Fkb. 27, 1897.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
165 
on apples, carrots and turaips, none of which he appeared to 
sare for. When through with his meal he would very often 
wash his face, and his motions, though very quick, were 
strangely like those of a human haing. ^He was very fond of 
olay, taut if a stranger came up he would scurry off to his 
bed, I never heard him make a sound. 
It was my intention to take his Bhoto and send it with 
this, but the other morning on reaching the museum the first 
Dews I received was that the little beaver was gone. He had 
Baten a hole through the wire netting and escaped. 
Victoria, B. O. ~ JOHN Fajtodt. 
BURLS AND THE CAUSE OF THEM. 
The nature of burls is a subject that has not been so 
closely studied as it deserves. These curious and frequently 
ealuable monstrosities on trees have, however, a law unto 
themselves by which they and the origin of them mav be 
satisfactorily explained. In these woods of the Blue Ridge, 
where insects and birds and burls abound, the burls may be 
studied with interest and satisfaction to those who like my- 
jelf permit their minds to have no rest until the true inward- 
oess of what they see is discovered. This is a region of 
Durly trees, not only both for the very common knots which 
;o by the name of burls, but as to that other meaning, size or 
hulk. For here we have sassafras 30in. in diameter, poplars 
)ft., chetsnuts 7 or 8, and the common laurel large enougbjto 
jaw into boards, and as well trees with burls as large as flour 
aarrels, and in some eases as sugar hogsheads. Being of a 
restless sort of mind, and always wanting to know the reason 
for things, I have studied these excrescences on the trees 
mi have learned that they are due to various causes. The 
woodpeckers often start this abnormal growth; sometimes it 
is the nature of the trees tbehiselves which are given to these 
ieformities more easily than others, from the curly nature 
jf the fiber of the timber, but mostly the cause is some 
njury by birds or animals which starts the curious growth. 
Now your correspondent, to whom we are indebted for the 
Irawing of a curious burl, is not exactly right when he says 
he bark of trees has no annual rings as the wood has. It 
N the habit of trees to make an annual layer of new wood, 
e'lween the old wood and the bark, and one-half of this 
iDDual layer goes to make wood, and the other makes bark. 
This may be proved by the simple examination of the bark 
if some trees in which the bark has distinct annual rings, as 
n the redwoods of California, in which it is very conspic- 
(ous. But as the trees grow in size the outer layer of the 
i lark cracks and forms the rough bark, as the inner layer is 
ormed inside. Then the outer bark scales off and drops 
rem the trees, in the way every woodsman wl^o studies this 
iTowth discovers with as much ease as he does in regard to 
he annual rings inside the bark. Now when a bird — as the 
woodpecker, rightly called a sap sucker on account of its 
racking the sweet sap of the newly formed annual ring of 
ilburnum of the tree — bores holes in the hickory, which has 
ilmost as sweet a sap as the sugar maple, and the pine as 
Ycll, who=e inner bark is so sweet that the boys cut it out 
iijd eat it for its sweetness, the bird is after this soft albur- 
mm, which in time forms two layers— one of bark and one of 
vood. Then the injured bark, in the effort pf nature to heal 
±e wounds, grows to excess around these rings, forming in 
ime just such burls as the one described by your correspond- 
►3nt. Of course this new diseased growth takes on abnormal 
forms and in many cases just such forms as this. I have 
•cen hickories of large size with burls around the tree 
e^^eral inches deep, and of such curious texture as when 
-:awn and turned in a lathe will make beautiful ornamental 
work, the disturbed growth often penetrating quite through 
.he wood. 
I cannot refrain from mentioning another common mistake 
lEadebypersonsinterestedinfishingandfish. Thisisthe com- 
mon belief that fish are valued as food for the phosphoric 
acid they contain, and are consequently excellent for persons 
whoes brain needs stimulating. It was a most happy double 
entendre of that genial fouI Mark Twain (who by reason of 
his name perhaps has a habit of making these double barreled 
jokes) when he remarked in response to a weak-brained 
youth who asked what size fish he might reasonably eat at 
a meal to strengthen his brain, was ordinary that a moderate 
sized whale might do for his breakfast. Now whether the 
youth's brain was weak, as some might believe, or the fish was 
falsely alleged to be overflowing with phosphoric acid, and 
consequently this impossible supply of it was needed ou ac- 
count of the small quantity of phosphorus in it, Mr. Twain 
never said. But reasoning from the truth of the matter, we 
must believe that the reply to this inquiring youth was really 
intended to mean that it was a mistake to think that fish are 
■o well furnished with this element, or the brain either; 
for it is a fact that these common beliefs are wholly un- 
founded. The popular thought as to fish is based on the 
;:ict that stale fish often exhibit a phosphorescene when seen 
111 the dark. This, however, is due to some molecular dis- 
urbance, much similar to the newly discovered Roentgen 
rays, which come from the vacuum tubes in which precisely 
this same light is seen. It is the Ught of the firefly, or glow- 
worm as well, a light without heat, and precisely the same 
as the woodsman is familiar with in rotting wood. It is not 
-due to phosphorus at all; and it is a well-known fact that 
the bright light following a ship at sea, lighting up the wake 
jf It in a calm night like a brilliant flame, is simply due to 
i he vast multitude of organisms in the water, which glow 
when disturbed as the glowworm does on land. . 
