48 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[AUG. 7, 1890 



stretch out and appear to be dead, and the other seize 

 hint by the nape of the neck and drag him out of the 

 water and several feet out on the ground, when the 

 "dead" mink would suddenly jump up and they would 

 both scramble into the water and reverse the perform- 

 ance. 



Like all meat-eating animals the mink would gorge 

 themselves with enough at one time to last them two or 

 three days, and during such periods they are stupid and 

 quiet, spending most of the time asleep, and when 

 handled will lazily open their eyes and stretch out and 

 go to sleep again. But let them once get fairly hungry, 

 and they are about as lively a varmit as I ever saw. At 

 such times it is best to be careful about feeding them bits 

 of meat from your hand, for they are liable to grab hold 

 of your finger instead, and then, a mink will beat any 

 bull-terrier that ever lived in the matter of hanging on, 

 and a dozen tomcats cannot do as lively snarling and 

 scratching. You may swing them around, rap them 

 against the fence or duck them under the water, they 

 will still hold their grip, and nothing but a good strong- 

 choking until the breath is fairly gone will induce them 

 to let go. It has been a long time since the war, but my 

 finger still bears the niarks of such a contest. 



C. L. Stratton. 



[The Nova Scotia game law has a provision that minks 

 (which are otherwise protected at certain seasons) may 

 be caught nt any time for breeding, and that when so 

 captured they become the private property of the captor. 

 "We shall give further notes on this subject.] 



THE ENGLISH SPARROW QUESTION. 



IF the English sparrow is such a serious problem in 

 economic science in this country as has been claimed 

 by some, then it is remarkable, as suggested by Forest 

 and Stream in its issue for the 17th of July, that such a 

 "foolish indifference to the subject" is manifested by the 

 agricultural community. That the farmers pay little at- 

 tention to Passer domestieus is evident to all who are in 

 the habit of reading the agricultural papers. Now and 

 then some one calls the sparrow a "pest," and charges it 

 with a long catalogue of crimes, just as ten yeai-s ago was 

 the case with the robin. So, too, about corn-planting 

 time, even now, some one will rise to ask if the crow is a 

 useful bird, and, if it is not, how can it be prevented from 

 pulling up the newly-planted maize. And then the 

 editor will wisely repeat what he has been in the habit of 

 saying every spring since he started his paper: That coat- 

 ing the seed-corn with tar or lime will cure the crows of 

 their pulling-up prospensity. And thus the crow question 

 is laid until the next subscriber makes the same inquiry. 



To Dr. Elliott Coues, of Washington, D. C, belongs the 

 honor of discovering that the English sparrow will eat 

 the Americans out of house and home, destroying the 

 fruit crop, leave all noxious insects untouched, and drive 

 from their haunts all of our native birds. Since Dr. Coues 

 pointed out the dire calamities, the sparrow question has 

 been a topmost subject in ornithological circles, and has 

 provoked pome discussion in legislative halls, as recently 

 beneath the gilded dome on Boston common. The new 

 Massachusetts anti-sparrow law gives permission to kill 

 the English bird, provided it is not poisoned, and that 

 those who kill in the name of the State do not enter upon 

 private property without leave from the owner. What 

 inducements are held out for the killing I do not know, 

 but the provisions of the law mentioned are very wise 

 ones for the preservation of the sparrows, and little harm 

 will come to them under the circumstances. 



It seems that a Mr. Bicknell, of Boston, induced the 

 Legislature of the Old Bay State to request the Board of 

 Agriculture of that State to make "inquiry and investi- 

 gation as to the birds that inhabit the State, and report 

 thereon as to their character, habits, and value as insect 

 destroying and grain and fruit destroying birds." 



