64 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 13, 1891. 



SOME INTERESTING PETS. 



FOUR years ago last September I found and brought 

 home four young flying squirrels. Casualties over- 

 took two of them, leaving a paii- which were given the 

 liberty of the kitchen. They grew very fast, and became 

 very tame and playful, but were withal very timid, the 

 least unusual noise causing them to run for a hiding place, 

 and making them very nervous. They were provided 

 with a box to sleep in and showed their instinct by storing 

 it full of nuts, but liked best to sleep in the pockets of any 

 clothing within their reach. During the day they kept 

 closely hidden, but in the evening were very active and 

 delighted in jumping from shoulder to shoulder of those 

 at the supper table, stopping now and then to taste the 

 dainties oifered them. After supj)er the squirrels would 

 accompany the family to the sitting room where they 

 would immediately climb to the highest accessible point 

 and begin to jump, not stopping their romp until we 

 retired. 



After our little squirrels were grown I captured another, 

 also full grown, and took it home to them, but for a time 

 they would have nothing to do with the stranger. They 

 moved their entire store of nuts to a new hiding place 

 and stayed on the opposite side of the room from the in- 

 truder, not allowing him to come near their nest. After 

 a time, however, they overcame their jealousy of the 

 little stranger and made friends with him, their friend- 

 ship being interrupted very soon by the escape of the 

 wild squirrel through a door, left ojien by accident. 



The female died when two years old. They had never 

 bred. After this, for a long time, the male seemed very 

 lonesome, then became more sociable than ever and has 

 become quite domestic. He is fond of music and when 

 some one plays the kind of music he likes he will sit and 

 listen very attentively. He has no inclination to escape 

 from captivity, but on the contrary, if he does get out by 

 mistake, he immediately returns and seems glad to be at 

 home again. 



In the winter, when the fires are built, our little pet 

 comes out to hunt up his friends; entering when he finds 

 the doors open and going to each bed to see if we are 

 awake. 



Our squirrel is as intelligent as any dog and manifests 

 great affection for all the family, especially my father, 

 whom he trusts implicitly, and with whom he will play 

 much after the manner of a kitten. This squirrel is so 

 small that you can close your hand around him and hold 

 him quite easily, and he seems more like a bird than a mam- 

 mal, yet he can make us understand almost anything he 

 wants. He is neat and cleanly, seldom gets into mischief, 

 and does not make any trouble except by filling things 

 full of nuts. 



We often wonder how long our pet will live and shall 

 all be sorry when we have to part with him, as he is the 

 most affectionate and entertaining pet we have had. 



F. B. 



Ottawa, Kansas. 



When L. I. Flower propounded his query regarding the 

 porcupine. I was not sure that he would receive an 

 answer so agreeable to me, as that given by Edward Jack 

 in yom- issue of Jan. 28. Last fall while on a hunting 

 trip to Maine, I had an opportunity to observe much of 

 the porcupine. Our camp was located in an oak growth 

 on the side of a hill. We found that these creatures. were 

 very plenty; and as I had been strongly urged by an 

 Indian guide, who was with me in the fall of '88, to cook 

 the first one I should get, we soon had "venison" in camp. 

 Our whole party were much pleased with the feast, which 

 we made of a couple of them. As we did not care to do 

 much shooting near camp, we set some traps for them in 

 a ledge close by. The second night we made our first 

 catch, and it proved to be a white female porcupine of 

 large size. She looked so pretty and harmless with her 

 pink nose and eyes that we kept her alive in an old box 

 and took her out of the woods when we left. She is per- 

 fectly white with pink eyes, nose and skin. I left her at 

 my old home in Maine, where she now is. My mother 

 formed quite an attachment to this strange pet, and the 

 feeling seems to be returned. The porcupine is always 

 glad to see its mistress and shows its pleasure by a peculiar 

 squealing noise. It will take food from the hand and is 

 so tame that when let out of its box, it begins to look for 

 food instead of trying to escape. As the dogs in my 

 neighborhood seem to be of an inquisitive disposition, I 

 have been talking of bringing Mrs. Porcupine up here to 

 meet them. If I do I have no doubt they will be "very 

 surprised to meet her." The Drummer. 

 MAiiDEN, Mass. 



A SYSTEM OF SPARROW DESTRUCTION 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Nearly every one now agrees that the English sparrow 

 is an unmitigated nuisance, and various, yet inefl:ectual, 

 are the methods so far proposed for his abatement, his 

 entire extermination being seemingly out of the question. 

 Two gTave objections lie against any plan so far proposed, 

 one being the destruction of some of our native birds 

 resembling the sparrow along with him, and the other is 

 the expensiveness of any efficient method of destruction. 



