NATURAL HISTORY. 



227 



I hope the day is not far distant when 

 these beautiful and lordly birds will be 

 planted in all the swamps and waste land 

 in Michigan. Forty below zero has no 

 terrors for them. They will eat roots, bark 

 from soft trees, buds, all kinds of green 

 vegetation, and all kinds of grain. They 

 are extremely hardy and prolific when 

 grown, and far surpass our native game 

 birds in many respects. 



I have just seen Mr. Prindle, with whom 

 I made the exchange of pheasant eggs for 

 grouse eggs, that Chief Pokagon writes of 

 in August Recreation. Mr. Prindle 

 said the pheasant eggs all hatched. He 

 had seen the young birds, and they were 

 exceedingly lively. 



C. F. Dey, Lawton, Mich. 



much for pussy; they killed her. How did 

 the terrier tell his friend what he wanted 

 him to do? C. C. H., Chicago. 



My attention was recently called to a 

 crow that sat on a fence post devouring 

 something. On investigation it proved 

 to be a toad which had just been killed. 

 Part of the head had been eaten, and no 

 doubt the crow would have finished the 

 rest if I had not scared him. Have any 

 of your readers ever seen anything simi- 

 lar? 



That same day my dog came to a stand 

 on a road which is used every day, and out 

 flew a ruffed grouse. By her actions I' 

 knew there was a nest, which I looked for 

 and found to contain 5 young ones and 8 

 eggs that had not released their occu- 

 pants. 



There are a few quails left, but the 

 hawks are continually killing them. I saw 

 a hawk catch one, and found the remains 

 of another the hawks had killed. I be- 

 lieve they catch more than the hunters 

 shoot, as they do not live in the cover, 

 but are always to be found in the fields 

 or on the islands or along some stump 

 fence. 



John A. Dyer, Binghamton, N. Y. 



There was. until a few months ago, a 

 female cat in the City Hall here which had, 

 among other peculiarities, a way of going 

 up and down through the building in the 

 elevators. She was known and welcomed 

 everywhere, and did much visiting. When- 

 ever she had a young family to care for it 

 took much and careful watching to find 

 the nest. She never made friends with, nor 

 feared, any dog, however large, but made 

 a saddle horse of one whenever oppor- 

 tunity offered. Pussy was given away, and 

 soon became domesticated and satisfied in 

 the home of the gentleman who took her. 

 A fox terrier, unfortunately, came across 

 her one day at her new home and received 

 a thorough whipping at her hands, or 

 claws. Something like a week afterward 

 the same dog, accompanied by another 

 terrier, called on her, and the 2 were too 



A few weeks ago, while looking at my 

 traps, I found a large bird caught in one 

 of them. The trap was set for muskrats. 

 This bird measured 48 inches from the 

 tip of each wing and 26 inches long. It 

 had a white neck and breast, was green 

 on its head and back, had slate blue 

 wings, yellow legs, black beak and red 

 eyes. Can you tell me what this bird is? 



Keep up your good work against the 

 hogs and they will soon be exterminated. 

 Game is scarce around here on account of 

 being killed and trapped whenever seen. 

 W. R. F., Franklin, Mass. 



ANSWER. 



The bird is probably a young loon, but I 

 can not tell positively, as you say nothing 

 about webbed feet or size or shape of 

 bill. — Editor. 



I am much interested in the Natural 

 History department of Recreation, and 

 "A Plea for the Birds," in the March 

 number especially enlisted my sympathy. 

 Some 8 weeks ago I presented this same 

 subject to a literary club for a topic of 

 discussion. It has been kept before the 

 club members, in some form, ever since. 

 At our next meeting resolutions will be 

 signed pledging the members not to wear 

 birds, and to use their influence to the 

 same end among their friends. I thank 

 you for the work your articles of the last 

 3 months in Recreation have accom- 

 plished here, and I hope you will continue 

 bags limited there will not be a wild goose 

 to publish similar ones in the future. 



Pauline Martius, Butte, Mont. 



What is the difference between the 

 greater scaup duck and the lesser scaup? 

 Fred Barker, Parker's Prairie, Minn. 



ANSWER. 



The distinction between the greater scaup 

 duck and the lesser scaup is in the size of 

 the bill; this, of course, being larger in 

 the former than in the latter. There is also 

 a difference in the vermiculations on flank 

 feathers.— Editor. 



We have named our new boat Recrea- 

 tion, for the magazine of which we are 

 devoted admirers. We bought a second 

 hand whaleboat, built a deck and cabin on 

 her, and doubt very much if her former 

 owner would now recognize her. I men- 

 tion this to show the readers of Recrea- 

 tion that a little capital and some labor 

 will provide a good sail boat, somewhat 

 unique, but O. K. 



George C. Snitzer, Newport, R. I. 