This will prove something of a job if the investigation 

 is to be thoroughly scientific. It will be necessary for 

 the Board of Agriculture to establish a corps of orni- 

 thologists, called a "division," and a laboratory will have 

 to be built, field agents will have to be employed, and a 

 vast amount of information collected. It will take a 

 couple of years, if not more, with all this force, to de- 

 termine the status of Passer domestieus. One field agent 

 should be established in the Berkshire hills to study the 

 habits of birds in that part of the State; another should 

 walk the sands of Cape Cod and Cape Ann, for the same 

 purpose; another should study the fauna of the Connecti- 

 cut Valley, while a fourth agent should study the habits 

 of the sparrow in Boston, Lowell, Lawrence, Springfield, 

 and other cities. All this will cost a pretty bit of money, 

 and provision must also be made for the publication of 

 bulletins, annual reports, author's editions, preliminary 

 reports, etc., etc. 



I believe Massachusetts has an agricultural college, 

 with a corps of professors, laboratories, chemists, biolo- 

 gists, microscopists, ornithologists, stenographers, etc., 

 and it would seem as if this institution should enter upon 

 a scientific study of birds, if it is to be done at all by the 

 State. As long ago as 1884 Mr. Charles S. Plumb, of the 

 New York Experiment Station at Geneva, N. Y., began 

 a systematic study of the sparrow. He examined the 

 contents of many sparrow stomachs, fed them in cap- 

 tivity to learn what they would eat when driven to it, 

 and came to the conclusion that the English sparrow "is 

 essentially an omnivorous eater, with a decided prefer- 

 ence for wheat and oats." And this, probably, is the 

 whole story of the sparrow in a few words. 



But why should any State engage in this specific work 

 when it is being done at the public expense by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture at Washington? The division 

 of ornithology in that department was established for the 

 specific purpose of studying the economic relations of 

 mammals and birds which are beneficial or harmful, 

 and as a result the first farmers' bulletin, "The English 

 Sparrow in America," was issued over a year ago. Can 

 it be possible that members of the Massachusetts Legisla- 

 ture have never seen a copy? It is a compact volume of 

 over 400 pages and contains a map showing the distribu- 

 tion of the sparrow at the end of the year 1886. To be 

 sure that is over three and a half years ago, and the 

 sparrow must have distributed himself considerably since 

 that time, since it is estimated that he spreads himself 

 over nearly 60,000 square miles each year. This sparrow 

 bulletin covers the whole ground, including history, pub- 

 lic opinion, effect of legislation, shooting, poisoning, in- 

 jury to buds, fruit, vegetables, seeds, grain, etc., also the 

 relations the sparrow sustains to other birds and insects. 



it is to be presumed that the habits of the sparrow are 

 the same in Massachusetts, in so far as buds, fruits, birds 

 and insects are the same, that they are in other States, 

 therefore the work asked for by the Legislature of that 

 State having been done already in Washington, why un- 

 dertake the task again? The official sparrow bulletin of 

 the IT. S. Department of Agriculture might profitably be 

 reduced to a pamphlet of twenty pages or so, giving the 

 sum and substance of the practical results obtained, 

 which is all the farmer or horticulturist wishes to know, 

 and in this form it could be widely distributed in Massa- 

 chusetts. Only about 8,000 copies of the big 400 page 

 bulletin have been sent out for the whole United States. 

 This is a much too slow and cumbersome method. 

 Washington, D. 0. Dr. Fuller-Walker. 



POINTER DOG AND MOTHER DUCK. 



ELI is a thoroughbred pointer, a native Texan, and re- 

 sides in Burleson county of the Lone Star State, 

 and justly enjoys the honor and distinction in his locality 

 of being an expert in never failing to point out the wood- 

 cock, quail and jacksnipe. From the beginning of No- 

 vember to the end of February he is on duty in the sport- 

 ing field, and the remainder of the year reposes in the 

 shade about the house, or slumbers in the fresh-plowed 

 earth about the farm, apparently oblivious to the exciting 

 sport of the past or that which awaits him in the future. 

 He is always courteous, and when loitering about the 

 farm seems to keep a "ceaseless vigil" toward his master, 

 in testimony whereof he is ever ready to bring back the 

 rolling hat when earned away by a puff of wind. But 

 the most deceptive and exciting episode in Eli's history 

 now begins. 



