4 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Juty ^9, 1886* 



BIRD PROTECTION. 



THE act of the New York Legislature passed Ma^^ 30, 

 1886, entitled ' 'An Act for the Preservation of Song 

 and Wild Birds," providee that — 



§ 3. Section one and two of tliis act sLall not apply to any person 

 folding a. certificate giving the right to take birds, and their nest 

 and eggs, for scientilic purnoses, as provided for iu section four of 

 this act. 



§ 4. Certifleates may be granted by an y incorporated society of 

 natural history in the State, through sxich persons or ofiicers as 

 said society may designate, to any properly accredited person of 

 the age of eighteen years or upward, permitting the holder thereof 

 to collect birds, their nests or eggs, for scientific :piirposes only. In 

 order to obtain such certificate, the applicant tor the same must 

 present to the person or persons having the power to grant said 

 certificates, written testimonials from two well known scientific 

 men, certifying to the good character and fitness of said applicant 

 to be intrusted to sucli privilege; must pay to said persons or 

 officers one dollar to defray the necessary expenses attending the 

 granting of such certificates; and must file wth such persons or 

 officers a properly executed bond, in the sum of two hundred dol- 

 lars, signed by two well known citizens of the State as sureties. 

 This bond shall be forfeited to the State, and the cerJlflcate become 

 void upon proof that the holder of stich certificate has killed any 

 bia-d, or taken the nest or eggs of any bii-d for other than the pu.r- 

 poses named in section three and four of this act, and will be 

 further subject for each such offense to the penalties provided 

 therefor in sections one and two of this act. 



S 5. The certificate authorized by this act sha.ll be In force one 

 year only from tho date of their Issue, and shall not bo transfer- 

 able. 



In accordance with these provisions, preparations have 

 been made by the American Museum of Natm-al History 

 to issue certificates to qualified persons, which shall 

 authorize them to collect birds, their nest or eggs, for 

 strictly scientific purposes only. To facilitate this, a 

 series of blanks have been prepared by Mr, Allen, and as 

 these may well serve as models of their kind, we give 

 them in full to aid other institutions in preparing similar 

 forms. A number of oiu- readers who have made inquiry 

 on this subject will find their questions answered hare. 



[.4.] American Museaim of Natural History, 

 Omtral Park {mil St. & StTi Ave,), 



New York City, iss 



Sib; 



In answer to yonr request for a certificate permitting you to 

 take birds and their nests and their eggs for scientific purposes 

 under the Laws of tlie State of INcav York, I inclose an obligation, 

 in signing which you promise to take specimens only for scientific 

 purposes and to strictly observe the letter and spirit of the laws of 

 this State for the preservation of birds. 



This obligation must be accompanied by a properly executed 

 bond, in the sum of two hundred dollars, and by the indorsement 

 herewith sent, signed by two responsible scientific men to whom 

 the President of the American Museum of Natural i£lstory can 

 refer. 



No notice will be taken of any application which does not con- 

 form to the requirement? here prescribed. 



If the certificate is granted, a. fee of one d^oUar will be charged, 

 to cover the expenses attending the granting of such certificates. 



, President 



N. B.— The bond must be executed strictly in accordance with 

 Section 4 of Chapter 437 of tho La v/s of tb* Stata of Nsiw Yo)'k, a 

 copy of which Aot is herewith inclosed. 



[B.] 



Application for a pe-nv/tt to collect birds for acimtlfi^ 

 purposes mider the provisions of (JH.a/pt6r4^ of 

 UieXaum of Via StoJr, of New York. 



....188 



I, THE UNDERSIGNED, a resident of 



k... ..... and years of age, do 



hereby apply to tlie President of the i\jmerican Museum of Natural 

 History of New York City, for a ceriflcate granting me permission 

 to collect birds, their nests and eggs, for strictly soientihc purposes 

 only, in accordance witli Chapter 427 of tlio Laws of the State of 

 New York, being an Act passed May 20, i88t>, entitled "An Act for 

 the preservation of Song and Wild Birdis.'" 1 do lierehy agree and 

 promise that in availing myself of tbih privilege, I will strictly 

 comply with tlie spirit and letter of the Act above cited. 



