428 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec. 22, 1887. 



SEX MARKINGS IN GROUSE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It is very gratifying as well as interesting to see how 

 much light is thrown on the question of sex markings in 

 grouse by such close observers as Mr. Swift, of Elmira, 

 and Mr. Davidson, of Lockport, both in your own State. 

 I am just in receipt of a very instructive private letter 

 from the latter gentleman, and for fear he might not 

 give his permission I send you a liberal extract without 

 asking it. Mr. Davidson says: 



"I have read with pleasure and interest your own and 

 Mr. Swift's notes in the two last issues of the Forest and 

 Stream and I was somewhat taken aback when I read in 

 yours that I claimed 'the two central feathers in the 

 female had the black band near the end broken and 

 irregular instead of a pure black, sharply defined, as is 

 the case of the male.' Now, I do not know that I wrote 

 you in regard to this marking, but if I said female it was 

 a mistake, as I should have said male. At that time we 

 had only three specimens, two of which I supposed were 

 males, one adult and one young bird. The latter was 

 one which flew into a house and which we kept alive for 

 six or eight weeks. Both of these (supposed) males had 

 the broken irregular band marking in the two central 

 tail feathers, and the one (supposed) female did not have 

 this marking. We now have two more specimens, taken 

 Nov 27, 1886, male and female. These two birds I dissected 

 and know them to be of opposite sex. The male has but a 

 very slight irregular band marking, while the female has 

 the band broken and irregular the entire width. There- 

 fore I have come to the conclusion that this marking is 

 no certain indication of sex, at least in birds of under 

 one year of age, but I should be inclined to think that in 

 birds of two or more years of age the band in the male 

 bird would be more regular and distinct than in the 

 female of the same age. I agree, however, with Mr. 

 Swift and yourself that the ruff is the most certain crite- 

 rion by which to judge from, as in the male it is larger 

 and more glossy black than in the female. You will bear 

 in mind that I did not dissect the first three birds of 

 which I wrote you, but only judged the sex from general 

 appearances." 



Mr. Davidson evidently would say, if he carried his 

 statement out more fully, that the ruff of the male grouse 

 has a changeable metallic lustre which is not found at 

 any age in the ruff of the female and which corresponds 

 exactly to the sheen of. the cock's plumage or that of the 

 gobbler. My own observation is that the liver browns 

 of the young females change gradually to black, begin- 

 ing with the first moulting, but that while the ruff and 

 other dark markings become a pure black, it is always a 

 dead black and never a lustrous or changeable one. 



Jay Beebe. 



Toledo, O., Dec. 15. 



PLUMAGE OF THE MALLARD DRAKE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In the New York Times of Aug, 11, 1887, appeared an 

 article by Frank Wilkeson, entitled "Along the Manitoba 

 Road," from which I extract the following: 



"Throughout what used to be marked on the maps as 

 Rupert's Land are extensive areas of low, swampy grounds, 

 reed and grass grown, and hundreds of small lakes. The 

 Canadian Pacific Railroad winds for miles through a por- 

 tion of this swampy region, and in every swamp and 

 lake were thousands of mother ducks surrounded by their 

 young, and scores of geese were also there. The region 

 is the breeding ground of wild waterfowl. Snipe and 

 plover ran along the shores of the open lakes, and white 

 gulls flitted softly over the lakes, crying mournfully. I 

 looked at these birds with great interest, and quickly saw 

 that the ducks were mostly mallards and that there was 

 not a drake among them. I asked an Englishman who 

 breeds hunting dogs at Winnipeg, and who is a sports- 

 man, where the drakes were. 



"In the far north," he replied, and then he added, 

 "They stay here until the ducks begin to set, then they 

 suddenly disappear, A few weeks after the shooting sea- 

 son opens immense flocks of old greenhead mallards 

 arrive from the north and at once mingle with the young 

 ducks. Yes," he repeated, "the drakes summer In the 

 far north. " This has already appeared as a reprint in For- 

 est and Stream of Aug. 25. It is evident that neither Mi-. 

 Wilkeson nor the "Englishman who breeds hunting dogs 

 at Winnipeg, and who is a sportsman," are much 

 acquainted with the habits of the mallard, else they 

 would not thus accuse the drakes of withdrawing from 

 the scenes of family life and seeking a bachelor solitude 

 in the far north during the summer months, when the 

 callow young are most in need of a parent's fostering 

 care. 'Tis true, as a good authority tells us, the drakes 

 display no paternal regard for their young, but they, at 

 least, do not deny them the solace of their presence. I 

 speak from an experience much further north than 

 Rupert's Land, where the mallards also breed in great 

 numbers. 



