248 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



TApkil 14, 1887. 



NAMES OF A WOODPECKER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The articles on the popular names of birds, especially 

 of our various shore birds, which you have published 

 from time to time, have demonstrated the necessity of the 

 scientific terms which appear so formidable to beginners 

 in ornithology. 



Many of our common birds are known by a variety of 

 names in different localities, for instance, the golden- 

 winged woodpecker {Colaptes auratus). I know of no bird 

 to which so many different names have been applied as to 

 this well-known picarian. Its color, mode of flight, 

 peculiar notes and its slight resemblance to other birds 

 have suggested most of its appellations. I send yon the 

 list of the names which I have heard applied to this bird, 

 as well as those which I have found in the books. Some 

 of the former I have never seen in print, and, therefore, 

 spell them by sound. Colaptes auratus is the scientific 

 and golden-winged woodpecker the common name of this 

 bird with the ornithologists. 



Ernest Ingersoll, in his "Birds Nesting," gives over 

 twenty names, including those mentioned, which have 

 been used to designate the bird in question. 



1. Olape. 19. Piute or Peeritt N. Eng. 



2. Crescent Bird West. 30. Sap-suckerf Florida. 



3. Cave-Due Maine 21. Shad Spirits N. Eng. 



4. English Woodpeckert. . .L. I. 22. Taping Bird Mass. 



5. Fiddler+ ..Cape Cod 23. Wake-up N. Eng. 



6. Flicker. 24. Weather-hen Vermont. 



7. French Woodpecker... TS T . H. 25. Wild-hent Maine. 



8. Harry Wicket N. H. 26. Will-Crisson South. 



9. Hick-Wall Conn. 27. Woodcock (misnomer). .N. E. 



10. High -hold. 28. Wood-wall N. E. 



11. High-holder. 29. Wood-pigeon N. E. 



12. High-hole. 30. Wood-pecker Lark+.Georgia. 



13. Hittockt ......Canada 31. Wood-quoi Conn. 



14. Gel Spechtt... Pennsylvania. 32. Yaffle Conn. 



15. Onie-tucf' Maine. 33. Yarrup+ Middle States. 



16. Partridge Woodpecker. N.E. 34. Yellow Hammer. 



17. Pigeon Woodpecker. ...N. E. 35. Yellow Jay N. H. 



18. Pique-bois-jaime+.Louisi'na. 36. Yucker. 



Those marked f were found in Ingersoll's book, already 

 mentioned. 



"We find thirty-six terms in the popular list, though 

 some of them, as Nos. 10, 11 and 12, cannot be considered 

 different names, as they are attempts to describe one 

 characteristic. W. W. COLBURK 



Spbingfield, Mass., March 12, 1887. 



An Encounter in the Grass.— When I was a boy, hi 

 Geneva, and when the cherries were ripe, it was my 

 business before and after school, and on Saturdays and 

 holidays, to keep the birds out of the trees, which I did 

 very effectually with a light, double muzzleloading gun. 

 One day while on the lookout for birds, I heard a peculiar 

 squeaking in the grass, soft and low. Following the 

 sounds, I soon found the cause. The squeaking came 

 from a gopher (squirrel) which was lying on its back 

 kicldng. Fastened to its lower jaw, with long pinchers 

 imbedded nearly out of sight, was a large black beetle. 

 Taking a small stick I held the gopher with one hand 

 while with the other I pryed open the beetle's pinchers 

 and released the little prisoner. The blood ran freely 

 from the wounds made by the beetle, but the gopher 

 scampered off and disappeared in the grass. — C. F. Coue, 



Hybrid Geese.— Washington, D. C, April 7. — In your 

 issue of March 31, "E. F. S.," of Byrdville, Va., speaks 

 of having some hybrid geese. I write to urge upon him 

 the plan of making tests with them to establish some 

 facts in regard to the fertility or non-fertility of hybrids. 

 It is an open question, and one of much moment in many 

 ways. I hope "E. F. S." will make three combinations 

 with his hybrids as follows: One male hybrid with one 

 female domestic goose; one male domestic with one 

 female hybrid, mating them with care and keeping each 

 set confined by itself so there can be no possibility of any 

 mistakes; then set the eggs of each female under most 

 favorable circumstances possible, marking results so as 

 to be made available as absolute proof respecting the 

 sterility of hybrids, and reporting results through Forest 

 and Stream'.— C. L. H. 



