March 13, 1885.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



128 



the habitation of man, and only during migration is? its pres- 

 ence known to the ordinary collector. Iu its accustomed 

 haunts it is found to be very tame and unsuspicious, and 

 can be readily approached to within a very few yards. During 

 migration it is also extremely tame. When a hoy 1 used to 

 kill specimens with a sling shot made of rubber, fastened to 

 a croich, and I distinctly - remember securing two specimens 

 perched on a cono of an evergreen at one shot, being then 

 less than ten feet from the birds, and using three buckshot 

 in my deadly weapon. Of the breeding habits of this species 

 I kubw nothing, and I fail to find any information on this 

 point in any of the lists at hand. The species undoubtedly 

 nests abundantly in the dark pine forests of Central and 

 Northern Michigan, but from the retiring nature of the birds 

 it is a difficult matter to find the nests. 



The notes of this species are very curious, and consist of 

 the syllables quaint, quaint, but generally more drawn out, 

 q-u a-a-i-i-n n-t. Very pleasing and readily remembered. 

 They are easily distinguished from the notes of fill other 

 birds. Only one other note, a soft, low call note has reached 

 my ears. The note quaint appears to be their best effort at 

 song, and repeated from six to eight times, as it usually is, 

 is quite agreeable. 



The nuthatches are faithful workers in their efforts at 

 keeping the various orders of insects within bounds. They 

 are excellent citizens, and though rather inclined to be set 

 in their ways, and possessed of "many peculiarities, are still 

 extremely serviceable as insect destroyers, and rank high in 

 this respect as compared with other families of birds. 



It has not been my fortune to secure many fresh speci- 

 mens of the readbelly during the active season of insect life. 

 and so I have but little to offer on the subject. Enough has 

 been seen, however, to convince me that the species is highly 

 beneficial in its capacity as an insect eater. The whitebelly 

 is probably not far removed from the redbelly in the nature 

 of its food. As it is quite abundant with us during eight 

 months of the year, a iavorable opportunity has been offered 

 to study its habits iu this respect. I find that the food of 

 caroUncnds is chiefly of insects of the orders •Cokoptera and 

 Diptera during the warmer months, and that there is a de- 

 crease in its insect food during the colder months. During 

 at least three of these, the species feeds largely, if not 

 almost entirely, on vegetable matter. The nature of the 

 vegetable food" I have been unable to fully determine, but it 

 appears to me much like young buds. Blossoms are often 

 eaten in the spring. I have seen them eating the petals of 

 the apple blossoms. The species also frequently feeds on a 

 variety of lichen, which I have examined, as I did the blos- 

 soms, with the expectation of finding insects concealed, but 

 failed in every case. 



When obtainable, however, insects are preferred, and the 

 crops are more often found filled with insects of the various 

 orders, principally iu the larva] stage, tnan of any other kind 

 of food. It is very interesting to observe a nuthatch feeding 

 from a large piece of fungus upon the insects contained 

 therein. The bird flies to the tree with joyous chirps, and 

 with almost constant twittering which usually calls a friend 

 to share in the repast, it dives at once into the crevices and 

 perforations in the toadstool, and drags forth the insects, 

 usually beetles. If the fungus is old and has become hard, 

 only those larvae or imagos are secured which he near the 

 surface; but if the fungus is young and still soft, the spot is 

 rarely left until it is completely destroyed and all of the in- 

 sects eaten. When the birds finish, the toadstool is totally 

 demolished, and broken down fungi found attached to trees 

 in the woods are frequently the work of these birds, 1 have 

 no doubt. 



The following dimensions are takeu from Michigan speci- 

 mens: White-belhed nuthatch — Average length, 5.84; aver- 

 age extent, 1063; average wing, 3.53; average tail, 2.01; 

 avarage tarsus, .79; average commissure, .90; longest speci- 

 men, 6.00; longest wing, 3.77; greatest extent, 11.50; short- 

 est specimen, 5.60; shortest wing, 3.10; least extent, 9.80 

 Red-bellied nuthatch — Average length, 4.45; average extent, 

 8.24; average wing, 2.54; average tail, 1 60. 



22. Sitta pusitta Lath. — Brown-headed nuthatch. 



Dr. Atkins writes me that he is acquainted with this bird 

 as a Michigan species, and I therefore enter it in this list. 

 As to its validity as a Michigan bird I have nothing to offer. 

 It is embraced by no other authority in the State. 



CAPTURE OF A WHITE SHARK. 



FROM reports by different scientific leaders in England, 

 as well as in this country, it appears that previous to 

 1883 the great "man-eater," white shark {Cardiarodon car- 

 charias), was represented in natural history collections by 

 the jaws alone of one of the species preserved in -the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. The specimen from which this signifi- 

 cant portion was saved, and which had been taken at Monte- 

 rey Bay, California, measured thirty-two feet in length. 



