Pun. 25, 1892.] 



only where such are wanting will they resort to cliffs or 

 to shelves found occasionally on the river bluffs. They 

 are far more abundant along the seashore than in the in- 

 terior, but they are by no means uncommon in suitable 

 localities on the larger inland lakes. 



At the Klamath Lakes they are especially numerous, 

 and I have repeatedly seen a dozen within a distance of 

 three miles. Some of our earlier writers speak in rather 

 uncomplimentary terms of our national bird, stigmatiz- 

 ing it as a robber and tyrant, and as feeding principally 

 on fish, stolen from the osprey, and on carrion. This is 

 not strietly true. According to my observations the bald 

 eagle lives to a great extent at least on prey captured by 

 its own exertions, principally on wounded water fowl. 

 When engaged in the chase of a flock of geese, brant, 

 ducks, or other water birds, on which it subsists almost 

 entirely when such are procurable, it is by no means the 

 sluggish, lazy bird some writers would have in believe, 

 but the peer in swiftness, dash and grace of any of our 

 Baptores. 



While it undoubtedly has occasionally to resort to an 

 exclusive fish diet, some of which is captured from the 

 osprey, this habit is by no means universal, and carrion, 

 in my opinion, is only used when other kinds of food are 

 not available. 



On May 1, 1886, Mr. S. B. Ladd found a nest of the bald 

 eagle containing young in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- 

 vania. The ground directly under it was covered with 

 numbers of land terrapin in various stages of decay. 

 These reptiles had evidently been carried to the young 

 eaglets to feed on, were found unmanageable, and pushed 

 out of the nest; probably but little other food was to be 

 procured at the time. 



Sometimes also, when apparently fishing, the bald eagle 

 is after a different sort of game, as the following incident 

 will show. Mr. W. W. Worthington writes me from 

 Darien, Ga. : ''The other day I noticed a bald eagle hover- 

 ing over the sound, much the same as the fish hawk does 

 when about to strike a fish. Suddenly he plunged down 

 and grappled with what I supposed to be a large fish, but 

 was unable to raise it from the water, and after strag- 

 gling awhile he lay with wings extended and apparently 

 exhausted . After resting a minute or two he again raised 

 himself out of the water and I saw he had some large 

 black object in the grasp of one of his talons, which he 

 succeeded in towing along the top of the water toward 

 the shore, a short distance, and then letting go his hold. 

 He was then joined by two other eagles, and by taking 

 turns they soon succeeded in getting it to the shore. In- 

 vestigation proved it to be a large Florida cormorant, on 

 which they were about to regale themselves." 



Nidification begins early. In Florida and other parts of 

 the Gulf Coast eggs are sometimes deposited in the early 

 part of November, but generally from the 1st to the 15th 

 of December. In the Middle States they nest occasionally 

 in the beginning of February, Mr. Thomas H, Jackson 

 taking a full set of eggs in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- 

 vania, on Feb. 11. Usually they do not commence to lay 

 till March, and correspondingly later as they advance 

 northward. 



On the Pacific coast in California they nest about the 

 middle of February ; in Oregon and Washington about 

 April 1 ; in Alaska about the middle of the month, and 

 in the interior, in the Arctic regions as late as the latter 

 part of May, and occasionally even in June. 



As already stated, trees seem to be preferred for nest- 

 ing sites, and large pines are oftener made use of for this 

 purpose than other kinds. In certain portions of Florida 

 they resort to a considerable extent to the mangroves, 

 to live oaks, and in the West I have seen them nest in 

 huge cottonwood trees. 



The height from the ground varies considerably also, 

 the extremes being probably from 20 to 100ft. Cliff and 

 bluff sites are generally used when no suitable trees are 

 to be found in the vicinity, and nests on the ground must 

 be considered as unusual locations and of very rare oc- 

 currence. 



Incubation lasts about a month and both sexes take 

 part in this duty. The usual number of eggs laid by this 

 species is two, rarely less, and very seldom three; they 

 are laid at intervals of three or four days. One of them 

 is always somewhat larger than the other and occasionally 

 this difference in size is quite marked. But a single brood 

 is raised in a season. Tne young at the end of the first 

 year are considerably larger than the parents, and were 

 for sometime considered as a distinct species, and named 

 by Audubon Halwtm imsliingtoidi— the bird of Wash- 

 ington. In this plumage they are dark brown throughout, 

 mixed with dull fulvous; they do not attain the adult 

 plumage until the third year. 



The nests vary greatly in size, and are usually almost 

 flat on top. Some are fairly well lined with dry grasses 

 or seaweed. The eggs are pure white in color, but 

 frequently nest-stained; in very rare instances slight 

 traces of markings are observable of a pale buffy brown, 

 and in the handsome series of eggs of the bald eagle in 

 Br. Ralph's collection are two such specimens. The shell 

 is strong, granulated, and without any luster. The shape 

 varies from a rounded ovate to an ovate, the former pre- 

 dominating. Eggs from the more northern breeding 

 grounds are considerably larger than those from. Florida 

 and the Gulf coast. 