Allow me to suggest a plan that to me seems thoroughly 

 feasible. It is to try and induce the Northern and 

 Western States to pay a small bonus on sparrows 

 destroyed between Nov. 1 and March 15 only. This, as 

 all will easily see, would effectually protect 'our native 

 birds, which are during these months all safe down in 

 "Dixie." The sparrows at this time are much easier 

 decoyed and can be much more cheaply killed than dur- 

 ing the summer, for the reason that their food is now 

 scarce, and also through their habit of packing in large 

 flocks. The spreading of seeds now easily decoys them, 

 when large numbers can be killed by each discharge of 

 the gun or they could be trapped in a fine meshed net. 

 But the most effectual way to destroy them in my opinion 

 would be by the use of poisoned seeds. Now, I have no 

 doubt that there are poisons whose effects the early spring 

 rains would entirely dissipate and render innocuous to 

 our native birds (when they return from the sunny South) 

 any stray seeds that might escape the sparrows. 



As the preparation of the seed by poison should be 

 carried on with the greatest care and under proper super- 

 vision, the other part of my plan would be for the State 

 Agricultural Departments to prepare the seed and dis- 

 tribute it at cost at the jjroper time of year. The seeds 

 could be obtained very cheaply and in any quantity from 

 the flouring mills, using, of course, the refused seeds left 

 by the cleaning of grain, which seeds being largely of 



weeds, should be so treated as to destroy their vitality. 

 If there should be those who would object to the spread- 

 ing of the poisoned seeds upon the ground, a low, light 

 platform of cheap boards might be made on which to 

 spread the seeds, and any remaining next spring could 

 tlien be swept up and burned. 



If you think well of the idea will you not ti-y to induce 

 some of the experimental stations to take the matter up 

 this winter, trying different poisons and modes of prepar- 

 ing the seeds at the different stations, watching carefully 

 all their effects, pwticularly next spring upon our native 

 birds, and then send in reports of the same next summer, 

 on which there would of course be free discussion, the 

 object being to decide upon the least objectionable 

 poison and best method of preparing it, with the avowed 

 intention of waking up the whole country to enter upon 

 a general and active campaign against these little ma- 

 rauders next fall and winter. Geo. O. Goodhue. 



Danville, P. 



NATURE IN CENTRAL PARK. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Though living in town, we have not lost our love for 

 the woods and meres and meadows, Tom and I, and when 

 we have not the time to go further afield, take occasional 

 rambles in the annexed district, or even in Central Park, 

 and enjoy them too. Tom may object that the park is 

 only a romping ground for the town crowd that goes 

 there and becomes offensively numerous, but possi- 

 bly Tom has a selfish vein in his otherwise genial make 

 up, and thinks that because the crowd cannot distinguish 

 between the differing beauties of the Scotch and Anieri- 

 can pine, it should not intrude where they grow. We 

 have discovered, though, that there is a time to wander 

 in the park when you will meet but few kindred souls. 

 In the morning hours, especially of a frosty day, the 

 crowd is absent, and the rustling trees speak to us only, 

 and it seems almost as if they were saying that they also 

 liked it best without the throng. But we must not let 

 selfishness control us, and deep down in our hearts we are 

 glad that this pleasure ground affords joy to so many. 



It is in quite another direction that we want to grumble. 

 It is gradually becoming apparent that a constantly in- 

 creasing number of cats are making their home up there. 

 At this time of the year their principal game is probably 

 the ever present English sparrow, for whom few of us 

 have sympathy, but during the summer months, when 

 the song birds are here, no doubt many of them become 

 martyrs to puss's inclination for outdoor "sport," and it 

 would seem that much more good than harm would result 

 if the police were instructed to take away puss's life with 

 a leaden pellet whenever he is found within the bounda- 

 ries of the park. 



I believe the cat does not molest gray squirrels. I have 

 seen instances which showed unmistakably that he feared 

 them, and altogether the New York squirrel is a bold 

 chap. Apparently he has everything his own way and 

 fears nothing. If he meets you in his path he will, out of 

 courtesy, go up a convenient tree to let you pass. Per- 

 haps you stop. to watch him and he becomes impatient. 

 You notice that the tree is a small one and stands alone, 

 so that he cannot pass on without coming down, and he 

 has important business on the other side of that hillock. 

 Mischief inspires you, which you interpret as a desire to 

 study nature and you step up to the tree and encircle it 

 with your arm to prevent him coming down until you 

 wish it. But you have barely assumed your position when 

 the squirrel lands on the turf, and you wonder how he got 

 there, while he scampers off, stojaping now and then to 

 turn around and laugh at you. C. H. M. Rose. 



