July 30, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



487 



will be seen that it, will preserve the same tint on all bottoms. 

 The tint, color, or light strikes the fish's eye and is conveyer] 

 by the sympathetic nerve to the myriads of pigment or color 

 cells that surround the body in layers in what is called the 

 cutis, w second skin, causing them to contract or expand as 

 the ease may be, and to these expansions and contractions 

 the wonderful changes and fluctuations of color in all 

 animals are due. 



The chameleon shrimp Mania, found in Southern waters, 

 is a most beautiful green when in its natural state, and is 

 found most frequently among rich green seaweeds, and dart- 

 ing through them it becomes at once invisible. This simi- 

 larity of color might be thought an accidental occurrence, as 

 really many eases of seeming or false mimicry are; but let 

 us place the little green fellow in a glass of pure water, or in 

 an aquarium, where we can observe it from all sides. It 

 darts around as if investigating its prison, and if we follow 

 its movements a change is noticed; the green tint is grow- 

 ing darker, now lighter, then passing through different 

 shades of blue, from dark to light, the color spots seemingly 

 separating and assuming in form disconnected patches, 

 which finally disappear, leaving the little creature almost 

 devoid of color. A land crab, called ffefasimits, also 

 loses its color when treated in a similar manner, becoming 

 pure white or a very delicate shade of green. 



In the Gulf Stream a number of crustaceans are found 

 that are perfect mimics of the sargassuru to which they cling; 

 their backs appear painted with fantastic markings of yel- 

 low and different shades of olive-green, and even the little 

 white polyzoons that encrust the weed are faithfully por- 

 trayed upon the shells of these little mimics. The little fish, 

 Anlmnarias, that here also finds a home, is bedecked with the 

 same colors, and decorated with a fringe of barbels that even 

 in shape resemble the bobs and points of the weed. A fish 

 discovered by the Challenger expedition was absolutely cov- 

 ered with these protective points, so that it resembled a mass 

 of seaweed. The fantastic fishes called Sculpins, with their 

 bright red. yellow and golden garbs, are afforded protection 

 by the curious barbels of flesh that swing pendent from their 

 various parts, and when settled among the weed they can 

 hardly be distinguished. This is especially so with the Lo- 

 phius or American angler, all around the mouth of which, 

 and upon the fins, are bits of flesh in exact imitation of veg- 

 etable forms, and as the3 r lift and move with the tide, as 

 the sluggish fish lies in wait for prey, many a finny victim 

 swims near, thinking it a moss-covered rock, and pays dearly 

 for the mistake. 



Some of the spider-crabs afford remarkable instances of 

 an instinctive desire for protection. We have taken one, 

 carefully cleansed his rough back of the weed with which it 

 was covered, and placed it among a mass of alga? in an 

 aquarium. Almost its first move would be to seize a bit of 

 weed, sever it from the bunch, and apply the broken end to 

 its mouth, evidently for the purpose of attaching some gela- 

 tinous fluid; then lifting the claw over its back the shoot 

 woxdd be planted there. Another piece, perhaps of another 

 color, was soon added, and in an astonishingly short time the 

 crab was thoroughly protected from observation by its re- 

 semblance to a moss-covered rock, so that the sharpest-eyed 

 fish would pass it by without notice. 



Many of the Holothurians are afforded a curious protec- 

 tion by their singular mouth organs. The Penlacta, a black 

 cucumber-shaped creature, when placed upon the white sandy 

 bottom of an aquarium, almost immediately buries itself in 

 the sand, some completely disappearing from view. If we 

 leave the tank for awhile, on returning we shall find that to 

 all purposes and intents a graceful branched shrub has grown 

 in our absence; it waves to and fro as if in the tide, coiling 

 and moving the mouth of our Holothurian, who it w T ould 

 seem, aware of the danger of the contrast its body offers, 

 sinks beneath the surface, sending up its curious mouth that 

 is an almost exact mimic of the algaa among which the 

 creature lives. 



In all animals we find in a more or less degree, these 

 strange provisions, evidences more powerful than words, of 

 roindin nature. 



