104 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept. 3, 1886. 



TWO INDIAN BIRD STORIES. 



THE Indians of course are close students of nature. In 

 their own way they can tell why a,nd how the moun- 

 tains and prairies, the rivers, lakes and for est were formed, 

 and it is most interesting to listen to their account of the 

 cosmogony. Many and strange are their stories of ani- 

 mal life. I heard yesterday two stories which may inter- 

 est some of jom: readers. They were told me by a very 

 old man who is blind and feeble, but whose memory seems 

 to be as active as ever. I give you the stories in his o^vn 

 words as nearly as I can transliite them: 



I. 



"I was a yoiuig man, and I sat beneath the trees making 

 arrows. I Jieard above a Eedhead (red-headed wood- 

 pecker) mtich crying. 'Why cvj much,' I thought and 

 looking much I saw. ' I found why cried that little bird. 

 Now! a great branch had split and the end on the ground 

 laid. Near where the split, was hole. H'ya! there Red- 

 head's home. There her children. H'ya! much to be 

 feared was he who was crawling to her home. A snake 

 was crawling there to steal and eat her cliildren. That 

 why Redhead much cry. Then fly away Redhead and 

 tell husband come quick. Then both come back, and fly- 

 ing much, try to hit snake. Soon husband sti-ike snake 

 thro' head and bill stick in wood. Malce wings move to 

 stay there all time bill, so bill not come out. Snake make 

 his body go one way, another way. Can't move his head. 

 Soon bird pull out bill, snake to ground fall, soon die. I 

 ick him up, hole tlu-o' head. H'ya! Very sti-ong Red- 

 ead. I making- arrows under trees, all this I saw and I 

 know this, how strong is Redhead." 



II. 



"Now, I hunted in the mountains and on a cliff I saw 

 many swallow nests, and many swallows flying about 

 crying. I thought, because afraid of me cry "those little 

 birds. No! Close by on shelf, a big rattlesnake crawling 

 to steal those s-^vallow children. Then fly away all swal- 

 lows, go and tell Black-greasy- wings* about snake. Come 

 quick back and bring Black-greasj^-wings. He see snake 

 and fly very high, then fly falling doAvn (swooping down), 

 catch snake. H'ya! Very smart Black-greasy-wings. 

 One claw stick in top of head, one claw under. Not open 

 mouth snake, can't bite. No die Black-greasy-wings. 

 Fly very, very high, then let snake go. Fall on rocks snake, 

 all mashed and dead. Then Black-greasy-wnngs take 

 snake to feed his cliildren." J. W. Schultz. 



PXEGAK, Mont., Aug. 9. 



^ "Black-greasy-vdngs" is the Blackfoot name for one of tlie 

 large varieties of hawks. Just which one I am unable to find out. 



PUGET SOUND COUGARS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Your correspondent wi-iting from Fort Keogh, Montana, 

 refers to what is commonly called in that Territory the 

 mountain lion, and adds that these animals should be 

 more correctly termed pumas, catamounts or American 

 panthers. Presuming upon the description given by your 

 correspondent, their habits, methods of attacks, etc., they 

 are evidently the same animal that in the Puget Sound 

 country we call the cougar (Felis concolor), differing from 

 the jaguax {FeMs onca) not so much in its habits as in its 

 color, the latter being spotted similar to the leopard. 

 Why these animals should be called mountain lions is 

 beyond my "ken." In the forests of Puget Sound they 

 are quite numerous, but are seldom, if ever, met with in 

 the mountains. Neither should they be termed American 

 panther. The latter are more slender and agile than the 

 cougar. The strength of these animals is simj)ly wonder- 

 ful, and I have often thought that if they could only 

 appreciate the immense strength with which they are 

 endowed, they would indeed assume absolute jurisdiction 

 over the forests. All other animals would be at their 

 mercy, including the black bear, and even the brown 

 cinnamon hear. To illustrate the enormous strength of 

 these animals, I will give an incident that occurred in 

 this county a few weeks ago. On the farm of Mr. John 

 Peterson, one mile nortli of Nooksack Crossing, two cou- 

 gars attacked and killed a cow weighing over 7001bs., and 

 dragged the carcass of the animal a distance of 500yds., 

 over fallen trees, logs and underbrush — a task that would 

 have required a considerable effort on the part of a good 

 yoke of cattle. One of the animals was subsequently 

 killed, and measured over lift, in length. So much for 

 their sti-en£:th. 