69 Wall Street, N. Y., Jan. 19. 



LIFE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MOUN- 

 TAIN REGION. 



AN extremely valuable contribution to our knowledge 

 of the life of this continent and of some of the laws 

 which govern it is the one before us. It is a publication 

 of the Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy of the 

 Department of Agriculture, and is entitled No. 3 of the 

 American Fauna Series. Although paper bound and con- 

 taining only 135 pages, it has thirteen plates and five 

 maps, and abounds in iniorniation. 



It announces the results of a biological survey of the 

 San Francisco Mountain region and the desert of the 

 Little Colorado, Arizona, and is divided into five chap- 

 ters, of which the first four are by Dr. C. Hart Merriam 

 and the fifth by Dr. Leonhard Stejneger. These chapters 

 give (1) the general results of this smwey with special ref- 

 erence to the geographical and vertical distribution of 

 species, (3) the results of a visit to the Grand Canon of the 

 Colorado, (3) list of mammals, with descriptions of new 

 species, (4) list of birds and (5) a list of reptiles and batra- 

 chians, with descriptions of new species. The last three 

 papers are quite fuUy annotated. 



The expedition of which Dr. Merriam gives us the re- 

 sults in this paper was in the field from the last of July to 

 the middle of September, 1887. The area of country care- 

 fully surveyed comprises about 5,000 square miles, and 

 the additional territoiy roughly examined was enough to 

 make in all 80,000 square miles. Most of this region is an 

 arid plateau, from 4,000 to 5,000ft. above the sea level, and 

 in the midst of this desert rises San Francisco Mountain, 

 whose volcanic peak towers to an elevation of nearly 

 13,000ft. This region was chosen by Dr. Merriam for its 

 shai'p contrasts; this high mountain standing by itself so 

 far to the south, and in the midst of a dry desert, offering 

 conditions peculiarly favorable for the observation of dif- 

 ferent forms of life. No less than twenty new species 

 and subspecies of mammals were discovered, and besides 

 these many reptiles and plants hitherto unknown, and 

 from the study of the distribution of the fauna and the 

 floi'a Dr. Merriam had drawn the following generaliza- 

 tions, which he announces as the most important results 

 of his explorations: 



(1) The discovery that there are but two primary life 

 areas in North America, a northern (boreal) and a south- 

 ern (subtropical), both extending completely across the 

 continent and sending off long interpenetrating arms. 

 (2) The consequent abandonment of the three life areas 

 commonly accepted by naturalists, namely, the Eastern, 

 Central and Western Provinces. 



(3) The recognition of seven minor zones in the San 

 Francisco Mountain region, four of boreal origin and three 

 of subtropical or mixed origin. 



(4) The correlation of the fom* boreal zones witii oorre- 

 Bponding zones in the North and East. 



The seven life zones of the region under consideration 

 are named by Dr. Merriam the Alpine, above 11,500ft.; 

 the Sub-Alpine or Timberline Zone, 10.500-ll,500ft.: the 

 Hudsonian or Spruce Zone, 9,200-10,500ft.; the Canadian 

 or Balsam Fir Zone, 8,200-9.200ft.; the Neutral or Pine 

 Zone, 7,000-8,200ft.; the Pifion Zone, 6,000-7,000ft, , and 

 the Desert Area, 4,000-6, 000ft,- These various zones are 

 identified by the forms of life found in them, and the 

 results of the exploration are highly interesting. 



On the summit of San Francisco Mountain, and so in 

 the Alpine Zone, were found nine species of plants 

 brought back from Lady Franklin Bay in the Arctic by 

 Gen. Greeley. One or more of these species is found at 

 the following localities: Points iii Alaska. Melville Island, 

 Backs Great Fish Kiver, Labrador, Baflins Bay, Green- 

 land, Iceland, Spitzbergen, White Mountains of New 

 Hampshire, etc., etc. Most of the plants are cncumpolar 

 species. Many of the plants of the Timberline Zone are 

 also circumpolar species, found throughout the northern 

 regions of North America. The Balsam Fir Zone is char- 

 acterized by the presence of the giant Douglas fir and of 

 the Rocky Mountain pine, whose range extends north to 

 the Kootenai and Calgary country in Canada. Other ex- 

 amples might be given, but these are enough. On the 

 desert plateau, on the other hand, are found forms of life 

 which extend far down into Mexico. 



The thirteen plates are devoted to diagrams of the 

 mountain and to figures of the teeth and skulls of some of 

 the new mammals discovered in it. The five colored maps 

 will well repay the study of the biologist in whatever 

 field he may be working. 