A few days ago, just after I had passed through the 

 farm gate on my way to dinner, I heard Eli spring some 

 game to my left. I looked and saw something decidedly 

 larger than a quail just ahead of him and coming directly 

 toward me. I stood perfectly still and they came within 

 two feet of me. It was a woodduck, down on a level 

 with Eli's head, and the tip of its short tail feathers were 

 nearly or quite between his open lips, and I saw it turn its 

 head and look round to one side, to see if it was far enough 

 from bis mouth. Its wing stroke was graceful yet fee- 

 ble, and I thought it would fall and be crushed to death 

 by the dog in a moment, when the thought occurred 

 to me that it had left young ones behind . But I witnessed 

 this close race between duck and dog 300 or 400yds. till 

 they passed out of sight; and knowing the dog would 

 come back to see if there were any more, I waited to keep 

 him from killing the young ones if possible. Going to 

 where he had flushed the old one, I heard the young ones 

 crying about in the weeds and grass. I waited for the 

 dog's return. I had scarcely a minute to wait till the dog 

 came, tongue out, panting. 



Just as he stood or pointed on the first young one, the 

 old duck seemed to fall paralyzed on top of his head; and 

 of course that claimed all of his attention; and away they 

 went again, and, if possible, the duck was this time closer 

 to his nose than before. I had nothing to do but laugh 

 and await the return of the dog, for I knew he would 

 come back. The mother evidently led him a great way 

 off that time, for they were gone about fifteen minutes, 

 when I saw Eli coming apparently much exhausted, and 

 in her soft, feeble, noiseless way the duck some 15 or 20ft. 

 behind him. I was within 10ft. of the dog when he 

 arrived at the spot where the young ones were; and just 

 at that moment the matron gave him a flap on the head 

 with her wings and seemed to fall on the ground under 

 his nose again. 



This insult, linked with his ambition to catch her, gave 

 him new courage, and out they pulled for the third heat. 

 They came toward the house this time, and for 200yds. I 

 could see duck and dog as if fastened nose and tail. The 

 impression left was that the dog had the tips of the duck's 

 tail pinched in bis front teeth, knowing that if he relaxed 

 his hold for a better one he would lose the bird: and that 

 a slender mouthful was better than none; and that he 

 would hold to it if he had to run to do it. Again I waited 

 a long time for Eli to come back. At the end of perhaps 

 twenty minutes I started to the house, and about 300yds. 

 I met him, completely exhausted and willing enough to go 

 to the house with me. 



This was the most laughable incident of my whole life, 

 and had I not witnessed it I never should have believed 

 in the existence of such courage, perseverance and intel- 

 gence in a duck to save her young ones from destruction. 



Texas. A. B. H. 



The Red Sqdtrrel op Washington, — Quilcene, 

 Washington, July 20.— Editor Forest and Strearit; The 

 little red squirrel has almost entirely disappeared from 

 around me. They were thick last year, but the fire that 

 ran through the woods last fall burned up all their little 

 pockets of hemlock seeds that they had stowed away in 

 every little cranny and hole in stumps and under logs. 

 The "fire burned these all up and the long coutinued deep 

 snow was too much for them. They are wiped out. I 

 am glad, for they were great foragers. Birds' eggs were 

 tidbits they were extremely fond of. A neighbor of 

 mine had a hen that laid eggs under a log a few yards 

 from the house in the edge of the timber and be missed 

 the eggs, so as soon as he heard her cackle he would go 

 and look for the egg, but it would be gone. One day he 

 took his shotgun and watched from a point where he 

 could see the nest. When the hen came off she came 

 scampering up the log and a squirrel came in sight, went 

 to the nest, and began to roll the egg away. My friend 

 watched him till he had rolled it some little distance 

 from the nest and began to make a meal of it. He 

 waited until the squirrel broke the shell and theu the 

 shotgun went off. He missed no more eggs.— C. B. P. 



