188 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



[SES?T. 1890 



THE HEATH HEN, 



NOTES ON THE HEATH HEN (TYMPANTJCHUS CUPIDO) OP 

 MASSACHUSETTS. 



IT is probably more or less well known to the readers of 

 Forest and Streajh that a grouse, closely allied to 

 the pinnated grouse or prairie hen of the "West, still ex- 

 ists on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. 

 Until recently the Eastern and Western species were sup- 

 posed to be identical, but some apparently good distin- 

 guishing characters have been found;* so that they are 

 now regarded by most ornithologists as distinct. In early 

 oolonial days pinnated grouse, all presumably of the East- 

 ern sp?cies, were found at various points along the New 

 Eugland coast from Boston to Connecticut, as well as on 

 Long Island and in portions of New Jersey, Pennsylvania 

 and Virginia. In some of these localities they lingered 

 until a little less than fifty years ago; but the gun and the 

 snare did their work so thoroughly that the bird3 were at 

 length wholly destroyed excepting on Martha's Vineyard, 

 where, thanks partly to an enlightened public sentiment, 

 partly to protection by law, but chiefly perhaps to the 

 fact that the interior of the island is comparatively inac- 

 cessible and remote from market, the stock has never 

 quite died out and at the present time is by no means at a 

 hopelessly low ebb. 



Of this I obtained good evidence during some two 

 weeks spent on the Vineyard in July, 1890. Having no 

 dog with me, and being obliged to devote most of my 

 time to other things, I did not succeed in finding any of 

 these birds: but by driving around and across the region 

 which they inhabit and questioning such farmers and 

 native sportsmen as were supposed to know the most 

 about them, I acquired some knowledge of their haunts 

 and a good many facts relating to their numbers, habit* 

 and distribution. Information had in this way is not 

 always entirely satisfactory, but in the present case my 

 informants appeared to be intelligent and trustworthy, 

 while their independent statements agreed in the main so 

 well as to inspire me with considerable confidence in the 

 general truth of what they told me. I have accordingly 

 thought it worth while to present this evidence, which is 

 in substance as follows. 



Throughout Martha's Vineyard the heath hen (locally 

 pronounced heth'n, as this grouse is universally called, is 

 well known to almost every one. Even .in such seaport 

 towns as Cottage City and Edgartown most of the people 

 have at least heard of it, and in the thinly-settled interior 

 it is frequently seen in the roads or along the edges of 

 the cover by the farmers, or started in the depths of the 

 woods by the hounds of the rabbit and fox hunters. 



Its range extends over practically the entire wooded 

 portion of the inland, but the bird is not found regularly 

 or at all numerously outside an area of about forty square 

 miles. Tuis area comprises most of the elevated central 

 portions of the island, although it also touches the sea at 

 not a few points on the north and south shores. In places 

 it rolls into great rounded hills and long irregular ridges, 

 over which are scattered stretches of second-growth 

 woods, often miles in extent, and composed chiefly of 

 scarlet, black, white, and post oaks from 15 to 40ft. in 

 height. Here and there, where the valleys spread out 

 broad and level, are fields which were cleared by the 

 early settlers more than a hundred years ago, and which 

 still retain suffioipnt fertility to yield very good crop3 of 

 English hay, corn, potatoes and other vegetables. Again 

 this undulating surface gives way to wide, level, sandy 

 plains, covered with a growth of bear, chincapin and post 

 oak scrub from knee to waist high, so stiff and matted as 

 to be almost impenetrable; or to rocky pastures, dotted 

 with thickets of sweet fern, bay berry, huckleberry, dwarf 

 sumac and other low-growing shrubs. Clear, rapid trout 

 books wind their way to the sea through open meadows 

 or long narrow swamps wooded with red maples, black 

 alders, high huckleberry bushes, andromeda and poison 

 dogwood, and overrun with tangled skeins of green briers. 



At all seasons the heath hens live almost exclusively in 

 the oak woods, where the acorns furnish them abund- 

 ant food, although, like our ruffed grouse, they occa- 

 sionally at early morning and just after sunset ven- 

 ture out a little way in the open to pick up scattered grains 

 of corn or to pluck a few clover leaves, of which they 

 are extremely fond. They also wander to some extent 

 over the scrub oak plains, especially when blueberries are 

 ripe and abundant. In winter, during long continued 

 snows, they sometimes approach buildings, to feed upon 

 the grain which the farmers throw out to them. A man 

 living near West Tisbury told me that last winter a flock 

 visited his barn at about the same hour each day. One 

 cold, snowy morning he counted sixteen perched in a row 

 on the top rail of a fence near the barnyard. It is un- 

 usual to see so many together now, the number in a covey 

 rarely exceeding six or eight, but in former times packs 

 containing from one to two hundred birds each were 

 occasionally met with late in autumn. 