There is still one thing more I haye to say, which is that 
your interesting correspondent Mr. Hough ought to take 
another name, which, as in the case of Romeo, would not 
change his interesting character nor the piquant flavor of 
his letters. It is exasperating to have to discuss the pro- 
nunciation of this gentleman's name with your readers, who 
visit us here in the summer in pursuit of sport. Says one, 
his name should be pronounced as "How," for bough is pro- 
nounced that way. But, says another, rough is pronounced 
ruff. Yes, says another, cough is pronounced coff. And 
another insists that dough is pronounced do, with a long o, 
and so on. Why does he not write Huff, and have done 
with this heart-breaking diificulty? H. Stewakt. 
Unusual Ducks in Currituck Sound. 
Ed'iior Forest and Stream: 
While shooting on the marshes belonging to the Narrows 
Island Club, of Currituck county, N. C, I killed on Feb. 3 
a young male European widgeon {ATias penelope). 
During this day many widgeons were flying over the Big 
Pond in Brant Island, where I was shooting, but scarcely 
any of them manifested any disposition to alight in the poxid 
or paid any attention to the decoys or to the calling of the 
boatman. They were what the boatman called ''trade 
birds, ' that is to say, were making long flights from one 
point to another. Once in a while, however, a little bunch 
would come down toward the pond and would cut over the 
decoys, and in this way I secured a few. The specimen in 
question was a single bird flying quite high up, and was shot 
under the impression that it was an ordinary widgeon. It 
was not until the boatman retrieved it and brought it into 
the blind that 1 realized what it was. 
The specimen has been preserved. 
On the same day I shot here a hybrid duck— evidently the 
product of a mallard and black duck. This specimen in 
general coloration resembled the black duck, and was sup- 
posed to be such until brought to the blind. It was then 
seen that the upper part of the head down as far as the eyes 
was iridescent green, but a dark green, like the top of the 
head of a highly- plumaged black duck; not a bright gi-een 
like a mallard. The lower neck and breast were suffused 
with a tint of rufous, the feathers being chestnut with dark 
centers. The speculum was bordered in front and behind 
by a broad, white star. The upper and under tail coverts 
were glossy black. This specimen and the one killed later 
showed the recurved upper tail covert characteristic of the 
male mallard. 
A week later, Feb. 9, I killed at Pillentary Pond another 
of these hybrids. It was not precisely like the first, but dif- 
fered from it chiefly in having the under tail coverts mottled, 
much as in the black duck, and in having the scapulars of 
the precise color of those of the male mallard, and the plu- 
mage of the shoulders and belly freckled with dirty gray. 
Both these birds bore a slight resemblance to Audubon's fig- 
ure of "Anas limaculate" but the body color was very 
much darker throughout. 
These birds are not specially remarkable, yet are perhaps 
worthy of record. George Bird Gbinnell. 
'mr{t mtd §nn. 
PHEASANT MANAGEMENT. 
Editoi' Forest and Stream: 
In accordance with your kind request I have the pleasure 
to hand you a few notes on the management of pheasants, 
premising, however, that there are no hard and fast rules, 
beyond what common sense dictates. Climate, soil and 
other conditions vary so greatly according to locality, that 
what may be a necessity in one case will be unnecessary and 
even detrimental in another. 
One thing is certain, viz., that pheasants have come to this 
country to stay, their introduction and propagation having 
long ago passed the experimental stage. Still I cannot say 
that every rood of ground in the Slates will afford them suit- 
able accommodation and be acceptable to them as a future 
dwelling place; so many people have turned what might have 
been from the outset a pronounced success into an utter fail- 
ure, from crude ideas about the nature and needs of these 
birds. They have thereby caused many others to consider 
them merely as an exotic toy, to be admired in aviaries, 
where they demand the utmost care, rather than as a hardy 
and prolific game bird, to which should be given the free 
range of the countryside, and which will in return afford 
splendid bags to the sportsmen each recurring year. 
