286 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Ma* 11, 188S. 



aiuiid ]§i<ltorQ. 



CARDINAL REDBIRD WINTERS IN NEW 

 YORK. 



IN your issue of April 27, 1882, Mr. Geo. B. Badger re- 

 cords the notice of a female cardinal grosbeak {0. vir- 

 yinutieu*) in Central Park on April 16, under the title "Birds 

 That Have Come.'' and states he is surprised by the occur- 

 rence. In the New York Observer of March 10, 1881, Dr. 

 E, A. Meatus, of Highland Falls, N. Y., says of this species : 

 "It js a permanent resident in the park' where it breeds, 

 building its nests in thickets beside the water, where a num- 

 ber of old nests are to be seen. Its note is a sharp, metallic 

 chip, resembling that of several other sparrows, but sharp 

 and clear, like the note of a water thrush. We saw redbirds 

 in the park uutil December, and one was noted on the 13th 

 of that month. Then I feared that trhe severity of the present 

 winter ('80-81) had driven them southward, for in my two 

 following walks 1 saw none. But on January 12, while in the 

 park with Dr. "Wendell Prime, we heard the cardinal's note, 

 and a moment after we obtained a full view of a tine male, 

 as it flew across an open space." During the past winter I 

 have visited the park on an average oftener than once a fort- 

 night, and with one exception, have noticed the redbirds 

 each time. If I had remained longer in the park, and looked 

 for them at all carefully, I am very certain they would have 

 been found then, for a little active" searching has never failed 

 to reveal them. 



In the early part of last May. while rambling through the 

 park with Mr. Horace Barnard, Jr., my attention was at- 

 tracted to a little grove by a spirited chirping. We soon 

 discovered two beautiful males of this species, with crests 

 erect, and tails and wings spread, in full fight. After a 

 desperate contest one was worsted and flew away; and it 

 was only then that we noticed the pretty but less brilliant 

 female which had been a silent spectator of the strife; 

 After a little love-making these two disappeared in some 

 bushes by short, jerky flights, plainly showing that they had 

 discovered us. Later in the same month we again noticed 

 these birds— perhaps the identical pair — nest-building, not 

 far from the scene of action. During the following days I 

 watched this bright couple very often, but further observa- 

 tions were stopped by my leaving town. 



Lours A. Zerega. 

 Ill East SevejsTY-secojd street, New York, May 1, 1882. 



[Many years ago we saw this species in New York city in 

 the month of January, but had, until recently, supposed 

 1 heir occurrence here at that season to be wholly fortuitous. 

 It is extremely interesting to have it established that these 

 . birds winter regularly in Central Park.] 



The appearance of a cardinal redbird, G. mrgmianus, in 

 Central Park, April 16, as noted by Mr. George B, Badger, 

 I do not think at all strange, if reference is made to it as an 

 early arrival. I have known the bird to remain in Pennsyl- 

 vania all winter, indeed, quite near to Philadelphia, and 

 have trapped it when snow was on the ground in February. 

 The coming of the scarlet tanager he mentions as seeing the 

 same date, is considerably in advance of the usual time, of its 

 arrival with us in Pennsylvania, I begin to look for him in 

 ordinary seasons about May 1, and have found the orioles 

 and the tanager to show themselves at nearly the same time. 

 — Homo. 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



THE WINTER IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 



BY some means the winter of 1881-82 has been "turned 

 end for end." Although snow visited us early in 

 October, the entire fall previous to January 2 did not reach 

 four inches. The thermometer dropped below zero on 

 Decembei 24, the only offence of the kind before January 4. 

 On New Year's day the ground was as bare as it was in 

 June, and the costumes of the skaters, who were enjoying a 

 spin on the frozen lakes, seemed more in keeping with the 

 weather of September than January. On the corresponding 

 day of '81 the snow was three feet deep and the thermometer 

 stood 24 deg. below zero. 



However, no sooner did '82 get fairly "settled down to 

 business" that we began to realize that we were to have a 

 change in the deal. On the morning of Jauuary 2 there 

 weresix inches of snow on the ground and more coming. 