Sixteen specimens in the TJ. S. National Museum collec- 

 tion, principally from the Arctic regions, give an average 

 measurement of 78.5 by 57.5 millimeters, the largest egg 

 measuring 76.5 by 58, the smallest 09.5 by 56.5 millimeters. 



Forty-five Florida specimens, all collected by Dr. Ralph, 

 and now in his collection, give the following average: 69 

 by 53 5 millimeters, the largest egg of this series measur- 

 ing 71.5 by 55, the smallest 61.5 by 50 millimeters. About 

 a fair average would be. 71 by 54 millimeters. 



The type specimen. No. 20,(397 (PI. 9, Fig. 7), from a set 

 of two, Bendire collection, was obtained near Alden, 

 Iowa, April 18, 1873, and was slightly incubated when 

 found. 



Red Sea Shirks in the Mediterranean. — A corre- 

 spondent writing from Nice under the date of Jan. 13, 

 says that the fishermen have caught several very large 

 "red skin" sharks just outside the breakers between Nice 

 and Villefranche. "This is a very unusual occurrence. 

 These fellows come from the Red Sea by way of the Suez 

 Canal, and I understand they have never been caught off 

 this coast before. They have a large head, similar to a 

 catfish in shape, and a correspondingly large mouth with 

 huge teeth. A shark 12ft, in length was brought in last 

 evening, and the bathers are growing very cautious." 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



CATCHING WILD ANIMALS.-I. 



YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 



Editor Forest awl Stream: 



An account of how a few wild animals were last spring 

 caught for the National Zoological Park may be interest- 

 ing to your readers. I will first mention the fact that 

 some time ago I resigned the tinancial consideration con- 

 nected with my appointment as Smithsonian Hunter. I 

 was willing to devote all my spare time to the work in 

 hand, but reserved the right to engage at any time in the 

 much better paid occupation of guide and packer. 



I started out for the campaign provided with a com- 

 plete camp outfit, provisions, three pick horses and one 

 saddle horse. A thirteen-year boy, Dolph, went with me 

 more for the fun he anticipated than the wages I promised 

 to pay him. Dolph was mounted on a small "buckskin'' 

 mare followed by a young colt. He had his little shepherd 

 dog Bobby, and I took my dog Leo, for help and com- 

 pany. 



Thus equipped, we started from Gardine r one spring 

 morning, intending to camp at Yancey's, where we could 

 get fresh miik for young animals. We were joined by a 

 lad with a lead horse, on his way to Cooke City. He was 

 very much interested in what we were going to do, and 

 said he would like to ride with us. We passed several 

 camps of men and teams waiting for work on the Govern- 

 ment roads. As we were going through the last bit of 

 timber before reaching the upper plateau back of Mt. 

 Everts, we had to drive to one side two hobbled horses 

 that wanted to join our procession. Seventy-five yards 

 from here we came in sight of a large black bear. She 

 was feeding in a hollow close to the road. Intending to 

 give her a scare, we all started toward her at a trot, pack 

 horses with us, and when she saw uk she started for the 

 timber on our right, followed by two cubs — little fellows 

 — which we had not seen at first. They had been hidden 

 by the grass and weeds in the hollow where she was dig- 

 ging. At the sight of the cubs, which 1 wanted, we all 

 commenced to yell and started the dogs. They rushed 

 up to the old one, which stopped to fight the dogs back, to 

 give her young a chance to escape, but Leo ran in and 

 grabbed one of the cubs and began shaking it like a rat. 

 This was not what I or the old bear liked, and I called to 

 him to let it alone. By this time we were getting pretty 

 close to the bear with our horses. She stood erect on her 

 hind feet to take a good look at us, and for a moment 

 I thought she was going to make for us, but the 

 dogs rushed up to her just then, and seeing so many 

 horses and hearing the yelling riders, she decided that 

 there were too many for one poor bear to stand off. She 

 made a dive at the dogs, driving them back a bit, then 

 hurried the remaining cub along toward cover. 



The cub Leo had shaken had made for an old log 

 near by, under which he had taken refuge, squalling and 

 crying for his mother. When the old one got her cub to 

 a tree she drove the dogs back while it got safely up. I 

 left one of the boys to watch the cub while we drove the 

 old one away. She was not inclined to go, but we got 

 her away and out of sight in the timber at last and then 

 returned to get the cubs. I had Dolph watch the pack 

 animals, while the other boy was to watch for the old 

 bear for me; I told him to keep a sharp lookout for her 

 while I went up the tree. Just as I dismounted I hap- 

 pened to look toward the timber and there was the bear, 

 not 20ft. from the boy, who was watching me and the 

 cub. When ho turned and saw her lie gave a yell that 

 stopped her, and I called the dogs, which, like the boy, 

 were interested in the cub up the tree. We made another 

 drive, getting her back in the timber, but she would not 

 stay there, so I called Dolph to drive up the pack horses 

 to me and help the other boy drive the old bear away. 



