FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 30, 1890. 



DUNG EN ESS— A WINTER HOME.-I. 



LET me ask you to open your atlas and turn to the 

 State of Georgia. Place your finger on the city of 

 Savannah, then move it down along tire coast past St. 

 Catherine Island, past the mouth of the Altatnaha^River, 

 past St. Simons Island, still on below the city of Bruns- 

 wick, past Jekyl Island (which is owned by a club), 

 across St. Andrews Sound and stop at the lower end of 

 Cumberland Island, just seven miles north of Fernandina, 

 Florida, and opposite the mouth of St. Mary's Eiver. 

 Lippincott's Gazetteer tells us that it is the largest and 

 most southerly of the sea islands, is on the coast of 

 Georgia, off Camden county, is twenty-two miles long 

 and from one to five miles wide, and 'is famous as the 

 home and burial place of Gen. Nathaniel Green. Gen. 

 Nathaniel Green is not buried there, and the Gazetteer 

 no doubt means "Light Horse Harry Lee." Now having 

 pointed out to you the "winter home," I ask you to close 

 your atlas and listen while I tell you how I enjoyed my- 

 self there. 



Truly, it was a home to both visitors and family. It 

 must remind those who have visited England of 'those 

 estates which for centuries have been left from father to 

 son; but with all the age, history and recollections con- 

 nected with those English homes, one can in no wise 

 compare the two places, and were a judgment passed, it 

 would, I feel sure, favor Dungeness. 



Our party of seventeen reached Fernandina, Florida, 

 Dec. 29, 1888, after a most pleasant journey south m a 

 private car. The night was unpropitious (how true the 

 old saying, a bad beginning make3 a good ending), for 

 rain was coming down fast, and the wind was blowing 

 from the north. Bravely the yacht battled with the 

 storm as we plowed our way through the water, sparkling 

 with phosphorescence like silvery specks. But at length 

 we reached the wharf and jumped ashore on the lower 

 part of Cumberland Island, called Dungeness. 



Too eager to ride the rest took their way up the short 

 cut to the house, while I drove up the avenue, which I 

 thought the rest of the party had taken. It was dark as 

 Egypt, the live oaks hung over us, and heavy with moss 

 let no ray of light pass through. Suddenly a view of the 

 house burst upon me, ablaze from tower to cellar, with 

 lights in every window, and each one seemed a separate 

 sparkling jewel. I ran into the hall, the last one to 

 arrive. I wish you could have seen us all, the happy 

 laughing faces: joy shone from every eye and the wel- 

 come seemed a welcome home. Entering the front door 

 I turned to the left, and leaving the vestibule I emerged 

 into a large hall 60xb0ft., fitted up like a room, from 

 which the parlor, dining-room and bedroom led off. At 

 one end was a huge open fireplace, bordered with painted 

 tiles, representing a deer hunt, and in carved letters above 

 was a motto: 



"The Hearth Our Altar, Its Flame Our Sacred Fire." 



On the andirons great logs burnt to coals, and lay 

 glittering in their own ruins. On either side of the fire- 

 place were large windows opening on to the wide veran- 

 dah, which extended around two sides of the house. 

 Beautiful curtains bordered the windows, and antique 

 iron chandeliers hung from the ceiling and jutted from 

 the walls. Armor overhung the mantel, reminding of 

 ancient days, and thick rugs deadened the footfalls. At 

 the other end of the hall from the fireplace winding 

 stairs led to the first floor. Half way up a large landing 

 held an organ, and from the balcony, which was hung 

 with an oriental shawl, one could command a birdseye 

 view of the hall below. Under the steps, in a large, well- 

 lit gun room, on deer-horn racks, hung numerous guns 

 and rifles and horns for the hounds. At the organ Mr. 

 C. played a joyful welcome. 



A jolly crowd sat at table that night amid sweet flow- 

 ers, fresh from the garden, and laughter awakened echoes 

 in the large dining hall; and, just from the North, how 

 we relished the new peas and potatoes! 



The next morning I was early up and looking around 

 to see by day what had appeared all loveliness at night. 

 Gazing out of my window I saw an expanse of marsh, land 

 bay and ocean, and the little creek like a thread of silver 

 twisting and turning in its course. Each drop from the 

 fountains as it fell appeared a diamond in the sunlight: 

 the trees were green, the magnolia leaves glittered in the 

 light, and the orange leaves glowed with color. Beneath 

 the live oaks, festooned with yards of soft gray moss, 

 blades of springing oats made all the earth look green 

 and soft as velvet. The sun shone from a clear blue 

 heaven; turtle doves made strange moaning calls and 

 mockingbirds imitated their notes, the quail's Bob White, 

 the hawk's shrill cry and the blackbird's whistling 

 sound. 