Aside from the warfare waged upon deer, cattle, sheep, 

 colts and hogs, the cougar is not, as a general thing, an 

 aggressive animal; in fact, they are cowardly. Only a 

 very few instances a,re on record where they have, with- 

 out provocation, made an attack. One instance occuiTed 

 in this county last year. A Swede, living in the north 

 part of the county, while engaged spading his garden 

 plot, was attacked in midday. The cougar sprang sud- 

 denly fi'om the brush, but missed his victim and fell a 

 few feet beyond. The cougar turned immediately, and 

 while crouching for the second spring the man, with 

 remarkable forethought, suddenly raised the spade above 

 his head and with one powerful and well-directed blow 

 struck the cougar full and fair across the temples with 

 the blunt edge of the descending sjoade, cnishing the head 

 and skull, and fertilizing several square yards of his gar- 

 den plat with sm-plus cougar brains. It is reasonable to 

 presume that had the Swede simply inflicted a light 

 wound instead of killing the animal instantly, there 

 would have been at least one case on record where an 

 affirmative reply could have been made to the first and 

 apparently most important inquiry on the part of tender- 

 feet, "Do' cougars ever kill people?" On reflection, how- 

 ever, I will state that this question can be answered in the 

 affirmative. Down in the ChehaHs Valley, this Territory, 

 about five years ago, a little schoolgirl, seven years of age, 

 while enjoying an innocent childish romp with her play- 

 mates, was suddenly attacked and carried away by a 

 cougar. The animal, with the little child firmly grasped 

 within its powerful jaws, sprang nimbly over a tallstake- 

 and-rider-fence that skirted the woods near the school 

 house. The terrible news was spread from clearing to 

 cleai'ing, and a small army of men were soon in j)ursuit. 

 Before dark the cougar had been captured and killed, but 

 not until it had devoured its innocent little victim. 



Should any of the readers of the Forest and Stream 

 visit Wliatcom — and if they knew what grand opportuni- 

 ties were here presented for hunting, fishing, Ijoating, 

 etc., they would all come — ^I wiU be pleased to show them 

 a fair specimen of a yearling cougar which I had stuffed 



and prepared by ray taxidennist friend, John Y. Collins, 

 and keep on exhibition in my office. Tliis animal, while 

 less than a year old, measured 8ft. from tip to tip, and 

 had killed a valuable yearling colt the day before it was 

 captured. By the way of parenthesis, I will say that it 

 was not the writer hereof that killed that" cougar. 

 Strychnine did the business. I have never yet endeavored 

 to obtain notoriety as an annihflator of cougars, however 

 much I may desire to have them exterminated. They 

 destroy more deer annually than the market-hunters, and 

 this is putting it pretty strong. The pronunciation of 

 cougar is ko5'gar, not cow-ger, as soinetimes pronounced 

 by tenderfeet. Will D. Jenkins. 



Whatcom, Washington Territory, July 30. 

 _ [The animal variously called cougar, puma, mountain 

 lion, panther and cataniount, is Feiis concolor. There is 

 but one species linown and it ranges over the whole of 

 the Western continent. It is the same whether found in 

 the forests of the Adirondacks or of Washington Terri- 

 tory, in the fastnesses of the Rocky Mountains or of the 

 Patagonian Andes.] 



THE HABITAT OF THE QUAIL. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Thanking you for your answer in issue of Aug. 5 to my 

 inquiry, I would say that I believe your answer may be 

 justified by good authorities, still, as American ornitho- 

 logy south of the United States has as yet received but 

 limited attention, and its classification and nomenclature 

 consequently imperfect, I desire to attract more attention 

 to this subject in your columns from competent men, who 

 may have enjoyed opportunities for observation of it. 

 My own acquaintance with ornithology being limited to 

 the elements usiially possessed by most Americans of 

 some general cultm-e, I am not to be considered a 

 reliable observer, and with this caution prefixed I am in- 

 clined to give the genus Grtyx a wider range than that 

 assigned in yom- answer. In fact, Coues (page 591), 

 wdiile as usual assigning but one species to the genus, 

 admits of four varieties, among which he mentions O. 

 cubanensis, and my own observation leads me to suspect 

 than when Central and South American ornithology 

 receives more scientific treatment, the range of Ortyx will 

 be found to extend much further southward. In Cuba 

 we have one or more species that might be assigned to the 

 genus Lophortyx, although its crest is far more like the 

 gi-osbeak's or of Corvus eristatus than like that of L. cali- 

 fornica or L. gambeli, but the species most numerous in 

 Cuba is nearly identical in its markings, habits, general 

 appeara,nco and deportment with Ortyx virginiana, possi- 

 bly a trifle smaller in size and certainly somewhat dai-ker 

 in coloration, although not nearly so much varied in this 

 respect as is the genus Homo, while its markings and 

 general appearance are clearly differentiated from aU the 

 other genera of odontophorincB. 



