Dec. 10, 1891.1 



PoRESf AND STREAM. 



40fe 



clean up 10,000 young fry very easy. They chased about 

 day and night, Jike troat, for 10 days after young fry were 

 placed in with them. Now we have constructed pens 13 

 feet long and 6 feetwidp, and as soon as hatched they will 

 be planted in them and fed properly until they can swim 

 and will then be transplanted to the large pond. In that 

 way we feel confident of success in the "highest degree." 



All fish which have come under Mr. Thompson's obser- 

 vation eat the young of their own or any other kind. 

 This agrees with the experience of others. Shad kept in 

 one of the Government carp ponds at Washington thrived 

 wonderfully on a diet of young carp, which were not in- 

 tended for their support and which were supposed to be 

 safe company. In a Fish Commission aquarium in the 

 same city a number of shad about an inch long were 

 placed with some yearling shad measuring about 4in.; 

 but the larger shad immediately began to devour the 

 smaller ones and the two sizes were quickly separated. 

 The young shad has teeth in its jaws which sometimes 

 persist until the age of two years, but when mature the 

 fish has no teeth audits habits change. Perhaps the same 

 is true of the whitefish. 



The Food of Young Wild DtroK:,— During the sum- 

 mer of 1884 I was on one of the surveying parties engaged 

 in laying out the land between Calgarg and Fort Edmonton 

 into township sections and lots. For a time in the month 



Antelope and Deer of America. By J. D. Caton. 

 Price $2.50. Wing and Glass Ball Shooting with the 

 Rifle. By W. C. Bliss. Price 50 cents. Bifle, Rod and 

 Gun in California. By T. S. Van Dyke. Price $1.50. 

 Shore Birds. Price 15 cents. Woodcraft. By "Ness- 

 muk.' Priee §1. Trajectories of Hunting Rifles. Price 

 50 cents Wild Fowl Shooting; see advertisement. 



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

 tories and British Provinces are given in the Book of the 

 Oame Lavjs. 



OREGON WILDFOWL. 



PORTLAND, Oregon, Nov. 23.— Since last writing a 

 most unusual streak of good luck has been with the 

 sportsmen of Oregon. Weather a,8 balmy as springtime, 

 and more ducks than ever. On Nov. 8 the writer and a 

 friend opened the ball at about 6:30 in the morning, from 

 a blind on Muskrat Point, in the Moose Lake, on Colum- 

 bia Slough. This blind is of peculiar construction and 

 merits more than passing notice. First, a large hole is 



light. A trip to the lake on Wednesday without dog or 

 gun showed a grand sight. The lake was as full as it 

 could be of all kinds of birds, from the piping little teal 

 to the largest of the swan family. Let them rest to-day 

 and we will come again. This was what I told Harry, 

 and although very impatient, he thought this the best 

 plan. How well the plan worked and how true the 

 prophecy remains to be seen. 



We got to our blind at about 5:45, and as there were no 

 birds in our lake, of course, we felt somewhat crestfallen. . 

 However, we put our decoys out and then sat in the blind 

 to wait for daylight. A bright moon was shining and 

 anon we could see large flights of birds passing over. At 

 about 6 :S0 we began to shoot, but the birds flew high and 

 decoyed poorly for an hour. Then they came, and for 

 three hours we had all the shooting we wanted. Then 

 they stopped for a while and we picked up our dead birds. 

 At noon we had all on the bank, and on counting found 

 we had 102 ducks. Then we had lunch and got in our 

 cripples, and after killing a few more, made our string 

 count 127. This is the best shoot that I have ever had, 

 and Harry says that for a short shoot it is his best. At 

 about 10 o'clock the sun was so hot that we were obliged 

 to dip our guns in the water so we could hold them. 



Our daily papers are the most wretched accountants in 

 the world, that is as regards sport. They get their in- 

 formation from people that are not sportsmen and who 



AMONG THE WILDFOWL.~XIV. 



REDHEADf^— A Cosy Spot m the Wild Kick. 



of May and early June we were camped near a small 

 lake on the shore of which grew some rushes, and the slope 

 to which from the prairt§ was very slight and gradual. 

 Around the border there were thousands of wild ducks of 

 all varieties engaged in the process of hatching and rear- 

 ing their young. Being appointed cook and camp-keeper 

 to the party, my duty was to stay by and watch the camp 

 to protect it from roving Indians. The lake was about 

 200 yards from the camp where the tents were erected. 

 Having a telescope I had opportunities of watching what 

 was going on. Most of the birds were incubating, but 

 as the young hatched they at once went to the water. My 

 curiosity was aroused as to how they lived and what they 

 fed on; so one bright afternoon I crossed the creek and 

 walked over to the lake. I found the water literally 

 swarmed with small frogs, and black-with tadpoles in 

 various stages of growth. The little fluffy ducks were 

 filling themselves with this, to them, dainty food, while 

 young grass along the banks and the larger frogs formed 

 the chief sustenance of the old birds. So bountifully 

 has nature provided for all her creatures, and yet each and 

 all prey on one another.— J. Maokblcon (Toronto, Ont.). 



Recent Abbivals at the Philadelphia Zoological Gar- 

 den.— Purchased— 1 yac (Bison grunniens), 1 green liaugurst (OstJ- 

 nops vlridis), 1 ground rattlesaake (Crotalophoins iniJiarhis). & 

 green snakes (CyclopMs verimUs), 4 commou hog-nosed snakes. 