After breakfast, finding the tandem tricvcle which had 

 been sent down a week previous, Will and I jumped on 

 and rode down the avenue which stretches from the 

 sound to the sea, out to the broad smooth beach, three 

 hundred yards wide in places and almost as hard as stone. 

 We sped along at a surprising speed, taking no thought 

 of time and hardly any of distance, until we had gone 

 four miles. The sensation of freedom and loneliness was 

 grand, the fresh air invigorating, expanding my lungs 

 and chest so full that I felt as though my coat had grown 

 smaller, and took it off and strapped it beneath the seat. 

 The waves curled in upon the sand, each sixth or seventh 

 coming a little further, so we decided to return. The 

 beach stretched on, on for twenty miles with no living 

 creature but us upon it, and all but a few mile3 was my 

 friend's own. But taking counsel, as I said, we turned 

 around, and having some breeze at our backs flew along, 

 distancing the white foam as it slid along the sand like 

 an ice boat upon a frozen river. Far ahead we would see 

 a point of sandstone, and seemingly in a second it would 

 be away behind us. How quick did we do it? Bather 

 good time I think for beginners — four miles in twenty 

 minutes. Thus we established a record there of which 

 we boasted, and to my knowledge it was never broken. 



The party which rode away on horseback next morning 

 consisted of Will, Frank S., Frank C, Andrew and my- 

 self. Our guns lay across the McClellan saddles. Our 

 little horses were fat and lively, having had nothing to 

 do for many a day. The little beasts seemed to enter into 

 the sport, and quickly galloped us through the gate out 

 into the avenue of oaks, stretching, with only an open 

 sand patch now and then, for over two miles. The sun 

 penetrated the leaves only in places and cast long shadows 



in front of us. Thus we rode until we came to another 

 gate, which opened out into Gray Field. This we crossed , 

 seeing still the furrows where before the war the cele- 

 brated sea island cotton grew. Then all the fields, and 

 much of the land now overgrown with brush, were white 

 with bursting cotton pods, and the curly pates of Stafford's 

 slaves showed dark spots upon the sea of white. 



Arrived at Stafford, Mr. Dilworth, the overseer, met 

 us with a most sincere Southern welcome. The' dogs 

 came yelping about our heels as eager as we for the hunt. 

 There were about a dozen, some brown and white, others 

 a slate color, and as pretty a pack as ever my eye rested 

 on. Out the gate we went and turning to the left went 

 toward the pasture, one side of which bordered a thick 

 woods. Along this Mr. Dilworth rode whistling the dogs 

 in, while we remained out on the road, so as to gallop 

 ahead to stands, where, in case any deer were jumped, 

 they would be apt to cross. 



Thus we rode pn through Benny Field, resting there 

 a while until we caught the sound of the pack as they 

 struck a trail and then rode faster, until their long drawn 

 yelps gave place to a full cry, and we knew the deer was 

 jumped. We went like an arrow up the road, through 

 a wood, out into Dilworth Field and there dismounted. I 

 took a stand close to the woods, while Frank C. went out 

 into the field: the others scattered behind on the road. 

 Nearer and nearer came the sound, the whole pack were 

 making the woods echo to a note I had never heard be- 

 fore. I w^as looking sharp, trembling slightly I must 

 confess, but not with buck-fever, when suddenly two 

 deer broke the woods about one-fourth of a mile away 

 and came straight at me. "I am going to get the shot,'" 

 I thought, but they sheered off toward Frank, and I saw 

 a puff of smoke and heard a shot, quickly followed by 

 another. I ran over to where he stood cutting the throat 

 of one and he begged me to go cut the throat of "that 

 one lying there." "Did you get one with each barret?" I 

 said. I could hardly believe my eyes, there lay two 

 deer, the first dead ones I had ever seen, and to get two 

 seemed almost too i*ueb. Mr. Dilworth and the rest 

 then rode up. Up behind my saddle we put one deer and 

 Franks horse carried the other. 



"Enough for one day?" J. D. said. "Let's take an- 

 other drive," said Andrew, and no one offering an objec- 

 tion, Mr. Dilworth took the dogs, and we stretched out 

 down from the Baltimore gate to the swamp. Not fifteen 

 minutes passed before I heard that heart-stirring sound 

 and knew the dogs were coming right toward us. I 

 thought they would break the woods themselves, they 

 sounded so near. Just then I saw Andrew, who was 

 200yds. down the bank from me, raise his gun, fire, and 

 run toward where he had shot. I quickly followed out 

 in the cornfield about 70yds., to where he was. There 

 lay the deer— dead. I helped carry her, for it was a doe, 

 out on to the bank where his horse stood: and with a 

 one, two, three, we swung the pretty animal behind the 

 saddle. 



