3°4 



RECREA TION. 



remain if each school were presented with 

 a good collection of birds and eggs. It is 

 not at all necessary for any of the smaller 

 schools to have such collections. Every 

 good, wide awake science teacher should 

 know enough about birds and how to study 

 them to take his pupils into the fields 

 and woods where the real live things them- 

 selves can be studied. Futhermore the 

 ornithological publications give pictures 

 and accounts of birds that serve the purpose 

 as well as skins and eggs would. 



Many teachers would perhaps object to 

 introducing any more holidays into the 

 school year; but above all things let us 

 have a " bird day," even though it be in 

 connection with our arbor day, that our 

 children may 'earn of the benefits which 

 nature bestows on us through her avi- 

 fauna, and that each may learn to do his 

 duty toward the protection of birds. 



H. A. Winkenvverder. 



CAN ANYONE GIVE ME HIS NAME AND AD- 

 DRESS ? 



About 2 years ago several friends and I 

 were returning from a hunting trip in 

 Minnesota. While on the train the ques- 

 tion was brought up as to what has become 

 of our wild pigeon, when an old gentleman, 

 hearing our remarks, said, 



" Boys, I can answer that question. I 

 am a retired sea-captain, and some years 

 ago, while in command of a ship, about 3 

 o'clock one afternoon it began to rain and 

 blow a gale. About 11 p.m. it turned in 

 to freeze, so that the rain turned into ice and 

 sleet. It was one of the worst storms of 

 that kind I ever saw in 50 years on the 

 sea. Next day about noon the storm let 

 up, the temperature rose and the sea went 

 down. Two hours later the look-out re- 

 ported a strange mass floating on the water. 

 It looked like an island. On getting up to 

 it we saw it was dead birds, that had per- 

 ished in the terrible sleet storm. They 

 were pigeons, and covered the ocean for 

 miles. There were millions of them. For 

 many miles the ship plowed through 

 them, until on changing our course they 

 were left behind. The birds had been caught 

 in the storm in mid-ocean, and the rain 

 striking them had turned into ice and borne 

 them to the water, and they were drowned." 

 H. Miller, Chicago, 111. 



I would gladly give $10 to know the Cap- 

 tain's name and address, and to be able to 

 communicate with him. This sounds very 

 like a sailor's yarn, yet it may be true. — 

 Editor. 



over good country roads for the township 

 of Salem, Washtenaw County. An hour's 

 ride took us to the ground. The pigeons 

 were feeding on new land that had raised a 

 crop of buckwheat, still standing in the 

 shock. 



On my approach the flock took wing, but 

 I was soon snugly hidden in a natural blind 

 and in an hour the flock had all returned. 

 I remained in my hiding place until the 

 farm bell warned me it was the dinner hour, 

 so after gathering a basket of mushrooms 

 I returned to the house. 



After dinner, as I again approached the' 

 field, the birds took wing, but soon re- 

 turned. Near my hiding place stood a dead 

 walnut tree, and at many times during the 

 day from 3 to 20 birds would be perched 

 thereon, while on the ground was a con- 

 stant movement of wings, as the birds in 

 the rear seemed to be jumping over those 

 ahead. I should judge there were about 

 200 birds in this flock, and had I so desired, 

 many times during the day I could have 

 slaughtered from a dozen to 20 by using 

 both barrels of my gun; but at 4 o'clock I 

 left them in peace. 



I afterward learned that a few days later 

 4 things in the disguise of men sneaked on 

 these birds and at one discharge slaughtered 

 about 50 of them, causing the remainder of 

 the flock to take its departure. — A. B. Cov- 

 ert in Michigan Ornithological Bulletin. 



I should like mighty well to know the 

 names of the 4 brutes who committed that 

 slaughter. Can anyone tell me who they 

 were? 



WILD PIGEONS AT ANN ARBOR, MICH. 



October 1, 1898, word was brought me 

 of a large flock of wild pigeons feeding 

 about 12 miles from this place. The morn- 

 ing of the 3d found Brown Peter in the 

 buggy shafts, carrying us at a good clip 



A HANDY PRESERVATIVE. 



While most sportsmen are able to pre- 

 serve their larger trophies, such as the heads 

 and skins of big game, until they can reach 

 the hands of a taxidermist, many of the 

 smaller specimens become a total loss. 



Lack of time, and of proper knowledge, 

 are the principal causes of the loss of many 

 valuable souvenirs of days out of doors, and 

 interesting objects of natural history. 



Probably the easiest and least expensive 

 method of preserving the skins of mammals 

 up to the size of a fox, is by immersion in 

 the following preparation: 



One part formaldehyde (about 40 per 

 cent, strength), 9 to 14 parts water; mix 

 thoroughly, and put in glass or earthenware 

 jars or large-mouthed bottles. 



In order to insure an immediate penetra- 

 tion of the flesh, the abdominal viscera 

 should be removed from the larger speci- 

 mens. 



I think this will work equally well on 

 birds, reptiles and mammals. On removal 

 from the solution they may be skinned and 

 mounted as readily as fresh specimens. 



This solution is much less expensive than 

 alcohol, and leaves the subjects in a much 



