Bi 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



old-fashioned bellows. When he is full the bellows are dis- 

 tended and the plates are widely separated; -when fasting, 

 it is collapsed and the lamince approximate. 



From the terminal, dorsal and ventral plates is given off a 

 series of rings, which, after the third one, are fused into a stiff 

 spike or tad, that is usually three-fifths or the length of the 

 entire body, and covered with short bristles like the legs. So 

 far as I can ascertain, this is not a sting, nor does it seem to 

 lie the duct through which the secretion is ejected. It ap- 

 pears to be used principally as a posterior feeler, and some- 

 times as an aid to locomotion, as in the tail of the kangaroo. 

 I n several instances I have noticed that it was used in the 

 recognition of one of its own species— by a caressing motion 

 in which the other seemed to take some delight. I have also 

 seen them crossed, as are the foils of a fencer, before their 

 combats, which are particularly fierce at times. 



From the head are given off two large and powerful 

 brachials, each having four articulations. They much re- 

 semble the arms of a scorpion, and terminate in sharply curved 

 lobster-like pincers. For purposes of prehension, nothing 

 could be better devised, and the threatening manner in which 

 they are opened and stretched out when the insect is enraged 

 or is seeking for its prey, almost makes one shudder. But 

 the brachia are not its only means of offense. Beneath the 

 frontal plate are seen two long incurvated fangs, covered with 

 red hairs at their bases and blackened at their tips. Connect- 

 ed with these are two sacks, that, by pressure, exude drops 

 of greenish liquid over the fangs, and in them undoubtedly 

 resides the true venom of the insect. 



Behind the arms arise a pair of long atenna, or feelers, that 

 have five articulations, each. On the frontal plate, near its 

 anterior extremity, are two small white eyes, placed close to. 

 gether, and each about the size of a pin's head. Though im- 

 movable, as are the eyes of all insects, they are apparently of 

 good service, as they look directly forward and upward. 



The habitat of the vinegrone embraces quite an extent of 

 country bordering on the 32 deg. parallel of latitude. I can- 

 not give its precise limits, but it seems to be frequently met 

 all over southwestern Texas, and the region of the Rio Grande. 

 I have not yet sufficiently observed its habits to be able to 

 give a life history ot the insect. I know, however, that it is 

 a ground-liver and a night-walker ; it haunts old houses, is 

 found under rocks, burrows iu adobe walls and infests the 

 mud-daubed roofs of Sfexican hacah. Its courage is beyond 

 question, and its agility and ferocity make it the deadly foe 

 of the centipede, tarantula and orange-winged wasp ; each of 

 of which articulates attains gigantic size in this region. I 

 have no good proof that the bite of the vinegrone would be 

 fatal to man, except perhaps as it might be supplemented by 

 the shock of an excessive terror ; but that it would be dan- 

 gerous, I think highly probable. As an experiment, I con- 

 fined two of them in a small box with a large bat. The next 

 morning the bat was dead, having been killed by them during 

 the night, when it is supposed to be most agile and wary. 1 

 placed another unsavory specimen in a large bottle, in com- 

 pany with a large wasp and a tarantula. The vinegrone killed 

 and devoured them both in short order. 



I am inclined to think that the acetic fluid, which seems to 

 be secreted in abundance, is for the purpose of sexual attraction; 

 though of this fact I am by no means sure. It may be a 

 means of defense, and perhaps of offense, since in my wasp 

 and tarantula experiment they both seemed sluggish and stupi- 

 fied by the powerful odor that pervaded the bottle. I inclose 



i 



a rough sketch of the subject of my note, which may possibly 

 lie recognized as an old acquaintance by many of your readers, 

 and may be of interest to those who have not met the villianiu 

 perHonis propria. 

 Fort Stockton, Texan, May 25, 1877. 



[The above notes cannot fail to be of great interest both to 

 the ictbyologist and entomologist.— Ed.J 



The Ribbon Fish. — I observe in your last issue a note on 

 a species of ribbon fish(-ffeyafecu,'<) taken iu the Mediterranean, 

 from the pen of Frank Buckland. As it brings to remem- 

 brance the capture of a remarkably large specimen of the 

 genus in the Bermudas during a visit I paid to those islands 

 in the winter of 1850-60, I may perhaps be permitted to make 

 a few observations on the subject. The specimen in question 

 ■was the largest ever taken in any part of the world, measuring 

 no less than sixteen feet seven inches in length, and the fila- 

 ments upon the head forming a magnificent plurne-like crest. 

 nearly three feet iu height. 