I herewith inclose my bond, duly executed in accoixlance with 

 said Act, and the reqnii-cd indorsement of two scientific men, cer- 

 tifying to my good charact^?r and fitness to be intnisted. with such 

 a privilege. 



LS'ifmecl,] 



Witn^etf^. 



rOBM OF INDORSEMENT. 



WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, personally know 



and believe Mm to be a 



person of good character', and fit to be intrusted w ith tlio privil- 

 ege of collecting wild bivas and their nests and eggs, in accordance 

 vrtth the provisions of Section 4 of Chapter 437 of the Laws of the 

 State of New York, which Act we ha^;o ca refull v examined and 

 fully comprehend. 



ISion ivith name 



mid addrejts 



vn /ttli.] 



American Museum of NaPural History, 

 Qmiral Park (77th St, & Sth Av.), 



New York CiPu 1S8 



Dear Sik: 



The President of the American Museum of Natural History has 

 decided to grant your application for a. permit "to collect iiirds, 

 their nests or eggs, for strictly scientific purposes onl^s" in accord- 

 ance with Sections 3 and 4 of Chapter 427 of the Laws of the State 

 of New York for 1886, entitled An Act for the preservation of 

 Song and Wild Birds." 



To cover expenses incui-red for postage, printing, etc., you will be 

 charged $1.00, on receipt of Avhich said certificate will be mailed to 

 youraddresB. , PrraUlmif, 



tTHM PsaiMIT EXJTCltBffi JtriiT 1, 188. ., AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE.] 



American M%iseum of Natural History, 

 Cmbral Park {77th St. & sth Ave.), 



New York City,..,-. 1S8 



No 



The President of the American Museum of Natural History, hav- 

 ing received satisfactory evidence that Mr , 



of , is engaged in the scientific 



study of Ornithology and in the collection of wild birds, bird's 

 nests and eggs for scientific purposes, does hereby, in accordance 

 with Chapter 437 of the Laws of the State of New York, grant him 

 a permit on the condition that he wiU faithfully observe his 

 written promise to the President to obey the letter and spirit of 

 the Act for the "Preservation of Song and Wild Birds"; and in 

 case of wanton destruction of birds or bird's eggs, or killing birds 

 lor merely ornamental purposes, or for any other breach of said 



promise, by the said this 



certificate shall be revoked, and notice of such revocation given in 

 any manner the President may think best. 



The holder of this certificate shall not take nor kill any game 

 bird, nor take nor destroy their eggs, contrary to the Laws of New 

 York, enacted for the protection or preservation of game birds. 



Tills certificate expires July 1, 188 .. , and is not transferable. The 

 holder thereof is not authorized to collect specimens in defiance of 

 local laws or reg-ulations, nor in violation of laws against trespass 

 on private property. ^ . , , 

 , , Prestdmt. 



Kww ALL Men by these Peesenxs, thAt we 



, Principal, and 



Surety, and Surety, 



of the of ..State 



of are held and firmly bound unto the 



PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN MUSELTM OF NATURAL 

 HISTORY, of the City of New York, in the just and full sum of 

 Two HtrsDHED Doui/ABS lawful money of tJie United States, to 



be paid to tho Treasurer of the State of New York, i:or 

 which payment well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our 

 heirs, executors, or administrators, jointly and severallv, firmly 



by these presents— sealed with our seals, and dated the - .'. 



•i.ay of In the year one thousaaid eight hundred a,nd 



eighty 



Whereas, the above bounden. 



• has been given a Permit, dated the 



day of in the year one thousand eight hundred and 



eighty , by the Presidekt of the Aiierican IMuseum 



OF Natttral HiSTORT, of the City of New York, to collect birds, 

 their nests or eggs, for strictly scientific purposes only, iindei- the 

 provisions of Chapter 127 of the Laws of the State of New York, 

 which Chapter is '"'An Act for the Preservation of Song and Wild 

 Birds," passed May 20, 1886; now the conditions of the foregoing 

 obligation are such, that if the said 



■ shall abstain from any infringement of 



said Act, then this obligation to be void, otherwise to be and re- 

 main in full force and virtue. 



