May 4, IbJib.J 



FOREST AND STREAM 



881 



YELLOW-BREAST CHAT. 



In the month of June, 1886, one morning Avhile ram- 

 bling through the woods bordering on Frank ford Creek, 

 with my friend Fratik J. Iloiiman, we noticed a male 

 yeUow-breast chat, hopping from branch to branch in a 

 huge oak tree. We stood for a few moments watching 

 the maneuvers of this bird. Every few moments he 

 would alight on a clump of blackberry hushes, and -svould 

 peer down through the foliage and send forth a plaintive 

 cry, resembling that of a catbird. As we ai^proached the 

 thicket, and hegan to investigate the attraction, we espied 

 a nest with four callow young birds all dead. They had 

 been drowned by the terrific rainstorm the day before. 

 We were unable to find the female, though we watched 

 and waited for nearly two houre to see if she would re- 

 turn to her dead offspring. I secured the male bird, and 

 I have him and the four yoimg birds moimted, and placed 

 among my collection. 



The yellow-breast chat is a very curious bird, in its song 



trying to keep concealed from the eye of man, occasion- 

 ally giving a sound like cluck, cluck. The food of the 

 chat consists chiefly of coleopterous insects, but I have 

 often found berries of different sorts in their stomachs, 

 and their favorite food seems to be the fruit of the mul- 

 berry. I have never known one of these minstrels to live 

 in captivity more than a few days. George Bocjdwin. 

 Philadelphia. 



FROM FURTHEST SOUTH. 



A Sportsman's Pets. 



I REOErVi!l> a note by a recent mail that is almost good 

 enough for "That Reminds Me." At any rate, it seems 

 too good to keep to myself and so I wiU transcribe it for 

 tlie benefit of "Podgers," et al 

 O. K. Chobee, Esq., Biscayne Bay, Fla : 



Dear Sir— I read your piece on crocodiles and would like to know if 

 you can get me some active youn^ fellow to collect about one hun- 

 dred (100; for me I would want them blown In the side with one 

 hole about the size of this (Q). I will furnish blow-pipe. — 



Wliich moves me to remark that crocodiles unblown as 

 well as blown are rapidly disappearing from these waters. 

 They are being shot for their hides, for their skulls, their 



her of the Ftirenia, a Florida manatee or sea cow 

 (Trichechus latirostris), 10ft. long, 59in. waist measure, 

 and of an estimated weight of l,l001bs. "Lord Alfred" 

 was captured aboiit a month ago in Bear Cut, where a 

 school of five made their home, by Ed. Pent and Fletcher 

 Albury, the two best guides to the various fish and game 

 haunts of this vicinity. They struck at him with a pair 

 of grains, which, burying themselves in his flat, muscular 

 tail held him fast without inflicting a serious wound. As 

 the grains lield the boys were enabled to tow the great 

 beast slowly but surely across the bay, some eight miles, 

 and bring their prize home alive. 



Procuring him from them I placed him in a large, 

 spring-fed stream of fresh water that flows at the foot of 

 my lawn, and there he has dwelt in peace if not in con- 

 tentment ever since. I was absolutely ignorant concern- 

 ing manatees, save that their meat made capital eating, 

 before the advent of "Lord Alfred," nor have I yet 

 learned a tithe of what I wish to know about him. What 

 I have discovered is that though possessed of a tail shaped 

 something like that of a beaver and as powerful as that of 

 a Avhale, he is the most harmless and gentle of animals. 

 He is a herbivorous animal, and the strictest of vegetar- 



Vtii. well as its actions, and diffens greatly from most other 

 birds with which I am acquainted. It arrives in Pennsyl- 

 vania about the second week in May, and returns to the 

 South again about the last of August. When he has 

 once found a site for his residence, he is ever on the alert, 

 shifting from one tree to another, watching for a mate to 

 return from the South, as the males always arrive a few 

 days before the females. As soon as he has found a mate 

 he at once commences to select a favorite spot for build- 

 ing his nest. This is generally ijlaced in a thicket of 

 blackberry bushes, or among dense vines, not more than 

 3 to 4ft. from the ground. Mr. Frank J. Hoffman and I 

 have often amused ourselves for hours at a time, listening 

 to the ventriloquist as he may be called, on account of the 

 power which he seems to have at throwing his voice to a 

 distance. 



