March 13, 1890.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



14 3 



QUAIL IN PACKS. 



" r pHE CEDARS," Tennessee, Feb. 25.— Editor Forest 



JL and Stream: The season near closing has been an 

 unusually good one for quail in Ibis district, and the mild 

 winter leaves an abundance of birds for stock. English 

 snipe are just coming on, and I am anticipating good 

 sport with them for the next few weeks. 



A curious experience occurred a short time back to a 

 friend of mine who went on a hunt to north Mississippi, 

 where he had been eailier in the season and fouud birds 

 plentiful. He was accompanied by his brother, and they 

 had a brace of good dogs. They hunted for hours with- 

 out the sign of a bird, and could not account for the ap- 

 parent scociry. Atlasttheirdogsmadegame, but before 

 they could establish a point the birds commenced getting 

 up all around and in front of them. They were confi- 

 dent that there were from 75 to 100 birds, and instead of 

 their taking the usual quail flight, they rose clear up in 

 the air like a flock of pigeons, and went away for half a 

 mile. They followed the line, which was in an open 

 countiy, and found a few scattered birds in an old cotton 

 field, iully the distance named from where the birds took 

 their flight. They gave up finding more, and started 

 again: and after a prolonged tramp they had a duplicate 

 of their first experience, finding a second flock or drove — 

 not a bevy, for they say there were nearly a hundred. 

 Like the former, they made an immense flight. 



Now, 1 know that it is c tmmon for the grouse in Scot- 

 land to pack, occasionally the English partridges do, and 

 our prairie chickens; but I never saw nor heard of quail 

 doing so before. Edmund Orgill. 



(In Iowa thirty-eight years ago, when crossing through 

 a piece of woods from one prairie to another, we came upon 

 a clearing of two or three acres of wheat stubble, and a 

 large drove of quail got up, at least 200 or 300, but they 

 scattered in every direction. To this day we can see that 

 clearing and how the quail filled the air. This is the only 

 thing that has come under our personal observation that 

 looked like the Mississippi case. At the trials of 1881, at 

 Robins Island, there wete from 100 to 20§ quail in the air 

 at one time, at the north end of the island. But these 

 birds had been liberated ouly a short time before and 

 were not yet used to their surroundings. In California 

 and the Southwest, i. e., in Ariz ma and Texas, we have 

 seen quail act in precisely the manner described by Mr. 

 Orgili, but these quail were not the common Virginia 

 partridge of sport, but were plumed quail, a bird which 

 rarely lies to a dog. It is unusual for Virginia quail to 

 pack, in the sense that pinnated grouse, sige grouse and 

 sharptail grouse pack, at the approach of winter, and yet 

 we are inclined to believe that they sometimes do so*] 



BIG BIVALVES. 



VX7 E are reminded by one of our exchanges that the 

 T» largest oysters known occur at Port Lincoln, in 

 South Australia. The shell of this species is said to reach 

 more than a foot in diameter and is nearly circular in 

 shape. The meat of the oyster fills the shell almost to 

 the maTgin. Mr. S. F. Denton, of the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, informs us that he has collected a true oyster 

 {Ostrcea) at Thursday Island, Northern Queensland, Aus- 

 tralia, tne empty shell of which weightd 51bs. He has 

 it now in his cabinet. The oyster itself was very small 

 and thin compared with its covering. In shape this 

 oyt-ter resembles our common one, but the shell is much 

 heavier. 



The greatest of all known bivalves 13 the giant clamp 

 {Tridaena. gigas) of the Indo Pacific Ocean, in Northern 

 Australia this is considered an edible species and is regu- 

 la.i iy sought after by the natives. Mr. Denton has seen 

 clamps containing 40 or oOlbs. of meat, and it is a matter 

 of record that individuals weighing 3021bs. have been ob- 

 served. The giant clamp lies almost concealed in the 

 reefs, just showing the beautiful blue and green of its 

 mantle above the coral. The crushing power of this 

 shell is startling. Mr. Denttn thrust a stick as big as 

 a man's leg between the valves of one of them and it was 

 broken short off. A man's foot would be crushed as 

 easily as a pipe stem. The natives have a wholesome 

 dread of stepping unawares into one of these formidable 

 traps. They kill the animal by stabbing it with a long 

 sword and then remove the meat without disturbing the 

 6hell, thus saving themselves a vast amount of trouble 

 and labor. 



NOTES OF THE BIRDS. 



I NOTED the first bluebird Jan. 20, the robin Feb. 11, 

 purple grackle Feb. 27, and the next day the song 

 eparrow gave us a delightiul serenade from the top of a 

 blackberry bush in the corner of the lot. On the same 

 day high over head I heard the notes of the kildVer. 

