304 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Not. n, 1885 



may work and tliey may not. If you want a lense 

 to make interiors and exteriors of buildings, photograph 

 groups, or animals and general landscape not too far distant, 

 I would cordially recommend the Morrison wide angle lense, 

 price $25 but this lense is not warranted to do instantaneous 

 work, and it will not do it, except under certain conditions. 

 It will do good work on the water, and can be worked witli 

 a very quick shutter, for pictures can be taken very quickly 

 on the water. For long distances the Morrison wide angle 

 lense Ms too short a focus, and will not give the best satis- 

 faction. Still it is a good lense. It is claimed that the wide 

 angle "Sutter" lense lias that fault rectified, and that it will 

 uive clearness in the distance. However, let me impress 

 this one thins: upon the mind of the purchaser, get a good 

 lense; for you will not regret it, and with it, if you fail in 

 procuring good pictures, you cannot blame your instrument. 

 Don't pay less than $25; and as much more as you care to. 

 A wise plan would be to try several lenses before purchasing 

 and then to take the one that gives the best satisfaction all 

 round. . . 



Always keep a record of your exposures ; this is recom- 

 mended in the book of instructions issued by some of the 

 firms dealing in these goods. If you fail on one plate and 

 have a record you will soon know why. Develop your own 

 plates, for by so doing you learn how to get the correct ex- 

 posure. If you do not develop your plate, but have it done 

 hy some one in the business, your experience counts for 

 naught, and you will probably continue to spoil plate after 

 plate; and if you get a fair picture it will only be by chance. 

 After securing a good negative there is no trouble in making 

 a good photograph, for the printing and toning of the paper 

 positive can be done by sight, and is not "guess work," as is 

 the exposure of the negative; for one really has to guess at 

 the strength of the light from the appearance on the ground 

 glass, and then guess again in regard to proper development. 

 Of course in time the guess work becomes judgment. Thei*e- 

 fore, one can suit their convenience about making their own 

 prints from the negatives. It is the same in regard to_ mak- 

 ing the silver or sensitized paper. But I do not think it will 

 pay any amateur to make their own paper, unless using 

 quite large quantities. 



One beginning to take pictures should read books on the 

 subject, so as to become acquainted with the theory and 

 terms; and then get some friend who is posted (or gain 

 access to some photographer's gallery) to give a few lessons 

 and points. Following this course, one may rest assured he 

 will soon take fair pictures. Though there are many now 

 taking up the art, there would be more did every one know 

 the fascination and the enjoyment of the pastime. I send 

 you tvf views, taken, developed, printed and mounted by the 

 writer, for you to pass judgment on. And if they do not 

 prove that one who knows nothing of the business and teaches 

 himself can take fair views, I hope you will so express your- 

 self; but if they do prove that it can he done, they wiU be 

 vouchers for my sentiments on this subject. 



Fraieie Dog. 



_ [A $3 single lens will not give straight, sharp architectural 

 lines. A $60 double lens will. Both will take instantaneous 

 pictures. The lens has nothing to do with the quickness of 

 the picture, but it depends entirely on the strength of the 

 light and the sensitiveness of the plate. J 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



LIFE AS A PROTECTOR TO THE EARTH. 



ON our seashores the heavy ocean suif beats in with 

 awful violence, dashing against the rocks and beaches 

 with a force that wears away the hardest stone, and gradu- 

 ally, bit by bit. rends pebbles from the solid granite cliffs 

 and grinds them into grains of sand. The power of these 

 waves and the work which they can accomplish can be 

 judged only by those who have repeatedly watched the surf 

 roll in, seen it move large boulders and heard the rumbling on 

 pebbly beaches as scores of rocks are grinding each other 

 into sandy bits. The eroding force of such billows is tre- 

 mendous, and the hardest rocks decay before their power. 

