Jan. fii, tsse.j 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



BOB 



notMag but chapparel, and the drouth is sucli that tress 

 cannot grc'W. 



Mr. Correspondent says : "One fact, worth any array of fig- 

 ures, is that land formerly dependent on irrigation for a crop, 

 will now produce good crops by dry cultivation." He states 

 this as a fact— emphasizes it as "a fact"— jast as he stated in his 

 first article that the amount or annual rainfall was largely 

 increasing, yet in the broad significance of the words used 

 it is not a fact— no more a fact than was the other. Let him 

 substantiate his assertion by the evidence of one State, one 

 section, one county, one farming settlement, or one farm 

 in the truly arid regions of this hemisphere, where irrigation 

 once practiced has been abandoned and "good crops" are 

 yet produced year after year. In an exceptional season when 

 plowing and planting are done just right and at the right 

 time, and the scanty rainfall comes at the right periods and 

 with the best distribution, a good crop may be produced by 

 dry cultivation upon ground that has been previously irri- 

 gated. It may also be done on ground that has not been 

 irrigated. It may be done upon ground that has neither been 

 plowed or irrigated previously. I have seen it done. I have 

 done it — once. I make these admissions in full knowledge of 

 the danger of admitting anything to my disputant. Upon 

 this evi&nce he may claim that irrigation is always unneces- 

 sary — that the mere presence of a man and a plow, with 

 faith, will make the country fruitful and th.e climate humid. 



Wm. N. Btebs. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



BIRD PROTECTION BY THE A. O. U. 



BIED destruction in this country is every year assuming a 

 more and more serious aspect. The startling decrease 

 in the numbers of many of our birds, brought about of late 

 years by the unceasing persecution waged for the sake of 

 fashion, has aroused the American Ornithologists' Union to 

 a recognition of the necessity for instant and decided effort 

 in behalf of our birds. To answer this imperative demand 

 the Union has appointed a "committee on the Protection of 

 North American birds." This committee was lately organ- 

 ized in this city with the following membership : Mr. George 

 B. Sennett, Chairman; Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell, Secretary; 

 Mr. J. A. Allen, Dr. J. B. Holder, Dr. George Bird Grinnell, 

 Mr. William Dutcher and Mr. L. S. Poster, all of New 

 York city: Mr. "William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. 

 Montague Chamberlain, St. John, N. B.; Col. N. S, Goss, 

 Topeka, Kansas. 

 The objects of the committee are as follows: 



1. The gathering of all possible information bearing on 

 the subjects of the destruction and the protection of North 

 American birds. 



2. The diffusion of information among the people in re- 

 spect to the extent of the slaughter of birds for millinery 

 and other mercenary purposes; the wanton killing of birds 

 in sport by men and boys; the robbing of birds' nests; the 

 destruction of the eggs of rails, terns, gulls and other birds 

 for food ; and the marked recent decrease of many species 

 resulting from this general destruction; the spreading of in- 

 formation, also, in respect to the utility of birds as a natural 

 check upon the increase of insects injurious to vegetation, 

 and with reference to their interest and value from an 

 aesthetic point of view. This with the object of developing a 

 public sentiment in favor of the rigid protection of our 

 native birds, a sentiment that will naturally spring up 

 strongly and widely as soon as attention is called to the 

 subject. 



3. To encourage the formation of bird protective associa- 

 tions and anti-bird-wearing leagues. 



4. The perfection of a statute for the protection of birds, 

 drawn with regard to its availability for enactment by all 

 the States and Territories, leaving, however, the game birds, 

 properly so considered, to the care of the game protective 

 associations. 



5. The prevention of the collecting of birds and eggs for 

 pseudo-scientific purposes, and the development of a system 

 of co-operation between this committee and the various 

 authorities to whom may be assigned the power of granting 

 permits for the collection of birds in the interest of science. 



6. The consideration of the best means for securing the 

 enforcement of bird protective statutes. The committee are 

 desirous of collecting facts and statistics bearing upon the 

 subject of the destruction of our birds, and wUl welcome in- 

 formation from any source. It also extends the promise of 

 its hearty co-operation to all persons or societies who may 

 be interested in the protection of our birds. 



The headquarters of the committee are at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, Central Park, where the 

 officers or any of the members may be addressed. 



A School op Sea Devils, — Your issue of the 7th, con- 

 taining account of the sea devil, calls to mind an interesting 

 sight which I once witnessed off the mouth of the Tabasco 

 Eiver on the gulf coast of Mexico. A cry of "Manta, Manta" 

 from the natives drew our attention to a great number of 

 black "bat-like wings" cutting the water in all directions, 

 very like the dorsal fins of sharks and we at once recognized 

 the sea vampire, or as it is called in Spanish, "Manta." Oc- 

 casionally one would leap into the air, showing his entire 

 form, and falling into the sea with a resounding splash. 