 Then followed a succession of light storms, whose chief 

 mission seemed to be the furnishing of drifting material, and 

 old Boreas made the most of the capital supplied whenever 

 lie took his turn at the wheel. We had five snowstorms in 

 one week. We were visited on January 29 by one of the 

 worst snowstorms that ever swept over this province. The 

 "fall" was about two feet, but it was accompanied by a 

 hurricane of sufficient power to drive it through anything 

 less dense than a stone wall. 



February was simply January rehearsed — not a drop of 

 rain in either mouth. A big thaw accompanied by a rise of 

 water came during the first week of March, and for the next 

 few days the frequent weather prophet was busy preparing 

 the l&mber for an early spring, but it. was "love's labor lost." 

 On the second day of April we had fifteen inches of snow 

 added to the two feet already on the ground, and the ice in 

 all the rivers was more solid" than it was in January, Blue- 

 birds arrived on the .3th inst., but like the patriarch's dove 

 they "could not find rest for the soles of their feet." On the 

 6th I saw a solitary robin which seemed to think that he had 

 checked his gripsack by mistake to some point south of 

 Capricorn, and had met Hit; southern wiuter full in the 

 teeth. Geese have been scarce here; ditto black ducks — they 

 could not gel anything to cat on account of the snow. Dur- 

 ing a two days' hunt (Good Friday and the day following) I 

 saw only fifteen geese and two black ducks. I tried to take 

 it out of the whistlers, but it did not come out worth a cent, 

 empty shells being by far the largest "result." 



By' the way, we took with us on this hunt a nice assort- 

 ment of new' "Sturtevant" brass shells, and at nearly every 

 discharge away went a cone. Yfe were not aware of the 

 tact till we had been OU< for some time, and Arch, thought 

 it would be a good idea to load up. Soon after I heard him 

 reciting what appeared to be a short poem, in monometer 

 with a good deal of rhyme to the square inch. I was about 

 twenty yards from him, but it sounded to me something like 

 this: "Cone!" "Shell!" "Gone!" Well, no matter where. 

 "gone anywav." I tried to tell him that it was fortunate 

 that he did not make the discovery sooner, as he was thus 

 enabled to economize his eloquence and do all his swearing 

 under one contract, Had he fired the requisite amount pi 

 "naughty talk" at each individual shell, he would have soon 



been bankrupt, unless he used his ammunition over as often 

 as some sportsmen do the word "pot-hunter." 



But I must return to the eccentricities of the weather. As 

 1 write, the boys are speeding their horses over the frozen 

 surface of the Washademoak in a way that makes it difficult 

 for us to realize that one year ago to-day the steamer was 

 ploughing its waters. Snow lies in piles everywhere. On 

 the 15th of April, 1865, the farmers here put in acres of oats. 

 Verily the two months' sojourner in this country knoweth 

 but little of its climate, and it is safe to say that the present 

 winter is without a parallel in the memoiy of that meteoro- 

 logical encyclopaedia— "the oldest inhabitant." Winter is 

 giulty of unwarrantable loafing. It is wilfidly appropriating 

 the property of another season, but I do not expect the pro- 

 test that is hereby filed against it to act as an injunction and 

 "stay further proceedings." 



P.S.— I might also say that the only goose that has been 

 damaged by the subscriber this season, was boxed at 700 

 yards, with a .56-calibrc rifle, after four misses at shorter 

 range. L. I. Flowek. 



Cambridge, New Brunswick. April 27. 



[There, must have been a defect in the manufacture of the 

 shells, as we have used them and found them reliable.— Ed.] 



DRUMMING OF "SPRUCE PARTRIDGE." 



QUAIL which I sent to Messrs. E. P. Walker and Hon. 

 Moses Webster, who live on the island of Vinal Haven, 

 ten miles from the Main, bred and wintered there by the 

 help of these gentlemen, who caused grain to be scattered 

 about their haunts. I have three spruce partridges (Tetrao 

 twwtensis), two cocks and a hen— all very fine birds. I in- 

 tend to give them a chance to breed. They are quite tame 

 and live mostly on the foliage of the spruce ; I also furnish 

 them some grain. I shall watch their habits this summer, and 

 if there is anything of interest I will note it down for those 

 who feel an interest in the habits of birds. I should like to 

 inquire of some of your readers if these birds drurn like the 

 ruffed grouse. J. W. 