As I suggested at the time when describing the fish in dif- 

 ferent journals, there is hardly a doubt but that monstrous 

 specimens of the Hegalecus are the "sea-serpents" we hear of 

 at intervals. 1 have taken the trouble for some years to col- 

 lect nil the accounts of such occurrences, and in "one instance 

 had the good fortune to prove fcpnj personal examination of 

 the testimony of a Norwegian gentleman who had encoun- 



tered one of these monsters off the ebast of his native country, 

 that the creature- tome sixty or eighty feet iu 1> -ngth, the head 

 and crest of which were raised above water inclose proximity 

 to the boat in which he sat — was in reality a huge Megalecm. 

 Again, the description of the "sea-serpent" seen by Captain 

 ftTQuhse and the officers of H. H; S. "Da-dalus," tallied so 

 exactly with that of a Tte.galecus as to leave no doubt of its 

 having been one, and several occurrences I can bring forward 

 tend very closely to prove that the Tiegalccv* and "sea-ser- 

 pent" may be considered identical ; and I have, every reason to 

 believe that sooner or later one of these monsters will be 

 taken to prove the truth of my asseitions. 



One fact I desire to make knowu to any one wiio has the 

 good fortune to be present at the capture of such a fish, is the 

 delicate nature of its substance, so delicate indeed that, in 

 the case of my Bermudian specimen, the mere hf ting it up 

 was sufficient to mutilate its parts. It will therefore require 

 very tender handling, and if killed by a shot and lying along- 

 side a vessel, the captors should not attempt to haul it on 

 board in the usual rough way. but lower a large sail in which 

 to collect its folds, and then hoist ou deck. 



Halifax, N. 8., Aug. 21, 1877. J. Matthew Jones. 



Penguins at St. Paul's Island.— A. recent writer (M. 

 Velain) in the Beeue ScienUficque speaks of the curious hahits 

 of these birds as follows : 



" In that bleak and inhospitable island, situated in the south- 

 ern hemisphere, a certain kind of penguins, called gorfoos, 

 much more ungainly than their northern brethren, live in 

 swarms. But they only resort thither in the summer months, 

 or a little before, from August to March ; they lay their eggs 

 in September, and always return to the same spot. Nimble as 

 they are in the sea, where they swim with astonishing speed, 

 they are excessively awkward on land, where the utmost they 

 can do is to keep themselves upright on their paws and hop 

 about, their wings being utterly unfit for flying. And yet 

 these birds will only build their nests on high plateaux, which 

 tbey cannot reach except by desperate exertion. Many a 

 time the poor penguin, after nearly arriving by a steep ascent 

 at the brim of its plateau, will roll down again, a treacherous 

 stone having given way under its paw. Nothing daunted, 

 the poor fellow will recommence his task, until, sometimes 

 covered with blood, he gets to the top. These creatures ar- 

 range their nests so as actually to form a village, with streets, 

 lanes and public squares. Here they chatter together, making 

 an awful din, and generally turn their snow-white breasts to 

 the sea; their heads are adorned with yellow tufts. The 

 crews of the Fernand and the Dives used to visit their village, 

 christened by them Penguinville, in order tohaveugood laugh, 

 the grotesqueness of their postures, coupled with their gravity, 

 being well calculated to cause gaiety. On the arrival of the 

 visitors there always was a great turmoil and chattering, but 

 after a few minutes quiet was restored, and each bird con- 

 tinued to mind its own business. The men lived with them on 

 the best terms. Notwithstanding the great labor attending 

 the ascent, the penguins used frequently to return in troops to 

 the sea, an excursion which did not take them less than half a 

 day; but they al ways returned with provisions to last them 

 nearly a week. The young are hatched iu September, and 

 then have a greyish tint. It was a curious sight to see them 

 marshalled some days after on the public square, and watched 

 by grave personages who knew how to punish them if they 

 did not behave. Under this severe surveillance they were fed 

 several times a day. Woe to the little imp that attempted to 

 snatch a morsel when if. was not its turn." 