 Sorry to see them so early, Tor outside is very rough 

 to-day, a mild sort of a blizzird, sleet and snow to 

 the depth of lin., and indications are goodfor bad weather. 

 Our winter has been open, and in that respect has been a 

 grand one for our birds and game. We have had but few 

 cold days, one in which the meicury registered 9° above 

 zero; last Sunday was second best, with a Tecord of 10°, 

 and then there were several days in which 18 2 above was 

 the lowest. Thin k of li ! A winter here in western Penn- 

 sylvania whose "cold day" was 9° above zero. — Y. A. S. 

 (Beaver, Pa.). 



Saw a native redwing blackbird early this morning; 

 acted as if he ha'd come to stay. A friend informs me 

 that there is an abundance of grouse left for seed in and 

 around Tonawanda swamp, which U about twelve miles 

 s^uth of here. Ten degrees above zero is the lowest the 

 mercury has been this winter.— F. E. W. (Carlton, N. Y., 

 Feb. 



During the past week bluebirds and robins have made 

 their appearance in this neighborhood, the weather as 

 well as the birds having every indication that spring 

 w ill soon be her«. Ducks are seen on the river here feed- 

 ing among the wil.ows. The first flight of the season 

 eeerns to be on. Most of them seem to be black ducks. 

 To-day (Sunday) the weather is very cold again, and 

 many of the new comers will no doubt suffer hardships 

 for their early migration.— W. F. Dittrich (Towanda, 

 Pa., Match 2). 



In a letter received yesterday from Petersburg, Va., 

 the writer says; "English snipe were selling here last 

 week in market, three for a quarter, and robins at fifty 



cents a dozen. What do you think of that?" I shouldn't 

 like to say what I think of it and don't suppose it would 

 do much good anyway. But apropos of robins (live ones), 

 I may say that a flock of 25 or 80 has been "u-ing" 

 around St. Peter's churchyard for the last four or five 

 days, accompanied by a few cedar birds. The trees are 

 bare and the ground has been covered with snow and ice. 

 But the birds have discovered the berries on the ivy 

 vines which cover the eastern end of the church and eat 

 them greedily. Two years ago the Lenten services were 

 actually dibturbed by the loud and ceaseless chirping of 

 innumerable English sparrows, since which time I have 

 thinned them out to the number of over 1,200 with C.B. 

 caps from a Stevens pocket rifle. But to day God's acre 

 was vocal with the welcome notes of the ' migratory 

 thiushes" as they partook of their creator's bounty. And 

 as their shadows flitted to and fro across the chancel 

 window, the choir within sang: "O all ye fowls of the 

 air, bless ye the Lord; praise Him and magnifv Him for- 

 ever!"— J. L. K. (Perth Amboy, N. J., March 9). 



A Two-Headed Grouse. — A correspondent at West 

 Chezzetcook reports that one Theodore Belfontaine was 

 returning from an unsuccessful bear huni; last week 

 about sundown, having with him a double-barreled gun, 

 one barrel being loaded with ball and the other with 

 partridge shot. A partridge crossing he fired the barrel 

 containing the bullet, and was surprised to see the bird 

 continue its flight, knowing himself to be an expert 

 marksman. He pulled the other trigger and the bird 

 fell. On proceeding to the spot where the bird had been 

 when he first fired, he found the head of the partridge, 

 and on picking it up observed one of the eyes to open 

 and close slightly. The head was lengthy and the beak 

 large. Proceeding he found the bird, which was a very 

 fine one, and what was most remarkable it had another 

 and complete head attached, rounder and fuller than 

 the other, but with a smaller beak. It was evidently a 

 wonderful freak of nature — a partridge with one crop and. 

 two heads. He carefully carried it home, but carelessly 

 throwing it on a chair while he put away his gun, a 

 young dog destroyed it. He was very much disappointed 

 and annoyed, as he intended bringing it to town and pre- 

 senting it to the museum as one of nature's curiosities.— 

 Halifax {(hit,) Morning Chronicle. 



Connecticut Wildcat and Otter.— Gran by, Conn., 

 March 4 — Mr. Norris Bacon, of Simsbury, Conn., one of 

 the most successful fox hunters in this vicinity, was out 

 hunting on Hedgehog Mountain a few days ago and saw 

 a wildcat coming off from the mountain, walking on top 

 of an old fence. He fired at it, one shot entering an eye 

 and another breaking a hindleg. The cat jumped about 

 10ft. and soon died. On examination the cat was judged 

 to be less than fcwo years old, and weighed 19! lbs. 

 Charley and Edward Owen, of East Granby, Conn., have 

 killed thirteen foxes the past winter. Mr. Lem Dewy, of 

 North Granby, Conn., caught an otter a few days ago 

 that weighed 191bs.— N. E. 