Habits of "Woodpeckers. — Northampton, Mass., July 

 10. — I have just settled a point on the woodpecker question, 

 to my own satisfaction at least. A pair of yellow hammers, 

 or golden-winged woodpecker, are carrying on their family 

 matters near the house, and the male bird passes much of 

 his time on a dead limb, alternately hammering and singing. 



1 look a position near the tree and w r atched him for some 

 time, and found he was only "making merry" with his bill. 

 He would get off a song or notes to that effect, then he 

 would turn and rattle off a few loud taps, then plume him- 

 self, etc., while a few hundred yards away another was 

 going through the same performance. I am now r satisfied 

 that their bills are used for pleasure as well as for business; 

 though whether they ever hunt up old tin kittles when dead 

 limbs arc scarce I can't say. "Homo" is doubtless right as 

 to nighthawks laying their eggs on city roofs, but he never 

 saw their nests there or anywhere else. When a boy I often 

 found their eggs, but always on a hard gravelly place where 

 there was no grass. Except for the crop of fun it yields, 

 that hoop snake business smacks too much of superstition to 

 waste paper with. Let the N. Y. Sun take the cake!— 

 Didymus. 



Nest of Dendrceca Pennsylyanica. — Waterbury. Conn., 

 July 13. — Editor Forest and Stream: About the latter part 

 of last May, while Walking in the woods, I discovered a bird 

 gathering material for her nest, and, following her with my 

 eye, found the site she had fixed upon. I visited the place 

 frequently until the "set" was laid and then, being a new 

 bird to me, shot her (inclosed please find skin, and please 

 excuse the condition it is in), and took full possession of nest 

 and eggs. The nest (which measured, outside 3 in. wide by 



2 in. deep, inside 1£ m. wide by \± in. deep) was situated in 

 a hazel bush about 3 ft. from the ground, made of sticks 

 and fine straws, and contained four eggs, all measuring 1.-16 

 in. long by 8-16 in. wide. The eggs have a white back- 

 ground, ring of lilac spots, black and brown blotches, but 

 vary somewhat. — Subscriber. [The skin is that of a female 

 chestnut-sided warbler (D. penmylatJiim), a species which 

 you will find extremely abundant in your locality during the 

 spring migration. May 5 to 20.] 



White Beayer. — Upper Marias River, Montana. — The 

 other day an Indian killed a female beaver near here, and 

 on opening her found four young ones in the womb, two of 

 which are white and two black. The two uiiite ones are 

 much smaller than the dark ones. I had the Indian skin the 

 young unes for me, and as soon as the pelts are dry 1 shall 

 send' them to the museum of Dr. Hart, Merriam, Locust 

 Grove, where they may be seen by any one interested. — J, 

 W. Shultz. 



SUMMER NOTES FROM NOVA SCOTIA. 



JUNE 26. — Tt is perhaps worthy of remark that at the 

 present date, when all our indigenous trees and plants 

 have attained their full leaf, there is an unusual abundance 

 of insect life, so much so that vegetation suffers to a great 

 extent. Even the white birch (B. papymem) is infested with 

 an aphis which strips the leaves off the topmost branches of 

 the trees. Our kitchen gardeu is alive with insects, and 

 potatoes, squashes, tomatoes and nearly every vegetable has 

 its leaves riddled by the ravages of small beetles' belonging 

 to the Ohrysoiiifliflir, one or two species al tacking different 

 vegetables promisee ously. A small Melon tha also ruins the 

 foliage of the raspberries. As a set off, however, to the 

 hosts of insects, our neighborhood can boast of a greater 

 variety of birds and more nests than I have known before. 

 It is probable that unusually severe winters, especially 7 those 

 remarkable for excessive snowfalls, have no destructive 

 effect upon hibernating insects or their larva? ; indeed, 

 founding our opinion upon several years' observations, we 

 are inclined to think that when the land is covered almost 

 perpetually with snow, as it was in this province nearly the 

 whole of last winter and long into our late spring, all animal 

 life lying dormant beneath is benefitted by the warm cover- 

 ing, and awakes, late though it be, in more vigorous con- 

 dition than it would have done if submitted to alternate 

 thaw and frost which usually characterize the winters of our 

 clime. 