I can assure Mr. Wilkeson, from personal observation, 

 that he has been deceived by appearances— by the disguise 

 which the old greenheads assume— the same, as we are 

 told, which a certain historic personage put on to elude 

 the vigilance of his pursuers, namely, the garb of the 

 female. He looked to find greenheads, which, of course, 

 he did not see, hence concluded they were absent. 



The mallard has two annual moults, the first in the 

 sprmg of the year, and again in the autumn. In the 

 summer the drake loses his green head, which is so 

 characteristic of this male species, and the tuft of curly 

 feathers on the tail; in September the disguise is thrown 

 off, and he reappears with the green head and other 

 markings which are familiar to the fall and winter sports- 

 man His summer plumage assimilates so closely to that 

 of the female that he might be very easily overlooked 

 when m the midst of his family. 



Coues, in the second edition of his standard work on 

 American ornithology, makes no mention of this seasonal 

 plumage of the mallard drake. T. H. Streets. 



Philadelphia, Dec. 12. 



)mm Jftffl nnd 



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BOOKS RECEIVED. 



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M T H^ wk^Mn A i w F Florida, a Descriptive Narrative. By J. 

 ^^Pr'icSo'cems. MaSS - : Lowia & WillsM P- 



GAME IN IDAHO. 



THE Salmon River Mountains in Idaho are of the most 

 rugged order, their crowns encircled with perpetual 

 snow, and the timber line plainly marked in summer by 

 a somber bleak stretch between the blue-green fir and 

 pines and the white. The dense forests and deep canons 

 with frowning walls are barriers that have resisted the 

 invasion of the game butchers who have depleted the 

 western slopes of the Rockies of their wealth of noble 

 animals. These untrod wilds hold the reserves that have 

 fed the Red men in their caves and on the Reservations, 

 and stocked the lava plains and river bottoms w inter 

 after winter with thousands of deer and antelope to be 

 ruthlessly slaughtered. And the swarms are going forth 

 again this winter. As we passed up from the low Snake 

 River Valley we saw herds of deer like sheep on the bare 

 broad lava plains, with no cover but the boulders and 

 the low craggy sage brush. At one point we intercepted 

 a drove of the blacktail which must have numbered 

 thousands. The plain was level for two or three miles 

 and we could not see either end of the moving herd. 

 They parted as the stage rattled over the stony road, and 

 galloped away out of pistol range and then turned to look 

 at us. They had just passed from the mountains, where 

 the new snow was deep and soft, to the low river bottom 

 where the ground was bare. 



We -were bound for the silver mines, 6,000ft. above the 

 sea. The lumbering coach was exchanged for a light, 

 finely-rigged, four-horse bobsled. The dry show squeaked 

 under iron-shod feet and steel-shod runners, but the 

 sleek horses tossed their heads, champed the bits and 

 carried us to the higher and colder regions. Still antelope, 

 deer and prowling coyotes were seen at every turn of the 

 road, all seemingly fleeing from the snow which had 

 fallen a few hours before. It was a strange sight to see 

 these pretty creatures going in graceful swinging bounds 

 over the prairie without the shelter of timber, which is 

 associated with such animals in one's mind. My fingers 

 itched for a good rifle. And then I would say, "Why 

 should I murder the mild-eyed beauties?" They are mur- 

 dered by the thousand on these plains. They are shot 

 down in the snow by greedy murderers, where they lie as 

 long as the hunter can kill, when they are skinned for the 

 hides. This wholesale slaughter has gone steadily on f or 

 years, each winter's snow bringing a new supply from 

 the reserves; from the mountains so bold and blue in the 

 distance. After we reached the heavy timber belt we saw 

 no more game. The deer seemed to have all gone but the 

 tracks of elks and moose crossed the road. These rnon- 

 archs of the woods seemed, too, to have been disturbed 

 by the elements. The only abode of the white man in 

 the mountain region was the new mining camp, and even 

 these shy animals did not seem to realize their proximity 

 to the enemy. They had been browsing around within 

 rifle range of the camp. 