Introducing Beavers — Greensburg, Pa. — Editor 

 Forest and Stream.: We have on a large game preserve 

 a beaver meadow with old dams and cuttings. The 

 heavers were all killed before we came into its possession, 

 but they would now be protected. Will some of your 

 readers tell me whether the beavers would likely stay 

 there if we stocked the meadows and how a»d at what 

 expense good young breeders can be obtained? What 

 would be the best time of year to introduce them? — 

 Deacon. [Beaver have been introduced into country 

 adapted to them and have thrived. The chief difficulty 

 would be in procuring a half-dozen animals to begin 

 with.] 



Evening Grosbea.es in Ontario.— So far as shown 

 by the reports already in, the recent extraordinary im- 

 migration of Coecothraustes vespertina occurred through- 

 out the region of Ontario that ties immediately to the 

 north and west of Lake Ontario. The migration has 

 been a remarkable one, and the birds were quite common 

 in Tor<*ito streets for over a month, wherever there were 

 any mountain ash trees or other sources of a food supply. 

 1 will not give further details now as I do not wLh to 

 forestall a paper on the subject now in preparation by 

 one of the members of our ornithological subsection.— 

 Ernest E. Thompson (86 Howard street, Toronto, Can.). 



The Horned Lares of North America.— At a meet- 

 ing of the New Yovk Academy, held March 10, in Hara- 

 lton Hall, Columbia College, Mr. Jonathan D wight, Jr. 

 read an interesting paper on the Geographical Variations 

 in tne Horned Larks of North America. The paper was 

 illustrated by specimens aad a map. 



The Evening Grosbeak has been taken at Saginaw > 

 Mich., ttii-t winter. John S. Barrett, of that city, seeured 

 one out of a flock of five. 



Recent Arrivals at the Philadelphia Zoological Gar- 

 dek.— Purchased— One Cnmese mynoia {Acridotheres eriatateUus), 

 one black-eared marmoset (Hapole penciMata), two white -eared 

 conures {Conurus Imcotin). oue magpie tamper (Cismpishvertamis), 

 two Batrahaua's parrafceets (Pulyteify harrabcmdi), two hiacK- 

 crested cardinals (G-unernatriz aMaba), three royal pythons 

 {Python regim), one iuuigo snake (Spilotes erehennw), one eo'mm n 

 uorf-uoseu siniK-e (Hetercidon pZabyrhiriw>), one glass snake (Upheo- 

 saurus ventmlis). Pi t senied- One brown capuein (Cebus faturtlm), 

 two opossums {Didelphys virgimana), iour alligators (AUi<.,at>>r 

 mmissipviensis) and oue striated turtle (Clwlopun inscvAptus). 

 Bu rii— One nog deer (Cervuspvrcinus). 



A Book About Indians— The Forest and Stream will mail 

 it er onappl cation a oe.-cr ptive cir< ul*r of Mr. Giiuuell's book, 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and otk-Tales,' 1 giviutr a table of contents 

 au<t specimen illustrations from the volume.— Adv. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumbull. & 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for Oy its use they car 

 Meutifv without question all the American gamp birds whirl) 

 they may kill. Clotn, 220 pages, price §2.50. For sale by Forest 

 and Stream. 



Forest and Stream, Box 2.833, N. Y. city, has descriptive illus- 

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

 ing," which will he mailed free ou request. The book is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanit." "<-__.'' "Dick Swiveller," "SvbUlene" *nd 

 otber competent autnoritias to be the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



j§zg mi 



"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, July 25. Parker 12,hammprl^89, June . 



Colt 10 ami L2, Oct. 24. Remington 1«, May 30. 



Folsom 10 and 12, Sepr. 28. Reminoton 12, Dec. fi. 

 Francotte 12. Den. 12. Remtngton 10, I )tc. 26. 



Greener 12, Aug. \. Scott 10, Sep>. 0. 



Greener 10 Sep'. 12, Sept. 19. L. C. SMiTn 12, Oct. 10. 

 Hollis 10, Nov. 7. Winchester 10 and 12, Oct, 8. 



Parker 10, hammer, June 6. 



PACIFIC COAST GAME. 



THE unprecedented snowfall and prolonged storms of 

 the present winter on the Pacific coast have wrought 

 havoc among the game in the mountains and foothills of 

 this State. The snow has come down upon the foothills 

 to an altitude of 500ft. on several occasions during the 

 winter, and at 2,000t't. elevati >n the mow has betn almost 

 continuously upon the ground since Octobe r, and to a 

 depth of 4 or 5ft., too. As the mountain quail {Orortkyx 

 pieta)sddom resort to a lower altitude than l.OOOit., and 

 geneially m_e their winter home at about 2,0COft., this 

 winter means starvation to them. Thousands bave been 

 snowed under the cbapparal and perished. The writer 

 has had occasion to be much in the mountain region 

 from home up to 5,000ft above sea level, and these state- 

 ments are all from personal observation or from reliable 

 witnesses in those regions. 



