213 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
after they have been frightened by a hawk. This seems to confirm the 
theory that they do withold their scent, and that they do it involuntarily- 
as the hawk does not pursue by scent. 
By the way, sportsmen, kill every hawk you can. When you see one, 
croucn closely to the ground aud give a few calls in imitation of the 
quail, and he will generally come within shooting distance. O. H. H. 
' THE WAY I CAUGHT THE MINK. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
In the fall of 18721 took my lines and went on a sort of hunting and 
fishing excursion to Lake Winnepissiogee. It was one of those calm, 
sunny days in November, denominated weather-breeders, when, with my 
skates firmly strapped on my feet, I was skimming on the ice m the di¬ 
rection of a group of islands known as the Forty. Leaving Birch, 
Huckleberry and Cow Island behind, I soon gained the Forty, and after 
a skate round among them concluded to cut some holes and try my luck 
for pickerel and cusk. The ice was about three inches thick and clear as 
glass. I cut five holes and fished away awhile, but had no bite. It be¬ 
ing dull music I thought of taking a look around the shore of one of the 
islands, the larger of the group, upon which is a low cabin used as a 
place where fishermen stop over nigiit. At the cabin we seated ourself 
on one of the rude benches and eat our lunch, read the names inscribed 
on the walls, then took our way once more for our lines. As we neared 
the shore we saw a splendid mink by the side of one of the fish holes 
busily engaged eating our bait. Carefully picking up a stick I made for 
him on the double-quick. Instead of attempting to get by me and 
gain the shore, he dove right down into my fish hole and began to swim 
off under the ice. I ran along, and presently he stopped and put 
his nose up against the ice and let his breath go out that made a large 
bubble, and this he again breathed in and swam again, not so far as at 
first, and went through the same performance, the bubble not near 
as large as the first; for three times more he did the same, each time 
being shorter, when he stopped under the ice and began to garp and act 
like a cat when strangulating. I waited until he was perfectly quiet, 
when I cut a hole through the ice and took him out. He was in prime 
condition, and fearing he might come to life and be off, I hastened to the 
shore and in a few minutes had his jacket stripped off, and depositing 
it in the profound depths of my coat pocket, went at fishing in earnest. 
When the shades of evening began to draw down over nature and hide 
from my view all lesser objects, I could still see looming up far to the 
north old Ossipee Mountain, where I had whiled away so many happy 
hours rambling amid its wild defiles. At the south was Gunstock Moun¬ 
tain, its base seeming to rise from the waters of the lake. My fish, of 
which I had five pickerel and two cusks, seemed to weigh fifty pounds, 
and I was really glad when my house was gained, and I also entered on 
my note book a new idea relative to mink life and how they can swim 
for some distance under the ice. It seemed strange that he did not at¬ 
tempt to come back to the fish hole. But I opine he had forgotten the 
direction, and hence swam off into deep water. J, L. H. 
THE CRESTED FLY-CATCHER. 
Nassau, Rensallaer county, N. Y., May 4,1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
At your request 1 send you a few notes on the great crested Fly¬ 
catcher ( Migiarchus crimitus), which will be interesting to some of the 
readers of your excellent paper. The vicinity of this place, for reasons 
unaccountable to me, is a favorite breeding place for this rare bird. • 
The great crested Fly-catcher arrives here at about the 20th of May. 
It is remarkably regular as to time of arrival, nearly all arriving at the 
same time. Upon their arrival a favorable place is chosen, which is usu¬ 
ally an orchard with a grove of trees not far distant. Low ground seems 
to be preferred to the higher localities. In this selected place the bird, 
after finding a mate, spends the season, not more than one pair occupy¬ 
ing the same place. Although it is spoken of as being a quarrelsome 
bird, I have never seen it engaged in a fight. It is of rather shy disposi¬ 
tion as compared with the other fly-catchers, although it is found near 
the farm houses. It is a very lively bird and very industrious in its 
search for food. Yon see it in the top of a tall tree, on a sprout near the 
ground, and again flitting to another tree, all in the same instant. Its 
food, which consists of insects which are caught flying, is seized with a 
loud snap of the bill. The notes are of two different kinds, the most 
common resembles the syllables T-r-i-p, t-r-i-p, t-r-i-p, which ure uttered 
in a very distinct voice, a rolling sound being given to the r. This note 
is uttered immediately alter the bird alights, after darting after an in¬ 
sect, at which time also it frequently flits its tail in the manner of the 
other fly-catchers. The other note is a single syllable very much resemb¬ 
ling the last syllable of that of the common quail, and is uttered in a 
loud, clear and distinct voice. . This note is uttered at intervals of two or 
three minutes. On the first week in June the nest U commenced. This 
species is remarkably regular in its time of nesting. All the birds of the 
species in the vicinity nest at almost exactly the same time. The nest 
is placed in a hole in a tree, usually in an orchard near the chosen grove, 
at an average height of about 10 or 12 feet from the ground, although in 
one case I found the nest at least 30 feet from the ground, and have 
found it as low as four feet. One instance came to my knowledge last 
year of a nest being built in a bluebird’s box, about fifty feet from a 
farmhouse and near a walk by which the occupants of the house were 
frequently passing, and notwithstanding its rather shy disposition, the 
female laid and hatched four eggs. The nest of this species has been 
so often described that it is useless for me to do so here, as I find that 
descriptions of it agree. The average number of eggs is five. I have 
found six in two cases and four in one, finding five in the majority of the 
nests. I think that both birds incubate, but both sexes being so nearly 
alike in color it is difficult to ascertain. On approaching the nest the 
setting bird flies quietly off and immediately commences catching in¬ 
sects and uttering its notes, seemingly in a very unconcerned manner. 