 Examples of wearing into these cliff can be seen on any rock- 

 bound shore where chasms and caverns show the past works 

 of these mighty forces. How fast their work of grinding 

 away is now proceeding may be seen on any beach, where 

 bricks and glass can be found worn smooth and rounded 

 and where few or no pebbles are found with angular edges, 

 although such broken rocks are continually carried into the 

 sea. 



But our rocky shores are covered, below highwater mark, 

 by a coat which deadens the force of the beating wave and 

 takes it upon itself. This coat is formed by the seaweeds, 

 which cover the tough old granite with their soft, flexible 

 structure. These easily destructible plants are capable of 

 withstanding the beating of the surf, and, in fact, they owe 

 their very existence to the rushing waves which will so easily 

 destroy the much tougher rocks. If it were not for this pro- 

 tection the rocks would rapidly crumble away; the sea 

 would encroach upon the land with gi-eater rapidity, and it 

 would be difficult to estimate what the result would be. 



On land, lichens are serving a similar purpose. They take 

 a hold on the bai-est chffs and send their roots into the seams 

 m the rocks. At first they crumble the rocks, but this soon 

 ceases, for an earth has been formed and other plants grow 

 until gradually the rock is hidden beneath a soil which 

 serves to protect it from further erosion by rain and frost 

 Tha-t soil is a protection is shown by the fact that rocks 

 lately uncovered show glacial scratches made ages ago, while 

 uncovered rocks have since that time become rough and have 

 lost all trace of former ice action. 



_ If we take two rivers, tributaries of a larger one, one drain- 

 ing a forest covered valley, the other a valley from which 

 trees have been cut down, it will be seen after a rain that 

 the former is clear and hmpid. while the other is filled with 

 clayey mud. The rain in the former pattered down first 

 upon the trees, then upon the leaves, from which it was easily 

 shed, but m the latter case the bare earth was struck or only 

 grassy sod was there to protect the earth, and the mud was 

 washed off. The effect of rain on the soil can be seen in a 

 freshly plowed field, and if there were no sod the soil would 

 soon be washed away, and the barren rocks alone be left It 

 is estimated that since the fall of the Roman Emphe "one- 

 third of the tillable laud has become bare rock simnlv 

 through lack of care in protecting the soil from the rain If 

 proper precautions are not taken much damage may result 



from this cause in our agriciiltaral districts where the soil is 

 not deep. 



In rivers where willows line the hanks or extend into the 

 stream, during a flood the water will be made to run slowly 

 by contact with the trees, and the mud will be deposited. 

 This is soon chained down by the ever-growing rootlets, and 

 after a few years the edge of the river will be transformed 

 into dry land. Much land might be reclaimed in this way. 



The growth of willows on a river's edge is of the utmost 

 importance to man, and where they have been cleared away 

 the river has in many cases widened. In this way the Ohio 

 has, since the white man first came, widened itself percept- 

 ibly. Man must be on the lookout for such things if he in- 

 tends to hold tbat which is his on tliis earth. 



The final case of life protection against extensive changes 

 in the earth's surface, which I shall mention, is that of grass 

 and trees growing in the sand of certain regions. Those 

 who have visited the shores of France have seen huge sand- 

 hills which have been piled up within the memory of man, 

 and have heard wonderful stories of how hills travel across 

 the country before the wind, carrying destruction with them. 

 On a smaller scale sand -blowing is illustrated on our coast at 

 many points, notably Nantucket and Cape Cod. I have in 

 mind a case in Massachusetts where a valuable farm was 

 destroyed by the blowing in of sand from the sea, the caus<j 

 of its blowing in being that a forest of trees behind the farm 

 was cut down, and then certain eddies of wind favored the 

 formation of sand dunes. In France the government has 

 taken the matter in hand, and is planting vegetation to pre- 

 vent the encroachment of the sand. Ralph S. Tarb. 



NOTES ON THE VIRGINIA BLACKSNAKE. 



IlvNOW of no truer friend to the Virginian than the 

 blacksnake, and yet his worst enemy is the Virginian, 

 especially the negro. 