The other day a boy of sixteen was met carrying a 

 bunch of quail. He said that he had ju>t picked them up 

 off the ground beneath a manzanita bush. Thinking that 

 possibly a trap had been beneath the bush also, we exam- 

 ined them and found that they were emaciated and had 

 surely died of starvation. Being almost assured by this 

 that they had been trapped and allowed to die of thir.-t 

 and want of food, we made the boy guide us to the s>put 

 where he found them. Surely enough, as the tracks in 

 the snow x:>lainly showed, these quail had been snowed 

 under while seeking shelter, and had perished. On 

 scraping the snow away, two more dead birds were dis- 

 covered, in the same spot, making eight in all. This set 

 us thinking and inquiring, and we find that dozens of 

 similar instances have been noted in the same locality. 

 This means such widespread destruction of these fine 

 birds as will take years to repair. O. picta is a hardy 

 bird, but he can't stand everything. 



We are also informed, on what we consider good 

 authority, that great numbers of deer have perished in a 

 similar manner. The greater number of the deer in the 

 Sierra Nevadas make their winter home at an elevation 

 of from 1,500 to 3,500ffc. As the snowfall at the latter 

 altitude has been 8 to 10ft. f and continuously on the 

 ground for three months, the deed have yarded 5 , as they 

 do in the Etst in the winter season, and have starved to 

 death. We are told that in the neighboorbood of Dutch 

 Flat dozens of carcasses are lying on the mountain side 

 in one locality. This is third-hand informal ion, and may 

 not be entirely true, but that many deer have perished 

 in this county alone is well known to the writer. 



Sport in the mountains this season has been very poor. 

 There have been but few good days since the 1st of Octo- 

 ber. The writer started for a deer hunt on four different 

 occasions, and got driven in on the first clay out by violent 

 storms each time. Our quail season will end March 1, 

 and with small records for the gunners, Areear. 

 Auburn, California, Feb. 35. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A large puma or California lion was shot a short 

 time ago in Marin county, about thirty miles from 

 Sin Francisco, by Win. H. Abbott, the manager of a 

 large dairy ranch. The animal had been living on the 

 calves from various dairies in the region and weighed 

 nearly 200ibs. There was talk of trying a puma steak, 

 which old hunters say is excellent, but only the skin was 

 saved. Adams, the noted grizzly hunter, used to roast 

 puma meat whenever he had a chance. 



Among the most interesting and famous hunters in 

 Alameda county were two brothers, Howard and 

 Michael Overaeker, the latter now dead. Howard Over- 

 acker has been kind enough to send me the following 

 note from his home near Centreville: "As you requested 

 me to think over my hunting experience and give you 

 the result, I will say that my brother and I averaged 

 about twenty-five deer a year from 1860 to 1!-S0. We 

 simply hunted for our recreation and healtn. We never 

 sold a pound of venison, but distributed it freely among 

 our friends. Sometimes «e have dried it. as we never 

 intended to kill any to waste. The largest deer I ever 

 weighed dressed 1401bs." 



If my memory serves me, almost allcf the hunting 

 done by the Overackers was in the Coast range, within a 

 hundred miles of San Franciseo. They wei e rare good 

 fellows, as well as being rare riflemen, and the whole 

 group of old-timers to whom Ibey belonged, the Tysons, 

 Bonners, Morrisons, Hen ions, Walkers, and a d< Z' n other 

 families, were natural cauipers-out, hunters, fishermen 

 and lovers cf sport. Their sons, as a rule, take after 

 them, but California has settled up so much in the past 

 ten yea„ that the Overacker record is not easily to be 

 broken. C. H. Shinn, 



JJiles, California. 



New York Association. — The regular monthly meet- 

 ing of the New York A s< ciation for the Protection of 

 Game held at Pdnard's mtnday evening, wa« an ur.umally 

 well attended and enthusiastic one. Fish Commissioner 

 B ackford read the thVes and expl lined the purpoit of 

 j8 d fferent acts relating to h%h and game. Ihtie were 

 four of them heartily indorsed by the Association, naun ly 

 the act to prevent netting in Jamaica. Bay, Ihe act to 

 pnfoice the liftingof theshad nets throughout the Hudson 

 R ver during Sundays, the act to appoint a commissir n 

 of three to codify the game laws, and the set to move 

 the office of the chief game protector from Albany to 

 New York. The executive committee repoited that they 

 had engaged the services of detectives to try and obtain 

 evidence against the many uptown restaurants that are 

 still selling g_o out of season. Almost every fashionable 

 restaurant is repoited as serving quail under some out- 

 landish name, and one gentleman staled that he had 

 heard of woodcock being served. 