Dr. Merrill. — We note with pleasure that out 

 correspondent Fred J, H. Merrill, Ph.D. (Columbia), 

 has recently been appointed by the New York State Re- 

 gents to the position of Assistant Geologist for the State 

 of New York, with headquarters at Albany. He will 

 here be associated with Prof. Hall, the veteran State, 1 

 Geologist, whose fifty years of service have been highly 

 appreciated. Dr. Merrill is now in Europe studying the 1 

 National museums at London, Paris, Berlin and else-, 

 where, with a view to introducing their improved sys- 

 tems into New York's museum. Dr. Merrill is the son of; 

 Major H, W. Merrill, late U. S. A., who, graduating at 

 West Point in the class "38, served in the Seminole and 

 Mexican wars under Gen. Taylor and Gen. Scott. He was 

 a captain commanding the mounted body guard (Co. B,.1 

 2d Regt. TJ. S. Dragoons) which escorted Gen. Scott from 

 Tacubayou into the City of Mexico, Sept. 14, 1847. Major- 

 Merrill is well known to our readers as the author of 

 numerous valuable papers contributed to the FOREST and- 

 STREAM. chiefly on rifle trajectory and other shooting 

 topics. He still recalls with pride the conduct of hie( 

 valiant Co. B. in the Mexican campaigns. Co. B is now 

 of the 2d Regiment of cavalry. 



Recent Arrivals at the Philadelphia Zoological Gar- 

 den.— Purchased— One golden agouti (Dasym'octa agnti), one- 

 skunk (Mephitis mephitica), two Mack swans (Cygnus atratus), six- 

 teen common iguanas (Iguana tuber culata), one handed rattle- 

 snake (Grotcdus Itorridusl, one ground rattlesnake (Crotaloptiorus 

 miliwriw), on« pine snake (PUficrphls mdanulcnciw and one green 

 snake (Cyclvpivis vernaUs). Presented— One brown capuein (Gebus, 

 fatuellus), one opossum (Dtdelphys iHrginianm), two red foxes. 

 ((Jams vul'pes fulvvs). one Cooper's hawk (Arcipiter coaperi), three 

 red tailed hawks (Buteo horealis), iwo fish hawts (Pandion halia- 

 etus), two sparrow hawks (Falco qparverius), one screech owl (Scops-, 

 auto), one ham owl (Stria: Hummea amcrivana), two American mag- 1 

 pies {Pica mndata liudsonicn), ore brown pelican (Pelecanus fus- 

 CW8). one Canada «oose (Beraicla canadensis), one night heron (Nye- 

 ticorax griscus ncevius\ three alligators (Alligator mimssippiensis), 

 six crowned horned lizards (Ph/rytlos&fna coronata), two black 

 snakes (Bascanion constrictor), ore hoe-nosed snake (Heterodon 

 platyrhinus), three painted terrapins (Ghrgmnm pi'-.ta) and one 

 spitted terrapin (Chelopux guttatus). Born— One huffalo (Bison 

 americanvs) one Virginia deer (Car-incus virgin innus) and twenty- 

 three banded water snakes (Tropulonotus fasciat'as). 



mi 



" FOREST AND STREAM" GUN TESTS. 



THE following guns have heen tested at the Eorest AND 

 Stream Range, and reported upon in the issues named, 

 Copies of any date will he sent on receipt of price, ten cents; 

 Clabrough 12. May 1, '90. Parker 10. Imaner, Jnne 6, '_ 

 Colt 12. July 25, '89. Parker 12, ham'rless, June 6, '89. 



Colt 10 and 12, Oct. 24, '89. Remington 1<">, Mav 3<>. '89. 

 Focsom 10 and 12, Sept. 2fi. '89. Remington 12, Dec 5, '89, Feb 6,'90 

 Francottl 12, Dec. 12, '89. Remington 10, Dee, 26, '89. 

 Greener 12, Aug. 1, '89. Scott 10, Sept. 5, '89. 



Greener 10. Sept. 12- 1 9, '89. L. C. Smith 12, Oct.. 10, '89. 

 tiOLLis 10, Nov. 7. '89. Whitney Safety 12, M'eh R, '! 