 (Heterodo7i platurhinus) , 1 common black snake (Basmnium con- 

 strictor), 1 black hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platyrhinus niger), 2 

 glasst saakes {OpMosaurm ventralis). b8 water snakes (Tropxdonotu» 

 sipedon), and garter snakes (Eutmnia sii-talts). Presented— L 

 brown bear (Ilrsus amerscamis), 3 red loxes (Canis wipes fulvm). 1 

 opossum (Didelphys virginiana). 1 red-tailed buzzard (Buten 

 Mrealis), 1 carinated tree bia {Herpetodryas carinatm). 1 blacfc 

 snake iBascanium eomtrictor), 1 stria-eri terrapin (Chelopus insculp- 

 tiis) and 4 alligators [Alligator mismsippi^nsis). 



To Denver via Burlington Route.— Only one night on the 

 road. Leavre Ctiinago at 1 P. M,, or St. Louis at 8.25 A. M., and 

 arrive Denver 6:15 P. M. the next day. Through sleepers, chair 

 cars and dining cars. AJl railways from the East connect with 

 these trains and with sitBilar trains via Burline'on route to Den- 

 ver, leaving Chicago at 5:45 P. M., St. Louis at 8:15 P. M., and Peoria 

 at 3:20 P. M. and 7:50 P. M. All trains daily. Additional express, 

 trains, making as quick time as those of any other road, from 

 Chicago, St. Louis and Peoria to St. Paul, Minneapolis, Council 

 Bluffs, Omaha, Cheyenne, Blaok Hills, Atchison, Kansas City., 

 Houston and all points West, Northwest and Southwest.— ^di;. 



dug in the ground, which is quite high well above the 

 water, and a drygoods box 6ft. long, 4ft. deep, and 4ft. 

 wide, is let in flush with the top of the ground. Then a 

 wire screen 2ft. wide is laid and fastened on above this 

 but at an angle of about 45% and then dead grass is 

 thrown on the wire. This makes nice room for the dogs 

 on either side, and they are thus well sheltered from any 

 cold winds. Then a good seat is constructed in such a way 

 that it can be moved to suit the convenience of the 

 shooters. 



All of our decoys (about eight dozen of mixed trash, 

 canvas and geese) having been set out, we were ready for 

 the birds. And how they flew: the green-winged teal was 

 strongly in the majority, as the count will show. For 

 half an hour the mallards, widgeon and a few sprigs 

 came; and then as suddenly they stopped coming. But 

 what is this? A large white object is seen coming down 

 wind and straight for the blind. A little judicious call- 

 ing, and then the writer scores his first swan; and a very 

 proud day this was for him. After wailing for an hour, 

 we feel the wind grow stronger from the east, and down 

 come the birds. Then we commence the rapid-firing 

 system, and after another hour or perhaps two the flight 

 is done. 2^ow let us get in all of om- dead birds, for it is 

 ten o'clock. How many? Well, we have sixty-one birds. 

 Then we go to lunch, and on our return are surprised to 

 find the lake full of birds again. We frighten them out 

 and they do not come back as soon as we expected ; how- 

 ever, about 3:30 the fun begins again, and the shooting is 

 fast and furious for a time. Then we pick up and pack 

 out a distance of half a mile to the train, and a half hour's 

 ride brings us home. On counting up, we find sixty teal, 

 twenty-three widgeon, nine mallards, four sprigtails and 

 five canvas. The swan and a few snipe we get on our way 

 to lunch make the total 107 birds; and this in weather in 

 which one would be ashamed to wear an overcoat. 



The 15th was almost a repetition of the 8th, with the 

 exception i that nearly all of the birds were large, only 

 two teal and one butterball to mar the beauty of ninety- 

 three mallards, widgeon, sprigs and canvas. Mr. Harry 

 Beal was my companion in both of these shoots, and we 

 will shoot together for some time to come, at least 1 hope 

 so. Now comes our first ducking in the dark of the 

 moon. The two former shoots were made in the full 



have been to guessing school for a short time, bo are noli 

 to be blamed for their errors. 



The pheasant, grouse and quail season is closed. Very 

 few of these toothsome birds have been taken this year 

 compared to former years. The season opens on the first 

 of September, and then the birds have gone to the moun- 

 tains and tall timber. This is as it should be for a few 

 years. SA^^D Hill. 



The Black Pae.tridc4E in America.— I was glad to 

 see in Forest and Stream of Sept. 3 that an attempt has 

 been made to introduce the black partridge, and heartily 

 hope it will succeed, being sure that American sports- 

 men and naturalists would be delighted with them. I 

 have lately read that they are found in Cyprus, so they 

 probably exist also in Asia Minor and northern Africa. 

 It would be easier to take them to America from that 

 part of the world than from India on account of the 

 shortness of the voyage. 1 hardly agree with Col. Rams- 

 den in thinking that the prairie grass is not high enough, 

 having frequently put up the partridge on slopes of the 

 Himmalayas, where the grass was not more than one or 

 two feet high, and that only in patches. There is also 

 no fear of Illinois being too hot, for the bird is common 

 in parts of the Punjab, near the River Ravee, where the 

 summer heat is really scorching.— J. .7. Mevrick (Eng- 

 land). 



The Horton Steel Rod Makufactuhers report that 

 the improvement in make has been followed by a corres- 

 ponding increase of sales, which goes to show that they 

 are growing in favor with the fishing public. The rods 

 are to be sold the coming season at a much lower price 

 than heretofore, and the prospects are that the Horton 

 Co. will have all that they can do to supply the demand. 



Northerk ;New York. — Philadelphia, N. Y. — Large 

 numbers of bass, rock bass, pickerel and bullheads were 

 caught in the river, on Indian River, at or near this 

 place. Suckers are speared in large nnmbers every 

 spring by means of a torch made of cotton batting soaked 

 in kerosene oII.-^Ray Speabs. 



