1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



3 



added, " 







steeple-d 







lie dropped the reins and fired quickly. Tho rabbit 

 bounded off, while tho sportsman, assisted by a terrific 

 leap of his mount, shot up upon his neck and slid not 

 ungracefully to the ground, hatlesa and gameless, but radi- 

 ant with enthusiasm. 

 "You see the point?" he asked, as 1 came up. 

 "And this is your new sport?" I retorted. 

 "Yes," was the reply, as he hauled his rifle from the 

 brush where it had lodged. "This is the new amusement, 

 and if the old Koman was alive who offered prizes for 

 such things, I think I should claim one. You see," he 

 ubines the features of foxhunting, polo, 



; and " 



1 lofty tumbling," I suggested. , 



"That's your own lookout," retorted my friend; "My 

 horse is, as perhaps you noticed, a little brash at the 

 sound of a gun, but that is easily overcome; though my 

 man tells me that if a horse has a dash of broncho in 

 him and don't stand fire he will get worse instead of 

 better. However, mine does well, and I will give you a 

 pointer. If your animal won't stand it mount with a 

 revolver in each hand and fire simultaneously: the horse 

 won't shy beet/use the noise comes from both sides. I 

 had my man try this, and tho animal simply rose in the 

 ah." 



"Bucked?" I suggested. 



"Yes, I suppose one might call it that. But I kept this 

 up for a week or so, and after my man expended about 

 ten dollars worth of ammunition he had her well in hand; 

 I began myself firing from her back. At first I could 

 not hit the" stable, but finally I struck the door at 100 

 paces, and now I can do very well." 



"But no one could ever hit a jaok rabbit from a horso 

 going at full speed with a rifle?" I said. 



"It would be hard." replied my companion, "but the 

 secret is to do it with a shotgun. I wanted you to try tho 

 rifle to merely show you the difficult side; with the shot- 

 gun it is an easy possibility, and is magnificent sport, not 

 to speak of tho amusement it affords the jack rabbit." It 

 was evident that this addition to various time-honored 

 sports had the elements of much excitement, and was 

 well worth attempting. In southern California there are 

 numbers of horses brought over from Arizona and the 

 adjacent country which have been used to tho the of a 

 revolver in the hands of tho modern cowboy, and if one 

 of these anitnalo can be secured this hunter may consider 

 himself well mounted. My search for such a horse was 

 replete with incident. The owners of various bronchos 

 were unanimous in the opinion that one could shoot from 

 their backs, but as to what would be tho immediat e results 

 they did not commit themselves; in fact there was a 

 gloomy suggestiveno3s about then reticence on this point 

 that was so unpleasant that I gave up the quest, and tak- 

 ing my mare in hand, began a series of experiments of 

 an er irely original nature. I first led her into a large 

 corra then approached within fiOft. of her and fired. It 

 was evidently a novelty, as she dashed off, then came at 

 me on a dead run, turned, and let her hoofs fly in my 

 direction in a style that was, to say the least, discourag- 

 ing. Repeated firing did not have a soothing effect, and 

 it was given up. Tho mare would now snort and rear at 

 the sight of a gun, which she did not do before. It was 

 evident that she was retrograding. I next fastened a long 

 rope to tho halter, held the coil in my hand, and when I 

 fired and she jumped I let her go, then hauled in on the 

 rope. In this way I hoped to make her leap less every 

 time, but they increased visibly. I then tied the halter 

 rope to her foreleg (a friend who had shot elephants in 

 Africa gave mo this point), but tho only result was that 

 she almost stood upon her head,' a prophetic exhibition. I 

 next tied her to a treo and began firing at a distance, 

 gradually drawing nearer, shooting pigeons and quail in 

 j the brush of tho mesa, showing her the game and gun, 

 arguing silently and combining an object lesson with it 

 ail. But tho mare, though intelligent, evidently had 

 fixed ideas on the subject of standing fire, and finally, in 

 answer to appeals from friends who were certain that my 

 neck woidd be broken if I continued, I gave it up. 