Morphological classification may be fairly considered as 

 still in its tentative stage of development, and when it is 

 crystalMzed into a more permanent state may we not pre- 

 sume to expect the designations of the genus Ortyx may 

 be extended and that of the sub-family odontophorince. 

 restricted to such collectivities as these words more 

 nearly describe? 



With regard to its etymology, Ortyx would better 

 describe the sub-family than does its present designation, 

 and such use of the word would perhaps be more appro- 

 priate that is its application to a single genus. This is no 

 doubt the consideration that induced the Ornithological 

 Union to substitute Colinus for Ortyx as the name of this 

 genus. If I were inclined to hazard a suggestion in this 

 respect it would be the substitution of Ortyx for odonto- 

 phorinoi as the name of the sub-family. Nemo. 



Habana, Aug. 15; 



THE AUDUBON SOCIETY. 



THE membership roll of the Audubon Society is 

 steadily increasing, there being now on the muster 

 roll more than 11,500 names. Each local membership is 

 doing work in its own way, as best suited to its surround- 

 ings and special conditions, and the particular evil it has 

 to cope with. 



The Natural Science Association of Staten Island, New 

 York, has successfully engaged in Audubon Society 

 woi-k, and the membership is growing. I'\'om the July 

 circular issued by the Association we quote: 



' 'As a beginning, in order to carry out, if possible, the 

 spirit of the above resolution, personal letters were sent 

 to a few prominent citizens who it was hoped might be 

 interested in the subject. The answer was in general 

 very encom-aging as the following will show: West New 

 Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y., May 3, 1886. — ^My Dear 

 Sir: I am very glad to hear that your Association, which 

 has been already of great benefit to the Island, will join 

 the crusade for the rescue of the birds from the hand of 

 the spoiler. If any community should be resolved to pro- 

 tect the birds it is a rural neighborhood like om's, which 

 the birds fill with constant music and cheer. To kill our 

 bright and melodious little citizens of the air and trees in 

 order to wear their dead bodies for ornaments is an act 

 worthy of barbarians. But it will not be encouraged by 

 American women w-hen they once consider its cruelty, and 

 the carelessness of life which it produces am ong idle boys. 

 I am sure that this community will gladly support your 

 good work. Very truly yours, George William Curtis. 



"Ignorance of the subject on the part of many, total 

 depravity or cruelty by others, and apathy in regard to 

 the entire matter by the public in general, are undoubt- 

 edly the causes that have contributed to the lamentable 

 results which every lover of bird-life has regretted and 

 waxed indignant over for years past. That the ladies of 

 our o^m community need educating and eiflightening is 

 apparent enough when any one interested in the subject 

 cares to obseiwe and note the large number of bu-ds or 

 parts of birds that they use for personal ornamentation, 

 especially on hats. During the present season several 

 have attracted particular attention by reasons of their dis- 

 I)lay of victims. One for instance being composed 

 entirely of a pavement of swamp sparrow heads, some 

 thirty birds having been sacrificed for this one article of 

 head gear. Another shows a mass of dismembered terns, 

 the different parts representing together at least ten birds. 

 A bunch of sandpipers, perhaps half a dozen in number, 

 "ornaments" a third. Swallows have lately become a 

 fashion, and several hats may now be seen in which 

 these are the distinguishing features. Besides the in- 

 direct cruelty for which otu- women are so thoughtlessly 



responsible, there has been and is now an immense 

 amount of wanton destruction and slaugliter by depraved 

 men and boys, to w^hom everything with feathers is a tar- 

 get at which to shoot, or any nest an object for spoliation. 

 Most of these persons are residents, but a large number 

 are jpot-hunters and skin and egg collectors from the 

 neighboring cities. These latter are more numerous than 

 most people think, and at times their tracks can be traced 

 through our woods by the broken bushes, robbed nests and 

 marks of climbing-irons on the trees. The trapping of 

 birds is done openly, without any attempt at concealment, 

 although this and the other methods of destroying our 

 birds are in violation of law. There is no doubt that the 

 indifference of women to the cruelty and suffering oc- 

 casioned by the fashion of wearing dead birds is a direct 

 encouragement to many who are naturally depraved and 

 desh-e an excuse for their actions." 'The Audubon 

 Society branch is in charge of Mr. Arthur Hollick, Cor- 

 responding Secretary, New Brighton. 



Can Birds Count Their W^Q^'i— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: I have just read Sir John Lubbock's paper on 

 "The Intelligence of the Dog," in your issue of Aug. 5, 

 and note what he says in regard to birds and their eggs. 