Squirrel Hibernation. — Batavia, 111. — I send a clip- 

 ping from the Sandwich Argus, published in a neighbor- 

 ing county: "While playing about a hay stack at Colfax, 

 one day recently, a party of boys found a specimen of the 

 gray prairie squirrel. The animal was all curled up in a 

 round ball, and was frozen as hard as a rock. The squirrel 

 was taken into a house and placed under a stove, where, 

 after two or three hours, it thawed out. It is now as frisky 

 and lively as any of its kind." I spent a winter in "Egypt" 

 a few years ago and found the squirrels more active 

 than in the warm weather. A family of them lived in a 

 large tree near our camp and they always took particular 

 pains to get out on a dead limb and scold us whenever in 

 camp. In this part of the State I think they are apt to 

 "He low" except on bright sunny days. — Nimrod. 



nient as to the hardiness of the jack snipe. I procured a 

 specimen on the 1st of January this year in a small spring 

 on the ranch, and have noticed them quite frequentlv for 

 the last three winters; and as the thermometer sometimes 

 registers 40 J below zero, I imagine they can stand almost 

 any weather. — W. C. 



Auk's Eggs.— Fredericton, N. B., April 2.— "F." men- 

 tions in your last issue the sale of an egg of this bird for 

 £50. I attended a sale in London in July, 1880, at which 

 two eggs fetched £212.2.0 and £100 respectively. I have 

 photograph of the most perfect one. length, 4- l a 6 in. : diam- 

 eter, S^in.— Chas. A. Bramble. 



, English Sparrows.— Dover, Del.— In this town there 

 is an English sparrow entirely black, and also one on the 

 farm of T. J. Tucker, near Rolph's Wharf , Md., entirely 

 white. Although we occasionally hear of a black Eng- 

 lish sparow, I think this the first white one seen in this 

 vicinity. — W. G. L. Tucker. 



VedSjers Museum in St. Augustine, Fla., to which 

 "Nessmuk" referred in a recent letter, was burned in the 

 great fire last Tuesday. 



tag and 



Address att commimimtions to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



TO FIB OR NOT TO FIB. 



AN ANXIOUS ItEVERIE. 



T^HEN soon the city's torrid streets 



* * My torrid self shall claim, 

 'Twill then become my awful task 



T' enumerate the game 

 That I have shot and 1 have hooked— 



What number shall I name ? 



What though I vaunt of Little Moose- 

 Its waters clear as though 



One were ballooning o'er the rocks 

 And plants and fish below— 



They'll cry, "The number of those fish 

 You caught, we wish to know !" 



What though I speak of driven deer 



That fly through echoing wcod 

 To seek the safety of the lake— 



They, in sarcastic mood, 

 Will say, "The number of those deer 



You shot is understood !" 



That number— what, what shall it beV 

 How many that I caught ? 



How many shot? Oh, shall I say 

 'Twas fifty eacb, or ougbt 



I tell the dire, the dreadful truth- 

 It was the number '. Chas. P. Sherman. 



heads doubling gracefully up to the wind toward our de- 

 coys. There are only one or two places that present a 

 faint shadow of former times, "Benjies" being probablv 

 the best. 



And now, in givinj 

 let us select this Clul 



SWELL DUCK CLUB ETIQUETTE. 



IN times past I have frequently been urged to give some 

 of the experiences that have presented themselves 

 during the many years that I have pursued my favorite 

 pastime of duck shooting at different clubs that center 

 around that particular part of Maryland known as the 

 "Neck," and famous alike for fever and ague and duck 

 shooting. Here are located the "swell clubs," known as 

 Carroll's Island, Benjies, Grace's Quarter, etc. Upon one 

 of my early visits to one of these clubs a prominent mem- 

 ber from Baltimore informed me that I must overlook 

 many things that might occur, for he had found that 

 duck shooting brought out all the savagery in a man's 

 nature. My observation has convinced me that at these 

 places at least, the general habits of men are entirely 

 altered and if any peculiarity of disposition exists, it is 

 certain to show itself there. Years ago the shooting at 

 Carroll's Island, particularly on the Bar, was very fine. 

 In the evening at 9 o'clock the drawing took place for 

 choice of places, and the favorite blinds on the Bar were 

 always the first selected. In those days there were but 

 very few members, except from Baltimore, and these 

 generally had the cream of the shooting. From the steps 

 of the Maryland Club word would go inside the house 

 "wind east," and wagons were soon hitched to fast trot- 

 ters and they would be spinning away over the pike 

 toward the favorite shooting grounds. 