 Others approached the ship within a few yards. The dis- 

 play lasted nearly an hour, and at one time we counted over 

 one hundred. Tabasco River is as noted for these monsters 

 as is Progresso on the same coast for the vast number of sharks 

 ■which iSest its waters, — ^E.W. 



A MIDNIGHT BOTANICAL EXPEDITION. 



GREAT was the excitement at the New York Aquarium, 

 one night in the summer of 1880. when Mr. Reiche 

 gave the order that all hands must be on deck to assist in 

 handling a fifteen hundred pounds manatee, the largest, 

 longest, fattest and heaviest ever captured in Florida. I had 

 never seen a living manatee, nor for that matter a stuffed 

 one, and it was but natural that I should feel deeply im- 

 pressed by the announcement of the expected arrival of one 

 of nature's most grotesque looking children. 



About 9 o'clock a loud pounding at the back entrance of 

 the building announced the arrival of the monster, and all 

 hands quickly assembled to assist in the safe introductien of 

 this strange visitor from the sunny South to his new home in 

 the great city of the North. On one of the largest of trucks, 

 placed crosswise, and securely fastened with ropes, rested 

 a long tank, built of heavy pine timbers, and in this tank 

 was the sea cow or monster manatee over ten feet in length, 

 packed in some dark, grayish colored material. The tail or 

 fluke was securely held down hy a piece of cross timber. 

 Examining the packing material, I concluded that it was 

 composed of vegetable substance, and that it was used as a 

 packing to prevent the manatee from becoming chafed, and 

 as food, and also to cover him with so that his skin might 

 not become too dry and crack. The vegetable substance or 

 packing perplexed me greatly, for it had become much de- 

 cayed, and ground up fine during the long journey from the 

 Indian River, Florida, so much so that I had but little hope 

 of determining it. However, I secured a good quantity of 

 this puzzling material in hopes of determining what herb or 

 alga it might be. 



After the sea cow was safely landed in the seals' tank, I 

 questioned the two Germans, who were the joint owners and 

 captors of the "cow," as it was familiarly called in the 

 Aquarium, if they knew the common or scientific name of 

 the plants on which they fed the animal ; but either they did 

 not know or cared not to tell me; perhaps they were sus- 

 picious and looked upon me as a Yankee. When the cow 

 was lowered into the water it sank instantly to the bottom, 

 and it was some time before it came to the surface to breathe. 

 The Germans looked very anxious, for it must be understood 

 that the manatee cannot remain under water as long as the 

 seal; but at length, after a long wait, the creature's curious 

 looking nose broke the surface of the water and every one 

 experienced a great sense of relief, but I made up my mind 

 that it was either a very sick or a very tired out and weak 

 sea cow. Carefully the Germans gathered up every particle 

 of the decayed vegetable substance and deposited it in the 

 tank. I felt guilty as I thought of the double handful of the 

 puzzling stuff I had so carefully placed in my room, but still 

 determined to hold on to it. The Germans now held a con- 

 versation in low and serious tones, looking so solemn all the 

 while that I felt almost positive they were trying to deter- 

 mine how and where the next meal for their aquatic pet 

 was to be obtained, for the cow must have a bountiful 

 supply of food very soon, or there was great danger of its 

 collapsing. 



Every one seemed to take in the situation. The "hippo" 

 keeper said give it bread and vegetables ; the giraffe man 

 said give it hay and oats; the chimpansee man said dates 

 and bananas; the sea lion man said give it herrings, and the 

 white whale man said give it live eels. I kept silent and 

 was wishing most heartily that the others would do the 

 same, for what's the xise of talking when you don't know 

 what you are talking about? At last one of the Germans 

 started off with a basket, and returning in two hours, emp- 

 tied on the floor a large mass of purslane (P. oleracea). Has- 

 tily the water in the tank was lowered to within a foot of the 

 sea-cow's nose and one of the Germans entered the tank and 

 placed a quantity of the purslaine just above the animal's 

 nose, but not a motion did it make. Then the German 

 lifted up its head, and patting it kindly, spoke to it in Ger- 

 man, trying all the while to coax the cow to eat, but it was 

 of no use. The cow was either very sick, or purslane was 

 not what it wanted, and it seemed tome the Germans looked 

 still more sad and gloomy. 



It must be borne in mind that it took these two brothers 

 six months' watching at night and working with an immense 

 seine made of rope before they captured this pet of theirs. 