The light of the next day came with loud reports of 

 bursting timber in the log houses, and the snapping of a 

 thousand trees on the mountain side that seemed to be 

 splitting with the first freeze. The temperature had 

 dropped down 30 a in twelve hours, but the clear blue sky 

 gave promise of a calm bright day. A hunt was decided 

 upon. The dense evergreen trees held the snow. It was 

 light and dry, and hot deep beneath the interlaced 

 branches over all the great wilderness. We moved noise- 

 lessly over the downy carpet. We had gone a mile from 

 the quartz mill; I Avas separated from my companion by 

 a little timber-clad knoll. Something white scudded 

 past the dark butts of the trees as swiftly and as lightly 

 as the shadow of a cloud. I was looking for the dark 

 form tif an elk or a moose. The flitting of a form so swift 

 and so white that it could only be seen in broad daylight 

 when it came in contrast with the black tree trunks 

 struck me at once as being very strange. I am not 

 superstitious, nor a believer in any sort of supernatural 

 manifestations, but my philosophy was very unsatis- 

 factory for a short time. Although noiseless, I soon 

 learned that the mysterious objects made tracks in the 

 snow like other earthly beings. I was not long in decid- 

 ing that they were mountain sheep, but their pure white 

 color, their swiftness and the fact that I had not noticed 

 large, colored horns, was evidence against the sheep 

 theory. 



My speculations were abruptly ended. The loud report 

 of my friend's rifle came from the direction the tracks 

 were leading me. I discovered the fortunate hunter 

 three hundred yards further on bending over his prize. 

 He had brought down a wild goat. I had driven the 

 little herd very near to him where he was waiting for me. 

 One of them had stopped to look back, in such a position 

 that his white body showed plainly against a tree beyond, 

 and afford a fine mark for the hunter's deadly rifle. It 

 was probably the common Rocky Mountain goat. It was 

 heavier than the average class, with short strong legs. 

 Its fleece was as fine as some graded Angora goats I have 

 seen, and of spotless white. The horns were slender and 

 recurved, and the eyes were pink or fight red. I have 

 learned from Indians and other hunters that their haunts 

 in summer are near the region of perpetual snow, and 

 that they scamper up the steep slopes with great speed 

 whenever routed from then- lairs, and never rest till they 

 are upon some snow bank, depending upon the inability 

 of the eye to distinguish the outline of their bodies against 

 the white back ground. They climb the rocky heights 

 equally as well as the mountain sheep, and defy the at- 

 tack of wolves and other beasts of prey when in their 

 chosen rocky defiles. 



After we had suspended the goat to a limb out of reach 

 of the wolves, we determined to cross a very rocky canon. 

 We had cautiously worked our way to the bed of the dry 

 water course, and were debating the question of the 

 ascent, when the broad trail of a wallowing bear was dis- 

 covered. It seems to be the nature of the bear to hiber- 



nate, but I have often found his tracks in the snow and 

 trailed him to his den. We started after bruin with a 

 z al bom of the true sportsman spirit. To kill a bear is 

 the hunter's greatest pleasure. Two miles of laborious 

 tramping and the casual observer would have noticed 

 more evidence of perspiration than enthusiasm. But we 

 were soon rewarded with a glimpse of a black round ball 

 of fur seemingly rolling up the steep side of the canon. 

 He had left his temporary shelter under the rocks and 

 was trying hard to gain the rim rock. The snow was 

 deep on that side of the cut. His progress was slow. We 

 hurried forward to a point directly before him, and 

 trained our repeaters upon him. It would not add to my 

 reputation as a hunter to tell how many shots I fired, but 

 finally he let go and came rolling in obedience to the la ws 

 of gravitation. He formed himself into a wheel with his 

 feet and nose turned in. He reached the foot of the bluff 

 with a grunt b'Oyds. from us, and straightened out into a 

 dead run, s bo wing no effects of injury either from the 

 jamming against the rocks nor from the bullets we had 

 tired at him. But a hasty, lucky shot brought him down. 

 The cunning creature had rolled down the rocky steep 

 not because he was wounded, but had adopted that plan 

 of escape after finding it impossible to climb over the rim 

 rock above him while under fire. He was only slightly 

 wounded before the tumble-down. Roxy Newton. 



MASSACHUSETTS GAME NOTES. 



\JU ORCESTER, Dec. 4.— As far as my personal obser- 

 T V vation goes, and from the accounts of friends, I 

 think I am justified in saying that here at least the shoot- 

 ing season has been fully up to the average. 



Ruffed grouse and flight woodcock have been quite 

 numerous, and some good bags were made. One market 

 hunter says he has killed over three hundred grouse so 

 far, and another has scored about forty flight woodcock, 

 besides one hundred and eighty grouse. In one day out 

 a few weeks ago another person and myself put up about 

 twenty-five grouse and five woodcock. I have not heard 

 many reports as to quail, but should say they were scarce. 