Rockland, Me., April, 1882. 



[In Forest and Stream of September 19, 1878, our well- 

 known correspondent, "Penobscot" wrote: There is another 

 bird of the grouse family whose drumming I wish to notice. 

 This is the Canada grouse, or "spruce partridge," as the 

 hunters call it. The male of this species is undoubtedly the 

 handsomest game bud in New England, but they are held in 

 little esteem from the fact that their flesh is so strongly im- 

 pregnated with the odor of the spruce and fir boughs on 

 which they feed as to be uneatable when sent to market in 

 the ordinary manner, but if drawn and the crop torn out 

 when first killed it is quite palatable. This bird selects a 

 horizontal branch fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, 

 and drums in the air while descending from the limb to the 

 ground. This species of grouse are so utterly indifferent to 

 the presence of man as to continue their drumming with a 

 person standing in full view, often alighting within a few 

 feet of the observer, and some of the older males are even 

 belligerent, bristling up angrily at the intruder, and, if he 

 feigns alarm and slowly retires, will chase him for some little 

 distance. It is interesting to watch them while in the act 

 of drumming, their wings moving with sufficient rapidity to 

 carry them through the air with the velocity of an arrow; 

 but their body all the time slowly settling toward the earth, 

 alighting each time on almost exactly the same spot. The 

 cb-iimming is always performed while descending, the bird 

 flying back to the limb in the ordinary mariner. When 

 standing close to this bird the noise sounds much louder than 

 that made by the ruffed grouse under the same conditions, 

 although it cannot be heard one-tenth as far, and for this 

 reason I have always believed in the hollow log theory."] 



Date of Arrival of tixe Buown Thrasher. — New 

 York, May 4,—Eclt'ttir Fared and Stream: In to-day's issue 

 of your paper, Mr. J. C. Cahoon gives the date of arrival of 

 the brown thrasher (JTarporhi/nr/iusriifus) at Taunton, Mass., 

 as March 29. My own records made in the vicinity of New 

 York — mostly on Long Island— do not give its arrival before 

 the last week in April. This year I did not see it until April 

 29, one month later than the" record given above. During 

 the two weeks, from March 25 to April 8,1 was in the 

 woods on Long Island every day aud would have secured 

 specimens of the bird in question had any arrived. On re- 

 ferring to some of the authorities I find that the following 

 give the arrival of the brown t\mi*hvr{Hdrpor?iyne7ius rufux), 

 as follows: Wilson — in Pennsylvania, from April 15 to 20, 

 De Kay, in "Natural Hisloiy of New York," and Giraud 

 in "Birds of Long Island" — the end of April or the early 

 part of May, and Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway in "North 

 American Birds," Maynard in "Birds of Easiern North 

 America," Mcrriam ill "Birds of Connecticut," Minot in 

 "Land and Game Birds of New England," Stearns in "New 

 England Bird Life" — give its arrival in new England during 

 the last week in April and the first week in May. I would 

 like to ask Mr. Cahoon whether he identified the bird by a 

 specimen, or only by observation. — Wm. Dotgher, (Member 

 Linnean Society of New York.) [We have a note.wluch was 

 recorded in Forest and Stream of April 4, 1878. of the 

 occurrence of this species at New Haven, Conn., on March 

 20 of that year. This, as noted at the time, being about six 

 weeks iu advance of its usual date of arrival. The specimen, 

 which made its appearance so untimely we did not ourselves 

 kill, but saw it iu the flesh the day after its capture, as did 

 one of the authors cited by Mr. Dutcher, so that there can 

 be no question of the authenticity of the occurrence. It will 

 thus be seen that the date given by Mr. Cahoon is not with- 

 out a parallel.] 



A Hair Seal in Onondaga Lakh, — The Syracuse 

 Standard of April 29,. contains the notiee..of the capture of 

 a hair seal in Onondaga Lake where it would certainly not 

 have beeu expected that one would be found. The expla- 

 nation of its occurrence there, which is given below, seems 

 plausible enough. The account is as follows: "A w. 11 

 developed and perfectly formed hair seal was shot near the 

 outlet of Onondaga Lake yesterday by George F. Kennedy as 

 he was returning from a duck-shooting and fishing excursion. 

