May 23, 1889 ] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



3B5 



of the little dog a short distance ahead, and a moment 

 later his familiar "up a tree" bark. Hastening forward, 

 I found little Fido with his forefeet against a slightly 

 leaning trpe, and about fifteen feet up the tree a wood- 

 chuck about the size of Fido, clinging to the body of 

 the tree, and evidently in an agitated state of mind, 

 while Fido was even more excited tharf the woodchuck. 

 Finding a handy club, I threw it, striking the woodchuck 

 a slight blow. He did not stand on the order of bis go- 

 ing, but sprang as far as possible toward the brink of the 

 bluff, to find his neck in the firm grip of Fido's jaws. 

 After Fido had given him a satisfactory shaking up, I 

 gave him a few finishing touches with a club. His bur- 

 row was but. a few feet over the brink of the bluff. Fido 

 had surprised him on a foraging expedition and being 

 closely pressed, he had taken to the tree for safety. J 

 have seen woodchucks sunning themselves upon stumps, 

 logs and rocks, but this was the only time T saw one tip B 

 tree. Milton P. Petrce, 



Cot/ttmbus, Ohio. 



BRITISH COLUMBIA NOTES. 



\ VANCOUVER ISLAND, B. C, May 4.— The prospects 

 for good shooting here during the coming autumn 

 are excellent. The mild winter and freedom from spring- 

 shooting have been favorable for the feathered game. 



The short harsh crow of the cock pheasant can be heard 

 at all hours of the day almost within the limits of the 

 city of Victoria,, and we are happy to say that this year 

 will be here a close season for (his game bird. Quail and 

 grouse are abundant. While driving near the city with 

 the veteran shot, R. Maynard, we saw a pair of blue 

 grouse quite near the trail, and the cock bird gave us a 

 most entertaining exhibition of the charms that he dis- 

 plays in wooin g his mate. Like a turkey cock he strutted 

 about with his wings trailing on the ground, his tail 

 feathers erect and spread out fanlike to their fullest ex- 

 tent, his neck distended, and on each side of his neck the 

 featners were turned out so as to resemble a paii- of round 

 white rosettes, nearly three inches in diameter, with an 

 oblong red spot in their center where the skin of the neck 

 was exposed. His head seemed to be crowned with a 

 fierv red comb. Excepting the rosettes he was in appear- 

 ance a miniature turkey gobbler. Every few seconds he 

 would strut up to his demure but sleek-looking mate, puff 

 out his neck, and with a jerky movement of his head, 

 utter his boom or hoot, Boom, boom, boom. As he grew 

 more and more demonstrative in his actions, Ms modest 

 mate flew up to an overhanging limb to escape his famil- 

 iarities, and we drove away, leaving him still strutting 

 on the ground underneath the tree where his mate sat 

 perched. The comb. I should judge, was produced by 

 the spots over the eyes becoming enlarged and inflamed 

 with passion. 



Deer are seen every day quite near the city. A panther 

 was recently shot within a few miles of the city. 



The well-known writer and naturalist, John Fannin, 

 will soon formally open the new Provincial Museum at 

 the Government Buildings here. He is rapidly getting 

 things into shape, and has among his specimens by far 

 the finest male caribou and also mountain goat that we 

 have ever seen. "With the assistance of Mr. A. H. May- 

 nard his collection of song and game birds of the nortlr- 

 .ern Pacific slope will be quite complete. All persons 

 who are at aLl interested in natural history should not 

 fail when in the city to pay Mr. Fannin a visit. 



" Stanstead. 



Massachusetts Bird Notes.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream; On May 12 that skilled observer, Mr. H. A. 

 Purdie, of Boston, and myself made an observation tour 

 in the woods and fields of this vicinity, and recognized 

 the presence of fifty species, most of tbem migrants. 

 There were, of course, quite a number of species pi-evi- 

 ously noted as arrived which did not happen to fall under 

 our observation. The species starred are rare here at any 

 time. The following buds were seen: 



Spotted sandpiper, 

 Green heron, 

 Night heron. 

 Downy woodpecker. 

 Flicker, 



Black-billed cuekoo, 



Whippoorwill, 



Swift, 



Least flycatcher. 

 Blue jay, 

 Crow, 

 Cowbird, 



Red-wing blackbird, 

 Bronzed grackte, 

 Lark. 