I tied all the animals to small bushes close by, at the 

 same time keeping the cub from getting out of the tree, 

 which he was inclined to do. The other cub just then 

 left the old log and ran to a very large red fir, that was 

 at least 5ft. in diameter. He went up this for about 20ft. , 

 clinging to the rough bark like a cat. Just as he had 

 reached a limb he fell over backward to the ground. I 

 expected that the fall would either kill him or knock the 

 wind out of him , but he no sooner struck the ground 

 than he was on his feet again and going up the tree once 

 more. This time he succeeded In getting to a limb, where 

 he rested a moment and then climbed nigher. All this 

 time he was keeping up a continuous squall, with more 

 of a note of anger than pain or distress. By this time I 

 had all the horses secured and the boys returned, saying 

 they had driven the old one "way off;" so I concluded to 

 try for the cub again, but cautioned them to watch for 

 the mother. I expected her to return when the other cub 

 should begin to squall and, as I was not armed, I did not 

 care to have her drive me out of the top of the tree. 



When I got up where I could look along the road I saw 

 a man coming afoot. I called to him to come up and get 

 on my horse, as I did not think it quite safe for him to be 

 out there. He came soon, but remarked that we had bet- 

 ter let that cub alone, as it was against the rules of the 

 Park to catch game. I convinced him of my right and 

 asked him what he was doing out there afoot, and he 

 said he was looking for two horses, the two we had passed. 

 I told him where they were, but requested him to help 

 me a bit before going back. This he agreed to do. He 

 had heard the squalling cub before he came in sight, and 

 knowing what it was, had been a little cautious about 

 going further when I had called him. 



As nothing could be seen of the old one I climbed as 

 high as the size of the tree would let me, but could not 

 reach the cub. I happened to look across the gulch in an 

 opposite direction from where the old bear had gone, 

 when I saw a large black bear digging on a side hill. It 

 would raise its head now and then but did not pay much 

 attention to us or to the squalling cub, so I concluded 

 that it was a bear that was not interested in our family 

 affairs. I was surprised at its action. It was but a few 

 hundred yards off, and had been within sight and hear- 

 ing for a long time. I was satisfied to let it alone if it 

 did us. As I could not reach the cub without the tops 

 breaking by our combined weight, I thought it best that 

 but one of us should take a fall, and, as the other cub was 

 not hurt by his tumble, I thought that this one could 

 stand it. So I reached up as high as possible, and broke 

 the top off with one hand. Down went the cub, head 

 first, through the limbs landing on its back with Leo and 

 the man on top. The man grabbed it by the back of the 

 neck and held it away from the dog. Leo soon stopped 

 trying to get it when I spoke to him. The little savage 

 had to be held up by one hind foot to prevent his. scratch- 



17 



ing or biting. Mr. Fay's—the stranger — hands were both 

 bleeding where the cub had got in its work at first. 

 When I reached the ground I tried to roll him up in my 

 coat but he soon had the lining out of it and was fast 

 making rags of the balance. I had Dolph hold him by 

 the legs while I fastened a quarter-inch line around his 

 neck. With this I could tie him up. I did so, and 

 went to the big fir tree to get the other cub. It had 

 climbed up at least eighty feet and crawled out on a 

 large limb, where it was impossible to reach it. One 

 of the boys offered to try but I would not permit him. 

 I would not take the risk myself or let any one else do 

 so, nor did I want to make the cub fall so far, as that 

 would kill it. I did not want to camp there and wait for 

 it to come down ; was satified for the time being with 

 one cub. Mr, Fay said he would take the cub to the 

 Springs for me if I would get it to his camp on Turkey- 

 pen Creek; that he had to take his horses back and go 

 up there. Thinking this was the best way to dispose of 

 the cub, I sent the boys on with the packs, telling Dolph 

 to camp on Goode Creek. I carried the cub in my arms 

 part of the way, but letting it run ahead when I got 

 tired, or it got to fighting me too much. I named him 

 Jack then, and called the other Jill. They both fell 

 enough to be entitled to their names. Jill was crying 

 when I left, but not quite as hard as at first. Little 

 Jack would run ahead of me in the road, his little feet 

 making tracks in the dust like an infant's bare feet. 

 Leo traveled a short distance ahead; after going a half 

 mile the cub would follow the dog when he turned off 

 the road, thinking, I guess, that he was its mother. 

 Jack got very tired, thirsty and hot before we reached 

 water. At the creek I let him have a good swim and 

 drink and he enjoyed it. When cooled off I fastened 

 him up in an oat sack with nothing but his head out. 

