May 18, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM 



42B 



ONE OF NATURE'S TRAGEDIES. 



The rattling chur-r-r of a kingfisher as he flies past my 

 boat to light on bis favorite perch, the top rail of an old 

 worm fence that extends out into the water, wakes me 

 from a half doze I have been indulging in, and raising tip 

 to look at my watch I find it is after eleven o'clock, nearly 

 time to move out and give the bass their mid-day lunch. 

 It is a hot day in July and I am lying in. a boat whose bow 

 is pulled lip on the sand under a tree that gave me shade 

 an hour ago, but now the sun has crept up to my waist 

 and my wading boots are uncomfortably hot. I was out 

 this morning before the sun showed himself over the hills, 

 a mile away, ready to offer a frog to the early bass, and 

 five nice ones that are swimming sullenly in the water at 

 the stern of the boat are the results. 



The lake surface is as smooth as a forest pool. The 

 dragon flies skim lazily over it, darting down to touch the 

 water, then up again. They even indulge in free fights 

 and drop struggling on to the water with impunity, and 

 this tells me "my time is not yet," for no bass during his 

 feeding time will allow that. So I fih my pipe and send 

 the smoke up toward the blue above and lazily listen to 

 the voices about me. 



A green grasshopper is sawing away, and the shrill zing 

 of his cousin cuts the hot air. The che-ioink, cJie-ivinJc of 

 a restless .ground robin in the brush heap back of me an- 

 swers the put-ivut, put-wut of a tii^-up that has come up 

 the sand so close that I can see the sparkle of his bead 

 black eyes as he nods and bows to the water at his feet. 

 All nature seems to me in a lazy, good-natured mood, and 

 there is no fitting prelude to the little tragedy that is 

 shortly enacted before me. 



A smaU brov\^n sparrow comes from the brush and lights 

 on an overhanging bush with a ehijp'CMp-chix) to his mate. 

 It is not a mournful note of farewell, but seemingly an 

 invitation to come and join him in a "wee drop." He 

 hops down to a limb that projects over the water, takes a 

 little in his biU, tlien raises his head to let it trickle down 

 his throat, and before taking another sip he preens his 

 featliers jauntUy. Then he stoops again- — to meet an ugly 

 open mouth that breaks from the water with a nish that 

 carries its owner a foot in air, and as he comes back with 

 a splash, I realize that I have witnessed one short act 

 from "nature's tragedies." 



But did the villain get his just desserts iu the next act? 

 Well, no. I knew that that bass was satisfied for the 

 time being, forhe was not a large one, and odd as it may 

 seem, I did not even try for him— not that day, but the 

 next time I came out I took out a 21b. lOoz. bass from in 

 front of that bush, and the chances are that he was the 

 villain. Amphibian. 



EL PINOLILLO. 



Ever since "Podgers" made his "defy" some time ago 

 for anybody to trot out an animal that he could not en- 

 lighten us about, I have intended to try him with this 

 Mexican product. He is having such an interestmg time 

 now studying the California trout hog that I fear he wiU 

 not be able to give me proper attention. About a year 

 ago I wrote in a somewliat sligliting tone about this ten-or 

 of the iierra caliente. I hereby take it all back. I was 

 not aware that he read Forest and Stream, or I shotdd 

 have been more careful. I hope that if the editor finds 

 anything in this screed that might give o^fense he will 

 kindly pass a bhie xDencil through it, or tlirow the whole 

 thing into the waste-basket. 



In the course of human events I went to Micos agaiu. 

 I don't think I was to blame for that, considering the fun 

 I had the first time. Two other fellows went with me, 

 and walked right iuto the ambush that had been in pre- 

 paration for a year. We killed two deer, four or five 

 turkeys, some pheasants and a lot of smaller stuff. The 

 woods ar'e full of game. I am sorry to say too, that we 

 were forced to annihilate in strict self-defense a few 

 millions of our friends the enemy, but we are willing to 

 apologize for this, if they will let us off easy the next 

 time. 



The uninitiated would suppose, as I did last year, that 

 the pinohllo is just a tick. He certainly has that appear- 

 ance; in fact, he seems to be a very small tick. But he 

 has a red hot, double-geai-ed, electric-touch-the-button 

 boring attachment that shows him to be in the very front 

 rank of tickdom. The followiiig reputed facts in his evo- 

 lution are respectfully submitted to ' 'Podgers" and other 

 scientific observers. Pinolillo No. 1 grows old and corpu- 

 lent, and when other animals would expect to die, he 

 simply climbs a bush. He sits there ia profound medita- 

 tion a while, then quietly humps liis back till tlae skin 

 cracks. Then, instead of coming forth all made over, 

 like so many other bugs do, but still just plain No. 1, he 

 walks forth numbering about 200,000, all fresh as a daisy 

 and uncommonly hungry. These enterprising youths, 

 endowed with all the fiiU-bloom faculties of No. 1, 'includ- 

 ing the above-mentioned borer, climb out on a branch 

 overhanging a convenient woods path, where they do the 

 great monkey bridge act with variations. One grips the 

 limb and the rest hang on to him, swinging merrily in the 

 breeze. About this time Mr. Hunter comes along. The 

 whole line gets into a fine regular vibration, and as he 

 comes below the tail man yells, "Let go above/' and they 

 land gracefully and unanimously upon his ducking 

 trousers. 