Baltimore oriole, 

 Purple finch, 

 »Gold finch, 



Vesper sparrow, 

 Grasshopper sparrow 

 Chipping sparrow. 

 Field sparrow, 

 Song sparrow, 

 Towhee, 



Rose -breasted gros- 

 beak, 



Scarlet tanager, 



Barn swallow. 



Tree swallow. 



Cedar wax wing, 



Red-eyed vireo, 



Black and white war- 

 bler, 



Myrtle warbler. 



Golden wing warbler* 



Tennessee warbler,* 



Maryland warbler, 

 Chestnut-sided war- 

 bler, 



Nashville warbler, 

 Parala warbler, 

 Black-throated green 



warbler. 

 Yellow warbler, 

 Redstart, 

 Oven bird, 

 Catbird, 



Brown thrasher, 

 Whitebr'st nuthatch, 

 Chickadee, 

 Wood thrush, 

 Robin, 

 Bluehird, 

 Bob White. 



The above list shows the tide of migration to be rather 

 (early this season. For instance, in comparison with 1884 

 the presence of several of the above (on the same ground) 

 was not observed until the 17th to the 21st of May. The 

 ■dates of 1888, however, do not differ much. — F, C 

 Browne (Franiingbam, Mass., May 15). 



Florida Birds of Plume . — I have been in Florida 

 nearly every winter for the past ten years. Where I saw 

 a hundred plume birds in 1879, I saw less than a tenth of 

 that number on my last visit. During February and 

 March it is estimated that there are a hundred thousand 

 visitors in Florida, among them many sportsmen tour- 

 ists, each of whom wishes to bring home some trophy 

 from the land of flowers, plumes being especially sought 

 for, being at their best in the spring. The result is what 

 might be expected, to say nothing of the evil effect of 

 such slaughter at that time of the year. If any State 

 needs rigid game laws, it is Florida , and I am glad to see 

 that some of the representative citizens are taking steps 

 to secure such. — Ormond. 



Albino Squirrel.— Glasgow, Ky.— The albino squirrel 

 killed near this place on April 25, mention of which was 

 made in your issue of May 9, turns out to have been an 

 albino gray squirrel, and was of usual size and form of 

 our common gray squirrel. The coat was pure white, 

 the eyes red, while the skin about mouth and nostrils 

 was a delicate pink. — Mao. 



The revised and abridged edition of the A. O. U. Check List of 

 North American Birds, including the additions and changes made 

 in xhe supplement, will he sent post free on receipt of 50cts.«- Adv. 



hme §z(f m\A 



THE CAME LAW MILL AT ALBANY. 



[Fruni mir S»ec?v/7 Cnrrcspmulrni ,\ 



ALBANY, May 18.— The various game bills introduced at the 

 session just closed were disposed of as follows. Where a com- 

 mittee is named it is to be understood that the bill was not re- 

 ported by that committee, and hence could not be acted on. Bills 

 sent to the Governor will become laws if he shall sign them: 



SEN AT H RITjLS. 



87, 82. Coggcshall— Amending seotion ttlu of the Penal Code so 

 as to make more difficult the fishing in private ponds. To the 

 Governor. 



165, 800. Coggcshall -Making » uniform law and shorter seasons 

 for woodcock and partridge throughout the State. In the 

 Assembly. 



185. Hawkins— For the protection of oyster trade. A law, Chap. 9. 



193. Sloan -Amending the act creating the Forest Commission so 

 as to include Oneida county in the Forest Preserve. A law. Chap. 24. 



Collins- Providing fishways in the Hudsou River at 

 Mechanics ville and Northumberland. In the Committee of the 

 Whole. 



223,560. Collins— For the construction of fishways on all dams 



be built hereafter. In the Senate. 



224, 661. Collins-Amending the Hudson River Shad Low of. 1887 

 so that Westchester county shall not be exempt, from the pro- 

 vision that there shall be no flshinR on Sunday between March 15 

 and June 15. In the Committee of the Whole. 



225, 662. Collins— Amending the Salmon Act of 18S7 so tha t fish of 

 less than Bibs, shall not be taken. In Committee, of the Whole. 



305,206. Coggeshall-Same as Hamilton A. 48], 381, for the pro- 

 tection of fish in the St . La wrence River. In the Commit Ice OH 

 Game Laws. 



