FOREST AND STREAM. 
and some said they liad and * * * described some- 
thing similar to those we had heard, and of which I 
■have endeavored to give an idea." 
Hardly a page of this interesting volume can be 
turned without learning something new, for Mr. Elliot's 
experience extends over many years and over maiiy 
lands, and wherever he has shot he has done so with his 
eyes wide open. 
Like most thoughtful sportsmen of large experience, 
Mr. Elliot is heartily opposed to the pernicious practice 
of spring shooting, realizing that this has contributed 
perhaps more than any other one thing to the reduction 
in the numbers of our wildfowl. He closes the effective 
introduction to his work in these words: '"North Amer- 
ica at one time probably contained more wildfowl than 
any other country of the globe, and even in the recollec- 
tion of some living the birds came down from the North- 
land during the autumn in numbers that were incredible, 
promising a continuance of the race forever. I have 
myself seen great masses of ducks and also of geese 
rise at one time from the water in so dense a cloud 
as to obscure the sky, and every suitable water covered 
spot held some member of the family throughout our 
limits. But those great armies of wildfowl will be seen 
no more in our land; only the survivors of their broken 
ranks. Let these then have the protection which is 
their due, and our advantage and profit to accord; stop 
all spring shooting within our borders, a time when 
the birds not only are usually poor in flesh, but are 
mated and journeying norilnvard in obedience to the 
command, 'be fruitful and multiply'; frown down all 
such barbarous customs as 'killing for count' and then 
with the impartial enforcement of the laws upon all the 
people, a remnant at least of our noble water fowl may 
be preserved to future generations." 
Most of the illustrations are very effective, and we are 
permitted by Mr. Francis P. Harper, the publisher, to 
present some of them here. Some of these plates are 
from the pencil of Mr. Sheppard alone; others are the 
joint work of Mr. Sheppard and the author, while four 
are reduced copies of paintings made by Joseph Wolf. 
The frontisi iece is a capital portrait of the author, which 
all who pos;i!ss his books will be glad to have. Of Ross' 
goose, perhaps the rarest of the winter visitors to our 
land, which is chosen for one of our illustrations, it may 
be said that it appears regularly during the autumnal 
migration in certain parts of Montana, and last autrimn 
we knew of one man who secured sixteen in an evening. 
Early in November we saw a flock of perhaps seventy- 
five. 
It is not easy to speak in moderate terms of the value 
of these three volumes of Mr. Elliot's to that very 
large class which takes its recreation with the gun. The 
books will have a place in the libraries of most sports- 
men, and will constitute for their author an enduring 
monument. 
Some Florida Birds. 
Little BItje Herons. 
For years it has been an ambition to possess a pair 
of American egrets (large white cranes) for the lawn 
—certainly the handsomest bird in Florida; so when an 
old woman living on the outskirts of civilization re- 
ported that she knew of a nest of these birds, we quickly 
agreed to take them when old enough to leave the nest. 
The woman and her boy soon brought them to town; 
the birds numbered four and were snowy white. Two of 
them had yellow legs and beaks, the legs and beaks of 
the other two were a bluish black. Being so well 
feathend and so small, suspicion was aroused as to 
whether they were large white cranes or not, but the 
strbng assurance from the old woman as to the size of 
the parent birds calmed the doubt for a while. The 
birds were put into a large wire coop, where they ap- 
parently were well satisiied, asking only that they be 
given plenty of beef and minnows. In a few days it 
was decided to give .hem the freedom of the yard at 
feeding time; they would hop arotmd, gradually grow- 
ing stronger in wings till they could fly onto the shoulder. 