The birds are very much attached to the nest, and if all the eggs are 
taken but one the parents will continue to sit until that is hatched. 
After the young are hatched the parents are quiet, and the only note ut¬ 
tered from them till the time of departure for the South is the single 
note, and that not very frequently. After the young are fully fledged 
they separate, and only the parents continue in the vicinity of the nest. 
Thisspecies commences its journey south about the third week in Sep¬ 
tember. None are seen here after the first frost. It. T. Mobris. 
--- 
CENTRAL PARK MENAGERIE. 
Department or Public Parks, i 
New York. May 10, 1874. ) 
Animals received at Central Park Menagerie for the week ending 
May 9, 1874: 
One Night Heron, Nyctiardea gardeni. Presented by Mr. F. S. Web¬ 
ster of Troy. 
Three Green Turtles, Ohdone viridis. Sab. West Indies. Presented 
by Master Wm. J. Halstead. 
One Quail, Ortyx Yirginianus. Presented by Miss Kate Heiter. 
One black-necked Swan, Cygnus nigricgllis. Sab. Peru. 
Two Spotted Hyaenas, Sycena crocuta, bom period of gestation 16 
weeks. They are of a uniformly black color, no indication of spots; 
born with eyes open. W. A. Conklin. 
A Curiosity. —Mr. Asher P. Cole has shown us a trout 
with two heads, two sets of gills, four eyes, two mouths and 
hut one body. The heads unite just back of the gills. 
Each head runs independently of the other. If meat be 
placed in front of the creature, both heads go for it. Both 
mouths take food at the same time. All the gills are in 
working order. The trout seems as lively and healthy as 
its brethren .—Wdlsville (III.) Reporter. 
[Rather tough—but better two heads than none.—E d.] 
r oadland, %mvn and (garden. 
BIENNIALS, PERENNIALS, AND TEN¬ 
DER PLANTS FOR THE GARDEN. 
T AKING- up this subject where we last left it, w T e ask 
how shall we dispose of this elegant hut very tender 
plant we hold beneath our trowel? And to understand 
fully what is a tender plant is very necessary to every lady 
gardener, as well as skilful cultivator. Very many of the 
annuals we have shown will grow freely in the northeastern 
States in the ground, and in our open summers. 
To fully understand the term tender , you will conceive a 
plant which does not usually attain full perfection by the 
ordinary mode of outdoor cultivation; such plants as re¬ 
quire to he grown in pots in the green house. Among such 
plants we place the globe amaranth, balsams, and the egg 
plant. All such tender annuals may be classed as half 
hardy annuals, and can he well grown as such. 
Without our biennials and perennials we could not well 
get along with our city gardens. They only require a few 
judiciously selected plants, to he sure, but then these plants 
are to give you much joy or little satisfaction, according as 
they are well or illy selected. These showy plants you 
will usually place within the border (they are well adapted 
for this kind of grouping), as they unfold their rich and 
varied blossoms of scarlet and gold both early and late in 
the season. They are by no means to be neglected, and 
should be reckoned among the flowers as indispensable. 
Florists reckon them as the most showy permanent deco¬ 
rations of the city flower garden. 
No garden is complete without the larkspur, phlox, three 
kinds; lychris, coreopsis, saxifrage, etc. These plants you 
can place in groups in almost any situation with good effect. 