If he is not in a hm-ry Iib brushes them off, but it doesn't 

 make any difference, and he will strike a bigger and a 

 hungrier lot before he has gone ten steps. Along with 

 taldng the sporting papers and engaging in other enter- 

 prises, they have made a careful study of the modern 

 %inting dress. They know exactly where to find the 

 handiest opening to the juicy hunter within. He feels a 

 nip under his wristband or in the region where shirt and 

 trousers joLa, and claws his enemv loose. Mr. Pinohllo 

 smiles aloud and saya -'Oh, that's all right; muchobhged. 

 That place was gecting a little dry anyhow." Then he 

 begins to prospect for the tip end of another nerve. When 

 his victim gets into camp he rolls up his sleeves and 

 scratches. If he has not been carefully brought up he 

 uses strong language. He strips and rubs himself down 

 with petroleum, ammonia or aguardiente. If his hunt is 

 over he throws away his clothes, puts on others and takes 

 the fii-st train for home. He thiaks that is all, but it isn't. 

 The subject of our sketch was not learned to write, but 

 he makes a round red spot which unmistakably means 



"his mark." The hunter's arms and legs look like turkey 

 eggs for a week. Some of the spots if rubbed a little too 

 much, wiU remain months. 



The Texas cowboys used to tell me that the coyotes 

 would not eat the body of a "greaser," because it was 

 always so strong with red pepper. It seems likely that 

 the beast of prey under consideration has so long had a 

 diet of greaser flesh that he has acquired the strict chile 

 flavor himself, and has special facilities for communicat- 

 ing il, in injections. I submit this as a working hypo- 

 thesis, at any rate. 



One incident of my trip should go on record, though I 

 fear it would go against me if this piece should be printed 

 and get into the hot country. Wilson, who was with me, 

 killed a deer one afternoon. He came to the station to get 

 a man to help him bring it in, but managed to lose his 

 bearings. So we all had to turn out and hunt that deer. 

 It was in a thicket of palms and undergrowth, the night 

 was warm and the piuolillos were in all their gloiy. On 

 getting back to the station where we were camped I found 

 my clothes absolutely brown with them. In order to 

 avoid any controversy with them that night, I slipped out 

 of my trousers and hung them on a picket. Next morning 

 we went for the turkeys before day, and I made no dis- 

 coveries. On my return about 9 o'clock the agent took 

 me in to see the show. On the top of that stake where my 

 overalls had hung was a nob, somewhat larger tlian an 

 egg. of frantic pinolillos, each one punching his neighbor's 

 head and remarking in classic phrase, "Where is he at?" 

 A pair of pantaloons without a man inside was a httle dis- 

 concerting, Before I knew it the unfeeling mozo had 

 given them a douse of coal oil. This is one of the few sub- 

 stances that give the pinohllo that tired feeling. I am 

 sorry. They were having a lot of fun. And besides I 

 knew where they were. But I think there were enough 

 left for scientific purposes. Aztec. 



Sas LinsPoTOSi, Mexico, April 11. 



A Habit of the Horned Toad. 



Riverside, Cal, — Last winter I was much interested in 

 the discussion in your paper as to whether the rattlesnake 

 spit or not. I have killed several and have never seen one 

 spit, but I have heard many people assert that they do. 

 But here is a question which I submit to your readers, 

 hoping that some of them can solve it. To-day I caught 

 three horned toads, and during the afternoon, when I 

 was fooling with them, one of them suddenly bled pro- 

 fusely fi'om one eye, at least so it seemed to me; and ten 

 minutes later I was sure of it, for as I was standing up 

 straight, teasmg him with my foot, I saw one eyelid close 

 and then suddenly a stream of red fluid (I call it blood for 

 want of another name) spurted straight at my face, and 

 some of it struck my hat, which made the throw surely 

 six feet high. Later in the day he did it again, but not 

 so high that time. Now, what is this red fluid? Is it 

 lalood or poison, or neither? I hope that some of your 

 readers can answer this. I am told that it is a common 

 thing, but nobody knows what it is. A. H. H. 