Only one person of the many whom I questioned on 

 the subject had ever seen a heath hen's nest. It was 

 in oak woods among sprouts at the base of a large stump, 

 and contained either twelve c thirteen eggs. The date, 

 he thought, was about June 10. This seemed late, but I 

 have a set of six eggs taken on the Vineyard July 24, 

 1885, and on July 19, 1890. I met a blueberry picker who 

 only the day before had started a brood of six young less 

 than half grown. These facts prove that this bird is 

 habitually a late breeder. 



The farmers about Tisbury say that in spring the male 

 heath hen makes a booming or tooting noise. This, ac- 

 cording to their descriptions, must resemble the love 

 notes of the Western pinnated grouse. About sunrise on 

 warm still mornings in May, several birds may be some- 

 times heard at once, apparently answering one another. 



There is a belief, current on the Vineyard as well as 

 elsewhere in Massachusetts, that at one time many years 

 ago the primitive stock of heath hens ran so low that 

 Western grouse were imported and liberated to bring it 

 up again. At both Cottage City and West Tisbury I was 

 assured of the truth of this report, and some of my in- 

 formants went so far as to declare that the native birds 

 were utterly destroyed by the severe winter of 1858-59, 

 and that the present stock is wholly of Western origin! 

 One Dr. Ezra Fisher, of Edgartown, was generally 

 credited with having obtained the fresh birds— from 

 Illinois, it was said. Upon visiting Edgartown I 

 found that Dr. Fisher was no longer living; but one of his 

 sons, Mr. David Fisher, assured me that the only f ounda- 



* See the Auk, Vol. II., Xo. 1, January, 1885, pp. 80-84. 



tlon for the story was the fact that his father, in the spring 

 of 1859, imported and liberated a number of quail and 

 ruffed grouse. The native quail had been practically ex- 

 terminated by the rigor of the preceding winter. The 

 ruffed grouse, so far as he knew, had never before existed 

 on the island. The heath hens had always been there — 

 as far back as memory or tradition went— and to the best 

 of his knowledge and belief the native stock had never 

 received any infusion whatever of foreign blood. 



Another report which has been rather widely circulated 

 and generally believed, is that foxes and raccoons, which 

 were brought to the Vineyard not long since, have multi- 

 plied to an alarming extent, and are rapidly exterminating 

 the heath hens. This story, like the first, has some 

 foundation of fact, but, according to the best evidence I 

 could obtain, it iB largely untrue. Foxes and raccoons 

 were introduced— for purpose of sport — about eight years 

 ago. The former qiiickly spread over the entire island 

 and become abundant everywhere, killing many young 

 black ducks and carrying dismay among the farmers by 

 their destructive raids on poultry. But neither they nor 

 the raccoons — which are not as yet very numerous or 

 widely dispersed — seem to have had any'direct effect in 

 reducing the numbers of the heath hens. There was in- 

 deed a marked diminution of the birds for three or four 

 years after the foxes came, but during the last three or 

 four years they have steadily increased, despite a still 

 greater increase in the foxes. 



Nearly every one agreed that they had been unusually 

 abundant during the past winter and spring. Mr. Fisher 

 had seen more than in any previous season for five or six 

 years. He believes that if they were protected from the 

 gunners they would continue to increase in spite of the 

 foxes and raccoons. Indeed, he doubts if many of them 

 have been killed at any time by either foxes or raccoons; 

 for long before these were introduced the number of heath 

 hens fluctuated widely in different seasons. Once, many 

 years ago, they became so scarce that none were seen or 

 heard of during an entire winter, and it was supposed 

 that the race had completely perished. At the time it 

 was believed that for some unknown reason they had not 

 bred, or at least had not succeeded in rearing any young 

 for Beveral successive summers; but this theory, however 

 probable, appears to have been pure speculation. 



During my stay on Martha's Vineyard I obtained d$ 

 many estimates as possible of the number of heath hens 

 which are believed to exist there at the present time. 

 My most trustworthy informants were creditably averse 

 to what was apparently mere idle guessine; but when I 

 questioned them, first as to the extent of the region over 

 which the birds ranged, and next as to how many on the 

 average could be found in a square mile within this 

 region, they answered readily enough and even with 

 some positiveness. As already stated, the total present 

 range of the heath hen covers about forty square miles. 

 The estimates of the average number of birds per mile 

 varied from three to five, thus giving from 120 to 200 

 birds for the total number. These estimate*, it should be 

 stated, relate to the number of birds believed to have been 

 left over from last winter. If these breed freely and at 

 all successfully there should be a total of fully. 500 young 

 and old together at the beginning of the present autumn. 