By a fortunate chance a smaller, but very fine, specimen 

 was secured about two miles off Great Point Lighthouse, 

 NantucKet, Mass., somewhat over a year ago. This was 

 taken on Aug. 4, 1883. by C. B. Herrick, Esq., and Dr. W. 

 G. Stevenson, of Poughkeepsie. and subsequently presented 

 by the latter gentleman to the Vassar Brothers' Institute, 

 where it is exhibited. As its identity is now well determined 

 from expert examination, it is unhesitatingly spoken of as a 

 prize; and it may be concluded that a luckier cast never 

 marked the pastime of angling as engaged in by scientific 

 men. So rare is the species ihat its existence in Atlantic 

 waters has been hitherto next to unknown to experienced 

 fishermen, as well as to the best iuformed ichthyologists. 

 The statement has appeared in the Boston Transcript that, 

 while the fins of the "man-eater" shark surpass those of all 

 other varieties in an epicurean estimate, the kind does not 

 exist iu our waters. It was. therefore, a complete surprise 

 to the holiday party when the present specimen tugged 

 mightily at the line, tearing loose some timbers within the 

 bottom of the boat around which the end was passed. When 

 stunned by being beaten on the head, and witJi life next ex- 

 tinguished by means favorable to a perfect condition of the 

 specimen, the fish became a safe and precious cargo. It was 

 not of maximum size, being but ten feet in length from the 

 snout to the end of the caudal fin, and with the greatest cir- 

 cumference of fifty-eight inches. 



What renders the "discovery of most importance is the 

 fact that early descriptions of the species were radically im- 

 perfect, even to the extent of confounding this with a differ- 

 ent genus. As stated in a letter by Prof. D. S. Jordan to 

 Dr. Stevenson, "There is no good description of the animal 

 extant. The earlier writers spoke of it without knowing it, 

 and all had more or less confusion between it and O. lamia/' 



From careful examination it i3 distinguished as the Car- 

 diarodon carcharias of Jordan and Gilbert. Through con- 

 fused previous diagnoses, as observed by Dr. Stevenson, it has 



also been described as Squalus cardmn'as (Lhuianis), Car- 

 duvrias lamia (Cuvier), Cardat r/'as vcrus ( Agussiz), Cardiaro- 

 don rondektM (MlUlcr and Heule), Cardiarias ronddeUii 

 (Gunther), Cardiarodon ca.pemis (Smith), Oa/rd>arias a$um& 

 (Storer), and Cardiarodon atwoodi (Gill). 



In his diagnosis oi this specimen, its discoverer has followed 

 the general auatysis of Professors Jordan aud Gilbert in their 

 "Synopsis of the Fishes of North America," published under 

 the direction of the Smithsonian Institution in 1882. Accord- 

 ing to the adopted classification, the three genera of the 

 family Lamividai—Tsurux, Lamia, Cardiarodon — are distin- 

 guished from each other by tke form and construction of the 

 teeth, and this newly-studied specimen is excluded by the 

 dentition from the first two genera, the teeth in both jaws 

 having "the form of an isosceles triangle, compressed, with 

 the inner surface slightly convex, and the margins rectilinear 

 and markedly serrated. They have no basal cusps aud stand 

 a little obliquely inward. The upper are larger than the 

 lower teeth, and in both jaws the largest teeth are in front. 

 In the upper jaw the teeth measure seven-eighths of an inch 

 at the base, aiid one and one quarter inches on each side, 



and in the lower jaw five-eighths of an inch at the base and 

 seven-eighths of an inch on each side." The specimen is re- 

 garded as the Cardiarodon carcharias chiefly from this char- 

 acteristic; Dr. Stevenson's view is confirmed by the opinion 

 of Prof. Wm. B. Dwight, of Vassar College, and by that of 

 Prof. Jordan, to whom was seut a description accompanied 

 by photographs. The following letter, suggesting the im- 

 portance of the discovery, has also been received from the 

 distinguished naturalist, Dr. Gunther, of the British Mus- 

 eum: 



Cromwell Road, South Kensington, S. W., May 15, 1884. 



Dkar Sir — I am truly obliged to you for your kindness in sending 

 tne the photographs of the shark, which, with your description, 

 leave no doubt that you have had the extraordinary good fottune of 

 obtaining a Carcharias rondeletU. It is one of the most interesting 

 discoveries in Atlantic ichthyology. A] though I have been endeavor- 

 ing for years to get a specimen, I have been unsuccessful hitherto, 

 Believe me, yours very truly. 



