228 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 10, 1890. 



WAYS OF THE WOODCOCK. 



EMPORIA, Kan.— Editor Forest and Stream: I hare 

 been a reader of your Forest and Stream for a 

 number of years and in that time have read many differ- 

 ent opinions of different sportsmen on the woodcock. 

 In your issue of January 6, T. M. Aldricli tells us what 

 he knows about the bird and I see that he must have 

 been a close observer of its habits, as he hits him pretty 

 well. 



I think it was the summer of '68 that I commenced to 

 hunt woodcock for market with my father, and for a 

 number of years I did this, commencing on the 3d of 

 July each year and hunting until the 15th of September. 



Our hunting grounds were mostly in Otsego county 

 along the Susquekana River and the streams emptying 

 into it. I have not only shot the bird for market,* but 

 have spent days in watching him from the time he made 

 Ms first appearance in the spring until he left in the fall. 

 He is a funny little fellow and the more one studies him 

 and his ways, the more he will learn, for it cannot be all 

 learned in one season, nor do I think it can in ten. I 

 am surprised that any man who had studied the ways of 

 the woodcock should think that on being flushed, he 

 makes the whistling noise with his bill. He most 

 assuredly makes it with his wings. When a bird is full 

 feathered, he makes the noise when he rises. After he gets 

 as high as he is going he does not move his wings quite 

 as fast, and so does not make the noise, unless he makes 

 a quick turn and then it can be plainly heard, and some- 

 times when he settles to the ground, on lighting, he will 

 move his wings two or three times quickly, when the 

 whistle is again heard. But you take an old bird when 

 he is molting and the feathers are thin, you will hear 

 the whistling for a long way, because he has to move 

 his wings faster, in order to keep up. The sound, most 

 nearly like the whistle of the woodcock's wing, that I 

 ever heard, is made by the wing of a small prairie 

 pigeon we have here in Kansas. The first time I heard 

 it, had I not seen the pigeon, I would have said the 

 noise was made by a woodcock, 



As to the song of this bird that some have written 

 about, I have never heard it. The only noise I have ever 

 heard them make was in the spring of the year, just at 

 twilight. I have watched what I took to be the male 

 bird start from the ground and fly up nearly straight 

 until he was a mere speck and then take a circle around, 

 and in that flight 1 have often heard him make a noise, 

 nearly the same as the English snipe does when he starts 

 to fly. This is a sharp squeak. When the woodcock 

 starts to come down he seems to let loose all at once and 

 comes down with a rush until near the ground, when he 

 spreads his wings and makes a quick whirl, and if you 

 are close to him you will hear a noise such as the night- 

 hawk makes when he makes a quick dart to the ground 

 and then darts up again. 



I have spent days, were the time put together, watch- 

 ing them feed, and in that time I have never seen one 

 catch a bug of any kind, nor a worm, although Mr. Al- 

 dricli says they feed on them. If so, why do they need 

 such a bill as nature has furnished them, and why run it 

 into the ground at all any more than other birds that feed 

 on bugs and worms, when there are plenty of them to 

 be had without that trouble. In 1870 my father offered 

 $50 for a woodcock that would eat a worm, or for a 

 woodcock in which a worm could be found when opened. 

 I thought I would take in the money by producing a 

 bird with a worm in it. I took at two different times 

 birds that had just been tipped and kept them for three 

 days and put worms of all sizes, flies and other insects 

 where they could get them. After watching them and 

 not seeing them offer to eat any, being told that they had 

 probably eaten all they wanted when I was not watching, 

 I killed and opened them, but still found no sign of either 

 worm or bug. I have floated down the stream many an 

 evening in a small skiff when the water was low, about 

 sundown, and watched them come out of the alder bushes 

 and feed along the banks. In the soil, where they feed, 

 it takes them from three to six hard thrusts to get their 

 bill in the full length, and as the under part of the bill is 

 almost like gristle, it would be impossible for them to 

 open their bill far enough to take in the smallest kind of 

 a worm. In fact were it not for the hook on the end of 

 the upper bill, which Mr. Aldrich thinks they hook up a 

 worm with, they could not run their bill into the muck 

 as they do because the under bill is too limber and the 

 hook on the upper bill covers the end of the lower, so as 

 to protect it. As the bill has quite a taper to it and is 

 much smaller at the tip than at the head, it would be 

 an easy matter for him to pull it out did he have nothing 

 more than a small worm to pull up. 



In my watching them feed I have always seen them 

 come out of the brush on the feeding ground, or light on 

 it from the wing, and after giving themselves a little 

 shake run a few steps and then run their bill into the 

 ground, which seemed to be hard work; then they will 

 step theh feet forward, so as to bring one nearly on each 

 side of the head, and then begin to pull as though they 

 were going to pull their heads off, and would ruffle up 

 their feathers so that they looked as large again as when 

 they started to put their bill into the ground, and by close 

 watching I noticed that when the bill got out of the holes 

 in the upper bill , it let loose very easily. I always thought 

 the bird was sucking something from the muck, and that 

 the suction was the cause of the bill coming out so hard. 