Biennials are such plants as yield their blossoms on the 
second year, and after their blossoming comes death. Of 
these plants we may classify many varieties, which, with 
an ordinary amount of care bestowed upon them, will give 
a delightful parterre of flowers at a very trifling cost. In 
this class of flowers yon may place, as among the most de¬ 
sirable, the best varieties of digitalis, of which there are 
five varieties, and all are very beautiful. We have raised 
from the seeds some remarkably fine specimens of this 
plant, and would say to our lady friends, sow this very 
spring a liberal amount of the seed of the digitalis, and 
the plants will grow finely until autumn, when a slight pro¬ 
tection for the winter of strawy manure will give you in 
the spring a fine plot of these always reliable flowers. 
From this spring’s sowing you will have next summer, per¬ 
haps, digitalis of four or five different colors. The pure 
white is a fine specimen flower, and we have noticed that 
seed saved from the whites always reproduce themselves 
in the most perfect manner. 
As our object in these sketches is to instruct as well as to 
amuse—to give to our lady friends, lovers of fine flowers, 
a reliable formula upon which to base their labors, they 
will understand that very many of our finest flowers of to¬ 
day are from the improved culture bestowed upon our old 
varieties. Therefore you are to endeavor to reproduce your 
own seeds for the future from the best varieties of plants 
you can procure. Get the best seeds you can; begin, say, 
with the zinnia, a plant of easy culture, and try and im¬ 
prove this flower by saving the seed flowers of the last 
plants. Tie these up and place in paper bags, upon which 
is written a whole history of your floral work so far as re¬ 
lates to this flower, and so on through all your experi¬ 
ments. Our word for it, this is our own mode of doing 
these “little experimental chores,” and they always have 
paid us well in the end. 
Next in your selection we mention that old favorite in 
every garden, known as the canterbury hell, and in this 
you have also a reliable flower. The sweet williams, holly¬ 
hocks, and their kindred are also of the kinds from which 
yon should propagate and save your seed. Remember that 
you may fortunately raise a variety that will repay you 
fourfold for your labor, and hand your name down to pos¬ 
terity as the originator of such a very desirable and valu¬ 
able addition to the floral kingdom. 
In the autumn sowing of these seeds you can for conve¬ 
nience use what is called a cold frame, the many valuable 
uses of which we shall inform yon in the proper time and 
place. 
What is called a “florist’s flower garden” yon should now 
he told, and also of some of the benefits arising from a 
good collection of flowers grown by yourself, as you are 
now supposed to “go alone,” and lean less and less upon 
the staff of the floriculturist. Strictly speaking, the flor¬ 
ist’s flower garden has been composed of the following 
flowers:—Dahlia, in varieties; hollyhock, ditto; chrysan¬ 
themums, ditto; tulip, many varieties, large and small; 
polyanthus, auricula, heartsease, rununculus, varieties; ane¬ 
mone, carnation, pink, variety; plckotee, and hyacinth, 
and to these old well known standards of the garden you 
may if you choose add such others as you can find time to 
take good care of. We however would counsel you not to 
lay out too much work for yourself just in this place. We 
are well aware that a good, bright, warm April day puts 
new life into almost every one, and we, like all our friends 
who love flowers, are filled with new fancies, new delights, 
and desires after the beautiful gems of earth. But let us 
stop here for a moment and think over what we have al¬ 
ready done, and what we necessarily have yet to do, before 
we lay out more garden work for the future. 
Now, a florist’s bed me?ns a place from which to draw 
your duplicated flowers, if necessary, in pots or otherwise, 
for selling or setting out, and your bed should he con¬ 
structed so as to be as convenient for this purpose as pos¬ 
sible. A rough structure, made with hoards, will often 
afford you ample means of multiplying and keeping your 
plants on hand through the winter. A good dry cellar, 
with considerable light from windows on the south side, 
can in ordinary instances he converted into a very good 
and cheap cold bouse. If your cellar is located under your 
barn you can make your fall beds for the keeping of your 
auriculas, polyanthus, carnation, and flowers of that ilk 
grown in pots in this manner. Place about six inches in 
depth of good clean coal ashes upon such an "area of sur¬ 
face as you desire to use for your small or large collection 
of plants on the bottom of the cellar, of an oblong form. 
Over this you can raise your platform of tiles, or in absence 
of tiles use plank one and a half inches thick and fourteen 
inches in width. Over these you can raise your shelves of 
bricks at regular distances to support your pots. After 
you have potted off your plants in the fall, you will place 
them aside for the present while you attend to another de¬ 
partment of your garden operations. Potting of these 
plants ft>r next year’s use should he done in May, and then 
committed to the cold house to rest for the present. Such 
plants as of necessity remain out over winter, as the bulbs 
of the tulip, the lillium, etc., may he safely protected by a 
thin coating of leaves and strawy manure, which should be 
removed in the early days of April. 