It is impossible to consider in this space the interesting 

 points brotight up on almost every j)age of this report. It 

 tells of i mportant work well done, as is, of couse, understood 

 when speaking of anything undertaken by Dr. Merriam. 



Winter Rail —Binghamton, N. Y., Feb. 9.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: The article "An Unseasonable Rail" 

 atti-acted my attention, as I saw a king rail that was shot 

 on the ice in the river at Greene, Chenango county, about 

 the middle of January. During the same month seven 

 fine specimens of snowy owls were shot in this vicinity 

 and brought to this city to be mounted. An old gentle- 

 man told me that he saw two near Middleburg, Schoharie 

 county; one of them, a very large one, was shot, and sold 

 for I4.--W. A. H. [The "term king rail is applied to 

 several species of the family Rallidai. Can our corres- 

 pondent tell us what species this bird was?] 



\^me §dg mid §utf. 



The pull texts of the game laws of all the States, Terri- 

 tories and British Provinces are given in the Book ol ths 

 Game Lmvs. 



THE NEW YORK GAME LAW. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



In examining the draft of the new game law submitted 

 to the New York Legisla.ture this winter and published 

 in yom- issue of Feb. 5, 1 find a section that may meet 

 the disapproval of canoe and small boat cruisers as well 

 perhaps from sportsmen who shoot over decoys. 



Sec. 71 of Art. IV. of Chap. SI reads as follows, accord- 

 ing to the text of your printed copy: "Manner of Kill- 

 ing— Web-footed wildfowl shall not be x>ur&ued, shot at, 

 hunted, killed or caught in any way save with gun raised 

 at arm's length and fired from the shoulder without 

 other rest; nor from any boat or floating device except as 



Erovided by Section 162; nor by the use of any bough 

 ouse at a greater distance than 50ft. from either the 

 shore or a natural growth of grass or flags. Such fowls 

 caught or killed in any manner prohibited by this section 

 shall not be brought to the shore, sold or possessed." 



My first objection to lay before your notice is the pro- 

 hibition of shooting from any boat. Under the old law 

 the restrictions that applied to sailing and steam vessels 

 was a fair measure, but to encroach upon the domains of 

 the canoeist and small rowboat, where not dressed up as 

 a bhnd, which would make it simply a floating de\ ice, is 

 to unjustly discriminate against tlie autumn cruiser who 

 shoots for food and in favor of the decoy shooter who 

 slaughters mainly for sport or market. No adequate 

 protection is thereby afforded, but an error committed. 



Considerable cruising on inland waters is done during 

 the open season for game, and for one I protest against 

 being forbidden to supply the camp menu with an oc- 

 casional web-foot that I would like to shoot while voyag- 

 ing in my little craft. Again, will not a construction of 

 this section No. 71 forbid the use of a boat or a retriever 

 for the pursuit of cripples shot over decoys? Up here on 

 Cayuga Lake, we frequently have a few broken wings to 

 look after while shooting from the blind or bough bouse, 

 and as the water attains considerable depth, we are 

 obliged to go after the cripples in a boat for a finishing- 

 shot or send a dog for the more seriously wounded that 

 can not swim rapidly out into the broad waters of the 

 lake. But this section says that if the fowl are "caught 

 or killed" in any manner therein prohibited that they 

 must not be "brought to the shore, sold or possessed." 

 Therefore sportsmen who have humane feelings must 

 catch and kill their cripples in a boat and then sink them 

 to the bottom of the lake, or having pursued and shot 

 them under these conditions they may leave the dead 

 fowl out on the water, which to say the least is han-ow- 

 ing to one's feelings. Piut even this humane act is pro- 

 hibited. The section permits you to wound them from 

 your bough house and requires you to let the wounded 

 swim out beyond range and die a lingering death. This 

 is no fancy image, for statutes are to be strictly construed 

 and although a kind-hearted or fair-minded magistrate, 

 would be inclined to a liberal construction, a technical 

 game warden would h-ave an excuse for making some 

 innocent sportsman a great deal of trouble and expense. 



Another objection to this section as it is at present 

 worded may perhaps be viewed more in the light of criti- 

 cism on the" niceties of the art of shooting whicli the com- 

 mission on codification endeavors to teach , This refers 

 to the j)rohibiting of the use of a gun fired from a rest. 

 Now, there are some duck shooters v.-ho can-y a small 

 caliber rifle with them even into a bough house who 

 desire to take a pot shot at some solitary and shy outlying 

 duck, and while he may consider himself masterful as a 

 wing shot with No. 6's at a swift flyer, still he does not 

 care to take any chance with a single bullet, and there- 