 To satisfy myself I have watched them feed for a long 

 time on a number of different occasions, and then have 

 shot them while still feeding and opened them right 

 there, but have never found a sign of a worm or insect of 

 any kind in one of them yet, and I may say that I have 



3 dug down in a number of placel 

 to find a worm, and would say that should you want to 

 get worms to go fishing, don't dig for them on the ground 

 where the woodcock feed, for if you do you will hardly 

 find them, 



Mr, Aldrich speaks of the gameness of the bird. I have 

 often seen them show tight when they had only had their 

 wings tipped, and but few bird dogs care to pick one up 

 at such a time. He also asks if any one ever knew of 

 then- setting after the first of May, In 1872 I was hunt- 

 ing woodcock along the Cherry Valley Creek, in Otsego 

 county, New York, the last of August, when my pointer 

 came to a stand, and when told to put him up tried to 

 flush the bird, but failed. He was pointing by a willow 

 bog, and walked to the other side and came to a point 

 again, but could not flush the bird. So I went to examine 



the bog. and there I found two young woodcock, too 

 young to fly, I should say not over two weeks old at the 

 oldest, so this bird must have set in August. I have 

 hunted woodcock in New York State, in Minnesota, Wis- 

 consin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee 

 and Arkansas, and have found them the same bird with 

 the same habits. I have not seen anv yet in Kansas, 

 although I am told they are here. G. C. J. 



B 



AN ENGLISH GAME FARM. 



IRD shows have a great fascination for me— not so 

 much those that take place in our cities and towns 

 where some thousands of the winged tribes beat their 

 wings against cages scarcely bigger than themselves— but 

 shows that are presented to view in the free open country, 

 with the sky above and nature smiling around. Bent 

 upon seeing such a show I proceeded to the game farm of 

 Mr. William Burgess at Malvern Wells, England. I can- 

 not say the exact number of acres covered by the avia- 

 ries of pheasants, but considering that they extend fur- 

 ther than the eye can reach, some idea of the magnitude 

 of the undertaking maybe entertained. Mr. John Bur- 

 gess accompanied me on my tour of inspection, and 

 pointed out the stock birds and those that would ulti- 

 mately populate coverts. He explained to me themethod 

 of hatching them artificially, and informed me how night 

 after night the young birds had to be tended and nursed. 

 He conducted me to the various pens, and as we ap- 

 proached the birds flew wildly about in a frenzied state, 

 startled by my li inky coat." In one pen I saw Chinese 

 pheasants, in another the Japanese, but the bulk of the 

 birds were English. The coloration of the Indian birds 

 was gorgeous in the extreme, and I stood spell-bound in 

 the presence of so magnificent an array of tints as those 

 presented to view. Mr. Burgess is cultivating some valu- 

 able foreign varieties in addition to those mentioned, and 

 has met with great success. On all sides I saw birds 

 which moved freely before my delighted eye. They 

 seemed to be in excellent condition, and so they ought to 

 be, considering the great care taken of them. Each year 

 they are transferred to new ground, which means the re- 

 moval of all the aviaries and their erection elsewhere. 

 The cost of maintenance is considerable. 



Pheasants, like all the members of their tribe, are 

 afflicted with many diseases, to combat which requires 

 all the skill of the rearer. The red worm in the wind- 

 pipe, commonly known as the "gapes," is one of their 

 worst enemies. Mr. Burgess holds that this diseases origi- 

 nates from the excrement of cattle, all young cattle being 

 liable to the invasion of the red worm or "husk" in the 

 windpipe. He also told me that he had seen quantities 

 of these worms in stagnant pools of cattle tracks, and 

 unless they were stamped out of the birds they became 

 firmly rooted for years. Another disease is the roup, or 

 consumption, which, Mr. Burgess explained, was brought 

 about by uncleanliness and exposure to cold; this disease 

 being contagious. Mr. Burgess, however, has invented 

 special methods of curing these complaints. 



He informed me that he experienced no more difficulty 

 in rearing Amherst pheasants or the gold and silver 

 pheasants than other kinds; but they are later in coming 

 into full plumage. Pheasant eggs are sent during the 

 season to all parts of the United Kingdom and abroad, 

 and their absolute safety en route is insured by a highly 

 skillful mode of packing, which has to be performed with 

 the utmost care. In one day as many as 2,000 eggs leave 

 Malvern, so that some idea may be formed as to the num- 

 ber of birds kept. Special methods of transmitting live 

 birds are employed, enabling them to be sent many hun- 

 dreds of miles without any loss resulting. The pheasant 

 has many enemies in England, and the rat is one that is 

 responsible for much mischief. Nevertheless, the birds 

 are well guarded and protected from all kinds of foes by 

 traps and alarm guns, invented by Mr. Burgess and man- 

 ufactured in very large quantities for use in all countries. 