 Kennedy was rowing along on the Liveipool side, and had just 

 rounded" the pier, when lie noticed a nondescript animal 

 floundering in the shallow water near the shore. He quickly 

 fired at the monster, whose white teeth gleamed through the 

 water about thirty feet from the boat. The shot seemed to 

 stun 1he animal, and it commenced making some frightful 

 contortions, lashing the water and swimming around in a 

 circle. Kennedy reloaded and discharged three more shots 

 at his prey, which, as it rose to the surface for the third time 

 remained quiet. Kennedy rowed over and dragged it into 

 his boat. The animal was carried into the house of Thomas 



H, Bex, taxidermist. Mr. Bex declared the animal to be, a 

 hair seal, and accounted for its being in Onondaga Lake, by 

 saying that it probably came up the St. Lawrence and Oswego 

 rivers, as many seals are shot yearly along the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence, and for long distances up the river. They are 

 well known to be very migratory in their habits, one of them 

 having been shot near the head-waters of the Mississippi 

 three or four years ago, a fact which caused considerable 

 comment at the time. Being also amphibious, they are able 

 to make their way over land for considerable, distances, an 

 ability which would account for the passage of this animal 

 from Lake Ontario to Onondaga Lake. The hair seal is au 

 animal entirely distinct from the furbearing mammal of the 

 same name, which is an inhabitant of the Arctic regions 

 alone. The present specimen measures just six feet from tip 

 to tip, and will weigh about 100 pounds." 



Virginia Snakes.— Big Lick, Eoanoke Co., Va., May 2. 

 — Editor Forest and Stream: An English companion and 

 your correspondent would like very much to know about the 

 snakes in this locality. We are both very fond of having a 

 swim when it is extra warm and some residents advise that 

 the water snakes are dangerous ; others say that they are not 

 the least dangerous. Can you help us out of our difficulty. 

 Snakes are dark-browny gray, with fight-yellow and black- 

 checkered belly. At least we think they are, having only 

 seen them, but never caught any. We "are also told that 

 they are called "mocassins." What can you tell us about 

 land snakes around here ? — Both Sides 6' the Boeder. 

 [We presume that the water snakes to which you refer 

 are merely the common Tropidonotus sipedon, or black water 

 snake, which, although rather formidable in appearance to 

 those who are afraid of snakes, is yet as harmless a creature 

 as one would wish to meet. Still you may have "moccasins" 

 too, and we cannot take the responsibility of advising you as 

 to whether you had better go swimming or not. If you 

 wish to decide the question of specics,~why not capture a 

 specimen and send it to the Smithsonian Institution at 

 Washington for identification; or let one bite a chicken. It 

 is highly probable that you have both moccasin aud copper- 

 head, as well as the rattlesnake, Crotitlax damsits. All of 

 these had better be avoided. We cannot give you any very 

 •extended comments on laud snakes; no space for them.] 



The Mink in Confinement. — Brantford, May 2.— Minks 

 can easily be kept in confinement, but when permanently 

 kept in small cages should never have water enough to bathe 

 iu or enough to make themselves wet all over. After four 

 years' experience, I discovered what had been the trouble 

 with those that I had had. They will get their fur wet clean 

 through, and then go and lie down until they are dry; the 

 eonsecmence is, they get chilled and will soon die." Last 

 spring I invited a veterinary surgeon to examine one that 

 had died. He made a post-mortem upon it, and said that 

 the liver and intestines were chilled. They always died in 

 the same way, and afterwards I never gavethem a drinking 

 cup large enough to get into, and have never lost one since, 

 I do not think they will breed iu a small cage. I have a 

 female mink over two years old, and she has never come in 

 season. They must have space to run in or they cannot be 

 increased. I feed mine Lhe same as I feed the ferrets — bread 

 and milk or fresh meat and fish of any kind. Treat them in 

 this way and provide for them a good warm nest, and they 

 are easy to keep. This is the time to get young minks. The 

 above may be of some interest to those that want to keep 

 them.— George Ask. 