I ought, of course, to state here, for tSe benefit of those 
whose knowledge of pheasants may be but slendtr, that I 
am now referring only to those breeds which are used for 
sport, as distinct from the remainder, whose only claim for 
attention is founded on their gorgeous plumage,'and whose 
fitting place is behind the wires of the aviary. These occupy, 
however, the longer list, and comprise such beauties as the 
gold, silver. Lady Amherst, Elliott, Impeyan -and argus 
pheasants, to mention only a few of the best known. But to 
these I shall not allude further in this letter. 
Now to hark back; when speaking of pheasants for sport 
four distinct kinds only are understood, viz. : the old Eng- 
lish dark-necked pheasant {Phasianus colchicus), the Chinese 
pheasant (Phasianus lorquatus), the Japanese pheasant (Pha- 
sianus mrsicolor) and the Reeves pheasant (Phasianus 
reevesii); also one hybrid, the English ring necked pheasant, 
which is the cross between the two first-named breeds. The 
Japanese and Reeves pheasants are not commonly used for 
shooting, and the pure old English bird is but little known 
in the States, though the chosen variety throughout the 
length and breadth of Europe. In the States the hybrid 
English liog-necked pheasant and the Chinese are alone 
propagated for the stocking of preserves, and everywhere in 
the Northern, Central and Eastern Teriilories the former 
has rightly taken the first place. I will not now enter upon 
the consideration of the points that cause the Chinese bird 
to be less suitable for sport than the English ring-necked 
pheasant, as I want to commence without further delay my 
remarks on their proper management as game. 
I have already remarked that not every place will be 
naturally found to be or can be made a fitting abode for 
pheasants. They have their likes and dislikes the same as 
everything else in this world, and their choice of a favored 
spot is often unaccountable and not amenable to any human 
explanation, and vice versa. They are essentially a woodland 
bird, but thel-e must be plenty of arable land in their vicin- 
ity, where they can fetd on the fallen grain and scratch in 
the stubble for insects. In the daytime, especially' early in 
the morning, and again as the shadows lengthen of an even- 
ing, they will be found roaming over the fields in their search 
for food. At these times if disturbed they will wing their 
flight back to their leafy shelter or "scoot" for the protection 
of the nearest hedge. It is useless to put out pheasants 
wheie their natural food is not abundant, for they will not 
remain there to starve. They will not inhabit large forests 
any more thaa ©pen expanses. Much, of course, can be 
done to render a very unlikely place entirely acceptable to 
them, in the former case by clearing open spaces or forming 
glades where crops of buckwheat or millet can be grown for 
their delectation and support. If, on the contrary, the land 
is bare of any trees, spinneys must be planted to hold the 
birds, affording warmth in the winter and shade in the sum- 
mer, besides roosting places at night. They will at once 
make their home in and never leave any wooded hollow, 
where cedars and other evergreen trees abound, through 
whose depths runs a never-failing stream, and which lies 
* amid fields of grass and grain. Such is an ideal harborage 
for them, where their every want will be supplied. 
I am often asked whether it is better to begin by buying 
eggs or birds when desirous of establishing a head of "]ong- 
tails" in a preserve. This is a question that no one can sat- 
isfactorily answer without a fuller knowledge of the iiir- 
cumstances and surroundingsof-the locality than is generally 
to be gleaned from a letter or a brief, perhaps vague, de- 
scription. When the experience of these birds, is not large 
and the amount of the initial expense is of secondary consid- 
eration, I would, as a rule, recommend the purchase of birds 
as the easiest and surest mode, due common sense being used 
and advice asked, and when given followed out. 
There are, needless to say, two ways even of putting out 
pheasants in a wood or coppice; a right and a wrong. Never 
let them loose in the daytime, when, being frightened, they 
will fly and run till their strength fails them, and they finally 
come to a halt on a distant neighbor's land, never to return 
to yours. On the contrary, carry them of an evening to the 
selected thicket, and at some spot where the shade is densest 
open gently the case containing the birds and retire. They 
will then, finding themselves at liberty, seek at their ease 
repose on some bough close by. With the dawn they will 
investigate all the nooks around, and if satisfied take up 
their abode there permanently. Should such change of 
domicile happen between the late autumn and the early 
spring, it is ad vantageous to scatter grain in some glade or 
favorite resort to insure them a sufficiency of food, however 
deep the snow may be lying, and thereby save them from 
encountering icy breezes in the open. A pheasant has no 
objection to cold even when it is far below zero, but it does 
detest those cutting arctic blasts that would shave a brass 
monkey. To still further secure their attachment to the 
place, I would recommend the making of a small wire in- 
closure, open at the top, among the trees, in which to place 
the birds after cutting or pulling out the feathers of one wing. 
It is only necessary to extract the cut quills five weeks before 
the date desired for liberation from the pen, by which time 
the lost plumage will be renewed, and meanwhile the 
strangers will have become perfectly at home in their new 
surroundings. 