Some time after this I again went out with my friend, 

 who carried a small light 12-gauge shotgun. I "intended 

 tying my incorrigible steed to a tree and shooting on foot, 

 when right before us sprang up two of the liveliest jacks 

 that ever gladdened the eyes of a greyhound. My friend 

 gave a shout, and without thought I dashed in pursuit 

 over the stubble, through a heavy plowed field, now 

 skirting a vineyard, again into the open we went, the 

 horses "bounding along and gaining at every step. As 

 fortune would have it they turned at the edge of the 

 arrov or canon bank, and we passed them at short 

 range. My companion's horse was fractious, and in the 

 excitement he snapped his gun or tried to without cock- 

 ing it. Tho next second the jack, with ears like the bare 

 poles of a ship, was over my left shoulder, and without 

 thought of the dire results I let fly my right barrel. As 

 tho smoke blew away, I eaught a glimpse of the jack as 

 it struck tho ground, then with a convulsive leap went 

 into the air fully thrco feet to fall dead or dying. 



I found that I was still in the saddle, much to my aston- 

 ishment, for this wily hcrso that had for days protested 

 against the gun, had net moved. Her objections to powder 

 m ltvcre dissipated in smoke. 



-j In a country where one has to walk long distances in 

 J—jBoarch of game the advantage of a horse that will stand 

 Jie iire cannot be overestimated; and where formerly a 

 ° n Vlay's shooting was hard work it is now a pleasure. Quail, 

 *° I dove and even deer can thus be taken, provided that ho 

 rpiom bines with other qualities that of a good climber. 

 y° In rabbit shooting from the horse one is following a 

 •^precedent to a certain extent of the old Los Angeles 

 ? r poursing club. Twelve or fifteen years ago the Ameri- 

 r; a can and Castiliau gentry of the old Mexican city took a 

 Y e jgreat interest in matters appertaining to out-of-door 

 A ? sports, and chasing the jack rabbit and equally agile 

 . ^cotton tail" withgreyhounds, was one of the pastimes 

 t.i un pf the country. The hounds wero bred for .the purpose, 

 o^nd while the packs are not kept together to-day, good 

 . a 6 logs aro still to be had. The members of the coursing 

 * }}l\ih met upon the Pasadena inosa, and ladies and gentle- 

 t&Juen followed the dogs over a country that, as I have 

 JpSaggested, is hardly to be relied upon, not a few mishaps 

 ty$?ciuring in consequence, 

 ^'i "There were some curious experiences in those days," 

 ' - ; :d my friend one evening, as we rode in from the mesa, 

 e, * v.nd some queer stories worth remembering, too. There 

 cks a Mexican gentleman, from San Luis Obispo, who, as 

 ge story goes, brought an English friend down with him 

 ona of tho meets. He was said to be a famous cross 



country rider in the old country, and was large and 

 heavy, too much so for our horses here. 



"Well, to make a long story short, the hounds started 

 a jack and away they went, the dogs mute, but the men 

 in full cry, the bits and spurs jangling, as fine a sight as 

 you could see anywhere. The ground was so arranged 

 that the party could follow for a mile, then the dogs gen- 

 erally turned toward the mountain and then back. The 

 jack'gave them a long m n and they had two miles of it 

 before his ears began to lay back. The dogs were well 

 up and the horses well behind, when the animal took a 

 sharp turn and came so near the party that the English- 

 man, putting spurs to his horse, almost ran over it. The 

 Mexicans shouted to him to reach down and pick the 

 bagged animal up, an easy trick for them. Their guest 

 attompted it, but lie had an English saddle, and the con- 

 sequence was he slipped, at the same time his horse stum- 

 bled and he took a header. When the party came up to 

 him he was sitting tip nibbing his shoulder. "Where's 

 the jack?" was the first question. 



The rabbit had disappeared; but as Eome one gave him 

 a hand and helped him to his feet, there was the jack 

 crashed out of all semblance of his former self , ono of the 

 most original ways of taking the game on record. 