In those times it was generally conceded that few 

 knew anything about duck shooting unless they came 

 from Baltimore, and when these gentlemen made their 

 appearance, members from the "rural districts" were 

 obliged or expected to take a back seat. From time to 

 time, as vacancies occurred in the membership, a few 

 gentlemen from New York were taken in. Now, New 

 York was never kno wn to be behind any city in the world 

 at anything. Baltimore was obliged to forego some of 

 her superiority as to turning out the only duck shots, and 

 New York was included. When there was a good flight 

 of ducks over the Bar some of the scenes enacted there 

 were very ludicrous; and as I now recall them to my 

 mind, although many years have passed away and some 

 of the good fellows, who were actors in them, have been 

 laid away in their final rest, I cannot refrain from a hearty 

 laughing fit that brings copious tears to my eyes. Fancy 

 four New Yorkers and four Baltimoreans on the Bar. 

 The rivalry between these two points is intense. Not a 

 duck falls from the swift passing flocks that is not claimed 

 by nearly every man on the Bar. The worn out servants 

 run from blind to blind, duck in hand, at the command 

 of the shooters, to show "on which side the duck was 

 hit," or "with what number of shot, whether single Bs., 

 No. Is or No. 2s." I have seen staid and quiet men mount 

 up on the top of the blinds and with excited gestures 

 make "polite" speeches to one another. There was one 

 member from Baltimore who invariably inquired of the 

 servant, "Dick, was that duck hit in the craw?" He 

 always hit 7m ducks in the craw. An old veteran from 

 the same city was fond of "twigging" this party by say- 

 ing "that he would like no better sport than to be a red- 

 head and fly up and down the Bar and let him shoot at 

 him." But these pleasantries were all forgotten when 

 the boys returned home, and amid the hospitalities of the 

 club and their beautiful homes they resumed their pris- 

 tine gentility. 



Carroll's Island was a vastly different shooting place then 

 from what it is now. I have seen the ox team called 

 down to carry the ducks to the house. Now, I fancy, a 

 tolerable strong infant could easily manage "the bag." 

 One reason for this result is the insatiate desire of man 

 to kill ducks, no matter how or where, only to get a lot 

 of ducks. Guns of No. 8 bore have been replaced by 24- 

 pound No. 4s with 13 drams of powder and 2oz. of shot. 

 Ducks are tolled, crept down upon, and in fact every con- 

 ceivable expedient is resorted to by the "crack sports- 

 man" to secure a lot of ducks to take home. As a natural 

 result the ducks avoid these places of torture, and seek 

 quieter spots for feed and repose. And these noble 

 sportsmen, who have heard the weird stories of the past, 

 and who have paid $8,000 for a share in a crack club, 

 now wonder where all the ducks are. I write this really 

 in a spirit of mournfulness, for I know it will be but a 

 short tune when the canvasback and the redhead will be 

 things of the past, as far as the Flats, the Gunpowder, 

 and Chesapeake Bay are concerned. They will share the 

 fate of the buffalo and antelope of the Western plains. 

 The old familiar cry of "Mark river!" or Mark bay!" 

 as the graceful waving ribbon of tiny specks sweeps 

 around toward the bay from the far off horizon — will be 

 one of "the echoes of the past." We "old fellows" will 

 recall, with tingling blood, the vision of a bunch of red | 



some "advice to a new member," 

 as the one which he proposes to 

 connect himself , although these rules apply to "the swell 

 Clubs" in general. When you are proposed as a member 

 it would be well to keep your "nationality" to yourself . 

 unless you are from New York, Baltimore or the State of 

 New Jersey. Nearly all "finished sportsmen" come from 

 these points. As a new member of this Club and time- 

 honored association, I offer a few hints that will serve to 

 post you as to certain conventional ties that exist among 

 finished duck shooters; a study of theni cannot fail to 

 prove beneficial to you, and will be received, I am con- 

 fident, with thankfulness. 



First— As regards general conduct. To be considered 

 "a first-class sport," there are certain rules of conduct 

 and manner that apply only to the duck shooter, and 

 particularly to those who belong to the swell clubs. The 

 shooting season commences on or about Nov. 1, there- 

 fore the old natural style of behavior must be thrown 

 aside at this time, and the finished ducking style as- 

 sumed. It would be well to commence practice about the 

 15th or 20th of October, so as to be well up in the style, 

 for I assure you that without these qualifications you 

 will never be considered among "the first class," as to 

 style and finish. Upon meeting a fellow member of your 

 club you must rush at him with outstretched hand and 

 with elevated eyebrows and wide open eyes, and ex- 

 claim, "Why! what are you doing here? I thought you 

 were down among the ducks!" And you must do this 

 even if you are perfectly well aware that it would be 

 impossible for your friend to have been away. Indeed, 

 the more improbable the fact the greater must be your 

 surprise. Or, if your friend has just returned from 

 shooting, the most accomplished salutation is thus, 

 "Hallo! got back, suppose you have killed all the ducks?" 