[The habit is not unknown. As far back as 1871 it was 

 noticed in the proceedings of the Zoological Society of 

 London, for at one of the meetings Mr. A. R. Wallace 

 read extracts from letters of Mi-. .John Wallace, of Stock- 

 ton, Cal. , in which he says : ' 'Under certain circumstances, 

 apparently as a means" of defense, this creature squirts 

 out from one of its eyes a jet of bright red liquid, very 

 much like blood. This I have observed three times from 

 three different individuals, although I have caught many 

 that did not do it. They do not generally use this defense 

 when first captured, although I caught one a few days 

 ago which squirted the hquid a distance 'of 6in. over the 

 back of my hand, and another ejected it when I flourished 

 a bright knife before its eyes." 



Bi the proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, Vol. 

 XV., pp. 375 to 378, Dr. O. P. Hay has a brief paper 

 "On the Ejection of Blood from the Eyes of the Horned 

 Toads." He details a number of cases in which he has 

 seen this ejection take place, and by a microscopic exam- 

 ination of this red fluid, learned that it was really blood. 

 The fluid appears to be thrown out when the animal is 

 teased or greatly frightened. Mr. S. F. Denton, of Wash- 

 ington, had a stream of blood thrown into his eye with 

 such force that some pain was produced, and he estimated 

 the quantity of blood thrown out as between a teaspoonf id 

 and tablespoonful. No serious result to the eye followed. 

 The Mexicans are said to call these animals sacred toads 

 "because they weep tears of blood." 



The object of this habit appeai-s to be defensive, but it 

 has not been satisfactorily explained.] 



Catch Basins Excavated By Fire. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The discovery of the true cause of the mysterious smoke 

 in Pinhook swamp, Taylor county, Fla., near the Gulf 

 coast, which has for so many years puzzled the curious 

 and stimidated repeated attempts to investigate, is not 

 only a matter for congratulation, as all correct solutions 

 are, but it has important scientific value, because it af- 

 fords ocular demonstration of the manner in which those 

 numerous water-holes and shallow lakes in eastern North 

 Carolina and Virginia have been formed, and of which 

 aboriginal tradition has hitherto been the sole testimony. 



Of these Drummond Lake in the Dismal Swamp, Vir- 

 gioia; Lake Phelps, in Tyrrell coimty, and Mattamuskeet 

 Lake, ui Hyde county North Carolina, are the largest. 

 The latter is twelve miles long by five feet deep. The In- 

 dians have always maintained that these basins were ex» 

 cavated by fire, and abundant evidence of this fact is 

 afforded by the presence of large areas of -burnt and 

 charred wood bmied several feet deep in the sofl. adjacent 

 to then- borders, showing where insiduous fires have 

 gradually worked through the muck, moss and mold 

 down to the substratum of white sand which underlies it. 

 It is quite possible, however, that the depressions were 

 formed long before the occurrence of the fires, though at 

 a period not geologically remote, when all this coastwise 

 coimtry was merely a succession of sand dunes formed by 

 the wiud and waves. Fires which occurred after these 

 areas were forested or covered with, rooted and moss- 

 grown swamp or marsh would have left some debris or 

 sediment on the lake floors, whereas their bottoms are 

 composed wholly of clean, white sea sand except in spots, 

 I and are not muy. as might be expected. 



Charles Hallock. 



! Washington, D. May 15. 



Some Feathered Scalawags. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I write to make a few remarks on feathered scalawags. 

 Of course the butcherbird stands "first and foremost" of 

 all the feathered villains, but I have lately discovered that 

 tlie bluejay is entitled to a place in the same category. 



When I took uxj my abode in the "land of flowers" and 

 democrats I felt inclined to treat the hook-nosed butcher- 

 bird with lenience and respect, but I very soon fotmd I 

 was entertaining devils unawares. They had a nest in one 

 of my orange trees, and although I noticed that the mock- 

 ingbirds seemed to have a horror of them it was some 

 time before I realized their cussedness. I one day saw a 

 great commotion and fluttering on the ground and dis- 

 covered that a butcherbird had dragged a dove from the 

 nest when nearly fledged and was killing it, %vhile the 

 mother dove was vainly interfering. 



I at once tore down the nest and shot the viUains, and 

 this vicinity has never been wholesome for them since. 



Another time I saw one of them flying from the lower 

 limb of an orange tree to the ground and back repeatedly 

 and f oimd he was killing a young chicken nearly as large 

 as himself. But his chief employment is robbing the 

 nests of other birds. Only a few days ago I saw one go to 

 a mockingbirds' nest in spite of all they could do to pre- 

 vent hhn, but as he took nothingawaywithhimi presume 

 he had taken all the young birds before. The rascal 

 ought to have a, mark set upon him that any one finding 

 him shall slay him, for no bird can safely try to raise a 

 brood in his vicinity. 



But not until a few days ago have I known the bluejay 

 was a rascal of the same stripe. One of my tenants heard 

 a screaming and saw a jay in great excitement hammer- 

 ing away at something on the ground, and on going to see 

 what the matter was she found a yoimg dove that he was 

 killing. Her brother, a very intelligent and observing 

 man, who has a place in the country, says the bluejay is 

 almost as bad a nest robber as the butcherbird. 



