made the experiment, and with 

 what success? Where can I learn the hab- 

 its, etc., of this interesting animal? 



Farmer, Greenwich, N. Y. 



The rarest bird in existence is a certain 

 kind of pheasant in Annam. For many 

 years its existence was known only by the 

 fact that its longest and most splendid 

 plume was in much request by mandarins 

 for their headgear. A single skin is worth 

 £80, and the living bird would be priceless, 

 but it soon dies in captivity. 



A 2 pound can of Laflin & Rand's cele- 

 brated smokeless powder, listed at $2, for 4 

 subscriptions to Recreation. You can 

 get these 4 subscriptions in half an hour 

 without interfering with your regular busi- 

 ness. 



I noticed, Mr. Starboard, that you got 

 the wishbone at dinner to-day. What did 

 you wish? 



I wished, madam, there was more meat 

 on it. 



There has been some discussion in Rec- 

 reation as to the size that coons attain. 

 William Dean and John Mayo, of Fleming- 

 ton, N. J., killed one in November last, 

 which they say weighed i8*/> pounds. 



Are English sparrows considered a pest, 

 and if so, why? 



L. Nixdorf, Lancaster, Pa. 



If you would live next to nature read 

 Recreation. 