 And then, if your friend does not respond, you can ask 

 him sotto voce, "How many did you get?" If he has had 

 good luck and has killed a large number of ducks, you 

 must express no surprise. Kemember that; no matter 

 how great is the slaughter express no surprise, but if 

 only a few ducks have been obtained, owing to adverse 

 winds, you must show your evident distress, adding, at 

 the same time, a suggestion that "there must have been 

 some very bad shooting done," or some such kind of ex- 

 pression, calculated to allay his dissappointment. And 

 remember that if you should happen to have a lucky 

 trip and kill a good lot of ducks, when you reveal the 

 fact to your fellow members, you must do so in a sub- 

 dued and modest tone and air, adding the word "only," 



thus — "We only killed ," and absolutely affirm, 



"that you had nothing but the longest kind of shooting, 

 mostly at single ducks, and, in fact, the most difficult 

 and ragged kind of shooting, losing fully one-half of the 

 birds knocked down." Now, these are among the first 

 essentials to assure you a place among the "elite of the 

 duck shooters." Of course, when the season ends, you 

 can resume your natural habit and converse. 



Second — Your outfit. In selecting your clothing, no 

 matter what color you may get, or how careful you may 

 be in your selection, you will not obtain the right shade. 

 It is absolutely impossible for you to arrive at a satis- 

 factory result. You will find no two opinions alike, and 

 I can assure you that all parts of the world have been 

 ransacked to get a suit of clothes that will not frighten 

 the ducks. Only age, dirt, moths and grease can produce 

 a satisfactory result. So when you commence shooting 

 do not be annoyed if the color of your hat or coat is 

 chargeable with the result of ducks not decoying 

 properly, or the frequent misses of your friend in the 

 blind. As to your underclothing it is an open choice 

 between a white muslin shirt or a colored flannel one; 

 either is permissible without comment. But you must 

 wear colored woolen hose. The question of boots has ex- 

 cited the club for years, and the question is still debated 

 as to long or short ones. My advice is to have a pair of 

 both, so by changing you can satisfy all parties. It will 

 be well to have a full dress suit on hand, low vest, dress 

 coat, black pants and white cravat, so as to be ready for 

 "distinguished strangers." 



Thirdly— Guns and ammunition. This is one of the 

 most important features to be looked after, and upon 

 these depend greatly your appreciation as a genuine 

 sportsman. There is only one make of gun for duck shoot- 

 ing, and that is by "Pat Mullen," of New York. No 

 matter what it costs or what trouble it entails, you must 

 have one of these guns. As it requires this maker from 

 one to three years to turn out a gun, you had better com- 

 mence negotiations in ample time. In the first place you 

 cannot approach this maker without a written recom- 

 mendation from some distinguished member of a "swell 

 shooting club," and only from one who has written a 

 letter to Mullen assuring him "that he is the only gun 

 maker in the world." When you are admitted to Ms 

 presence you must get down on your knees and implore 

 him to make you a gun at his own price. If it suits him 

 he will probably tell you "that he never intended to make 

 another gun, but he will break his oath and make the last 

 one for you." From this you will perceive that it will 

 entail considerable trouble upon you to secure this 

 desideratum, but you must have it at any cost, for on 

 your arrival at the club your gun is critically examined, 

 and the recognized first examination of your outfit and 

 the verdict settle your status for all time. If by chance 

 or skill you happen to make a long and successful shot 

 "over head," every member present will rush up to you 

 to inspect your gun. If it is a "Mullen" no surprise i? 

 shown; if any other maker the shot is considered "pure 

 chance." The gun gets all the credit, so you see the im- 

 portance of having a "Mullen." There are a few other 

 makes that are admissible, such as Reilly, Purdy or 

 Scott, but these excite little remark. In regard to am- 

 munition there is no room for argument, the matter is 

 absolutely settled. If you wish to be considered "crack" 

 you must use only Ely's imported shells, Curtis and Har- 

 vey's imported powder, and above all, Ely's pink-edged 

 imported wads, and be certain that your shells are loaded 

 with "pink-edged" wads, for if you are detected using 

 any other your reputation as a "sport" is gone. 



These are the most important requisites, but I will give 

 you a few general instructions that may prove beneficial 

 and add to your enjoyment duck shooting. When at 

 table, no matter how distasteful the viands may prove, 

 you must pronounce them "the finest and best cooked 