July 4. — For the last week or ten days our house has been 

 invaded by an army of gad flies (Tabanus), which are 

 devoured eagerly by two tame ground squirrels belonging to 

 the little boys. 



July 7. —Fire flies (PJwtinm) abundant at night for the 

 first time this season. 



July 8. — Silk worm moth (Telea, polyphsmus) about. 



Two curious positions for the nest of the robin (T. mi- 

 groiorinii) have occurred here; one on the top of a post in an 

 angle of our garden fence, without shelter of any kind; the 

 other on the bare ground in an angle formed by two logs 

 covering each other. A robin's nest was also found built on 

 that of last year. Another fact regarding the nesting of 

 birds we may mention. In tnree young spruce trees about 

 eight feet high, transplanted in the hope of their living about 

 the last of May, three birds' nests were commenced, but after 

 a fortnight of hot weather, about the beginning of June, the 

 spruces began to die off, shedding their leaves. The hirds 

 immediately stopped building their nests at the very fust 

 appearance of decay in the trees. J. Matthew Jones. 



Fern Lodge, WaterviUe. 



Notes from Central New York. — Onondaga Valley, 

 Ts T . Y., June 22. — The seventeen-year locusts, so called, (C 

 zeptendecirii) are with us on time. Millions of them on the 

 oak and hickory trees, and the noise is deafening. The 

 females are engaged in laying their eggs in the small 

 twigs. If you want any specimens I can send them. 

 Does the scarlet tanager (P. rubra) sing? Tenny states 

 that its notes are not musical, and are represented" by the 

 syllables "chip churr." I claim that it does sing, and that 

 its song is clear, mellow and sweet, resembling, in many 

 respects, the song of the rose-breasted grosbeak (G. Ivdonir'i- 

 ana). My friend, L. Sherwood, has seen and heard it, as 

 also have 1. The notes "chip churr" are the alarm, and I 

 think also the call notes. I want to call attention to the 

 sagacity, or something else, of a fox, and at the same time 

 to state that the person mentioned is in all respects reliable. 

 While Mr. Leiter, of Onondaga reservation, was crossing a 

 field he heard what he supposed to be a small dog, barking 

 at the foot of a tree, some thirty rods from him. "On going 

 to see what the dog had treed he was surprised to see a fox 

 running around the tree, jumping and barking. As Mr. 

 Leiter came near, the fox ran six or eight rods and sat down. 

 Mr. Leiter went to the tree and saw among the branches a 

 large 'coon. The fox still sat within gunshot, and, think- 

 ing to get both of them, Leiter went to his house, got a gun, 

 and on returning saw the fox at the same antics, but before 

 he could get withm range it ran away. He killed the 'coon. 

 Now then, what had Mr. 'Coon done that the fox shoidd 

 treat bim thusly? I leave it for others to answer. Did the 

 fox act in the manner aforesaid in order to call attention to 

 the 'coon? — W. M. [The scarlet tanager has undoubtedly a 

 song — a rather sweet, mellow whistle, which somewhat re- 

 sembles that of the robin. Its vocal efforts, while to be 

 sure not very remarkable, are certainly worthy of the title 

 of song ] 



§amp <gire ^Uckeifin$B. 



THERE was a full meeting at the old store, and as usual 

 when this was the case the exercises were very interest - 

 ing, There was a drover pr? sent, who had a herdof cattle for 

 sale, and many of the farmershad gathered in to talk over prices 

 and enjoy a social hour with the boys. The conversation 

 was mostly about cattle, and after the crowd had got warmed 

 to their work the rattling cross-fire of anecdote, fact and 

 fiction that incessantly poured forth was vastly entertaining, 

 amusing and instructive. 