Le fever 12, March 13, '90. Winchester 10 & 13, Oct. 3, \ 



Woodcock in Town, — Brooklyn, Aug. 2.— Editor For- 

 est and Stream: In November of 1889 you published 

 over my signature an account of a woodcock killed with 

 a tennis racket on the grounds of the Brooklyn Athletic 

 Association in this city. On the morning of June 1 one 

 was found in the yard of Mr. F. I. Munson, 180 Willough- 

 by street, corner Fleet street, Brooklyn. It was alive 

 when found but died in a few hours. It was a male bird 

 and in poor condition. As it is not the season for the 

 flight of these birds, it seems somewhat strange for a bird 

 of such retiring habits to be found in such a crowded 

 part of the city. The bird was seen alive by Mr. Zack 

 Green and Mr. N. G. Scollay, and a short time after it 

 died was given to me, Hy, J. Growtage, 



DEER IN ADIRONDACK LAKES. 



IN THE WOODS, Hamilton County, New York.— 

 JL Louis says he has shantied at this lake for seven 

 years, not in this open shanty in winter. This, however, 

 is very comfortable for this time of year, September, 

 although I appreciate just now the roaring fire in front, 

 heavy wool blankets around me and balsam pillows 

 at my back. My wet clothes are hanging up between 

 me and the fire. 



Well, it was like this you see. This was to be an off 

 day with us so we had a late breakfast, and afterward 

 started for exercise and amusement as our fancy dic- 

 tated. I took a boat and rowed out to a large rock, 

 thinking I would land and examine the gulls' nests. 

 When the end of my boat grated on the rock I placed 

 one foot out upon it and although it appeared to be quite 

 solid, it seemed to move away a little distance, and Uav- 

 ing neglected to remove my other foot from the boat I sud- 

 denly sat down in about 4ft. of water. Oh yes, I had 

 plenty of encouragment and advice, especially advice, 

 some of which I have taken; and they (that is the Doctor 

 and the Old Soldier) have gone on their way apparently 

 satisfied, leaving me here at the shanty with Louis. The 

 other guide is at the other side of the lake looking after 

 the jerking of the venison. 



We have been here now fourteen days and in four days 

 more expect to be out 25 miles from here, where they 

 live in houses. Time passes quickly, though it be crowded 

 full with pleasant and stirring events. One can't be idle 

 here; if we can't be having some kind of sport we must 

 be recounting it. 



Our grand sport here is after the deer; and as they 

 come toward one through the water, with big antlers and 

 large red eyes, as the one had that I saw yesterday, it is 

 quite likely to quicken one's circulation I can assure you. 

 Yesterday we had the great chance of the trip and 

 brought in two of the most beautiful deer we ever saw. 



Our hunting grounds here contain four lakes as beauti- 

 fully arranged as one could wish. The Big West, in 

 front of the shanty, over which we see the sun rise in 

 the morning, is about two miles long by three-quarters 

 wide. In the rear of the shanty we take a trail over a 

 steep hill about a mile to Brook Trout Lake. From the 

 east end of the large lake to the south an easy trail of 

 half a mile brings us to the South Lake. These are beau- 

 tiful lakes of deep clear water, with forests of dark 

 spruce and lighter firs, generously interspersed with 

 autumn-colored leaves of maple and other hard wood 

 trees, coming down to the water's edge on every side. 

 From the east end of the large lake to the east about a 

 mile is Mud Lake, which is covered with lily-pads, and 

 over considerable of its surface a boat is pushed with 

 some difficulty. This we reached first on our way in and 

 there we stopped for our first hunt of two hours without 

 success; but we were not without meat, having been 

 given a quarter of venison by a party of good fellows we 

 met on their way out. Our supply was first replenished 

 by a fine little buck, which fell an easy victim to the 

 Doctor's fatal aim in the Big West. W. expected at that 

 time himself to keep us supplied, but greatly to his dis- 

 satisfaction, be it said, that was the last and only deer he 

 brought in, although he shot at several at (as he says) 

 very long range of course. 



The next day a fine little deer was brought in from the 

 South Lake, which the Old Soldier claimed to have sur- 

 rounded. In the third chase I made a record, succeeding 

 after shooting five times, in driving a deer out of Brook 

 Trout Lake. There were some things about this chase I 



