NATURAL HISTORY. 



FURTHER LIGHT ON THE SQUIRREL 

 QUESION. 



I will not say that the reds do not muti- 

 late other species, for it is likely an 

 old male would operate on a young 

 male of another species as readily as one 

 of his own kind, if he had the opportunity; 

 but in this case it was not possible for the 

 reds to have been the offender. 



It seems to be a part of Nature's plan to 

 promote the "Survival of the Fittest," and 

 I think that in the majority of rodents the 

 old males practice this plan of thinning 

 out the weaker ones. I have killed but 

 one squirrel here in Florida, and that was 

 a castrated male. I have killed many 

 mice, rats and rabbits in the same condi- 

 tion. Only a few days ago I killed a rab- 

 bit that had been partly emasculated. 



For 8 or 10 years my father-in-law kept 

 several yards of white rabbits, (with black 

 eyes and ears), for meat and breeding pur- 

 poses, sometimes having 75 at one time. 

 One day they discovered blood on the 

 snow in one of the yards and on investi- 

 gating, found a young rabbit freshly 

 emasculated. Further watching proved 

 that an old buck made it his business to 

 operate on young ones. He did not 

 throw them, as one would suppose, but 

 would jump and grab them from behind, 

 and hold on until the sack was bitten off. 

 Occasionally he made a bad job of it. 

 when disturbed, as cited above, and human 

 aid was necessary. 



They finally had to remove the old 

 males from the flock. C. E. Pleas. 



Chipley, Fla. 



There must be some truth in the report 

 that the gray squirrel is being exterminated 

 by what we call the fox squirrel (which I 

 think is what is called the red squirrel by 

 Mr. Clark. 



A friend was out hunting squirrels and 

 saw a gray squirrel running along the 

 ground closely pursued by a fox squirrel, 

 the fox on getting closer to the gray, reach- 

 ed out with his paw, or hand, and grabbed 

 a piece of fur and flesh. My friend then shot 

 the gray, which was otherwise mutilated. 



Mr. Smith says he does not believe a 

 squirrel can jump 50 feet from a swinging 

 limb. I am positive I have seen squirrels 

 jump that and greater distances safely. 

 Some jumps being made by wounded 

 squirrels. 



Mr. Smith also states that it is hardly 

 possible for the fox to bite through skin 

 of the gray. It is evident that Mr. Smith 

 was never bitten by a squirrel or he would 



know that they have very sharp teeth and 

 great srrtngth. 



Now. Mr. Smith says any person who 

 kills a mutilated squirrel should send the 

 skin to the editor. I shall be glad to do 

 this, if the editor wishes to receive them- 



It is evident that squirrels fight because I 

 have killed some that were in terrible 

 shape. 



I distinctly remember on one instance, I 

 killed a fox squirrel that was very old. My 

 companion (who was a genuine back- 

 wood's man) said that it must have been 

 the squirrel Noah had in the ark. He was 

 blind in one eye, had only one ear, was bob- 

 tailed and covered with scars. 



Geo. W. Kirchman, Lima, Ohio. 



HYBRID DUCKS. 



In reply to the inquiry of Mr. Crum, in 

 March Recreation: I keep wild ducks 

 in captivity; have succeeded in breeding 

 red heads, teal, woodchucks, black ducks, 

 mallards, pintails and godwalls. In sum 

 mer they are kept in a pond and swamp 

 surrounded by 6 foot wire netting. All 

 birds are pinioned and soon become recon- 

 ciled and seem happy; they choose their 

 mates in this jail and are confined in separ- 

 ate yards during the winter. They are shut 

 up in houses every night and are treated as 

 any domestic poultry would be; except 

 that each yard has a spring, so that during 

 the day there is always plenty of running 

 water. Their food is a mixture of cracked 

 corn, buckwheat, millet and hemp and all 

 the duck? thrive on the diet. They are 

 also fed eel grass and minnows. I have 

 kept canvasbacks in captivity and find they 

 do as well as others; the greatest difficulty 

 I have encountered, however, is in getting 

 the wild birds. No provision is made in 

 the game laws for taking live birds for 

 purposes of domestication. I have been 

 obliged to content myself with an occa- 

 sional cripple, shipped from Florida, Texas, 

 Montana, etc. I hatch the young ducks 

 under bantam hens and feed on fly mag- 

 gots until 4 or 5 weeks old. Any game 

 bird 'can be raised on these, and fresh 

 water. Wilton Lockwood, 



Orleans. Mass. 



TO PROTECT BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 



Clubs for the protection of birds and their nests in 

 Worcester were organized in the Woodland-Street 

 and Upsala-Street schools Friday. The object of the 

 clubs, which are to have duplicates in the other schools 

 of Worcester, will be to teach the children to protect 

 the wild birds, and thus afford a relief from the 

 ravages of the insects which work harm to fruit trees 

 and flowers. 



The Upsala-Street club starts with a membership of 



4^7 