SomeTone incidentally mentioned a fat ox once owned by 

 him, and with convincing confidence stated the exact num- 

 ber of pounds of U llow that the animal had yielded. This 

 was, to say the least, very ill advised, for in less than five 

 minutes there was more tallow pded on top of his poor story 

 than would have fairly lined the ribs of all the oxen he ever 

 owned. Crestfallen and disgusted he slunk into a corner 

 and was mentally kicking himself for not waiting for the 

 last story when Cud, inspired by the woebegone expression 

 of his countenance, cleared his throat and remarked, 

 "Speaking of fat critters reminds me of a sheep we bad 

 when I was a boy. He was an old ram that father bought 

 at an auction, and he was so blamed poor that nobody would 

 bid on him and he was knocked down to the old man for 

 seventy-five cents. It was in the fall, and none of us 

 thought that he would winter, but we turned liim into the 

 barn yard and let bim take his chance. We didn't take any 

 special pains with him, and the fodder wa'n't first rate, and 

 it didn't seem to us that he was taking on fat so dreadful 

 fast, but when we killed him in the spring how much tallow 

 do you guess he had?" 



After many guesses and much discussion, during which 

 the drover was heard to remark that if the old ram panned 

 out more than a ton he would quit the business, Cud was 

 asked to state the quantity. 



Drawing down the corners of his mouth he said, ' 'He lacked 

 just a pound and a quarter of having any." Shadow. 



%mt\t J?## m\& 0mj. 



THE LAND OF THE SKY. 



MY pen has been rusting for the past Eew weeks, and 1 

 fear the long rest has made me forget even the little I 

 knew of matters which are interesting to'the readers of your 

 sporting journal. I left my home in the valley of the Fedee 

 about ten days ago, when the thermometrical range was 

 from eighty-eight to ninety-four degrees Fahrenheit, and 

 came into what some one has called "the Land of the Sky," 

 to see if I could not find the cool air and pure water which 

 are so necessary to the restoration of physical powers, which 

 have been weakened by an exhausting climate; and, at the 

 same time, indulge in a" little sport at glass balls and "clay 

 pigeons" with some of the most expert gunners in the two 

 Carolinas. Asheville, in that celebrated county called Bun- 

 combe — after which, it is said, a peculiar Mud of oratory is 

 named, often indulged in by persons who occupy official 

 position, and are more anxious for a re-election than the 

 statesman-like discharge of their duties — contains quite a 

 number of sportsmen, who are all skillful in the use of the 

 gun, and can select a "team" who are hard to overcome in a 

 contest. With a liberality rarely equaled and never sur- 

 passed, this club issued an invitation to the brotherhood in 

 several of the Southern States to visit the beautitul and in- 

 vigorating region lying west of the Blue Ridge, and engage 

 in a friendly struggle for the mastery, without charge for 

 the sport, those gentlemen paying all the expenses of the 

 tournament. Fourth of July week was the time selected for 

 the meeting, and cards of invitation were duly sent to sport 

 ing clubs, not only in the two Carolinas, hut in Virginia, 

 Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. 



My route to this land of cool air and water whose scenery 

 is among the grandest, to say the very least, east of our 

 "Father of Waters." passed Charlotte' and Salisbury, at 

 which latter point I took the Western North Carolina Kail 

 road, at eleven P. M. I awoke the following morning, 

 about sunrise, near Old Fort, the eastern entrance of Swan- 

 nanoa Gap, through which the railroad, by an exceedingly 

 tortuous track, enters the grand valley of the Mississippi. 

 At Her rys, a station among the mountains, we took break- 

 fast, and then got upon a lighter train, for the ascent of 

 "the Ridge." On we w^ent, turning and twisting around 

 the spurs which jutted in upon the narrow valley of the 

 Catawba, going in all directions of the compass, across deep 

 gorges, along precipitous mountains, through tunnels, 

 getting higher and higher, and seeing a broader and broader 

 expanse as we ascended, with occasional glimpses of the 

 track we had passed, hundreds of feet below, until, poised 

 almost upon the crest, our train plunged into darkness, and 

 soon emerged upon the hanks of a branch of the Swannanoa, 

 whose cool and limpid waters dart rapidly away, to swell 

 the mighty volume of that stream which drains the most 

 productive valley of earth. What towering mountains loom 

 up on each side of the road as we head our way down the 

 stream! More than twelve of these peaks are higher than 

 Mt. Washington, the pride of the descendants of the May- 

 flower. 



