492 



RECREATION. 



followed it some little time. For the first 

 time the porcupine seemed aware that 

 something was following it. It turned, sat 

 up on its hind legs, and looked at the coy- 

 ote. Then it went on, with perfect uncon- 

 cern, not even looking around again. The 

 coyote followed it a little longer, then went 

 on his way. 



If that had been a Montana coyote, I 

 suppose the air would have been full of 

 quills and hair in a minute. 



I once had a chance to test the fighting 

 qualities of a porcupine on the same bar. 

 1 was coming down the river, and saw one 

 on the shore. I got out and began to 

 tease the animal by putting my paddle 

 under him and trying to turn him on his 

 back. Every time I put the paddle near 

 him he would strike it with his tail. With 

 every blow he would leave a number of 

 quills in the cedar paddle. 



John B. Renshaw, Usk, Wash. 



A ROBIN REDBREAST STORY. 



One spring several years ago, the blind 

 of an upper window of the house in which 

 I lived was left some time slightly open, 

 and a pair of robins built a nest on the 

 outer sill. It made a safe, cozy home for 

 them, and they grew so accustomed to see- 

 ing me sitting by the window inside my 

 room that it never seemed to disturb them 

 in the least. 



The perfect freedom with which I sat 

 and watched them at their house building 

 and housekeeping was delicious, and never 

 do I expect to enjoy the like again. The 

 general habits of dear Robin Redbreast are 

 so well known I will not give a descrip- 

 tion of them here, but speak only of one 

 interesting domestic incident of which I 

 was a much amused observer. 



One day while I sat at the window, after 

 the 2 eggs had hatched and the young 

 robins had grown nearly large enough to 

 fly, yet not full fledged, one of the old 

 birds brought a small green snake, squirm- 

 ing in its bill. After a lusty struggle be- 

 tween the baby robins, one of them finally 

 succeeded in swallowing about half of the 

 snake. The triumph of the successful bird 

 was of brief duration, however, for the 

 other young bird, when the parent bird 

 had flown away, suddenly began to renew 

 the struggle. He managed to gain pos- 

 session of the unappropriated end of the 

 snake, and persisted until he succeeded in 

 not only swallowing that half, but in draw- 

 ing the other half from the crop of his 

 brother, let us assume, and swallowing that 

 also! 



Through the thin, pin-feathered skin cov- 

 ering that dreadfully distended crop I 

 watched with fascinated eyes the faint yet 

 quite perceptible struggles of the still 

 living green snake. 



Mary S. Potter, New Lebanon, N. Y. 



PROBABLY A SANDPIPER. 

 In Northern Wisconsin, I recently saw 

 a bird I had never seen before, and I have 

 lived there 8 or 9 years. It was like a 

 pigeon in every respect, but not quite so 

 large, and the colors of its feathers were 

 like those of a ruffed grouse. It was not 

 shy. It would run around in my garden 

 picking up insects and seeds. When I tried 

 to get too close, it would fly up in a tree 

 and sit there until I went away. Then it 

 would fly back again. When it was on the 

 ground, feeding, it walked around just like 

 a pigeon. After a few days it flew away, 

 and I have not seen it since. What kind 

 of a bird was it? There are some birds 

 here about the size of a robin. They have 

 quite long necks, long bills, long legs, and 

 their breasts are white, spotted with black. 

 They frequent streams and swamps and 

 walk around in the water, occasionally 

 jerking their tails. When frightened they 

 fly straight up into the air, sometimes to a 

 great height, often coming back to the 

 same place again. They are called snipes 

 here, but I do not believe that is the right 

 name for them. What should they be 

 called. Are they eatable? 



Amateur, Chicago. 



ANSWER. 



I referred the above to Dr. A. K. Fisher, 

 who suggests that the birds may be the 

 quail and the solitary sandpiper, Helodronas 

 solitarius, but it is impossible to identify 

 the species with certainty from the descrip- 

 tions. If these identifications are correct, 

 both birds are eatable, but the solitary 

 sandpiper can hardly be recommended as 

 game, and should not be killed for that 

 purpose. — Editor. 



WILD GEESE IN DOMESTICATION. 



The interesting article in March Rec- 

 reation, by Norman Pomeroy, Jr., and 

 the one in July number, by H. M. Brown, 

 in regard to rearing and domesticating 

 Canada geese, Anser canadensis, seem to 

 imply that they are rare in captivity. 

 There are probably 1,000 in Plymouth 

 county, Massachusetts, and perhaps 100 

 sportsmen who have been rearing the 

 noble birds for years as decoys. The only 

 difficulty seems to be in giving the mated 

 pairs a proper place in which to breed; and 

 when eggs are hatched, in immediately 

 taking the goslings away and rearing them 

 by hand on a strictly grass feed. In this 

 vicinity unmated pairs can be bought for 

 $2 to $6, and mated pairs, guaranteed to 

 lay, for $10 to $40 each. The wild goose 

 does not mate until 3 or 4 years old, and 

 then remains mated for life. The usual 

 number of eggs is 5 to 7, and the birds are 

 good hatchers. 



If Mr. Brown would like more informa- 

 tion in regard to raising these birds, I 