Dr. W. Q. Stevenson. A. Gunther, 



It is hoped by Dr. Stevenson and others acquainted with 

 the facts in connection, that this new possession may aid in 

 rendering distinctions more clear regarding the lamnoid 

 sharks, although discrepancies are recognized in even this 

 instance. In the precise description prepared by Dr. Steven- 

 son, it is pointed out that the caudal pit which authorities 

 represent as belonging to all lamuoid sharks is, absent in the 

 present specimen, and that in this also the last branchial 

 partly overlap the front of the pectorals which, to corres- 

 pond with authoritative descriptions, should have a position 

 entirely in front of the pectorals. Prof. Jordan, however, 

 conceives that these differences may be such as change with 

 age. The remaining difficulty is connected with theVxprcs 

 sion "five rows" contained in the description of the teeth, 

 published by Storer, and quoted by other writers. It is con- 

 cluded by Dr. Stevenson that this is simply an unhappy 

 term as intended to comprehend the idea of the "non-func- 

 tional or rudimentary teeth, which are partly or wholly con- 

 cealed in the groove of the jaws, and which can only be seen 

 when the inclosing tissues are cut away," 



At the same time of the capture of this shark a specimen 

 was taken of the Odontaspis littoralw or sand shark, which, 

 although the species is not uncommon in American waters, 

 was found worthy of attention from its unusually large size 

 and perfect skin, and it was given to the same* institution 

 receiving the ''man-eater." The species is described by 

 Jordan and Gilbert as from four to six feet in length, while 

 this specimen measures eight feet seven inches. Its name is 

 significant of a peculiarity of the surface of the body which 

 is covered with tubercle-like scales or papillae, giving it the 

 appearance of being thickly sprinkled with sand. E. T. H. 



WINTER RANGE OF THE ROBIN. 



THE following notes were sent me by Mr. Alex. Scougai, 

 of Sioux City, la. It may be well to state here that 

 the northern limit of the ordinary range of the robin in 

 winter lies two hundred and twenty-five miles south of 

 Sioux City, though single birds have been known, in 

 Minnesota and Wisconsin, to remain much further north. 

 Robins were also seen at Vermillion, Dak., a few miles north- 

 west of Sioux City, on Feb. 7, and many of them on Feb. 10. 

 The letter reads as follows: 



"Among our winter birds there is one in particular which 

 I wish to mention. It is the male robin {31. mif/ratoriit). 

 Hardly a person will believe that there is a robin in the 

 State during the winter, but a year ago the ;i8d of last 

 December, I shot a male robin, but took no particular 

 notice of it except to skin it. Last December during the 

 holidays I took my gun and started for a dense thicket 

 almost impenetrable by man or dog. There 1 saw a number 

 of robins and shot three. One of them was wing-tipped, 

 and when caught began to call, and immediately there were 

 thirty-four robins sitting arouud me, making noise enough 

 to deafen one. I held the one in my hand for a long time, 

 so that I could look at the rest, and all of them were male 

 birds; not a female could be seen. I found a house in the 

 woods and asked the man about them, He informed me 

 that they had been there all winter, but he was not able to 

 distinguish the males from the females. I cannot say posi- 

 tively that the female does not stay here in winter' but I 

 have never seen one nor heard of one here during that 

 season; so that I think it must at least be rarely if ever seen. 

 The day I saw the birds was December 27, and the 

 temperature was twenty-three degrees below zero. Again 

 ou January 2, 1885, 1 was there, and saw the robins a second 

 time. It was then seventeen degrees below. I found in 

 them wild grapes and seeds from a small bush [probably 

 Symp7ioricarpus\ ; they were in good condition. The trees, 

 in that part of the woods, were covered to their tops with 

 grape vines, and many other vines grew underneath. The 



birds were in good condition, and seemed as lively as in 

 mid-summer. Hence it would seem that these old birds, 

 being the last to migrate, do not go so far south as the rest 

 of their species, but get inlo these dense thickets and are 

 unnoticed by most people until, with the first warm weather, 

 they fly out in the open fields. The first day or two of 

 February were warm, the mercury rising to forty-six above. 

 These robins were seen by a good manv iu the city, and 

 quite a cry went around, 'spring is coming, we have seen a 

 robin.' But Feb. 5 froze the woodchvek that came out on 

 the 2d and now (the 16th) it ranges eight to fourteen below 

 zero. The people wonder where the robins have gone, but 

 if they would go on the Nebraska side of the river to the 

 dense thickets" of Walker's Island, they could find the same 

 robins as lively as ever." W. W. Cooke. 



Moorhead, Minn., Feb. 23. 



RANGE OF THE MOUNTAIN GOAT. 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



It may be of interest to several of your correspondents to 

 know of a recent appearance of the Rocky Mountain goat, 

 Aplocerus, in Wyoming Territory. 



Early in the season of 1883 there was a small band on 

 Freeze-Out Mountain, near the Medicine Bow River, One 

 that was kilted we estimated without the scales to weigh 

 rather more than 150 pounds. 