Very few of our countrymen know what a friend they 

 have in the black serpent, so common here with us. They 

 destroy every copperhead, moccasin and rattlesnake that 

 crosses their path, and when either one of the above men- 

 tioned venomous snakes meets the blacksnake it meets its 

 death. One day in April, a year or two ago, I tied a string 

 around one of my hound's neck, and tried to sHp off from 

 my pack for a squirrel hunt, as the hound I had was a 

 splendid tree dog. But on this occasion he treed a squirrel 

 so near the house that my other hounds heard him, and in 

 a few minutes all my pack were at my heels. I had not 

 gone more than a m'ile from my house before the hounds 

 bounced a large red fox, and he made off immediately toward 

 the Peaks of Otter. He crossed Sharp's Mountain in a few 

 minutes, and in less than half an hour from the time I left 

 home he was climbing the Peaks with my pack close in his 

 rear. In the mean time I had stationed myself in one of the 

 passes of Sharp's Mountain, hoping to get a shot at old re}^- 

 nard and stop my hounds, as the day was very warm; and 

 besides I wished the old fellow's scalp to help pay for sev- 

 eral lambs he had stolen from me. 



After waiting for an hour or more without hearing the 

 dogs, I concluded I would take a still-hunt for squirrels. I 

 had walked about a hundred yards from the pass when I 

 heard a noise near some rocks to my right, and thinking it 

 was a squirrel playing in the leaves 1 very cautiously made 

 for the rocks where the noise was and" jumped over. In- 

 stead of a squirrel I saw a large blacksnake trying to get at 

 something under a rock near by. In order to see what he 

 was after I moved verj cautiously to the left and got a good 

 view of the rock. It was shaped like an egg, and near the 

 ground was a small hole or indentation in the rock, and 

 coiled up in this hole was one of the largest copperhead 

 moccasins I ever saw. The blacksnake was doing all he 

 could to get his enemy out of his retreat to kill him, but 

 knowing the deadly bile of his opponent he was afraid to 

 tackle him in such a retreat. The blacksnake would crawl 

 from one side of the rock to the other in order to divert the 

 attention of the copperhead ; but its watchful eye saw eveiy 

 movement. I suppose things went on in this way for fifteen 

 or twenty minutes, the blacksnake trying every scheme he 

 knew to get the moccasin out of his fortification. 



The battle had become very exciting to me by this time, 

 and I wondered what plan the blacksnake would adopt to 

 dislodge his enemy. At last I saw the blacksnake move on 

 the upper side of the rock and stretch himself at full length 

 and give his tail that peculiar shake upon the dry leaves 

 which sounds so much like the deadly warning of the rattle- 

 snake. This noise diverted the moccasin's attention; he 

 immediately turned his head in the direction of the noise. 

 That movement was the cause of his death, for in an instant 

 the blacksnake, like a flash, had sprung upon his neck, 

 coiled himself about his body, and they were now rolling 

 and tumbling down the mountain. The battle was of short 

 duration. The blacksnake just gave himself a stretch, just 

 as a person does when they wake up from a sleep, and that 

 was the last of the moccasin. The blacksnake soon uncoiled 

 himself from his dead enemy and moved off atjout his busi- 

 ness. I went to the dead snake, and I think every joint of 

 his frame must have been broken, for there was not a sign 

 of life in him; even the tail did not move. 



After examining the copperhead carefully, I thought I 

 would see if the blacksnake had received any wounds in 

 the conflict. He had moved some ten or fifteen rods from 

 the battlefield, where he lay stretched out, watching me. 

 When I went up to him he showed the white feather and 

 put off down the mountain in double quick time, but I 

 pushed him so close that he took to a bush for refuge. I 

 hauled him down, and examined him carefully, but found 

 no wound upon him, not even a scratch. 