The well known trick of the latter — impaling" grubs and 

 young birds on a thorn — is very common here; but I never 

 knew that the hawk was so considerate till I saw an in- 

 stance of it with my own wide open eyes. 



A pigeon-hawk pounced upon a dove and carried it into 

 a row of oleanders near the house, and I got my gun — as 

 Johnny did — and followed him, and when he sailed out I 

 stopped him. I then heard a faint fluttering where he 

 came from and found the dove at its last gasj), hanging 

 with its head neatly inserted in a fork of the tree, with 

 a horizontal limb about six inches below the fork. It was 

 as nice an arrangement for pulling the bird to pieces com- 

 fortably as could have been found, and I beheve the 

 whole business liad been prearranged, for such another 

 place could hardly be found in a day's hunt. DrDYMUS. 



St. AueusTi»E, May 6. 



A Wearied Migrant. 



Boston, Mass. , May 9. — Editor Forest and Stream: A 

 very strange thing happened here to-day. A bird Avas 

 found by a member of our family sitting on our backyard 

 fence. I was called to identify it and you may imagine 

 my surprise to find an oven bird (Siurus auricapillus). 



It was evidently an adult as the birds have only just 

 come and also because the golden streak on the crown 

 was very brilliant and the streaks on the breast were very 

 distinct. Probably the bird was thed with its long trip 

 from the land of the tarpon and canvasback and was 

 resting, for I approached within 3ft. of it before it flew. 

 When I scared it, it flew away heavily. A laundress who 

 was hanging out clothes in the next yard tossed a piece of 

 cloth within 6in. of it,_and it "never moved." Where he 

 sat was not more than 6ft. from a window where people 

 were continually passing. 



Let us hear from other friends of nature, about birds 

 that have been found in strange places, as if exhausted 

 by their migration. Tavelve-Bore. 



Description of a New Prairie Hen. 



Tympanuchus attivateri. — Southern Prairie Hen. 



Diagnosis. — Similar to TymjoamicMis americanus, but 

 tarsus feathered only on the upper two-thirds or less; 

 upper surface considerably lighter colored, head and 

 neck of males including the neck-tufts strongly suffused 

 with cinnamon rufous. Size smaller. 



Geographical Range.— G\Ai coast of Texas and Louisi- 

 ana. 



Type Adult Male. — IJ. S. National Museum, No. 128,480, 

 Refugio Co., Texas, March 27, 1893. Dimensions: Length, 

 15.00; wing, 8,10; tail, 3.00; bill from nasal groove, 0.50;' 

 tarsus, 2.15; middle toe without claw 1.75in. 



Type Adult Female. — U. S. National Museum, No. 128^- 

 481. Aransas Co., Texas, April 25, 1893. Dimensions: 

 Length, 13.75; wing, 8.00; tail, 2.95; biU from nasal groove, 

 0.48; tarsus, 2.00; middle toe without claw, 1.65in. 



Collector. — ^H. P. Attwater, after whom I have named 

 the species. . Chas. E. Bendire. 



The Name Jaguar. 



Seavard, Neb., May 7. — Editor Forest and Stream: In 

 reply to ' 'Aztec's" inquirj^ in the Forest and Stream of 

 April 27, Ibegto say that the jaguar is the Europeanized 

 form of the Guarani word yaguaret, which means big 

 dog (or big wolf). The C'anis azarce is called yaguaragazti 

 in Guarani. The word came to us through the Spanish 

 missionaries to the Upper Parana country. All Spanish- 

 Americans call the jaguar tigre, as also the puma leone, a 

 pardonable vanity, for has not every country also its 

 ' 'SAvitzerland. " August RoaT. 



It was a Celebrated Case. 



The New York game protector, Mr. WiUett Kidd, and the Forest 

 ASD Stheau periodical are to be congratulated on the successful 

 result of th,eii' endeavors to enforce the game protection law of the 

 State against the restauranter Delmonico, of New York city. For 

 having in his possession eighteen woodcock killed out of season Del- 

 mom'co has been compelled to pay a line of S23 apiece— total, $450. 

 This result was only attained after persevering efforts, prolonged 

 through many months. The delay was due to the culpable neglect of 

 Prosecuting-Attorney NicoU, of New York, wlio would have per- 

 mitted the culprit to escape had it not been for the interest of Judge 

 McCarthy, who took up the case himself. We trust that the game 

 and fish laws of all the States may be enforced as effectually, and a 

 great deal more xiromptly. — American Naturalist for May. 



AaoKG the "Nessmuk" fund credits that of Mr. John W. Hutchinsoa 

 should have assigned that gentleman to Brooklyn, N, Y., not to Brook- 

 line, Mass. 