Enough for one day that was. We talked it all over 

 you may be sure, and J. D. said, "I reckon you don't 

 need for me to carry a rifle." Great was the" rejoicing 

 when we rode up to the house, and I was very happy to 

 record such an opening in the hunting book. 



We saw the old year out, for it was the 31st of Decem- 

 ber, going out in the yard about midnight to see if Light 

 Horse Harry was walking about on his yearly lease from 

 the gi'ave; but strange to say we saw him not. 



F. G. Blandy. 



NEW FISHES FROM THE GALAPAGOS. 



WE have received from the U. S. National Museum 

 an excerpt from its Proceedings containing "de- 

 scriptions of new species of fishes collected at the Gala- 

 pagos Islands and along the coast of the United States of 

 Columbia," by David Starr Jordan and Charles Harvey 

 Bollman. This is a fourth of a series of papers illustrat- 

 ing the scientific results of explorations by the U. S. Fish 

 Commission steamer Albatross, and is published by per- 

 mission of the Commissioner of Fisheries, Col. Marshall 

 McDonald, in advance of its appearance in a general 

 report. 



About three years ago the Albatross made a cruise 

 from Norfolk, Va., to San Francisco, and natural history 

 collections were incidental to the voyage. 



In the present article the authors describe thirty one 

 new fishes, including among others a skate, a cram prism, 

 a sting ray, two species of lizard fish, a silverside, a star- 

 gazer, and three species of sea robin, giving the fish fauna 

 a somewhat familiar aspect. 



Following the descriptions of new species is a complete 

 list of the fishes obtained at Panama, the Galapagos 

 Islands and the various dredging stations off the west 

 coast of the United States of Colombia. Many well-known 

 Atlantic fishes are found in this region, the tiger shark, 

 the lady fish, a flying-fish, two of the half-beaks, two 

 mullets-, the scabbard fish, the thimble-eye mackerel and 

 the Spanish mackerel, the cavally, the' horsehead, the 

 moonfish. the common goby, and various others. 



We are glad to know that this important contribution 

 to science is soon to be followed by others of a similar 

 nature. 



THE BIRDS' DRINKING FOUNTAIN. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In June of 1889, 1 had occasion to be out a mile or there- 

 abouts from the town of Kentville, and was for some time 

 detained in a strip of clearing about forty rods wide. 

 While there I noticed woodpeckers continually crossing 

 this clearing from one block of woods to the other. I 

 thought nothing of it at first, as these birds are very com- 

 mon here, but after a constant stream of them had been 

 going and coming for some time, I determined to go 

 across a small field to a point of hard woods, where they 

 all seemed to be going, and see if I could find the cause, 

 expecting, of course, to find an old dry tree containing a 

 couple or more nests of young birds, as I supposed the 

 old buds were carrying food. On reaching the hill I 

 looked around for the dry tree but could see none. On 

 further examination I discovered that the woodpeckers 

 were flying to and away from the top of a living white 

 birch tree. Selecting a convenient seat, I waited there 

 for some time to see what was going on. About forty- 

 five feet up this tree the woodpeckers had thickly per- 



forated the bark a space of about ten inches around the 

 trunk, causing the sap to flow freely. I soon discovered 

 that this was a drinking fountain, not only for the birds 

 i that had so diligently worked to bore these holes, but it 

 weemed that all the small birds in the neighborhood were 

 coming here to get a share of the sweet sap that was con- 

 tinually flowing from the wounded tree. At intervals 

 when there would be no woodpeckers present the little 

 flycatchers and warblers would come for a drink as well 

 as to capture insects that had been attracted there by the 

 sweet sap. At a time when there were no other birds 

 occupying this drinking fountain, two little humming 

 birds improved the opportunity of quenching their thirst, 

 but darted away on the first appearance of any of the 

 larger birds. I have often noticed our common red squir- 

 rel nip the bark of the maple in spring and drink freely 

 from the sap. I have also seen the yellow-bellied sap- 

 sucker bore a single hole through the bark of a birch tree 

 and drink the sap. I do not think they return to the 

 same place when they want another drink, but instead 

 they make another hole in the nearest suitable tree. 



These perforated spots on trees have often come to my 

 notice, but I had supposed it was done for insects that 

 might be found in or under the bark, and was not aware 

 that the work was done wholly for the purpose of mak- 

 ing a drinking fountain. W. L, B. 



Kentville, N. 8, 



Canadian Bird Notes.— The ornithological subsection 

 of the Biological Section of the Canadian Institute was 

 organized Dec. 21, 1888, at the house of Dr. William. 

 Brodie, Toronto, and Dr. Brodie was selected Chairman. 

 Mr. Geo. E. Atkinson Eecording Secretary, Mr. J. B. 