The jack rabbit is a feature of the Western country. In 

 Southern California they are a menace to the tree 

 grower, and, owing to then - speed, are extremely difficult 

 to kill, ordinary dogs being unable to keep up with them. 

 But the increase in population is fast driving them out, 

 and in a few years there will bo comparatively few in the 

 San Gabriel Valley. In certain parts of Nevada their 

 numbers are beyond computation. I have seen fifty or 

 more dashing across a clearing as the train went by; and 

 as this was repeated for miles in tho low brush country, 

 then numbers may be realized. Their tall ears give them 

 tho appearance of dimunitivo burros, hence tho name 

 jack; aud with their powerful hindlags that seem to 

 shoot them ahead, they present a curious and not to be 

 mistaken appearance. They are in many instances re- 

 markably cunning. When they aro not noticed, or the 

 intruder pretends not to seo thorn, they will lie low until 

 a horse is almost upon them, then bound away in a series 

 of leaps, astonishing in their length and demoralizing to 

 the new hand. I have seen an old jack dash off in this 

 way through the brash, make a circuit of perhaps 100yds., 

 and return to within six feet of the original point, there 

 standing on its liindlegs with ears aloft to watch ms un- 

 til I made an aggressive move. 



I once started one in a field coverod with alfalfa, and 

 the wily crcaturo must have understood my methods, for 

 it kept directly in front of my horso, giving me no oppor- 

 tunity to fire except directly over her ears, which I did 

 not care to do, aud in this marching order we took a 

 thousand yards of hard running. Every movement of 

 mine to turn the horse so as to get a shot over her shoulder 

 seemed to bo appreciated by the jack that kept dead 

 ahead, and soon bounded into the greascwood andprickly 

 pear patch that constituted its fortress. 



Popular opinion is against tho jack rabbit as an article 

 cf diet, and while I am willing to champion him as run- 

 ning game, I am inclined not to commit myself on this 

 point. I can say, however, that I once dined upon jack 

 that was as fine as venison; but later attempts were 

 from an epicurean point of view utter failures, though 

 doubtless, if properly cooked, and seiwed with judicious 

 condiments, it would be very acceptable to others than 

 the hungry sportsman. C. F. BE. 



Pasadena. California. *- H+vH^.f 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



DO SQUIRRELS HIBERNATE? 



IN Forest and Stream of Jan. 13 Mr. G. E. Walsh 

 states that squirrels hibernate, while Dr. C. Hart Mer- 

 riaui in his "Mammals of the Adirondacks," says that 

 they refuse to hibernate. Which is corect ? 



AVhatever theso animals may do in higher latitudes, I 

 am inclined to think that in these temperate regions they 

 do not hibernate, although my observations have not been 

 sufficiently oxtensivo nor so exact as to warrant my liais- 

 ing any positive opinion upon them. Of this much I am 

 certain, however, that I have never been in our forests, 

 even in the coldest of winter weather, when squirrels 

 were not plentiful, and they a- e never more active than at 

 this season. I have also dug out numerous nests, but 

 have not yet succeeded in finding any of the family at 

 home. They were not sufficiently dormant to be caught 

 and had escaped by the back door, for tkg nest is usually 

 placed beneath tho snow, in an old stump or amid a pile 

 of brush, and two or more tunnels lead from it in dif- 

 ferent directions to the surface. 



Montague Chambeb.lain, 



St. John, N. B., Jan. 17. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Tho house in which I live and have lived for fifteen 

 years, stands surrounded by old forest trees, such as oaks, 

 hickory, chestnut, etc. When I built the house the wood 

 abounded in gray squirrels, which have continuod to 

 dwell here on terms of friendship with all our family ex- 

 cepting the dogs and cats. As I now write four wild 

 squirrels are seeking their dinners of liickory nuts on the 

 ground within 80ft. of me, and a pair of them have 

 reared their young several times in a hollow chestnut 

 tree that stood 20ft. from my window. 