While out hunting and prospecting with one of my men, 

 we came upon a large specimen that had been killed. Ar- 

 ranging to come back and secure it we pushed on after game 

 not far away. Subsequent captures and trouble with our 

 stock prevented return. This was on the crest of one of the 

 spurs from Freeze-Out toward Shirley Basin. Having the 

 idea — from the stories of the hunters— that the mountain 

 goats were found even further south in the ranges around the 

 Parks, I paid no further attention to the occurrence, beyond 

 mentioning it to Prof. Allen on my return east. 



S. Carman. 



Cambridge, Mass. 



Editor Fore-it and Stream: 



In your edition of Feb. 26 I observe that Major Bendire 

 contributes an article on the Rocky Mountain goat, in which 

 he gives that animal a much wider and more southerly range 

 than has generally been credited to it. This recalls a state- 

 ment made to me last fall by Mr. Egbert Johnson, of this 

 city, who, because of bad health, has to spend much of his 

 time living in camp. He is a good hunter and kills much. 

 large game. About forty -five miles southwest by west from 

 Denver there is an extensive but detached group of snowy 

 mountain peaks, about 14,300 feet high, of which Mount 

 Rosa is the central figure. In the latter part of the summer 

 Mr. Johnson was encamped among these mountains at about 

 timber line, or in the neighborhood of 11,000 feet above sea 

 level. One evening just at dusk, while walking leisurely 

 along a game trail near his camp, and just above the limit of 

 timber growth, he met a large white goat, which he shot 

 and killed. He believed it to be a Rocky Mountain goat. 

 He has not seen any others, nor do I remember hearing of 

 any. The locality where this animal was killed is very wild 

 and rugged, many miles from any settlement and seldom 

 visited by man. * W. NT, B. 



Denver, Col. 



[The above notes are very interesting. Hunters' stories of 

 the occurrence of the white goat in Wyoming are sometimes 

 told, but authentic cases of the capture of this species hive 

 not hitherto, we think, been recorded. We have heard that 

 a goat was once killed on Elk Mountain about fifty miles 

 from the spot about which Mr. Garmau writes, and once saw 

 a scalp iu Colorado which was said to have been taken in 

 North Park. But it appears to be quite certain that in the 

 Central Rocky Mountains this species is rare,] 



SOUTHERN NEW YORK WINTER BIRDS. 



THIS winter has been an unusually mild and open one, 

 and consequently more birds than usual have been with 

 us through the whole winter, Below I give a full list of 

 the birds 1 saw or heard of on good authority: 



American robin {Tardus migratorius).—! met with only 

 two specimens of this bird during the past winter. I do not 

 think it is usual for it to spend the whole year with us. 

 These two instances of its occurrence here are all that I know 

 of at this season of the year. 



Bluebird {Sialia sialis). — I met with two flocks of this bird 

 through the winter; one I met with cm Dec. 20 containing 

 about fifteen birds, and the other during the first week in 

 January with three birds. I think it is a rare and occasional 

 winter Visitant here. 



Black-capped chickadee {Par us atricapiUus). — This and 

 the next species are the two commonest winter birds we have, 

 exceptiug Passer domesticus. One cannot walk in the 

 woods without meeting numbers of these little birds. 



White-bellied nuthatch {Sitta carolinensis). — The same re- 

 marks apply to this bird as to the last, except that, if any- 

 thing, this is a little the more common of the two. 



English sparrow {Passer domestical s). — This little pest 

 occurs in overwhelming numbers durinsr the whole year. 

 They keep together in large flock and are found only in the 

 vicinity of barns and stables, where they feed on the grain 

 laid out for the chickens. 



Chipping sparrow {Spizdla socialis). —A rare bird during 

 the winter months. I only observed two or three during the 

 whole winter. 



White-throated sparrow {ZonotrieMa albicoUis). — A rather 

 rare winter visitant. Only met with a very few during the 

 whole winter. 



American goldfinch {Chrysomitris tristis). — A very rare 

 bird at this season of the year. Only saw one. 



Snowbird {Junco hyemalis).—A. common winter bird. They 

 keep together in large flocks and inhabit the open pastures, 

 etc., rarely going into the woods. 



Song sparrow {Mdospiza mclodia). — A fairly common 

 winter bird. Generally saw two or three a day. 



Meadow lark {Slurnella magna). — Before the first fall of 

 snow this bird was very abundant, but almost all left at the 

 first snow. I met with but one when the ground was cov- 

 ered. 



Common crow {G'orvus americanns). — This is one of the 

 mnst abundant of our winter birds. It occurs much more 

 plentiful during the winter months than at any other season. 

 They associate together in large flocks, and stay mostly in 

 the woods. 



Bluejay {Cyanurus cristatus). — From some cause or other 

 I did not meet a single one of these birds during the past 

 winter, and so, perhaps, I ought not put it down on the list. 

 But as it generally occurs so plentiful, I do not think that it 

 ought to he passed over. 