 The ingenuity which stamps all the various traps is great, 

 and evidences a keen knowledge of the natural history of 

 the foe which it is desired to overcome. American. 



Beaver for Preserves.— Indian Rock. March 20.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: J notice in Forest and 

 Stream, March 13, the request of "Deacon" in regard to 

 introducing beaver into a preserve. I think, with you, 

 the most difficult part of the work will be to catch and 

 transport them, if they can be caught and put on the 

 preserve. There should be plenty of wood growth for 

 food. The best wood to grow for them is mountain ash 

 and white birch. Also, there should be an inclosure 

 through which they cannot pass, as they often leave 

 their home, and travel for miles. Why they do so is not 

 known. It may be from being disturbed or lack of food. 

 I think the best time to catch them would be in autumn, 

 when they are young puppies. They are very shy, yet 

 by patience and close watching a family might be located 

 and caught without injury. I have sat and listened near 

 one of their houses to hear the old one at work and the 

 young cry. I hope "Deacon" will succeed in procuring 

 and locating beaver on his preserve, as I am greatly in- 

 terested in keeping this country full of every species of 

 game which has a habitat in it.— C. J. Richardson, 

 [Willow, poplar and alder are also favorite woods of the 

 beaver, and are more common than those mentioned by 

 our correspondent. Of course, the beaver must be pre- 

 vented from wandering.] 



Charlestown, N. H., April 5. — Editor Forest and 

 Stream: We have had a regular invasion of bh-ds last 

 night or this morning. I had seen a robin or two, and 

 heard of a bluebird early in the week, but when I went 

 up -to the po3t office this morning after breakfast, the 

 village street was fairly alive with birds, which seem to 

 have come on in yesterday's rainstorm. Robins, spar- 

 rows and bluebirds "were hopping around under the trees, 

 or fluttering up on to the fences, and my neighbor Paris 

 told me at noon that he thought he had fed twenty robins 

 with bread crumbs on his lawn this morning. They have 

 come to Easter Sunday just as they did in '87, when I 

 wrote you "Springtime is Coming."— Von W. 



Animals of the Mississippi Bottoms,— In reviewing 

 the report of the Blinois Fish Commission for 1886 1888 

 (Forest and Stream, Nov. 28, 1889) we referred to Mr. 

 H. Carman's "Preliminary Report on the Animals of 

 the Mississippi Bottoms, near Quincy, Illinois, in August, 

 1888," which forms an appendix to that report. We now 

 have this paper in its separate form and recommend it 



to the attention of all who'are interested in ',the hydro- 

 graphy of the region and its animal life. Particular at- 

 tention is given to common names and to discussing the 

 habits and interrelations of species. 



Recent Arrivals at the Philadelphia Zoological Gar- 

 den.— Purchased: Two lions (Fells leo) >, and ? , one Toque mon- 

 key (Maeaeus pilentv.sK two six-banded armadillos (Dasypv* sev- 

 einetvs), two badgers (Taxidea amerimna), two red-beaded cardi- 

 nals (Pan in ria hirmtn), two red-crested cardinals (Paraaria 

 cucullata), two silver-blue tanagers (Tanagra earn), twelve undu- 

 lated grass parrakeets (MelomUtacv.s uitdvhUvs), one whistling 

 swan (Cygnw amerimnw), one Indigo snake <Spilot.es crehmnus), 



(Basmnvum fiogdmorme), and two ground rattlesnakes [Ofptoto- 

 phorugmilinritis). Presented: Two opossums UHcb-lphii* r.irainimuti. 

 one night heron (JSyeUcorar griscus itmnwsK one screech owl (Scops 

 cm'o), three alligators (Alligator m>$?is*ippimxis), one water snake 

 (Tropidmiotus sipedon), and four garter snakes (Eugenia sirtalis). 

 Horn: One Baotrian camel iCnwcinp. haetrimius\ f, and one axis 

 deer (Cervus axis) s • 



Forest and Stream, Box 3.832, N. Y. city, has descriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. LefflngwelTs book, "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 be the best treatise on the subject 

 extant. 



%mnt §jxg mi %nt[. 



" FOREST AND STREAM" GUN TESTS. 



THE following guns have been tested at the Forest Akd 

 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, hammerless, June 6. 



Colt M) and 12, Oct. 34. Remington 16, May 30. 



Folsom 10 and 13, Sept. 26. Remington 12, Bee. 5, Feb. d. 



i rancotte 13, Deo. 13. Remington 10, Dec. 26. 