 Williams Corresponding Secretary, and Mr. Ernest E. 

 Thompson Editor. The second meeting was held Jan. 8, 

 1889, and the Proceedings for the year, covering the nine- 

 teen meetings held up to Dec. 31 last, have just reached 

 us. This pamphlet contains 146 ornithological records, 

 all of them interesting. Among them are the occurrence- 

 of the king eider duck (Somateria speetabiUs) in Toronto 

 Bay, Nov. 25, 1889, the first positive record for the Prov- 

 ince of this species. At the same meeting the razor-billed 

 auk was reported as having been captured in Toronto 

 Bay, Dec. 10. There are many other notes of in terest to 

 the student of bird life. The pamphlet of 24 pages is 

 neatly printed. We note one typographical error. 



Bob White in Town.— Louisville, Ky., Feb. 1.— Yes- 

 terday morning in a Main street store my attention was 

 called to the notes "Bob White" of a quail, which sounded 

 on the tin roof. I gave the call and immediately received 

 an answer. To further satisfy myself I went up through 

 the skylight on the roof, and proceeding cautiously dis- 

 covered the birds (for there were two), cock and hen. 

 The cock had one wing spread over the hen, and their 

 heads were not visible, being tucked under the wings, 

 which gave the birds the appearance of a round ball of 

 feathers. They were roosting on the tin roof against the 

 chimney corner. I stealthily approached and covered 

 them with my hat, capturing both. The birds are old 

 birds and very strong. I now have them in temporary 

 quarters at my home in Clifton, where they will receive 

 my attention. — F. W. T. 



Food Habits of Hawks.— Schenectady, N. Y. — Ed- 

 itor Forest and Stream: While hunting among the Glen- 

 ville hills, in one of those dark, gloomy gorges where the 

 ruffed grquse abound, I saw an object on the ground some 

 30yds. distant. As I moved forward it rose and I fired 

 and brought it to the grotind. It proved to be a large 

 hawk, having* in its talons a grouse, every feather from 

 which had been picked off, even to the tail. Upon the 

 ground lay the feathers in a heap about the size of a half- 

 bushel measure. I have read that hawks eat flesh, 

 feathers and all, and afterward disgorge the refuse in 

 the form of balls or pellets, which may be found in the 

 woods under the trees where they roost. This circum- 

 stance, however, refutes their always doing so.— Dorp. 



Stung in Winter.— Sing Sing, N. Y., Feb. 7.— An ac- 

 quaintance of mine was walking along the 3 tree t here 

 with some artificial flowers in his hand, when feeling a 

 sting he looked down, and there was a bee on his wrist. 

 As I saw the red and puffed-up spot I could not help 

 thinking that it was as good a sting as one could get in 

 the summer time. Frogs have been heard peeping on 

 several days during the past three weeks. — A. H. G. 



Early Spring.— A bluebird was seen at Sayville, L. L, 

 Feb. 18, by Mr. E. R. Wilbur. On the same date the mea- 

 dow larks were singing, the buds of the garden lilies were 

 well advanced toward opening, and the "pussywillows" 

 were large. 



nnd 



"FOREST AND STREAM" GUN TESTS. 



THE following guns have been tested at the Forest And 

 Stream Range, and reported upon in the issues named. 

 Copies of any date will be sent on receipt of price, ten cents: 

 Colt 12, .Tidy 25. Pabker 13, hammerless, June 6. 



Colt 10 and 12, Oct. 24. Remtnoto.n lfl, May 30. 



Folsom 10 and 12, Sept. 26. Remington 12, Dec. 

 Francottb 12, Deo. 12. ttorrNGTON 10, Dec. 28. 



Greener 12, Aug. 1. Scott 10, Sepi . 5. 



Greener 10. Sept. 12, Sept. 19. L. C. Smitii 12, Oct. 10. 

 Hollis 10, Nov. 7. Winchester 10 and 12, Oct. 3. 



Pabker 10, hammer, June 6. 



ABOUT THE KOSHKONONG " RATS," 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Under the heading "Chicago and the West'' in your 

 valuable paper of Jan. 16, I find statements in regard to 

 Lake Koshkonong, Wis., that call for a correction by 

 some one; and as it has been my fortune, or misfortune, 

 to be so placed that I have had peculiar opportunities to 

 become acquainted with the different classes of shooters 

 that have for the past fifteen years or more visited, or 

 who live upon and near, the shores of this famous lake, I 

 will attempt the correction. Again, if it were not for 

 the fact that it is the established custom among sj)orting 

 papers to give all parties a hearing, especially when some 

 writer has innocently been led to show certain persons in 

 an unenviable light, I would not think of attempting to 

 criticise Mr. Hough; and I begin by stating plainly that 