Sealed and delivered 

 In tho presence of 

 [Seal.] 



■ Residence 



LSbai,.] 



Residence — 



, [Seal.] 



Residence 



[Seal.] 



Residence 



The Bobolink.— Utica, N. Y., July 26, Editor Forest 

 and Stream: The letter of E. H. Lathrop of Springfield, 

 Mass. , published in the last number of Forest and Stream, 

 is very timely, and his plea for the bobolink should receive 

 attention. But the meadows of Massachusetts are not the 

 only ones that miss the sweet notes of the bobolink, for in 

 this State the bird is a rare sight in many quarters where 

 in years gone by he had his favorite haunt. A friend of 

 mine, an ornothologist, who has spent the past three 

 months in the fields and forests of central New York, 

 informs me that the bobolinks are disappearing rapidly, 

 and now not more than one is to be seen where there 

 were fifty a year or two ago. Most other smaU birds are 

 becoming scarce in this locality, noticeably the wren, and 

 my friend says that he has seen but one in all his travels. 

 Until within a year or so they have been very nimierous. 

 A few years since, before the decrease in the small bu-ds 

 became* apparent, fruit trees hereabout were healthy and 

 vigorous, now it is almost impossible to save young trees 

 from the ravages of insects, and a thrifty tree in a new 

 orchard is the exception rather than the rule. Apple, 

 pear, plum and cherry trees, all fall victims to the blight. 

 But the fruit ti'ees are not the only sufferers, for nearly 

 every specie of vegetation has its enemy, and now forms 

 of insect life are constantly developing. Wlteu men come 

 to realize the fact that the destruction of our birds is stu-e 

 to entail seriotis financial losses tlu'ough the faUure of 

 crops, then, and not until then, will they fully awaken to 

 the gra vity of the situation, — ^Pobtsa. 



The Toledo Eaglet.— East Toledo, O., July IQ.— Edi- 

 tor Forest arul Stream.: Wlien my young eagle was four 

 weeks old it was as large as a full grown chicken. It 

 then showed tio signs of feathers and did not stand on its 

 feet, but sat up on its rump when feeding, and when in 

 that position was about fourteen inches high. Its head 

 and tieak began at that time to turn black. It was the 

 most helpless, awkward and homely specimen of a young 

 bird that I ever saw. It is twelve' weeks old to-day. It 

 left tlie nest July 3, and on the following day measured 

 from tip to tip across the wings 6ft. lin. July 11 it 

 meastivcd 6ft, .im., having gi-cwni 4in. m one week. We 

 hav e named it George Washington, but I think it should 

 be Martlia, for, from various 'indications, I am satisfied 

 that it is a female bird. In oiu- gi-and procession on the 

 5tli of July, the eagles were a. prominent feature, the old 

 birds in a large cage and the yoixng one sitting on the seat 

 by the side of the driver. We are taking the very best of 

 care of the eaglet, which promises to be a much larger 

 bird than either of the old ones.— Henry Htn.CE. 



A Manual of North American Birds.— We leam 

 that Messrs. J. B. Lippineott & Co. have hi press a 

 "Manual of JSTorth American Birds,'' by the eminent orni- 

 tliologist, Mr. Robert Eidgway, Cm-ator Department of 

 Birds, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. Tlie 

 author has had unrivalled advantages for the preparation 

 of a treatise of this character, arising from his own field 

 experience as well as his comiection wdth the National 

 Museum, and the free access which has been granted him 

 to various other public and private collections of birds, 

 both in this country and Em-ope. The work is to contain 

 some 425 illustrations, suitably executed, and wiU con- 

 form to the geographical limits, classification, mxtneration 

 and nomenclature adopted by the American Ornithologi- 

 cal Union. We doubt not it will be one of the most im- 

 l^ortaut, thorough and original contributions to the 

 literati.xre of the subject which has ever appeared, and 

 presume that natm-alist and spoiiBman alike will find in 

 it an invaluable aid . 