850, 663. Collins- Forbidding the taking of partridge or quail 

 with nets or traps. In the Committee of the Whole. 



351, 547. Collins— For the building of a fishway in Delaware 

 River. To the Governor. 



430, 462. Coggeshall— Same as Kimball A. 1072, 1058, providing 

 that a Deputy Attorney-General, a Commissioner of Fisheries 

 and a Member of the New York State Society for the Protection 

 of Game shall codify the game laws at an expense of ¥5,00(1. In 

 the Committee on Finance. 



492, 463. Walker— Same as Little A. 807, 623, prohibiting the tak- 

 ug of fish except by hook and line in Lake Ontario or Niagara 

 River adjacent to Niagara, county. In the Committee on Game 

 Laws. 



550. Raines— Same as Fitts A. 618, 065, forbidding the taking of 

 fish in Owasco Lake except by hook and line. In the Commit i ce 

 ou Game Laws. 



626, 510. Kellogg-Same as Bar I on A. 840, 837, prohibiting the 

 taking of flsh in Glen Lake except by hook and line— no black bass 

 to be taken between Jan. 1 and July 10, no bullheads between April 



1 and July 1. no pickerel between Feb. IS and July 1. In the Com- 

 mittee on Game Laws. 



Ii27, 511. Kellogg— ForbiddiiiK the taking of fish in Queeusburg, 

 Warren county, except by hook and line. In the Committee on 

 Game Laws. 



628,512. Kellogg- Repealing Chapter 623 of the Laws of ins', re- 

 lating to private parks for fishing and hunting. In the Commit- 

 tee on Game Laws. 



651, 522. Hawkins— Allowing any five or more citizens of the 

 U. S., of full age and upon the approval of the Commissioners of 

 Fisheries, to hie a certificate with the Secretary of State that 

 they have formed an ichthyologicol society for the purpose of 

 scientific research. In the Assembly. 



ASSEMBLY BILLS. 



54, 225. McAdam— Prohibiting the shooting of duck in the spring 

 between Feb. 1 and Sept.. 1. In the Senate. 



55. 864. A. B. Baker — Relating to the preservation of forest trees 

 and timber. A la sv, Chap. 256. 



214, 858. Cronin— Forbidding the use of nets, etc., for menhaden 

 in Jamaica Bay. In the Committee on Game Laws. 



229, 270. Savery— Relating to fishways in the State dam across 

 the Oswego and Seneca rivers. To the Governor. 



270, 88. Maynard— Relating to fishways across the State dam in 

 Chittenango Creek. A law, Chap. 166. 



286, 231. Lane— Excepting Ellisburgh from the anti-net law of 



(86 for Jefferson county. In the Committee on Game Laws. 



295, 232. McAdam— Prohibiting the shipping of partridge, wood- 

 cock and quail, killed in Oneida county, out of that county. 

 Vetoed. 



303, 233. Savery— Prohibiting devices for fishing in Lake Ontario 

 in Cayuga county. To the Governor. 



308, 197. Stevens— Amending the laws relating to fishing in Dela- 

 ware River. To the Governor. 



333, 142. Flaherty— Preventing the obstruction of the east and 

 west branches of the St. Regis River. To the Governor. 



344, 372. Little— Extending for 6 years the provisions of Chapter 

 395 of the Laws of 1886, forbidding the killing of partridge and 

 quail in Niagara county. In the Senate. 



481, 381. Hamilton— Same as Coggeshall S. 305, 206, for the 

 protection of fish in the St. Lawrence River. In the Committee 

 of the Whole. - 



499,319. Hughes— Reducing the hounding season from forty- 

 five days to ten days. In the Committee on Game Laws. 



554, 354. McAdam— Prohibiting the sale of speckled trout in 

 Oneida county. In the Senate. 



618, 429. Fitts— Same as Raines S. 550, prohibiting devices for 

 fishing in Owasco Lake. To the Governor. 



742, 1122. Townsend— Forbidding the Land Commissioners to 

 grant lands under water in Queens and enffolk counties without 

 the consent of the supervisors of those counties respectively. On 

 third reading. 



764. A. H. Baker— Providing fishways in Cattaraugus Creek. To 

 the Governor. 