The chats begin to build about the middle of May. 



Their nest is composed of dry leaves on the exterior, and 

 these are lined with narrow strips of gi-apevine bark, 

 fibrous roots of plants and dry grass. The female lays 

 four eggs, flesh-colored, and speckled with spots of brown. 

 The young are hatched in 12 or 13 days. While the 

 female is sitting the cries of her mate are more loud and 

 mcessant. When once aware that you have seen him he 

 will moimt up into the air 20 or 30ft, , his legs hanging 

 down, raising his wings perpendicularly by repeated 

 jerks, and his dancuig maneuvei-s when in the air are very 

 pleasing to the beholder's eye. On approaching her nest 

 she will dart from it like an arrow from a bow, and hop 

 from branch to branch beneath the dense foliage, always 



MANATEES FEEDING AND SWIMMING. 



teeth, and from pure cussedness their eggs are being dug 

 up and destroyed wherever foimd, and unless speedily 

 given some legal protection these interesting reptiles, like 

 their cousins the alligators, will soon disappear from 

 American waters. My pet crocodile, that I had raised 

 from the egg, Avas destroyed last summer during my 

 absence by some boys who claimed they thought "he 

 wasn't no good." 



Speaking of pets, I wish to claim for my collection a 

 uniqueness not surpassed by those who waste their affec- 

 tions upon pet bears, buffalo, moose or elk. I began with 

 baby coons, young alligators and a cage of chameleons. 

 Then came "Crockett" the crocodile, brought to life in 

 my own front yard through the incubating kindness of a 

 sun-heated sandbank. He was quickly followed by 

 "Bright" and "Early," two baby eagles of the bald- 

 headed variety, brought to me from the nest when one 

 week old. They were merely animated balls of down, 

 unable to stand, but A^'ith beak and talons of adult size 

 and voices of emphasis. From the first of January until 

 the fii-st of July did I fish daily, and almost nightly, in a 

 vain struggle to satisfy the outrageous appetites of these 

 young beggars. They learned to fly, to soar high among 

 the clouds, to fight, to wake me at dayhght by coming up 

 on the piazza and screaming at the "front door, "Fish! 

 Fish ! We want fish !" But never until I deserted them 

 and went far aAvay did they learn, nor show the least in- 

 clination to learn, how to feed themselves. 



JVIost interesting of all, however, because the rarest of 

 all, is my present pet "Lord Alfred," a full-grown mem- 



ians, eating all sorts of roots and grasses, but preferring 

 those that grow in salt Avater, and especially relishing the 

 flat seaAveeds known as "manatee grass." He is most 

 active at night when he does most of his feeding. 



Although he is keen of heai-ing his ears are invisible, 

 while his eyes are so small as to give him a porcine ex- 

 pression. The most prominent feature of his head are the 

 nostrils situated on top of, and near the end of, his nose. 

 When under Avater they are closed by the most perfect of 

 sea valves. These open the moment the extremity of the 

 nose is fitted above the surface, and the creature slowly 

 inliales long draughts of aii\ When active he exposes his 

 open nostrils to the air about tAvice a minute, but when 

 sluggish or sleeping I have seen him remain for fifteen 

 minutes beneath the water Avithout breathing. 



While feeding he does not swim nor use his splendid 

 tail-propeUer in any way, but drags himself slowly along 

 the bottom by means of his flippers, which, shaped like 

 those of a turtle, are located well forward like a seal's. 

 He has no fins or limbs besides these. His hide resembles 

 that of an elephant in color and texture, and is dotted 

 with an occasional hair. About his muzzle these grow 

 more thickly, though even there they are bristly and far 

 between. 



Lord Alfred is as fat as butter; so fat that his skin near 

 the tail and arms is ridged and folded Avith fat. At the 

 same time he eats so little that I fear he is pining away, 

 and am seriously thinking of setting him free to rejoin 

 his sister sirens across the bay. O. K, Chobee, 



Cocoasht Gboate, Ma., April 17, 