Each turn of the road discloses new charms to the eye of 

 the lover of nature's grandeur, and thus, inhaling the pure 

 morning air, cool and bracing, we sped our way and soon 

 crossing the Swannanoa, we reached the immediate valley of 

 the French Broad, just below the confluence of the two 

 streams, and the depot of Asheville was reached. Delivering 

 the checks for my baggage to the porter, I entered the 

 "bus" of the Eagle Hotel, and after traveling a few minutes 

 along a well-graded, but circuitous road, was set down at 

 the hotel, assigned to a comfortable room and indulged in 

 the luxury of a bath of mountain water. After this I was 

 ready for whatever kind attentions the courtesy of my Ashe- 

 ville friends might bestow. They soon found me, and'invited 

 me to a preliminary shoot at their grounds during the coming 

 afternoon. 



For some reason, but few sportsmen had made their ap- 

 pearance, and indeed only a small number attended the con- 

 test at any time during the week. Only three full teams 

 were present, and two others were made up of supernu- 

 meraries, so that only five ever engaged in the trial of skill. 

 Your correspondent did some excellent shooting, for him. 

 before the tournament began, breaking ten "clay pigeons" 

 and ten glass balls consecutively. But when the "tug of 

 war" came, his good fortune deserted him, and he stood in 

 great danger at onetime, of being his own successor in win- 

 ning the "pop gun"— the badge of poorest marksmanship— 

 the badge which, tliey mid, he won on a former occasion, 

 and which he received with becoming thanks, in a speech of 

 suitable eloquence. Nevertheless, i/mt glory, he failed to 

 achieve, and thus lost the laurels, which he did not covet. 



We had a pleasant time in our contest and during our stay. 

 The Asheville Club were assiduous in their attentions and 

 showed their guests all possible courtesy. Among other en- 

 counters was one for a championship badge, offered, by our 

 hosts. For this Spartanburg, Orangeburg, and the Indepen- 

 dents, of South Carolina, with Holmes, Smoak and Gibbes 

 respectively at their head, and Asheville and Eureka, of 

 North Carolina, led by Carter and "Wells," met in "battle 

 array." At the conclusion of the strife it was found that 

 the Independents were the victors. "Wells" was deputed to 

 "deliver the goods," which he did in "his best style" — how 

 good was it? — and Gibbes responded in a similar w^ay, pledg 

 ing himself to have it present at the next annual meeting, to 

 be handed over to his successor. Sonie of the shooting was 

 excellent, much was fair, and a little far from creditable. 

 Candor compels me to say that the "clay pigeons" did not 

 give universal satisfaction, because in quite a number of 

 eases they did not break when hit by shot. In one case, 

 while I was "at the bat," and one of these pigeons flew to 

 the right, 1 discharged my gun and a "miss"" was scored 

 against me. Feeling sure I held the gun properly, I requested 

 a gentleman to pick up the clay, and it was found that five 

 shot had struck it, two going through, and yet it was not 

 broken. Several other similar cases occurred. I used No. 8 

 shot, one ounce and three drams of gunpowder. 



During the week of festivities an association was formed, 

 called ' "The Sportsmen's Association of the Carolinas. " Your 

 correspondent was chosen President, Mai. il. H. Thomson, 

 of Spartanburg, S. O, Vice-President, and Mr. T. H. Gibbes, 

 of Columbia, S. O, Secretary and Treasurer. The execu- 

 tive committee consists of the officers named and Messrs. 

 D. C. Wadded and S. Van Gilder, of Asheville. N. C., and 

 MjgssrS. Owen Holmes, of Spartanburg, and D. J. Smoak, 

 of Orangeburg. 8. C If is designed to have at least one 

 annual "shooting match," for all the clubs in both States, 

 who see proper to become members of the association. If 

 the match takes place in the summer, it is probable that the 