 I would like to give an instance that came imder my 

 observation. About the loth of June I was passing thi-ough 

 a piece of woods when I noticed a pair of oven birds 

 (Seiurus auroeapillus) and came to the conclusion that 

 they had a brood of young close by, and I began looking 

 about for the nest, On turning arormd I saw an egg on 

 the ground, wliich I picked up. My first thought was 

 that it was an egg of thered-eyed vireo, and I commenced 

 looking above my head for the nest, at the same time 

 wondering how it could have dropped from the nest with- 

 out breaking. I had never seen the eggs of the oven bird, 

 but on taking a second look at the egg in my hand I saw 

 that it was not a vireo egg, and thought possibly it might 

 be that of the oven bird. On looking under a tuft of 

 grass at my feet, and within six inches of where I had 

 found the egg, I discovered an oven bird's nest containing 

 four young buds ready to leave the nest. I saw that one 

 of them was larger than the others and of different color, 

 and I concluded it was the vagabond cowbird {M. ater). 

 As I took it out the three other young left the nest. I 

 gave the vagabond a toss in the air, and caught the others 

 and put them back in the nest, which they immediately 

 left again, and again I put them back, and after holding 

 my hand in front of the nest a moment they concluded to 

 remain there. Now the query is, after the cowbird egg 

 was deposited, did the oven birds know that there was 

 more than their complement of eggs and remove one, and 

 that one their own, because they could not distinguish 

 the difference in color and size? Could they count? — J. L. 

 Davison (Lockport, Aug. 13). 



§mm §Hg mid gtttj. 



Address all communimtions to the Forasf, and Stream Pub. Co. 



WON AND LOST. 



DURING the terrible times of the civil war a kind for- 

 tune cast my lot temporarily in Northwest Louisi- 

 ana, at that time almost a paradise for a sportsman. One 

 could find here, in juxtaposition, what I have never seen 

 or heard of in any other country — the highest develop- 

 ment of civilized society, the very ereme de la cj'eme of 

 the old Southern planter life, with an abundance of game 

 almost in sight of the doors of aristocratic homes. Bossier 

 Point, formed by the angle of land, a part of Bossier Par- 

 ish, lying between Lake Bisteneau on the east and Red 

 River on the south and west, was far-famed for the beauty 

 and accomplislmients of her women and the wealth, cul- 

 tm-e and intelligence of her men. Here Southern hospi- 

 tality foimd its highest expression. Her Hodges, her 

 Bryans, her Hamiltons, her Burnses, her Skannals, her 

 Nottinghams, her Maples, and others, formed here a soci- 

 ety that gave to social life and character its noblest and 

 pm-est models. Tlie forests around these homes were 

 bountifully supplied with deer and wild tm-keys; whfle, in 

 season. Lake Bisteneau fairly swarmed with ducks, geeae 

 and brant, with an occasional swan. They were, how- 

 ever, comparatively undisturbed. Breechloaders were 

 unknown, and ammunition was scarce enough to make a 

 pound of powder worth about as much as a bale of cotton. 

 Every white man subject to mihtary duty was in the 

 anny, and there was no need of laws for game x)rotection. 

 Being incapacitated for military duty by the loss of an 

 arm, your correspondent, because he could shoot a gun, 

 was nevertheless conscripted by the military authorities 

 at Shi-eveport; but at the request of the citizens of Bos- 

 sier Point, and very much to his own gi-atification, was 

 detailed as a teacher for their children. While perform- 

 ing this singular and comparatively delightful "military 

 service," I occupied my spare time in waging war upon 

 the peaceful denizens of the forest, causing many a proud 

 and antlered buck and gobbling tm-key cock to bite the 

 dust. A box of the cheapest grade of caps or a pound of 

 jjowder was worth the tuition of a boy studym^ the lan- 

 guages for an entire session, and you can readily under- 

 stand that I did not indulge, to any great extent, in tar- 

 get practice. 



Dr. Patnio, at that time the leading physician of the 

 beautiful little town of JMinden, was one of the most gen- 

 ial of men and a devoted lover of dogs and g-uns. It was 

 his custom about once a week dming hunting season, to 

 get together a party of gentlemen and go out a few miles 

 from the town on a drive for deer. These occasions were 

 always greatly enjoyed by those who were fortunate 

 enough to be members of the party. Happening on one 

 occasion to be on a visit to friends m Minden, the doctor 

 j)leasantly bantered me for a hunt, saying he had heard I 

 had been' "criiDpling up some deer" down in the country 

 where I was staying, and he wanted me to go alon,g with 

 his party and let them show me how to kill a deer. I re- 

 plied that it would give me great pleasure to learn the 

 art, and that I would consider myself most fortunate in 

 ha\'ing an opportunity to learn from one so well qualified 

 to teach me. Accordingly a hunt was arranged for the 

 next day. The doctor kindly borrowed for me a gun and 

 loaded it in the most approved style. Early the next 

 morning the musical notes of the hunters' horns sotmded 

 the signal for the meet, and soon five mounted huntsmen 

 responded, and in the midst of the baying hounds, more 