Wild Turkey's. — An extract in the Eobebt And Stream 

 of Aug. ICth, touching the habits of the wild turkey, is not 

 altogether uninteresting ; but is so erroneous that I crave -a 

 space in your columns for the purpose of correcting the 

 ■writers' assertions. JS'o greater error exists than that the wild 

 turkey is unable to rise from the ground iu its passage across 

 streams, or upon other occasions ; or that it is accustomed to 

 seek out the highest points and mount into the tallest trees for 

 that purpose. It seeks such places to roost at night,. I have 

 hunted them more or less every season during the past lif teen 

 years, have observed them under many circumstances, and 

 found them as quick and strong of wing as any other game 

 bird except, perhaps, the quail, and when flushed from their 

 covert either in or out of the timber requiring the same degree 

 of expertness in bringing them to bag. Indeed, I have seen 

 an old gobbler of eighteen to twenty pounds weight take wing 

 at the water's edge of the Missouri River and fly across it, a 

 distance of half to three-fourths of a mile, in as straight a line 

 as a quail, a grouse or a duck could have flown the same dis- 

 tance. I have often been foiled in pursuit of them by the 

 whole flock performing the same strategic movement before I 

 could approach near enough for a shut. " I have no desire to 

 discuss the gastronomic qualities of this bird. Persons differ 

 iu tastes ; but for me the wild turkey of this locality is far 

 the most preferable for the table. Both as to quality and 

 whiteness of its flesh it is superior to that of its domestic con- 

 gener. These with other well-known distinctions between the 

 two species go far toward the correction of the other assertion 

 that, " Ttie tame turkey is a direct descendant from the 

 wild," meaning, I suppose, the wild turkey of the United 

 States. Bon White. 



[The above strictures are true in part ; but did the writer 

 ever see a flock of turkeys on their travels and just previous 

 to crossing a river ? We have, and on that very Missouri 

 River too, and the fuss they made before taking wing put us 

 much in mind of the barnyard species, who, though he uses 

 the same perch to roost on each night, goes round and round, 

 all but flying, and then hesitating, walking off to take a new 

 survey as if in hopes of finding some newer and easier way- of 

 accomplishing the feat. Wild turkeys can take wing with 

 very rapid flight when startled, but they are a lazy bird, and 

 when strutting at their leisure, like some other bipeds, always 

 take the. greatest trouble to accomplish a little matter. When 

 crossing rivers wild turkeys are given to the very acts stated 

 in the article to which our correspondent lakes exception.-— 

 Ed.] 



now a very rare bird, but formerly quite plentiful along the 

 Louisiana coast. Itia six feet or more tall, ftnd about five, 

 feet from tip to tip of extended wings, lis feathers are a 

 beautiful scarlet of different shades, the wing feathers are jet 

 black and, with its gaudy uniform, it must present quite a sol- 

 dier-like appearance among the coast, birds. It was killed at i 

 the pass of Sarrasota Bay, Florida, with two other* They 

 are shaped something like a crane, are about eight feet in 

 length, with neck, legs and body about two feet each, and 

 have webbed feet. They are a very- shy and graceful bird, 

 and are seldom seen even by the frequenters of the south Flor- 

 ida coast. 



Syracuse, N. Y., Aug. 14.— Why are fish so much affect- 

 ed by the course of the Avind— at times, with the wind at, a 

 given point, taking the bait readily, and refusing to do so 

 with the wind in opposite direction r 



Ans. We can't answer your question. Atmospheric changes 

 affect the higher vertebrates as well as fi=hes, but these mat- 

 ters have not yet been studied, and cannot at present be saihV 

 factorily explained. 



Capture of a Rare Bird.— The Columbus (Ga. ) Enquirer 

 recently published the following note. We presume that the 

 specimen was not preserved, although it certainly should have 

 been; 



We were shown a great curiosity the other day by Mr. T. 

 Bryant, one of our river pilots, who has been spending gome 

 months on the south Florida coast. It was a scarlet flamingo, 



The Flight of Bihds.— In regard to the flight of birds. I 

 think that there is no necessity to resort, to such theories as I he 

 figure of 8 motion to understand how a bird flies when it heals 

 the air with its wings. 1 think that the formation of the ft a- 

 thers, anil their imbrication in the wing, ought at once explain 

 that kind of flight. When the bird makes the down stroke, 

 the wing offers a solid resistance to the air, and the moiion 

 imparted to the body of the bird must be upward. The wing 

 must then be raised to come into position for another stroke. 

 In so doing, each feather lets the wind pass through in an ob- 

 lique manner, which causes them to act as sails on a windmill 

 or on a ship, thereby propelling the bird forward. The bird 

 instinctively knows how to direct these strokes, as it wishes to 

 ascend, descend, or move straight forward. The effect of the 

 down stroke can be seen when a large bird such as a turkey 

 buzzard begins to fly in a place where there is not room for 

 rapid headway. Each down stroke is more violent than the 

 up one, and the body is jerked up each time. 



A flying machine might be made so that the wings would 

 have a sufficient resistance to the air to keep it up, audi he 

 propelling part could be arranged independently. But there 

 is another mode or flight that has puzzled the minds of men. 