 Twice they had it in the net and twice it got away from 

 them. The time and money spent in its capture and the cost 

 of transportation N©rth had nearly exhausted their funds. 

 If the cow should die on their hands, how would they get 

 back to Florida? 



All next day one of the Germans was off looking for the 

 proper kind of food, but returned at night empty-handed. 

 If they had been possessed of only a little botanical knowl- 

 edge how quickly their trouble would have ended. 



1 deeply sympathized with these two Germans who had 

 worked so hard to get this ugly looking brute of a sea cow to 

 this Eldorado— New York city — and then to see their dream 

 of wealth slowly passing away, I know what it is to work 

 hard night and day to get together a collection of fishes, and 

 then by some mishap or mistake lose them all when within 

 a few miles of your destination. 'Twas past midnight, and 

 still the brothers hung about their pet. The sight being 

 painful, I retired to my room for the night, but could not 

 sleep. 



Once more I closely examined the mass of rotten vegetable 

 matter and this time with a strong hand glass. By rare good 

 luck I found a fragment of a leaf hardly an eighth of an 

 inch square. Washing it carefully, I placed it under a 

 microscope which plainly showed up the fractured ends, and 

 the perfect sides of the leaf Avere determined by the natural 

 termination of the cellular structure. Using a higher power 

 objective on the microscope, out came the cellular structure 

 in all its beauty, and had that insignificant, dryed out, un- 

 interesting looking fragment of nature been green and pos- 

 sessed of life, it would have displayed one of the rnost 

 wonderful of all nature's wonders, one over which the scien- 

 tific world is still in the dark, the cyclosis that is so beauti- 

 fully displayed in the leaves of VaUisneria spiralis, or as 

 sportsmen call it, "wild celery," the aquatic herb that is 

 supposed to give that delicate flavor to the canvasback duck. 

 Now then, here is a streak of daylight at last. Where is 

 this VaUisneria to be had in sufiicient quantities, and in time 

 to do the sea cow any good? I might go to New Jersey and 

 gather it from the numerous drains along the Midland Rail 

 road, that empty into the numerous small creeks and 

 branches of the Hackensack River. There is some of it 

 there, but hardly enough, even if I worked hard all day, to 

 fill a barrel. No, that would not do; there must be some 

 other way out of this difficulty. Let me see. What herb is 

 there that lives in the water which closely resembles the 

 FaZ^M?ima both in form and habit? Oh, I have it; I have 

 the secret of the small bits of black and shining roots that I 

 found ia the packing. No, not to New Jersey, but to 



Brooklyn as fast as I can go. But first I must tell the Ger- 

 mans of my discovery. 



Finding one of them awake, I asked him how much would 

 he pay me a barrel for the right kind of plants if I could 

 procure them. He awoke his brother, and they consulted 

 together and presently informed me that for closely packed 

 flour barrels they were willing to pay all railroad freight and 

 five dollars a barrel. "All right," I replied, and shaking 

 them by the hand wished them good night and started off on 

 this novel botanical expedition. How fearfully slow the 

 horse car seemed to draa: along on its way to Fulton Ferry, 

 and the ferryboat wheels to go round, but at last I did get 

 to Brooklyn, and stopping at the house of a friend who had 

 often accompanied me on various expeditions, 1 rang him 

 up, told him to dress quickly, and come with me. On the 

 Greenwood cars I recounted all that had happened at the 

 Aquarium within the last twenty-four hours, and the conse- 

 quence was that he got into as excited a state of mind about 

 the sick cow as I was. After a very brisk walk of four miles 

 we reached our destination. "Now for the sea cow's staff of 

 life by the barrel full," I remarked. I was somewhat disap- 

 pointed to find the water so high. Well, what of it? I am 

 a good swimmer, and as for diving and being long-winded 

 under water, I think I am there too. High water or low 

 water, that cow must have a good half bushel of special diet 

 within three hours' time. 



Off went my clothing and in went I head first. The 

 water was beautifully warm, the moonlight clear and strong 

 and I was happy. Wasn't there five dollars a day ahead of 

 me? or, if I preferred to have it so, a kindly act performed? 