CoNCEENiNa Hybrids.— Philippi, W. Va., July 11,— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: Visiting a friend in a neigh- 

 boring county a few days since I made a discovery which 

 was new to me. My friend's house is quite near a dense 

 thicket of considerable extent, in which there is a plenty 

 of ruflfed grouse. Last summer tlrree or four of his hens, 

 of a lareed somewhat resembling the dmighill, brought oft' 

 a brood each of hybrids. The head and neck were of the 

 grouse, while the "tail and feet more resembled the barn- 

 yard fowl. They would roost high up in the forest trees 

 and were indifferent to yoru' presence, provided you were 

 100yds., or more, distant. I only saw one, a hen, as my 

 friend succeeded in capturing only a few alive. Have 

 you ever heard of anything like this before'?— J. E. H. 

 [We have heard of hybrids of many sorts and descriptions, 

 but when investigated most of these turn out not to be 

 hybrids at all. We should like to see one of the birds 

 spoken of by om- correspondent.] 



An Albino CRO\^^— Friendsliip, N. Y., July 20.— A 

 white crow was shot here recently by Mr. Levi Webb and 

 mounted bv our local taxidermist. Will Flint. The exact 

 color is a very light slate, shading to white on the under 

 parts. Mr. "\Vebb watched it daily from the time it first 

 sat on the edge of the nest, and tried to secm-e it aUve, 

 but was obhged to shoot it. It can now be seen at the 

 biUard paxlors of D. C. Chadwick.— A Stubbe Penn. 



Buffalo on the Musselshell.— The Yellowstone 

 Journal reports that recently Col. Scheets, a surveyor, 

 saw a bimch of fifty-two buffaloes on the Musselshell in 

 Montana. Most all the animals were old bulls, but there 

 were one or two calves in the bunch. 



Imm mut §itt(. 



Add/)-ess aU eommunicatione to the- forest and Stream Fub. Cu. 



GAME PRESERVING IN BRITAIN.— I. 



('^ AME preser\ing, as practiced in Great Britain, is the 

 J nucleus upon w-hicli most of our true siports center, 

 and has now almost attained to the level of a science, so 

 earnestly and so thorouglily is it studied in all its bear- 

 ings; but without going into a long dissertation upon the 

 many cru-ious points for discussion, which its nearly 

 national cliaracter suggests, I could' not well tell vour 

 readers of tlte unique position it holds as an institaition in 

 these islands. More to then taste, probably, will be some 

 information upon the practical portion of liie sttbject, and 

 I cannot, with that end in vit^w, do better tlian describe 

 to them the course of procedure wbich would be iidopted 

 in order to bring an erstwliili- productive ;uid successful 

 game preserve back from a state of neglect and inefli- 

 ciency to its former excellence. 



Game preserves in England are of several kinds, accord- 

 ing to the part of the country they ai-e in, to the nature 

 of the particular locality, and often to the taste of the 

 preserver himself. Personally I affect mixed shooting, 

 and I think the best and truest sportsmen tins side will 

 thoroughly back mo up; and with this fact beft)re mo, I 

 propose to address myself to the task of descril>ing amixed 

 game preserve. Let us take as an exauiple an estate say 

 in Dorset or Hampshne, southern counties. The estate 

 will consist of one or more farms, witli the usual propor- 

 tion of new and old yvoodland and some extent of coarse 

 upland down or moor. A well-built modern house, or a 

 picturesque rambling old manor house, provides the owner 

 with a dwelling; large gardens, for flowers and vege- 

 tables, numberless buildings constituting the "home farm;" 

 a carriage drive thi-ough high old rook-tenanted trees 

 leads up to it, and probably a wood of fine old trees backs 

 the picture. In these several details you have the most 

 prominent characteristics of an English country house, 

 such as would adom a large game preserve. 



Let us now look at the estate itself. In size it may 

 vary. Some are but a few hundred acres, others extend 

 to three or four thousand. In the lower gi-ounds near 

 where the silvery trout stream meanders through the val- 

 ley, will be rich," smiling meadow%sof luxurious pasturage. 