 Just before bidding good-by I off ered him a cup of water; 

 he drank the whole of it, about a pint; he looked very 

 much like a child sitting up against a tent. He was 

 turned over to Capt. Anderson by Mr. Fay and christened 

 Johnny, I mounted my horse and was soon back to the 

 big fir; Jill was gone. I learned later that a black bear 

 with one cub was seen a mile from there next day. 



I continued on to Geode Creek, found the boys in 

 camp. When I asked them if they had seen any elk, 

 they said, "Yes; we have tied up a young one, and. saw 

 four more bear before we got here."' I asked about the 

 young elk, where it was, and how they found it, Dolph 

 said when they got to the creek, there was a band of 

 cows just on the other side, that they tied up the pack 

 horses and went after the elk, to see if they had young. 

 Under a large fir tree Dolph saw what he thought was a 

 dead calf; he called the other boy to come and see what 

 a bear or something else had killed. When they came 

 close they saw an ear move, then found it was alive. "It 

 was all spraddled out," they said, "just like it was dead." 

 Dolph tied a rope round its neck and to the tree, leaving 

 it there until I could attend to it. Before eating supper I 

 went out and brought it in to camp and tied it up beside 

 the tent. It was as limp as a rag, would lie just where it 

 was placed for a long time. I could not make it stand on 

 its feet. It would lay close to the ground and flatten its 

 ears down, so that it was very difficult to distinguish it 

 from surrounding objects. It was prettily spotted with 

 light yellow spots, its body on the back and sides rather 

 a red with a tinge of gray, rump yellow, and belly quite 

 light but not white. The dogs both thought it a nice pet, 

 would lick it all over, and when made to leave it alone 

 would lie near by, watching it for hours. 



After supper the boy went on to Yancey's full of his 

 day's adventures. He had a long story to tell of bear and 

 elk catching. Dolph took it very quietly, but seemed to 

 enjoy the fun. Later he and I went up the creek, look- 

 ing for game. We saw several elk and antelope, but no 

 young. We saw seven bulls in one bunch. Their horns 

 were over 2ft. long. We watched the cows until dark, 

 and then returned to camp, where the dogs were taking 

 care of the calf. While sitting by the fire we heard a 

 strange noise, and looking up we saw a cock grouse 

 walking toward camp. I spoke to the dogs to be still, to 

 see what the grouse would do. He came on strutting, 

 spreading ..his tail and making a deep bass noise. At 

 times he would drag the tips of his wings like a turkey 

 cock. When in the fire light he exposed two bright red 

 marks low down on his neck. He made quite an ex- 

 hibition of himself. Leaving the bright fire light he 

 walked on up the creek, past the tent and disappeared in 

 the brush. I though he was a little familiar, but found 

 him round in the morning, as well as a hen who walked 

 past the camp within 10ft. of the camp-fire and dogs. 

 I was talking to them to make them let her alone. 



E. Hofer. 



Salamander from Artesian Wells.— Mr. H. G. Zim- 

 merman, of Albion, Ind,, recently discovered in a trench 

 leading from an artesian well a good-sized and very 

 lively mud puppy or water dog. This well is eight miles 

 north of Huron, S. D., and is 1,250ft. deep. Everybody 

 was confident that the reptile came from the well, as there 

 is no other water for miles and miles. Its head was shaped 

 like that of our common catfish, its color was similar to 

 that of the catfish, and it had bushy external gills, besides 

 four legs. Many conjectures as to what the animal could 

 be were made; some persons thought it principally fish, 

 others lizard, and the most general conclusion was that 

 the thing was a mongrel between the two. A genus 

 (Protem) belonging to the same family as the above 

 (which we take to be Neeturus), and found in caves in 

 southwestern Austria, is blind and colorless. Mr. Zim- 

 merman states specifically that the puppy found by him 

 had a good pair of eyes and dark color. Lake Byron, 

 twelve miles north of where this batrachian was found, 

 is said to furnish good fishing. — Eon. 



A Blind Black Eel.— Mr. V. N. Edwards, of the TJ. 

 S. Fish Commission, has obtained from Cutty hunk Pond 

 a very singular eel. The eyes are entirely concealed 

 under the skin and the color is uniformly dark, almost 

 black. In form and proportions it is like the common eel, 

 and may prove to be merely a dark-colored blind example 

 of this species. Trout and other fish become dark in 

 color as a result of blindness, and this may be another 

 illustration of a phenomenon which is often observed by 

 fishculturists. The length of the specimen is about 13in. 



A Book About Indians,— The Forest and Stream will ma 

 free 011 application a descriptive circular of Mr. GrinnelTs boo 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk -tales," giving a table of coaten 

 and specimen illustrations from the volume.— -Arte. 