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



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



Hollis 10, Nov. 7. Whitney Safety 13, March 0. 



Lefever 13, March 13. Winchester 10 and 12, Oct. 3, 

 Parker 10, hammer, June 6. 



QUAIL IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



IT is interesting to note the results already apparent of 

 the restocking the Massachusetts Fish and Game Pro- 

 tective Association have this season been doing. The 

 only fear is that the quail liberated have become so ac- 

 customed to the sight of human beings, during their 

 temporary confinement, that both they and their progeny 

 will fall too easy a prey to the gunners next autumn. 

 The birds liberated, instead of disappearing as expected, 

 have been repeatedly seen. The quail that accidentally 

 escaped from the buildings of Sir. J. O. Frost, of Vernon, 

 Vt., already mentioned in the Forest and Stream, have 

 many times been seen. They come regularly to feed on 

 the grain that has been scattered for them, and they 

 scarcely show proper fear for man. The following letter 

 to Mr. John Fottler, Jr., one of the active workers in the 

 enterprise of restocking, speaks loudly of the danger that 

 the birds are liable to be in unless they change their 

 habits a good deal with the coming of warm weather and 

 the breeding season. 



Glenwood, Mass., March 25— Mr. Fottler: Dear SiT— Seeing by 

 tbe papers your efforts to restock with quail the woods and fields 

 of Massachusetts, I am led to write that 1 was witness to-day of a 

 sight which I thought would interest you, particularly if you have 

 liberated any birds in the neighborhood of Medford. Looking out 

 of tbe office windows of tbe mill, which is in a fairly well settled 

 neighborbood, 1 saw two large birds feeding with a flock of Eng- 

 lish sparrows. When they flew from one feeding spot, to another 

 I made up my mind at once they were quail, but was loth to be- 

 lieve it. But upon investigation I found it was a pair of quail. 

 When the sparrows left the. ground and flew into the nearest tree 

 the quail also went into a tree, staying there several minutes 

 before flying into a neighboring field. This struck me as a strange 

 companionship. The quail did not seem in the least to under- 

 stand their strange position. A house was within a few feet of 

 where they were feeding, with persons around, of whom tbe birds 

 seemed to show no fear. This is why I associate them with vour 

 liberated birds. They seemed very tame and out of their natural 

 haunts.— Frank Fallon. 



To this letter Mr. Fottler adds that they were undoubt- 

 edly some of the birds liberated by the committee. Other 

 localities are also visited with quail to an extent that 

 surprises the inhabitants. The trouble is pretty sure to 

 begin with a terrible slaughter of these birds in the fall, 

 unless the gunners can be educated up to the necessity of 

 leaving a few to keep up the stock. Special. 



IN ESTES PARK. 



IpSTES PAKK is one of the most lovely spots in all the 

 J Rocky Mountains. It is nearly 8,000 feet above the 

 sea level, and at the very foot of Long's Peak. Its scen- 

 ery is wonderfully beautiful, and the mountains among 

 which it lies offer unending attractions to those who are 

 fond of mountain climbing. The rare atmosphere is 

 clear and life-giving, and the cool brooks which flow 

 down from the banks of perpetual snow shine and sparkle 

 like liquid jewels beneath the sun. 



Within a short time Estes Park has become quite a 

 favorite resort of people both in the East and West, yet 

 it is far enough from the railroad to escape the throngs 

 of tourists which flock to those resorts which are directly 

 reached by the railroads. The best way to get to Estes 

 Park is via Denver by the Burlington route to Lyons, a 

 distance of less than fifty miles from Denver. From 

 Lyons a 20-mile stage ride takes one into the Park. 



For those visitors who do not care for camping out 

 there are good hotel accommodations in the Park, and 

 besides this there are a number of ranchers there who are 

 glad to take boarders. The hotels charge from $12 to $20 

 per week, or $2 per day, and I believe that the ranchmen 

 take boarders at prices considerably less. One of the 

 ranches is known as the Elkhorn ranch, from the fact 

 that it is all covered with elk horns taken from animals 

 killed in the neighborhood. 



Estes Park used to be a great country for big game, 

 and deer, elk, bear and mountain sheep are still to be 

 found. There are any quantity of grouse or other small 

 game. One party got five bears last season. The fishing 

 is splendid, and trout are so abundant that they are 

 served at the hotel tables twice a day. 



There are few places where a man can go for rest and 

 a quiet time that are more attractive than the place I am 

 describing. Last summer I spent some time there with 

 my wife and two boys, and when we came out in Sep- 

 tember we were all wonderfully improved in health and 

 most enthusiastic about the place. We made the ascent 

 of Long's Peak and some minor mountains, and enjoyed 

 our whole visit. J, C. B, 



Chatham, N. J. 