 When one considers the limited area to which these birds 

 are confined, it is evident that within this area they must 

 be reasonably abundant. I was assured that with the aid 

 of a good dog it was not at all difficult to start twenty- 

 five or thirty in a day. and on one occasion eight were 

 killed by two guns. This, however, can be done only by 

 those familiar with the country and the habits of the 

 birds. 



To sportsmen who in the W r est have bagged their fifty 

 or one hundred pinnated grouse in a single day's shoot- 

 ing, such figures must seem insignificant, Thev are in- 

 deed sufficiently small to warrant grave solicitude for 

 the continuance of this interesting remnant of a once 

 widespread race, as well as the most strenuous efforts for 

 its protection and encouragement. There is no need of 

 further legislation, for the present law prohibits killing 

 the birds at any season; but while it is enforced against 

 non-residents— or would be if any such ventured openly 

 to disregard it — the resident sportsmen, shielded and to 

 some extent encouraged by public opinion, shoot a good 

 many birds each year with perfect impunity. To some 

 extent they hunt them openly and systematically with 

 trained setters, of which several are owned on the island, 

 but the greater number are shot more or less incidentally 

 by fox or rabbit hunters. These men often pick up a 

 bird or two while driving to and from their hunting 

 grounds, for the heath hens resort much to the wood 

 roads to dust or bask in the sun, and become so accus- 

 tomed to passing carriages that as the horse nears them 

 they merely run out to one side for a few yards, and 

 either stand motionless or squat among the leaves. The 

 foxhounds also frequently flush a covey of birds, which 

 are almost sure to be shot at if any pass within reach of 

 the guns. The total number killed in any one year is 

 probably not large, but it is said often to equal the total 

 annual increase. 



The farmers and even some of the sportsmen of the 

 better class expressed themselves to me as thoroughly op- 

 posed to this illicit slaughter and in favor of an impartial 

 execution of the law. It is doubtful if they could be 

 relied upon to furnish evidence against offenders among 

 their own people, but they would certainly throw no ob- 

 stacles in the way of an officer who with the requisite 

 amount of energy combined sufficient tact and prudence 

 to deal his blows where they would do the moBt good and 

 cause the least local resentment. Doubtless much could 

 be done, also, by feeding the buds during severe winters, 

 a task which many of the farmers would gladly under- 

 take for a trifling remuneration. When, by this and 

 similar means, the heath hens had become sufficiently 

 increased, a brief open season might be permitted. In 

 time, moreover, the birds might be trapped to serve for 

 stocking: the extensive oak forests of Cape Cod, which are 

 so nearly identical with those of Martha's Vineyard that 

 they could scarcely fail to supply all the conditions which 

 the heath hens require. 



Such a plan is so simple, so obviously practicable, and 

 so certain to result in lasting benefit to a large number of 

 people, that one cannot help wondering why it has not 

 been long since adopted. Of course its execution would 

 entail some expense. But if the Massachusetts Fish and 

 Game Protective Association, within whose province it 

 clearly lies, would but devote to it some of the money 

 which they obtain so easily for the introduction of exotic 

 game, it could be speedily accomplished. Surely these 



heath hens, indigenous to the oak woods of Martha's Vine- 

 yard and once found along much of the Massachusetts 

 coast as far north as Boston, afford more promising sub- 

 jects for experiment than do the sharp-tailed grouse or 

 any of the plumed quail of our Western States. 



William Brewsteb. 



COLLECTING ON THE SEAL ISLANDS. 



MR. HENRY W. ELLIOTT, United States Treasurv 

 Agent at the Fur Seal Islands in Behring Sea, ha*s 

 just returned to his home in the East after an absence of 

 several months at his post of duty. Mr. Elliott will im- 

 mediately begin the preparation of his report on the con- 

 dition and prospects of the fur seal fishery. Mr. William 

 Palmer, of the National Museum, Washington, D. O, has 

 also returned from a summer's collecting with Mr. Elliott, 

 and he is very enthusiastic about the strange sights of the 

 far away Territory and the splendid opportunity for mak- 

 ing natural history observations and collections. Mr. 

 Palmer has secured a very valuable series of skins of 

 birds and mammals living on the island of St. Paul. 

 Among the birds there is one that has never before been 

 recorded from American territory; it is a species of 

 cuckoo native to the Asiatic continent, and will prove a 

 treasure in the national collection, as it was a great source 

 of gratification to Mr. Palmer and a fine reward for his 

 arduous toil in securing it. To begin with, the bird was 

 found near a seal rookery, and shooting with an ordinary 

 gun was strictly forbidden. This rookery was at the 

 extreme northeast point of the island, and the collector's 

 cane gun was at the other end, about 15 miles away. 