Parasites of a Kingfisher.— Au-Sable Forks, N, Y., 

 May 2. — On April 29 I skinned a kingfisher, which was 

 killed the day r before, near this place. I noticed that the skin 

 adhered much more closely to the flesh around the abdomen 

 than is usual. On dissecting the body I found in the ab- 

 dominal cavity, around the liver, a nest of worms. There 

 were eighteen' of them, the largest about as large as stove- 

 pipe wire in diameter. One measured twelve inches in 

 length; seven, ten inches, and ten, between two and three 

 inches. In other respects all was apparently healthy. The 

 bird (a male) was very lively, leading a long chase before 

 shot. — Charles A. Bragdon. [As but little is known about 

 the internal parasites of our turds, it is much to be desired 

 that such specimens, when found, should be preserved in 

 alcohol and forwarded to Dr. A. S. Packard, of Brown Uni 

 versify, Providence, E. I., who, we are persuaded, would be 

 very glad of an opportunity to study them.] 



The "Nitttall Bulletin." — By an inadvertence an error 

 crept into an answer to a correspondent in our issue of April 

 13, in regard to the publication of the Nuttall Ornithological 

 Club. Mr. Rufhven Deaue, since his removal from Cam- 

 bridge, is no longer the treasurer of the Club, and tit present 

 all business letters concerning the Bulletin should be ad- 

 dressed to Mr. Charles F. Batchelder, Cambridge, Mass. 



Florida Gatjjntjle in Pennsylvania. — Lake George, 

 Warren county, May 3. — I have just received atinespeci-j 

 men of a Florida gallinule sent me by express from Rupert, 

 Columbia county, Penn., where it was shot four or fivai 

 days age. — N. H. B. 



"Forest and Stueam Bird Notes." — An index and* 

 summary of the ornithological matter that appeared in thel 

 first twelve volumes of the^ Forest and Stream. Compiled! 

 by H. B. Bailey. For sale at this office. 



ARRIVALS AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, CINCINNATI, CM 

 TO MAY 1, 1S&3.— Two common pheasants. P. colchicits; one goldj 

 pheasant, Tkaumalea picta; all purchased. One sambui 

 ariatotelisftno pintails, Datlla acuta/ one sooty inangabey. ( 

 fdUgiiiosus; all received in exchange. Two European hedgehoggB 

 ErifiaceuA europasus; one barred owl. Syrnium tlebaloswn; two aula 

 gators, A. tui.i'.ix.si]>i>it'n.\i.<: one brown pelican, P. fuaens; one Knap- J 

 ping turtle, C. serpentina; one yellow-bellied terrapin, P 

 Iroagtiij cue barred-tailed pheasant, P. reeve*,; all presented. Thrall 

 grizzly bears, £.*. horriliilis: two noudads, Ammotnitjns tro>ielii t iliu«:I 

 six undulated grass parrakeets, Meloptittceua undutatiai oue bonnet I 

 monkey, Maeocwi radiatiu; five wild geese, C. canadensis; one axgB 

 deer, C. axis; one roseate cockatoo, C. ro.ici capilla; all bred in 

 garden.— Frake J. Thompson. Supt. [.Vote. It is Believed that itio 

 atove is the first instance of the breeding of any of the cockatoos in j 

 the United States.— F. J.T.J 



RECENT ARRIVALS AT '. 

 GARDEN.— One pair of Ree\ 

 pair of Japanesepheasante, l 

 Pelecamis ft ocfcj rhynch «i ■ ■- 

 Chinese g<. 



livniu-ht levedpsis; all purchu: 

 ml,,,-; oue raccoon, Procyon I 

 tyx califtrnnicmi one Cooper's 

 silver-bill, Mania cunian*; th 



PHILADELPHIA ZOOLOGIC 

 pheasants, Pllaaiamu >■ 



[color; ■ ' 



olden eagle. Aquila thrysmto$; oni 

 and two pairo of Bernicle jse 

 One Pataa mooke; 



; two pairs of valley i;u M 

 ■.vk, Acciviter cwroeWJ oi 

 ed lizaT- ,i 



d one alligator. Alligator inissismppieiisix; all 

 ' i. One zebu, Bos Indian; one buffalo, I 



tu 



presentation 



and one collared peccary, Dieotyles torguatua; born in the ga: 