 In summer time the cows will stand knee deep In tliehmg 

 grass, and in the morning you may stand trnd watch the 

 partridges as they feed in the meadows. Long straggling 

 hedges of black and white thorn di^■ide these fields one 

 from another, while near the stream short stretches of 

 irregntlar fencing will complete the division wliere the 

 ground is too damp to admit of the thorns prospering. 

 Upon the higher ground large fields and plantations will 

 alternate. The former change from year to year at the 

 instance of the farmer. One season the root rrojis of tau- 

 nip, mangel or smede will hold sway, while- the next sees 

 them waving cornfields, to be foUovved in due rotation by 

 heavy, thick mantles of clover and young grass. 



The plantations or woods may be of recent growth or 

 otherwise. Of late years much land has been planted in 

 England, and all through the countxw you may see large 

 areas of young safilings springing up" to form in yvars to 

 come deep timbered woods, such as several upon this 

 estate of which I try to tell you. The old woods are 

 mostly oak, well groy\Ti, shai>ely trees. Ash comes next 

 in point of numbers, and then bc(x h, lai-ch and Br, with 

 an occasional plane, bircli and sycamore. Beneath these 

 there is an undergrowth of hazel bushes, of bramble and 

 thorn. High nodding bracken ferns everywhere abound, 

 wliile the ground is carpeted with bluebells, i^rimrose vio- 

 let and wood anemone, which at different seasons spread 

 then- dehcate hues over the whole expanse. Where the 

 ground is unusually dry beneath the larger troi i : Mhi.' is 

 but little verdure to clothe it, often notliing si! if 

 undergrowth beyond the th y brown stalks of a u; <n i i>iier. 

 Rabbits ^^^ll be fairly plentiful in these woods and iu the 

 summer mornings you can see them scuttling about un- 

 der the ferns and similar cover. A few pheasants, rem- 

 nants of a past numerous race, will still maintain a pre- 

 carious existence despite the many furred and feathered 

 marauders, to whose attack they are forever exjxised. 

 Somehow or other pheasants will often, more often tha,n 

 not, manage to avoid actual extinction from an erstwhile 

 preserve and two or three couple will continue to riin 

 along and reproduce their numbei'S year after year in 

 sjiite of all adversities. 



In the autumn and winter the woods and plantations 

 will doubtless come in for their share of the woodcock, 

 which no scheme of preserving can retain and which the 

 closest preservation and freedom from uiolestation alone 

 will encourage. Tliey are curious birds enough iu form, 

 but far more curious in then* habits, and it will often puz- 

 zle you to account for tlieir idiosyncracies, not the least 

 curious of which then* apparent affecting of presently 

 unpreserved, though formerly closely preserved woods. 

 Wood pigeons {Cohimbua lorquatvs) Avill spend a high old 

 time in the plantations when the keepers are no long ; 

 upon their several tracks, and but for the occasional oi 

 currence of a tragedy in animal life, in which one of tl 1 

 cushats is the victiin and the hawk tho aggressor, nothing- 

 happens to mar the even tenor of then- ways. 



When the woods, and the fields, too, for all that, are 

 surrendered by the departing keeper to the free run of the 

 vermin, the latter soon increase at a rapid rate and occupy 

 an important position in the community of the unpre- 

 served woodland. Stoats and weasels in ga-eat numbers 

 will hold high revel over the bodies of many slain 

 rabbits, both old and young; will levy for supplies upon 

 the nests of the countless bnds, small and large, which 

 people the coverts, and will prevent those few pheasants 

 from increasing their numbei's, and will steal out into tlir 

 fields and do's\-n into the meadows to prey upon tin:' fe\'.' 

 partridges and hares which are left upon the estate. Car 

 that have forsaken the joys and comfort of the cotter 

 hearth for the excitement of a semi-wild existence, will 

 liu'k iu the fastnesse.s of the rocks, which here and there 

 break the even surface of the land, or will oust some 

 furtive, fearsome C(mies from their snug but ramified 

 dwellings, and therein liold high revel, like the hawk and 

 the owl in the leafy canopy above. Sometimes one almost 

 conies to wish that the gamekeepers may never retm-n, 

 that the delightful disorder of the unpreserved woodland 

 may contmue, that nature alone hold sway while we 

 human beings look on and leam, and learning, love, for 