As snake stories are generally below par with most people, 

 I will mention only one more instance of the l>lacksnake 

 killing a copperhead, although I could cite a dozen differ- 

 ent battles between blacksnakes, moccasins and rattle- 

 snakes which I have witnessed. The above mentioned 

 instance was in the year 1881 1 think. With a Presbyterian 

 elder I was going to church one Sunday morning v?hen a 

 noise on the roadside attracted our attention. Upon examin- 

 ing the spot from whence the noise proceeded we saw two 

 young snakes in deadly conflict. One was a copperhead, 

 and the other was a blacksnake. Both were young not 

 more than a foot long The blacksnake came off victorious 

 and when we left the young rascal was trying to swallow 

 his enemy. This battle was witnessed by the elder before 

 mentioned, and the gentleman is living now, and will vouch 

 for tne above should any one doubt it. 



The blacksnake is one of the best rat catchers we have 

 and one wiU soon drive all the rats out of a barn or house' 

 In fact they are worth a dozen cats, for whenever one of 

 them puts his head into a rat hole the inmates leave immedi- 



ately, A gentleman here in our county keeps more than a 

 dozen in his mill, and he says he rarely sees a rat or mouse. 



It is true that the blacksnake does sometimes destroy 

 young birds, but very rarely is this the case, and when he 

 does, it is extreme hunger that causes him to do it. In aU 

 my experience of the"^blacksnake, only one instance can I 

 mention where he attacked young birds, and that was sev- 

 eral years ago. An old robin had made her nest in an apple 

 tree near my house, and had hatched out four young birds, 

 which were" doing well. One day about a week after hatch- 

 ing I heard the parent birds making an unusual noise, and 

 went to see what was their trouble. I found that a large 

 blacksnake was near the nest and was trying very hard to 

 get its head mto it, but the old birds fought it so hard it did 

 not succeed. I got me a good switch and gave Mr. Snake a 

 genteel whipping, and he left in a hurry, but never returned 

 any more for to dine on young robins. 



There is no harm in a blacksnake. His bite is not pois- 

 onous; in fact, I never saw one bite, although I have tor- 

 mented one for hours to see if it wordd bite a young hare, 

 but never got one to bile yet. I have a friend who lives near 

 me who often puts a blacksnake in his bosom for amuse- 

 ment, and often keeps them there for hours at a time, and 

 says he never had one to harm him. The worst enemy 

 the blacksnake has here in Virginia is the negro, and I 

 would wager almost any amount that if one of the colored 

 brothers was to see a blacksnake and rattlesnake in a battle, 

 he would invariably kill the blacksnake first, and if cither got 

 away, they had rather it were the rattlesnake. The stories 

 they tell of the blacksnake are equal to the "Arabian 

 Nights." I think tbat the Legislature of Virginia should 

 protect the blacksnake by all means, as the serpent is en- 

 tirely harmless. 



Sportsmen, protect the blacksnake, for by so doing you 

 will protect a friend who will invariably destroy every 

 venomous reptile he meets with; and if you are pestered 

 with rats and mice, get a blacksnake and put him in your 

 bai-n and he will drive them out faster than a dozen cats. 

 But if you have a negro for a servant, do not tell him you 

 have put a blacksnake in your barn, for you would never 

 get that darky in the barn again if you did. 



Catamount. 



LiBBETY, Va., Nov. 3. 



BIRDS OF MICHIGAN. 



BT MORBIS GTBB8, MD. 



54. P fiprl.rm:n, pin.us (Wils.) Baird— Pine-creeping warbler. 

 An abundant resident for five months of the year in many 



portions of the State, but not considered as a common species 

 in other quarters. Quite a regular migrant and much in- 

 clined to follow a belt of pine land, or if a piuery is not near, 

 heavy tamaracks or hemlocks are selected. This bird is par- 

 ticularly partial to pine lands, and collectors living in other 

 sections can scarcely comprehend how numerous the birds 

 are in the heavy pineries in Central and Northern Michigan. 