I once put a long ladder against this tree and examined 

 the nest while tho mother squirrel was off on a visit. The 

 nest contained five young about half grown. I did not 

 disturb them, but on coming away left the ladder against 

 the tree, went into the house, stood at the window and 

 watched. In about five minutes the mothor returned 

 and, after deliberately inspecting the ladder, ascended to 

 her nest, a moment afterward reappeared with one of her 

 children held in her mouth, as a ca,t carries her kitten. 

 She then descended the tree, still bearing the youngster 

 by her teeth, and carried it to another hollow tree about 

 200ft. away. This operation she repeated until the entire 

 family was removed. 



I have, of course, studied the habits of these graceful 

 and intelligent animals carefully, and can state it as a 

 fact without any kind of question, that the Long: Island 



gray squirrel never stores away a supply of food for the 

 winter, but forages every day for food. Ho never hiber- 

 nates, and appears just as lively with the temperature at 

 zero as at any other time. As I said, he never lays by a 

 store for winter use, but in the autumn when nuts are on 

 the ground he has a habit of burying single nuts hero 

 and there in the woods, apparently in a haphazard way, 

 but when the deep snows of winter come you will see 

 him dig up those same nuts for his breakfast. Ho 

 never makes any mistakes, and even if tho snow bo a 

 foot deep, wherever he stops and digs, there he imds a 

 nut, and at once ascends the handiest tree to cat it. 



With all his little taking ways tho gray squirrel is in 

 some things a thorough rascal.* He robs bur birds' nests 

 and eats the eggs. His appetite seems to be omnivorous. 

 One of his favorite side dishes consists of grabs, and if 

 you offer him a pint of chestnuts he will carefully select 

 a nut with a fine fat worm, eat the latter and search for 

 more. Tiiomas Clapham. 



Ruslyn, L. I., Jan. 22, 1887. 



FOOD OF HAWKS AND OWLS. 



TN March last we published a report by Dr. B. Harry 

 Warren, of West Chester, Pa., bearing on this ques- 

 tion, "Are hawks and owls beneficial or injurious?" With 

 this report were a number of letters from some of our 

 most eminent ornithologists, expressing in very decided 

 terms their opinions on this question. There was but ono 

 sentiment among these gentlemen on the point at issue, 

 and this was that the oirds in question were beneficial. 

 Since the publication of the roport, Dr. Warren has con- 

 tinued his investigations of this interesting subject, and 

 has tabulated the results which we are permitted to givo 

 below. This report will be printed as the report of tho 

 West Chester Microscopical Society. All tho hawks re- 

 corded in the following table wero taken in Chester 

 county, Pa. An X in any column means that tho fcod 

 heading that column was found in the stomach. 



*Hcd~tailed Hawk.—"Henhawk," "Big Cliickcn Hawk." 

 Buteo boreal is. Gmel. 



Sex. 



£ ad. 

 £ ail. 

 <! ad. 

 9 .... 

 t .... 

 S .... 



£.... 

 9 .... 

 9 ... 



Date 



Field- 

 mice. 



Insects. 



Poultiy. 



Rabbito. 













March 1J, 'BO 



X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 













X 



Oct. 11, \so 



Oct. 11, '80 



Oct. 20, '60 



No v. 13, '30 



Nov. ID, 'B0 



















Grasshoppers 























Cooper's Hawk.— "Long-tailed, Chicken or Pheasant Hank." 

 "Big Partridge Hawk." Aecipiter Cooperi. Bonap. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Food. 



Remarks. 



£ ad. 

 » ad. 



Nov. 1?, '80 



Not. 27, '(JO 



Small "uird... 

 X 



Song Sparrow (M. f asctata) 

 Meadow lark (S. magua) 





Sharp-shinned Hawk.— •" Pigeon Hawk," "Little He 

 Hawk," "Bird Hawk." Aceipiter veiox. Wils. 



i yg- 

 9 ad. 



Oct. 3, '83. .. 