 One gunner told me that he had struck only three or four 

 bevies this season. In a bag of twenty-five birds made by 

 three gentlemen from the city, there were seven quail, 

 six woodcock and twelve grouse. 



Gray squirrels were, in comparison with last year, 

 almost a minus quantity in some places. One person got 

 six where he got thirty last year. 



Rabbits have been scarce, owing to the extensive use 

 of ferrets by wood-choppers, etc. A man's chances who 

 hunts simply with dog and gun are completely destroyed 

 by these miserable pests. 



"The geese have gone over, at least many of them. Last 

 Tuesday I saw a flock of about thirty "honking" for all 

 they were worth and flying due west. I also heard of 

 several other flocks numbering from twenty-five to eighty. 

 As being a little unusual I mention the capture of an otter 

 weighing thirty-five pounds by a farmer living near here. 



The other day I was overhauling my tackle, revarnish- 

 ing my rod and setting things in order for next spring, 

 when the sight of hooks, flies, spoons, etc., just made me 

 ache to drop my hook in the old holes I have so often 

 fished, and can so well see now, although the bleak fields 

 and bare trees are strangely out of sympathy with my 

 thoughts of alder tangles and green leaves. 



Pemigewasset. 



NON-RESIDENTS IN NEW JERSEY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



On page 293 of the laws passed by the Legislature of 

 New Jersey in 1878 you will find the following: 



1. Be it enacted by the Senate and General Assembly oi the 

 State of New Jersey, That from and after the passage of this act, 

 no person or persons non-residents of this State, shall kill, 

 destroy, hunt or take any doe, buck, fawn or any sort of deer 

 whatsoever, or shall kill, destroy, hunt or take any partridge, 

 moor fowl, ruffed grouse, tiua.il, woodcock, Wilson or gray snipe , 

 reed bird, rail bird or rabbit, at any time, or shall catch any 

 speckled brook trout, or speckled river trout, black bass or 

 salmon, at any time in this State, without complying with the 

 by-laws of game protective societies, organized or to be organized 

 under the laws ot this State, the persoii so offending shall forfeit 

 and pay the sum of fifty dollars for each and every offense, and 

 may De proceeded against in any county of this State wherein 

 such person or persons may be arrested, or wherein such offense 

 shall have been committed, and in default of the payment of the 

 forfeit money, with costs of prosecution, any person or persons so 

 offending shall lie in the common jail until the same shall be paid, 

 one-half of the forfeit money shall be for the person prosecuting 

 for the same, and the remainder paid lo the collector of the town- 

 ship wherein the conviction may he had, and all acts and parts of 

 acts inconsistent with this act, are hereby repealed; provided, 

 that nothing in this act shall prevent residents of this State 

 from taking game or fish, subject to the existing laws of this 

 State. 



2. And be it enacted, That any member of any society for the 

 protection, of game and fish, organized under the laws of this 

 State, shall be empowered to make arrests of any person or per- 

 sons who may be found violating any of the provisions of this 

 act, or infringing any of the laws of this State made for the pro- 

 tection of game and fish, and bring him or them before a magis- 

 trate for examination. 



The third section of this act provides that county clerks 

 shall keep in their offices records of the lists of members of such 

 societies. 



The above law may offend against the constitution of 

 New Jersey, against the constitution of the United States , 

 against common sense and against everything else, as 

 well as it does against the laws laid down by Lindlay 

 Murray, but nevertheless it is the law of the State, and it 

 has not to my knowledge been declared unconstitutional 

 by any court of this State. The law, as is clearly 

 apparent, gives societies incorporated under the laws of 

 the State vast powers, and these powers, as all others, 

 may be used with advantage or they may be used with- 

 out just discrimination and thus become tyrannical. I 

 do not know whether other New Jersey game protective 

 societies depend on special charters which may have been 

 granted them by the Legislature, but I do know that our 

 association, incorporated as it is as the law provides, has 

 been advised that fees might be collected from non- 

 residents. We do not shirk any duty by not doing so. 

 We might have passed a by-law by which no non- 

 residents of the State shall be allowed to shoot in Passaic 

 county unless they are members in good standing of the 

 Passaic County Fish and Game Protective Association, 

 but we have in no way taken advantage of the first sec- 

 tion of the above act. The Legislature gave game pro- 

 tective societies a certain right, but there is nothing to 

 compel such societies from exercising that right. The 

 fields and waters of Passaic county are open to all as long 

 as the laws of the State are observed. 



It may be argued that game societies might pass ridicu- 

 lous by-laws, and might perhaps provide that all hunters 