In our next we shall give the results of our own experi¬ 
ence in the culture of specialties, and directions to ama¬ 
teurs as well as our lady culturists. 
Ollipod Quill. 
-- 
SEASONABLE HINTS ABOUT PLANTING. 
Kitchen Garden. —Such of the hardier vegetables as were 
sown last montli will now be growing, and should he kept 
free from weeds, and, as soon as. large enough, thinned. 
In most localities all the varieties of vegetable, except per¬ 
haps tomatoes and egg plants, may be planted in the open 
ground now. 
Asparagus. —Do not cut until the plants are two years 
old, and if they can be left until three all the better for the 
future of the bed. Set new beds now. 
Beans. —Do not plant until all danger from frost is over; 
then plant in rows three feet apart. Limas started on sods 
under glass may be set out when cool nights are over; and 
when the ground becomes dry and warm seeds may be 
put in. 
Beets. —Thin out the early plantings and keep carefully 
hoed; the thinnings make greens, preferred by many to 
spinach. Plant for a succession. 
Cabbages , broccoli, cauliflower, etc., all need the same gen¬ 
eral treatment when young. Set out early plants from the 
hot bed or frame, and keep well hoed. Sow for late crops 
in the open ground. 
Oakpoh. —Sow the main crop when the soil is warm, and 
keep clean from the start, or the weeds will soon exceed 
the carrots in size, and the crop he injured. * 
Celery. —Sow seeds, if not already done, in open ground. 
Corn. —Plant as soon as all danger of frost is over in drills 
three and a quarter to four feet apart. Plant every week 
or ten days for a succession. 
Cucumbers. —Plants started on pieces of sod may he set 
in the open ground and covered at night with frame or even 
a paper to prevent their becoming chilled. Sow seeds in 
open ground as soon as warm, and dust the plants when 
up with plaster or ashes to prevent the “bugs” from work¬ 
ing on them. 
Egg Plants. —Do not set out until cool nights are over, 
and the ground becomes thoroughly warm; then set in rich 
soil two feet apart each way. 
Lettuce. —Keep the soil around early set plants loose and 
free from weeds. Set out new beds and sow seed for a 
later crop. 
Melons require the same treatment as cucumbers. When 
growing well give liquid manure once or twice a week. 
Onions should have been sown last month to insure a 
good crop. Weed as soon as up and keep the soil stirred 
often. Ashes worked in between the rows, and worked in 
with a hoe, and a dressing of salt are beneficial. 
Parsley. —Soak the seed in warm water, and sow in open 
ground, patting down the earth well. 
Peas. —Bush before they fall over. Earth up a little when 
hoeing. Plant late sorts in rows four to five inches deep, 
so that they will not dry out during warm weather. 
Potatoes. —Finish planting for general crop, and hoe the 
early sorts as soon as up. Just before the potatoes appear 
above ground draw a harrow over the rows; this will de¬ 
stroy numerous weeds. 
Radishes. —Sow every week for a succession, and keep 
clear of weeds. 
Parsnips.—The earlier these are grown the better the 
crop is likly to be. Use only last year’s seed. Hoe and 
seed as soon as the plants appear. 
Rhubarb. —Do not gather from plants set last year. Cut 
off all flower stalk's as soon as they appear. 
Squashes for late use should be planted by the middle of 
the month in rich soil. Treat the early sorts the same as 
cucumbers. 
Tomatoes. —Transplant as soon as warm enough to the 
open ground, setting the plants four feet apart. 
Turnips .—Dust air-slaked lime or ashes on the young 
plants as soon as up to destroy the black fly which attacks 
them. 
Flower garden and lawn planting will form the main work 
in this department for the first part of this month. E ver¬ 
greens succeed best when planted some time during the 
month. Great care must be used not to allow the roots to 
dry by exposure to the winds, as when this happens the 
tree seldom survives. Set out ornamental trees at once 
before they commence their growth. If any trees need 
moving attend to it at once. 
Lawns. Clear up all dead leaves, sticks, etc., if not done 
before. The lawn should be cut often in order to keep the 
surface neat and smooth. If the grass is not too thick 
allow it to remain on the ground; it -will serve as a ferti¬ 
lizer, and also prevent the sun from drying out the roots. 
Shrubs.— A selection of early flowering shrubs will give 
a place an attractive appearance in spring before the leaves 
have started on the ornamental trees. Shrubs flower better 
if properly pruned. 