 Those of our readers who have visted southern Alaska 

 can form an idea of the toil involved in a walk of 30 

 miles over the rough and yielding surface Of St. Paul 

 Island; but Mr. Palmer was determined to have the new 

 bird if persistent effort could win it, and he actually 

 made the journey, returned to the locality frequented by 

 the cuckoo and after a great many tantilizing failures 

 secured the prize and was happy. 



Foxes were so tame at the time of his visit that they 

 often circled about him out of sheer curiosity, barking 

 defiance at a distance of only a few feet. One very fine 

 example, quite unlike anything seen by the natives 

 before, and probably a cross between the blue and the 

 white fox, is among the rarities of his collection. This 

 fox was killed after a most exciting experience. Mr. 

 Palmer began firing at him, with his cane gun, at a dis- 

 tance of 50yds.; but could not bring the bullet and the 

 animal into the desired conjunction, and the fox was very 

 much interested in the whizz of the ball. Whenever a 

 bullet came near enough he would bark furiously and run 

 around in a circle seeking to discover the cause of the 

 strange noise, the gunner being entirely concealed behind 

 some tall grass on one of the sand dunes. Gradually the 

 fox drew nearer to the unseen hunter, and everything 

 seemed to point to a speedy and successful termination of 

 the hunt, but unluckily in trying to remove a tight shell 

 Mr. Palmer pulled off the head, leaving the cylinder in 

 the breech : then began a lively struggle to extract the 

 shell in a hurry. The excitement was so intense, how- 

 ever, that the fox approached almost within arm's 

 length before the obstruction was gotten rid of and a new 

 cartridge inserted; then while the fox was chattering 

 away most earnestly, Mr, Palmer, not wishing to spoil the 

 skull, took aim behind the foreleg; but the bullet, ranging 

 a little too far ahead , crashed through the legs without 

 killing the animal, which struggled off behind a sand 

 dune and was apparently lost beyond recovery. The col- 

 lector, however, circled around in a direction opposite to 

 that taken by the fox, and unexpectedly came upon him 

 at very short range, and this time sent a bullet squarely 

 into one of his eyes and ended the singular chase. Young 

 foxes were frequently seen, but were difficult to kill before 

 escaping into their burrows. 



Mr. Palmer's method of collecting cormorants was 

 somewhat unique. The peculiarities of their nesting are 

 such that he found no difficulty in creeping unseen near 

 enough to the nest to reach over with his hand and 

 catch young birds fully grown, and in some cases old 

 birds, with the hands alone. Fresh eggs of these birds 

 were found as late as Aug. 7. 



About a dozen kinds of fishes were obtained on the 

 island, mostly marine, but a few of them in the fresh 

 waters. 



With a small camera several hundred photographs of 

 fur seal, foxes, flying birds, and various other objects of 

 interest were made. Altogether Mr. Palmer regards this 

 as one of the most interesting and fruitful of his experi- 

 ences in the field. 



^Hg mid 



A SOUTHERN TEXAS GAME COUNTRY 



[.Concluded from Page VS.] 



NEXT morning Pedro's endearing epithets to his quad- 

 rupeds, delivered with Parisian volubility, roused us 

 from our slumbers, and after a hearty breakfast we made 

 an early start. A sharp drive of two hours brought us to 

 Rio Havanna. a small settlement of about twenty huts, 

 with one white inhabitant, who officiated as postmaster 

 and school teacher. We strolled through the place while 

 our driver took his team to a well to be watered. I asked 

 the teacher's permission to take a look at his scholars; he 

 smilingly assented. I counted in the schoolroom twenty- 

 two pupils, both sexes, from ten to about fifteen years old, 

 clean and in neat light attire, very respectful to their 

 teacher, who told me that, although they were half sav- 

 ages, it was a pleasure to teach them. From what I 

 heard, the Mexican language was used in school. Our 

 conveyance being brought around, we were off again, and 

 after a drive of about three hours, passing two more 

 smaller settlements, we left the main road and turned to 

 our right, bringing up at a large lagoon surrounded by 

 heavy live oak timber, where we went into camp. 



While unharnessing, Pedro gave me a knowing wink, 

 and pointing to a fine stretch of open live oak, told me 

 confidentially that I would find turkeys and chachalackas 

 in great numbers there; the timber in question grew on 

 an island formed by the Rio Grande River, the lagoon 

 and some flooded fields. After our routine work about 

 camp we made for the island. As a precaution we had 

 gotten into our waders and taken an ample quantity of 

 ammunition, both duck and buckshot. The lagoon oppo= 

 site the camp was about 100yds. wide. and. -about 6ft» 



