NATURAL HISTORY. 



399 



Have often packed 6 does on one burro. 

 The tail is usually 6 to 8 inches long, cov- 

 ered with long, shaggy, white hair and 

 when running is held straight up with the 

 white hair (about 5 inches long) falling 

 around it. The buttocks are also white on 

 the inside. I have been told by old hunters 

 that this deer is found in Mexico, Arizona, 

 Colorado and Utah. 



If Mr. Thompson wishes to obtain hides 

 or heads of this deer I can give him the 

 addresses of friends in New Mexico who 

 will be glad to furnish what he wants at 

 little or no expense. 



W. R. Weed, Elmira, N. Y. 



A GOOD ELK HEAD. 



I was pleased to read the request, in Rec- 

 reation, for measurements of good game 

 heads. I am a great admirer of fine speci- 

 mens, and think your call will bring re- 

 sponses which will be interesting and 

 profitable to many of your readers. I give 

 the following measurements of an elk head 

 I own that is good, though not phenomenal 

 in size. The animal was killed in Idaho, 

 in '96. 



L. R. 



Main beams 57 57 



Circumference around burr.... 1^/2 13V2 



Circumference above burr 12 12 



Circumference between 1st and 



2d tines io l / 2 io l /2 



Circumference between 2d and 



3d tines 8^ &A 



Circumference between 3d and 



4th tines 8 7 l / 2 



Circumference between 4th and 



5th tines 7 3 A 7 3 A 



Length of 1st tines 19 18 



Length of 2d tines 21^2 20 



Length of 3d tines 17 19 



Length of 4th tines 2i l / 2 21 



Length of 5th tines 15^ 15 



Length of 6th tines 7 6 



Spread between beams, inside. . 40 



Widest spread 52 



Between points of the 2, 2d tines 



on each beam 35 



The points of 4 brow tines are so even 

 that a level laid across will touch each point. 



Has 14 points — 7 on each beam. Total 

 length, beams and tines, 26 feet. 



Ed. Quick, Mapleton, la. 



KILLING BLUE JAYS. 



Referring to my letter in which I en- 

 closed clipping relating to the slaughter of 

 hawks and blue jays by the Petaluma 

 Sportsmen's Club, you say it is not quite 

 clear whether I favor or oppose such war. 

 I am decidedly against it at all times, es- 

 pecially where hawks are concerned, and 

 I think the crimes laid to the door of the 

 blue jay are ofttimes exaggerated. The 

 Petaluma Club should be given a few lines 

 of advice. It almost rivals the side hunts 



of the East. Our club stands for bird pro- 

 tection at all times, and with our own or- 

 gan to represent us we shall attack earnest- 

 ly all violations of the game laws as well as 

 wanton slaughter. Last summer a mem- 

 ber at Stockton reported that Italians were 

 trapping large numbers of birds along the 

 levees by means of fishing seines. The 

 list of birds victims of these vicious for- 

 eigners consisted mainly of various spar- 

 rows and towhees. In the migration sea- 

 sons the numbers secured must have been 

 enormous. We hope to suppress this 

 slaughter in that particular vicinity at least. 

 These foreigners should be deported for 

 such rank violations of the laws. They cer- 

 tainly deserve it much more than some of 

 the Chinese who are returned to their native 

 land. You may count me in as an earnest 

 supporter of the L. A. S. 



C. Barlow, Santa Clara, Cal. 



FREAKS OF BIRDS. 



A BEWILDERED SWAN CAPTURED. 



A flock of swans passed high over the city about 8 o'clock 

 Sunday morning going South, but one, for some reason sud- 

 denly dropped far below the others and flew right South on 

 Michigan street, about the height of the buildings. Near 

 the Auditorium this swan struck a wire and was stunned 

 and came to the earth. It started to run and a fleet-footed 

 individual got after it and at last ran the bird into C. W. 

 Arnold's lot near the Hobbs' furniture store and there capt- 

 ured the bird. 



The above item I clipped from the South 

 Bend Times. An almost similar incident 

 occurred some time ago in front of my 

 home in this city. Directly in front of the 

 house is an electric light. One night about 

 ii o'clock I stood with 2 friends at the gate 

 when we were startled by the sudden ap- 

 pearance of a mallard duck. It seemed to 

 drop from the sky and alighted with a 

 sweep almost at our feet; but rising again 

 instantly he was off like a shot in the di- 

 rection from whence he came. The only 

 way I can account for its strange appear- 

 ance is, that it was probably a young duck, 

 and, being confused by the lights of the 

 city, alighted in the street instead of the 

 river. 



G. D., South Bend, Ind. 



NATURE NOTES. 

 The blue jay is accused of being a mur- 

 derer, an egg breaker, etc. He may be all 

 that, but I know he has one redeeming 

 feature at least, because I saw one the 

 other day with a mouse in his beak. Be- 

 fore condemning the jay remember nature 

 is finely balanced and would remain so, 

 but for the ruthless hand of man. He is 

 the worst murderer of all. I was read- 

 ing a defense of snakes the other day. It 

 seems they are useful in many ways, and 

 I am blamed if I am going to kill another 

 this winter. The same plea may be made 

 for the hawk and owl. The hunter who 

 shoots either little thinks he is killing one 

 of man's own friends. Would like to see 