 It is a remarkable thing that man has seen beyond the Milky 

 Way, and is now studying the constituents of the sun, yet he 

 cannot understand the sailing of birds. I have seen many at- 

 tempts, but they all fall short of the mark. I have seen buz- 

 zards wiih ouistretched wings rise in a spiral course, whin ifl 

 was so calm that, a leaf on a tree was not moved. I have seel 

 the frigate bird wheel in graceful curves upward when the si a 

 was as smooth as a mirror. 1 have seen the buzzard sail near y 

 in the eye of a strong wind without any other moiion being 

 perceptible than a little balancing. 1 have looked down hun- 

 dreds of feel on them as they sailed beneath me, and never 

 could delect any moiion of the wines. The theory of inclined 

 planes will not, explain it. I have also noticed large butterflies 

 float about in a most heaven-like enjoyment in some cozy 

 opening among trees, on a fine summer evening, when there 

 was not a breath of air, without once moving their wings, as 

 if they were some disembodied spirits that had neither attrac- 

 tion or gravitation, but only will. I have seen a motion very 

 similar to the sailing of birds in fishes. I saw a number of 

 porpoises sailing immediately in front of the prow of the 

 Steamer. They were packed quite close together, and moved 

 exactly- as fast as the steamer. As it was necessary that tin y 

 should breathe occasionally, they were continually rolling over 

 each other to come to the surface. Sometimes half the fish 

 would be oul of the water, yet the uniform moiion was kept 

 up, and no one on board could detect any r motions of fins or 

 body to warrant such speed. There are other modes of flight 

 Such as by bills and insects, the dragon fly as an instance; but 

 the sailing of birds is a most interesting study for philosophers, 

 and it will be safe to say that man will never be able to put 

 it in practice. But the knowledge may come in play iu ex- 

 plaining some things yet in embryo. — ticicntijh: American. 



The Pibia. — This is the Serrasalmo niger, black, saw-bellied 

 salmon (Arraimk piranila) or sharp fish, described by 

 Schomberg in his "Travels in South America :" " This vora- 

 cious fish is found plentifully in all the rivers of ( iuiana, and 

 is dreaded by every other inhabitant or visiiant of the river. 

 Their jaws are so strong that they are able to bite off a man's 

 finger or toe. They attack fish of ten times their own weight, 

 and devour all but the head.. They begin at the eniidalliii, 

 and the fish being thus left without the principal organ of mo- 

 tion, is devoured with ease, several going to participate in the 

 meal. Indeed, there is scarcely- any animal which they will 

 not attack, man not excepted. Large alligators, which have 

 been wounded in the tail, afford them a fine chance of satisfy- 

 ing their hunger, and even the toes of this formidable animal 

 are not free from their attacks. The feet of ducks and geese 

 which are kept iu the. neighborhood where they are. plentiful, 

 are almost invariably cut off, and young ones devoured alto- 

 gether ; and in these places it is not safe to bathe, or even 

 to wash clothes in the river, many cases having occurred of 

 fingers and toes having been cut off by them. They arc a 

 principal article of food among the Indians, they being, how- 

 ever, dry and indifferent, and rather bony. The piria or 

 numa, by which name the fish is known to the aboriginal 

 tribes of British Guiana, inhabits the rivers which intersect 

 that fertile colony. They are not to be found within foil y 

 miles of the coast, nor are they plentiful at the upper part of 

 the rivers. Their favorite haunts appear to be those parts of the 

 rivers which are between a hundred and a hundred and fifty 

 miles from the coast, chiefly if there be large blocks of rocks, 

 about which they hover to procure themselves worms, etc. 

 The ovary in the female is double. They deposit their spawn 

 in the current less inlets which form so peculiar a feature in 

 the rivers of Guiana ; this occurs during the months of Janu- 

 ary and February, at which period we found the femah s gen' 

 erally destitute of roe. They are caught with hook and line. 

 and their greediness is so great that no art is necessary to eon. 

 ceal the litiit. The hook may be baited with a piece' of fish, 

 bird or animal, or merely their entrails ; the piria will dart at 

 it the instant it is thrown into the water, and seize it with 

 eagerness, but it frequently happens that with its sharp teeth 

 it bites the line and escapes with the hook in its mouth. We 

 therefore surrounded the line where it was fixed to the hook, 

 to the length of two or three inches, with tiu or lead, and though 

 it had a clumsy appearance we were not less successful. 

 Some precaution is necessary even after the fish, has been 

 lifted cut of the wr-ter or it will inflict in its stnirgles -. 

 wounds; the angler has, therefore, a small blmlgeOn re 

 wherewith its skull Ls broken. 