 The pine warbler is one of our earliest arrivals, often being 

 heard by April 30, and undoubtedly in many instances arriv- 

 ing earUer, as they do not sing on theh an-ival probably, and 

 are therefore not identified in the tops of tall trees. It is also 

 one of our last warblers to depart. It was observed in some 

 numbers in Lake county, about 44° north latitude, from Oct. 

 13 to 15, 1883, while we were deer hunting. The weather 

 was quite cold; snow fell, and water about our improvised 

 home froze to a thickness of one-half inch. The birds ap- 

 peared cheerful, and flitted about in the tops of the lofty 

 pines often uttering their sparrow-like songs. 



Usually the birds are found in numbers from May 1 to 20 

 in the southern parts of the State, while in the autumn they 

 are not so abundant and are seen in late September a few 

 days. The birds breed abundantly from 4c!' north and I 

 cannot doubt but that they remain during summer as far 

 south as 43'\ but have yet to meet them, as I have not visited 

 a large pinery so far south. I have found a few old nests 

 which were considered as belonging to this species, but new 

 nests have not been taken. The birds as a rule, t think, 

 build well up in trees. Although so often observed in the 

 tops of the tallest pines, and apparently very shy, neverthe- 

 less they do occasionally descend to the ground, and during 

 migrations are not rarely found in fields or at the edges of 

 small thickets. I have several times had the pleasure of 

 observing specimens which were migrating through some 

 half-cleared pasture lots. They were often on the ground 

 feeding, and were quite unsuspicious and leisurely in their 

 movements, and in their actions much resembled the yellow 

 redpoll, flying from stump to stump and passing along rail 

 fences in the same easy manner as that common field species. 



This species has come under my observation in eight dif- 

 ferent counties and I consider it a well distributed warbler 

 in all pine-gi'owiug sections. I found it plentiful in Mack- 

 inaw county, the extreme northern point of the Lower Pen- 

 insula, but could not record it in the Northern Peninsula, 

 neither has it appeared in any of the lists of that region. Its 

 song is a peculiar spaiTow-iikc chatter, which is quite famil- 

 iar to most collectors, but so unlike the notes of the warbler 

 that new collectors are often deceived when it is heard issu- 

 ing from the tops of the pines. The notes are odd and can 

 not be described on paper. The warbler is very active in its 

 movements and is seldom quiet for an instant. It is a per- 

 sistent insect hunter and undoubtedly beneficial. 



55. Dendneca palmarum (Gmel.) Baird — Redpoll warbler. 

 I am not positive that the bird which I refer to is rightly 



named above. The changes incidental to each new catalogue 

 issued are many, and not always acceptable; but fis such 

 variations are constantly appearing we must apply them as 

 best we can, even at the expense, perhaps, of describing a 

 bhd which we have not named correctly. These remarks 

 are made because of the two names to the above named war- 

 bier, where one name only was previously used. In older 

 works we have "Yellow Redpoll Warbler I>. palmarum 

 (Gm.) Brd. ;" next we get a list in which we have "113. D. 

 palmarum (Gm.) Brd. Redpoll Warbler," and after it 

 "113«. D. pulmarum hypoch^-yse-a Ridg. Yellow Redpoll 

 Warbler," evidently a variety. Without proper means of 

 identification how' is one to tell whether a specimen in hand 

 is the original species or the new variety. As looking at it 

 in this light, shall we call our bird the species of the old 

 specific name, the new English name, or the hew variety 

 with the old and proper English name with the addition to 

 the old .specific name? When either the scientific or the 

 common name is alone changed we can still claim our ac- 

 quaintance with a species; but when both are changed or 

 one made a variety and embellished with a trinomial we are 

 at a loss, and I am in the dark from the last Smithsonian 

 catalogue whether I have 113 or 113«. Let us hope that in 

 the proposed fist revised by the American Ornithologists' 

 Union, which will appear when the committe agree on the 

 nomenclature of our birds, that we shall have a standard 