 something to remember all my life? After swimming out 

 a short distance, 1 thought I had about reached the spot and 

 was in hopes that directly under me was to be found this 

 much desired manatee medicine. Taking a strong dive and 

 quickly reaching the bottom, I moved about rapidly, but 

 failed to find a particle of the plant. Coming to the surface 

 of the water, I swam off in another direction. Again de- 

 scending to the bottom and groping about with one hand 

 and swimming with the other, I struck a large mass of the 

 plant. Holding on to the plant with my left hand and 

 passing my right hand close down to the roots, I quickly 

 broke off handful after handful, well knowing that it would 

 rise to the surface and tloat where I could gather it at my 

 leisure. It was glorious and novel work, this being five 

 feet under water, gathering food for a sick sea cow. When 

 i thought I had collected nearly a bushel of it, I swam back 

 to the shore, and was much pleased to find that most of it 

 had already got there ahead of me. When all the plant was 

 put together I placed it in a bag, and leaving my friend be- 

 hind to collect all he could till my return, 1 caught the first 

 dummy train to Greenwood Cemetery and was soon back 

 again to the Aquarium. Handing the bag to the Germans, 

 I sat down to watch the result. They glanced at the plant 

 for but an instant, but in that instant a wonderful change 

 came over their faces, and before I knew it they were grasp- 

 ing my hand. A large bunch was offered to the cow. She 

 aroused herself and eagerly devoured it, and then she took 

 more till all was gone. 



They urged me so earnestly to go right back that at last I 

 consented, and surprised them beyond measure when I asked 

 one of them to accompany me so that in future they would 

 know where to obtain the food in large quantities, every day. 

 After that the sea cow improved rapidly, so that the lighter 

 German of the two, when exhibiting, it used to walk on its 

 flat back as it lay in its tank, and they were making 

 arrangements to go to England, when suddenly and most 

 unexpectedly the sea cow died. The skeleton was sold to a 

 museum in Cincinnati for $50. The Germans retired from 

 the manatee business forever, sadder but wiser men. 



Now for the botany of this narrative. The Germans had 

 told me that the manatees often descended the rivers to their 

 mouths to feed on a plant that they were very fond of, and 

 that they were often driven out to sea, and being very poor 

 swimmers, perished. To confirm this statement, an acquaint- 

 ance, who had spent over thirty years on the coast of Florida, 

 dredging and collecting corals,' informed me that is was no 

 uncommon thing when working the dredges near the 

 mouths of rivers to find the bones of the manatee 

 in the dredges. I asked him if he could account for 

 the manatee, a fresh water animal, leaving his fresh 

 water feeding ground and preferring one so near the 

 ocean, particularly as the manatee was a very inferior 

 swimmer, in fact, was hardly more than a diver. He im- 

 mediately answered that without doubt there was some par- 

 ticular family of plants that grew in brackish water near the 

 mouths of the rivers of which the manatees were inordin- 

 ately fond, and, perhaps, venturing out too far, they were 

 driven to sea during a blow and were drowned. Putting 

 these statements together 1 formed a theory. I placed an 

 imaginary manatee in one of the drains that empties into a 

 branch of the Hackensack River. The drain and the branch 

 constitute the Indian River, the Hackensack River is the 

 ocean. The most abundant plants that grow in my Indian 

 River at its source (the drain) are TaUimeria and the Potamo- 

 getons. The fragment of VaUisneria leaf found in the pack- 

 ing from Indian "River corresponds with the VaUisneria m 

 my Indian River. I will place an imaginary manatee in my 

 river. He wanders in search of "pastures new," or perhaps 

 winds blowing in iTom the ocean (the Hackensack) have 

 driven a few masses of the floating leaves of a marine plant into 

 the manatee's feeding ground. He tastes it and is charmed, 

 determines to seek it" out, follows the drain to its mouth, 

 enters the branch and finds a new family of plants, the 

 Zostera marina and Rupia maritima. My manatee is de- 

 lighted and concludes to feed on them foi the rest of his life, 

 and so he goes on and on till he is at the very mouth of the 

 branch. A storm comes up and he is driven into the Hack- 

 ensack River (my imaginary ocean) and is lost. 



When Zostera dies its roots dry up and become in color an 

 intense shining black. The bit of black and shining root I 

 took to be that of ZosUra, of which the Germans had taken 

 in lai'ge quantities near the mouth of the Indian River before 

 entering the ocean and taking steamer to New York, and the 

 bit of VaUisneria leaf plainl_y indicated that the food of the 

 manatee during the early stages of its journey down the 

 Indian River consisted entirely of this plant. 



It took me some time to get all these facts, conclusions and 

 guesses together, but when"! did get them together I made 

 up my mind positively that the Germans had been looking 

 for Zostera marina either in Newtown Creek, New York Bay 

 or places where it did not grow. If they had gone straight 

 for Gfavesend Bay, as I did, they would have been all right, 

 or if they had been possessed of but "a little botanical 

 knowledge," an immense amount of anxiety and trouble 

 would have been saved them. 



Zostera, marina, grass-wrack. Grass-like marine herbs, 

 growing wholly underwater from a jointed creeping stemoy 