807, 625. Little— Same as Walker S. 493, 463, for the protection 

 of fish in Niagara county. Lost in the Senate. 



835. A. H. Baker— Providing that the open season for deer shall 

 begin two weeks later and end two weeks later. In the Committee 

 on Game Laws. 



840, 837. Barton— Same as Kellogg S. 627, 510, for the protec- 

 tion of fish in Glen Lake. To the Governor. 



965, 979. TefTt— Providing that whoever finds unlawful devices 

 for catching fish shall report to the Town Clerk, who shall destroy 

 them and pay the finder $10. On third reading. 



993, 1232. Stevens— Amending the laws relating to fishing in 

 private grounds. On third reading. 



894, 765. Tread way— Making the close seasou for salmon trout, 

 etc., on Lake George from October to January inclusive, and for 

 the rest of the State, October to March inclusive. To the Governor. 



1001. McCann— Transferring the oyster lands from the Shellfish 

 Commissioner to the Land Commissioners. In the Committee on 

 Ways and Means. 



1042. Tefft— Providing fishways in the Champlain Canal. In the 

 Committee on Canals. 



1072, 1058. Kimball— Same as Coggeshall 8; 430, 463. for a commis- 

 sion to codify the game laws. On third reading. 



1087, 867. De Peyster— Making the close season for ducks May 1 

 to September 1, and one month longer on Long Island.. To the 

 Governor. 



1159, 1233. De Peyster— Prohibiting the shooting of ducks from 

 steam vessels. In Committee of the Whole. 



1189, 1131. Walters— Prohibiting the use of nets, etc., in Em- 

 bogcht Bay, Green county. In the Senate. 



1210,1161. Pearsall— Providing for a fishwav in Chenango River, 

 at Chenango Forks. To the Governor. 



The Cumberland Club Medal. — Chicago, May 10.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: In your issue of April 25,1 

 noticed an article "A Sportsman's Comment," by "Guad- 

 alupe," in regard to the legislation for the proper pro- 

 lection of game, etc., and goes on to say: "But that no 

 effort with wise and unselfish ends in view, will be made 

 is evident from the following paragraph clipped from an 

 article of Mi*. Hough's in Forest and Stream of April 11. 

 'Messrs. McFarland and Gammon in their week at the 

 Cumberland, bagged 520 ducts, besides their geese, cranes 

 and snipe mentioned earlier. * * * Mr. C. D. Gam- 

 mon has put up a gold medal for the Cumberland Club, 

 the man killing the most ducks this season to win it.' 

 Mr. Gammon evidently intends to keep that medal for 

 himself." I, as the winner of the medal, desire to correct 

 the erroneous impression conveyed by said article, by 

 stating the facts, viz.: On Sept. 1, 1888, Mr. Gammon pro- 

 cured a beautiful gold medal on which is inscribed, 

 "Gammon medal, for largest bag, one day's shooting, 

 1888." The modal was to go to any member securing the 

 largest number of ducks in any one day's shoot, during 

 the fall of 1888, barring Mr. McFarland and Mr. Gammon. 

 Owing to the extreme dryness of the Cumberland marshes 

 last fall, there was no shooting, consequently, by the re- 

 quest of a number of the members of the club, Mr. Gam- 

 mon consented to let the medal go until the following 

 season, when it was won by the small score of thirty-nine 

 ducks— "one day's shoot." By publishing the above 

 facts you will be doing justice to Mr. C. D. Gammon, 

 who is a thorough sportsman, and at the same time con- 

 fer a. favor on Henry Stephens, Vice-Pres. Cumberland 

 Gun Club, Chicago, 



Regina, N. W. T., April 24.— There will be a marked 

 decrease in the number of wild waterfowl bred in the 

 Northwest Territory this season as compared with former 

 years. There are two reasons for this state of things. 

 The drought has been very severe and many of the small 

 hikes and sloughs are destitute of water, merely whitened 

 sepulchres of alkali deposit. Again the early spring- 

 brought the ducks and geese into the country early in 

 March, and as the open season does not close until the 

 15th of May, it has given the settlers, who are rapidly 

 filling up the territory, a full two months of spring shoot- 

 ing, and they have slaughtered the geese and clucks by 

 the wholesale and have driven many of the survivors to 

 other breeding grounds further north. We trust that 

 the N. W. T. Council will abolish spring shooting alto- 

 gether, and unless this is done at once, the feathered 

 game will go the way that the buffalo and antelope have 

 gone — to the land of shades. — Stanstead. 