The same man must each day give them their food and 
water till they are full-winged again, when they will fly out 
of their pen for exercise in the exuberance of their spirits. 
The scene of their captivity wiU continue to have an attrac- 
tion for them for some time, being a species of cupboard 
love, and they will haunt its vicinity in hopes of finding 
food till frosts are past. The date of their self-release should 
be timed for the commencement of the breeding season, that 
is to say, about the first days in April, as such occupation 
will be an additional tie to the spot. The great point to re- 
member is to thoroughly establish your stock on the place, 
to get the nucleus of your pheasants permanently attached 
there. Certainly some birds more enterprising than others, 
or preferring more elbow room, may wander away; but if 
your pheasants have once taken a liking to the place, and 
gone through a nesting season there, very few will seek other 
quarters if properly thinned down by the gun. It is an utter 
waste to turn out pheasants in a large forest, through which 
they will wander for miles on end, with no inducement to 
halt anywhere. They will never bs found again, any num- 
ber short of many thousands being swallowed up by such a 
vast, wild expanse. 
I should have mentioned that in tfying to set up a qtock of 
pheasants no efforts will be fully repaid, no success will be 
perfect, unless a determined and continued onslaught is 
made on their foes, furred and feathered. The brook so 
necessary for their comfort is the lurking place of the mink. 
The grateful shade of the trees harbors hawks and owls, and 
many a brood will be left motherless, and many a hen be 
bereft of her young, unless all such depredators be ruthlessly 
exterminated. 
Now let us turn our attention to the alternative'manner of 
providing a head of pheasants for a preserve, namely, by 
hatching their eggs under fowls and rearing the progeny by 
hand. Volumes have been written on this most interesting 
subject, and I can now but briefly sketch out the main rules 
within the limits of this letter. Well, if this course is 
adopted one important fact must be remembered : that these 
birds only lay duilng two months ip the spring, and the 
early laid eggs are the more fertile and their chicks the more 
easily reared. So, having decided to buy eggs, procure 
them as early in May as possible, a sufficiency of barnyard 
hens being ready against their arrival. Bantams are quite 
unnecessary, as they cannot cover more than seven to nine 
eggs apiece. Any hen with clean legs, not weighing more 
than 31bs., will do equally well, so long as she is not clumsy, 
sits well, and can easily cover fifteen eggs. If the nests can- 
not be made on the ground, put a large, thick sod at the bot- 
tom of each, slightly hollowed out, with a wisp of straw 
suitably arranged around it. The ventilation must be plen- 
tiful and all the surroundings clean and sweet. Do not 
place the eggs under hens in close, dirty, smelling houses. 
Air penetrates the shell through the pores, and a foul atmos- 
phere will weaken and often destroy the embryo. Leave the. 
hen during the period of incubation as much alone as possi- 
ble. If she is a good mother no one can teach her her busi- 
ness; if a bad one, remove the eggs at once to the care of a 
better. Should any be broken in the nest, wash the others 
well in warm water and remove every particle of stale yolk; 
and do the same should the hen foul her nest, as some close 
sitters do. If a hen when incubating becomes restless, do 
not wait till she has finally resolved to abandon it altogether, 
nor try to induce her to change her mind. It is a sheer 
waste of time, and what is far more serious, a waste of the 
entire nestful as well. At once, therefore, remove the eggs 
to another hen— not another hen onto the eggs. Sometimes 
a hen will suddenly give up sitting, but never during the 
night time, when sleep compels her to crouch down on her 
charge. So if the round of the sitting hens is made early 
each morning, and one be found tired of her duties, the eggs 
can be placed under another before any barm will have come 
to them. When the embryo has once attained any size its life- 
retaining powers wax stronger each day, so that after the first 
fortnight they can remain on a warm day neglected even 
for hours without any more deleterious results than a slight 
delay when the date for hatching comes round. The dura- 
tion of incubation for pheasants' eggs is twenty-four days. 
As soon as the eggs begin to chip shut the hens in, leaving 
no crevice, because the young ones will run as soon as dry 
and try to escape. Let the hen remain absolutely untouched 
tiU all the eggs have hatched and the poults are strong and 
dry. The aay previous to hatching I always go round each 
nest, and by gently shaking the eggs I can tell the good 
from the bad. The addled ones I remove, so as to leave 
more room for the fledgelings. Before quitting this point let 
me warn against using an incubator — a sure means of wast- 
ing money, time and expletives. 
We must next direct our attention to the place where the 
rearing operations are to take place. It is as well to choose 
a field in close proximity to the covert which the birds are 
destined to inhabit later on. The soil should not be of a 
damp, wet-holding nature; on the other hand, if it is sandy 
it may be too hot and void of an abundance of insect life, 
which is absolutely essential. Nothing is better than a field 