 Nov. 20, '66. 



Food. 



Small hixd 



X 



English sparrow. . . , 

 Song sparrow (M. fap^ata) 



Sparrow Hawk— "Mouse Hawk," "Bird Hawk," "£luc~ 

 backed Hawk." Falco sparvenus. Linn. 



Sex. 



9 ad. 

 £ ad. 



s nCi . 



1 a I. 

 £ ud. 

 £ ad. 

 « yg. 



2 ud. 

 £ ad. 



? yg. 



£ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 9 ad. 



Date. 



Field In- 'Sn'll 



Ul CJ, SCCfS Lli'ds 



Fob. 8, '30. 

 Fob. 9, >8t$. 

 Feb. 31, 'c0 

 March 10,'80' 

 April a, '80.. 

 April 4, 'oO.. 

 July 14, '80.. 

 Nov. 20. '80. 

 Dec. 1, '80... 

 Dec. 8, '80... 

 Julyo, '80... 

 Dec. 9, '80... 

 Dec. 0, '80... 



Ecmar U5 - 



Sparrow CM. ffaseiain) 

 O'nopper, o*"** erthoptern. 

 Principal!/ 6 repp's, beetles 

 Beetles . 



Beetles , ■ „ „, ■ 



[ m ?mutcd co dotcrmmo 

 Too dec^'n'l'osed and eom- 

 Beetle3 jhpd gnisshojg^nj 

 Grasshop\ l -V'J tetVST*' 

 Beetles 



"Various species 

 Juueo liyemalis (?) 



Bcd,-shouldcrcd Hawk— "Winter Falcon," "Hcnhawk," 

 "Strip-tailed Hawk." Buteo lineat us. Gmel. 



Sex. 



Date. 



Field- 

 mice. 



Insects 



9 ad. 



Jan. 3 '30 





X 



£ ad. 



Jan. 20, '30 





X 



9 ys- 



Feb. 22, '.SO 





X 



9 ad. 





X 



X 



9 yg. 





X 



X 



? yg. 



Dec. 2, '80 



X 





« ye- 



Deo. 1, '80 



X 





9 ad. 



Nov. 29, '80 



X 









Remarks. 



Principally grasshoppers 

 Black-colored beetles 



Grasshoppers 



+ Hair of mammal 



Dr. A. K. Fisher, Assistant Ornithologist U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, in a letter dated 

 Jan. 15, 1887, addressed to Dr. B. H. Warren, says: 

 "Wednesday I received eight adult redtails and two red- 

 shouldered hawks from a man in Maryland. * * * I 

 find nothing but mice and shrews in then- crops and 

 stomachs (from two to five in each). I found two speci- 

 mens of Sorex and the following specimens of mice: 

 Mus musculus, Hesperomys leucopus, Arvicola ripariw 



♦The tables giving food materials of different species of hawks 

 refer only (o ihe birds on which bounty has been paid under 

 "Scalp Act,"— B, II. Warren. 



Since the above has boon written forty odd hawks and owls on 

 which bounty has been paid have been examined; one bird, a red- 

 tailed hawk, was found to have fed on chickens only; a second ex- 

 ample of the same species had in its gizzard remains of a chicken 

 and portions of a fie id-mouse. Two red-tailed hawks had fed on 

 red squirrels, another pair of red-tailed hawks had taken rabbits. 

 Eight sparrow hawks, included in this series of forty odd birds, 

 revealed chiefly mice aud grasshoppers. The remainder of tho 

 forty odd birds, ten of which were screech and long-eared owls, 

 had in their viscera chiefly field and meadow mice. The owle, 

 with the exception cf one screech owl, that had in its stomach an 

 English sparrow, had all subsisted on mice and insects, principally 

 grasshoppers.— B. H. Warren. 



t Note.— The gizzard of this bird ccntained a few hairs of field 

 mouse and some long black hairs which appeared very much lii.a 

 that of u skunk. The bird on dissection gave a very aoeided odor 

 of pole-cat. 