Smoky Chimneys.— May 17.— I should suggest to 

 "Keouk," in reply to his inquiry regarding smoky fire- 

 places, that all new chimneys being damp or green are 

 more or less liable to smoke, and before he tears down 

 another chimney let him have a little patience and make 

 a few hot fires, using plenty of good dry wood that will 

 burn with little or no smoke,' using if necessary a little of 

 Bridget's "fire- persuader" to start them, so as to get a 

 quick, strong blaze and an upward draft at once. In the 

 case of club houses, which are generally built near water, 

 and are unoccupied the larger part of the year, the chim- 

 neys are very liable to be damp and smoky. Sometimes 

 a little powder touched off in the fireplace before making 

 a fire will prove beneficial in clearing the chimney of 

 damp, heavy air. The upper part of the fireplace should 

 be closed in, so that the powder will blow up instead of 

 out.— Ormond. 



Adirondack Preserve Association. — New York, 

 May 16. At the annual meeting of the members of the 

 Adirondack Preserve Association, held May 6, the follow- 

 ing were made officers for the ensuing year: L. M. Law- 

 son, President; E. W. Adams, Vice-President; James 

 Yalden, Treasurer; J. G. Case, Secretary. Trustees: H. C. 

 Squires, G. W. Shiebler, A. L. Griffin, F. W. Batching. 

 The association has 65 members and is in flourishing 

 condition. Resolutions were adopted thanking the Forest 

 Commission for its "untiring exertions and attentions 

 given to the preservation of the forests," and declaring 

 the association to be in accord with the suggestion made 

 to the Legislature for the enactment of laws tending to 

 the preservation of forests; also thanking the State Senate 

 and Assembly for their assistance in the enactment of 

 game and other laws bearing on forest preservation. 



Jekyl Island Pheasants. — Acting Superintendent E. 

 G. Grob writes to Mr. N. S. Finney, Secretary of the 

 Jekyl Island Club, under date of May 15: "I have to re- 

 port that 125 young pheasants have been hatched out up 

 to this morning, and that we have now 957 pheasants 

 eggs under hens, all from the 50 hen pheasants imported 

 in March. The percentage in hatching out has so far 

 been 89 per cent, against 88, the highest record hereto- 

 fore known. These pheasants did not commence laying 

 until April 12, so the above is the record of 33 days. Ex- 

 perts is pheasant raising say that otu showing so far lias 

 been remarkable and without precedent." 



Charleston, m., May 15. — Wildfowl shooting has 

 been the poorest here since the country was settled. It 

 has been one of the dryest springs for forty years, so the 

 old settlers say, and nearly all the ponds in this county 

 have been drained in the last few years. Very little snow 

 fell during the winter, and it was a blessing for the quail, 

 only a few were killed when the ground was covered 

 with snow. I have heard several reports from the prairie 

 and forests that the quail wintered well and are hatehing 

 out large flocks lately. The fall shooting will be just 

 splendid for pinnated grouse and quail if reports are true, 

 —Office Boy. 



Hutchinson, Kan., May 5.— There have been lots of 

 ducks killed on Brandy Lake and the smaller ponds in 

 the last two weeks. I have only been out once and got 

 two geese and two ducks. A barber here in town was in 

 the store bragging about killing eighty -three ducks in one 

 day pot-shooting. I told him he had better take some 

 poison along and poison them, as he might kill more; but 

 lie did not seem to take the hint. The boys are killing 

 lots of plover and curlew.— Shady. 



Philadelphia, May 14.— The inclosed was cut from 

 this morning's Record. Can Mr, Hough tell us if it is 

 tine? "A dealer says Chicago ships game to this State all 

 the year round, regardless of seasons." — Robin. 



Names and Portraits oe Birds, by Gurdon Trumbull. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 identify without question all the American game birds which 

 they may kill. Cloth, 3:20 pages, price $3.50. For sale by Forest 

 and Stream. 



Forest and Stream, Box 2,832, N. Y. city, has descriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. Lemn^well's hook, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing," which will be mailed free on request. The book is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanit," "Gloan," '"Dick Swiveller," "Sybillene" and 

 other competent authorities to he the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