Such liberty, however, reminded them of freedom, and 
they would object to returning to the cage. They were 
pugnacious little fellows, showing no fear of anythmg, 
but with ruffled feathers would run and "squak" at the 
pup or cat, who in turn would run to their owner for 
protection.' The dog and cat, as eager for beef as they, 
wotild stand by their master's side or between his arms, 
the birds on his knee or shoulder, all eager for the 
coveted beef, and apparently feeling that bond of sym- 
pathy that emanated from their surroundmgs-^-each 
sensitive to this influence while under the protection of 
a strong nature, but so soon as they were in the open 
again quickly commenced the attack on the dog or cat, 
who of course were not permitted to retaliate. Soon 
these birds commenced to spread their wings and 
practice flying, looking like so many pigeons on the 
green lawn. So lightly did they move that their flying 
could best be compared to the white down of a thistle, as 
it floats through the air. It was now that our disappoint- 
ment came, when the tips of some new feathers showed 
a dark color, and a hunter informed us we had only 
gotten the "little blue heron," a very common bird m 
Florida which in its young state is snow white, changing 
to a bluish or brownish gray by the second year. On 
learning that the birds would never grow much larger, 
and for this reason would have to be kept confined, as 
otherwise they could get through the poling fence, they 
were disposed of to a friend. It is remarkable to note 
how quickly the wild birds of the forest— the cranes, 
herons etc. — take to domestication. We had these little 
herons' but a week, and in that time they grew as 
gentle as kittens, while the leghorn chickens, whose an- 
cestors have crowed around man's home from the old 
Roman days to the present, are always on the alert, 
moving off from their feed at a close approach from aiiy 
one. ■ 
A Young Eagle. 
Last spring, when all the world was looking anxiously 
toward the American eagle and her cause, two young 
eao-lets were hatched in a tall cypress tree on the, edge 
of a prairie about sixtv miles from Kissimmee. A native 
watched the site, and one day felled the tree; one 
eaglet gave up its life, the other was found alive. The 
man brought it to town in an ox team, and on its ar- 
rival it was barely breathing. It was quickly given 
beef and water, and while the poor thing could not sup- 
port its head from extreme weakness, it showed its 
appreciation by giving forth a gurgling sound. It soon 
learned to drink water from a spoon, then a cup, and 
within a couple of days could sit up. The bird slept a 
great deal, resting flat on the ground with wings 
slightly spread and his head lying to one side. This at 
first we supposed was from extreme weakness, but he 
continued this, using the perch between times, when 
he would apparently be in a deep study, but not asleep. 
What an immense bird he was, and what a sweep of 
wings he had! In color he was almost black, the luster 
LITTLE BLUE HERONS. 
on his feathers being exquisite. His beak was black, 
his feet and legs yellow, while his dark brown eyes 
were the perfection of beauty in their wondrous way of 
changing. During his short stay he was so gently cared 
for that he learned no antipathy for anything, although 
his eye would scan closely the kitten or the dog as they, 
innocent of the dormant strength that lay beyond those 
talons, stood by while the bird devoured his fish or 
beef. At first the eagle was so ravenous that he swal- 
lowed his food in great pieces, eating the sinew and 
fat of the beef, but later placing his powerful talons 
upon the fish or beef, he would raise his wings, draw 
his body up from the food, and proceed leisurely to tear 
it into shreds, feeding as daintily as a squirrel, but 
leaving all the sinew and fat. The man who captured 
the eagle said on the ground beneath the nest was the 
BEARS BORN IN THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO. 
Photographed from life. 
refuse of fish and other prey, making an odor that was 
far from agreeable. 
The strength and beauty of this king of birds grew on 
us daily, but as he could serve his country better as a 
mascot for the army we parted with him, but the 
memory of his departure is still fresh, recalling a picture 
full of pathos. It was night, and the eagle had been piit 
into a box for shipment; the wagon stood waiting; as it 
moved off the caged bird peered out, and that last linger- 
ing look from his eye expressed rebuke, sorrow and 
longing; he gave forth a low gurgling note, as if 
pleading to be allowed to remain; he left a woman stand- 
ing by the gate with tear-bedimmed eyes and a strange- 
ly'' pulsing heart, but he taught us that the more we 
study these creatures, less Godlike than ourselves, the 
more we feel an indulgent care and kindly sympathy for 
them. Minnie Moore- Willson. 
Kissimmee, Fla. 
A Scottish Stag. 
Mr. Walter Winans has sent to the Forest and 
Stream from England a' New Year's card which is an en- 
graving of a spirited painting by him of a scene in the 
deer forests of Scotland; and we have reproduced it here. 
The Forest and Stream i.s put to press each week on Tuesday. 
Correspondence intended for publication should reach us at the 
latest by Monday and as much earlier as practicable. 
Bears Born in Captivity. 
In the Philadelphia Zoo. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Bears so seldom breed in captivity that it may interest 
you to reproduce the photograph which I send you, if it 
is clear enough for the purpose. The cub was one of a 
litter of four, bred from a pair of brown bears (Ursus 
arctos) from Russia, which have been in the garden for 
seven years ; they were born early in the morning of Jan. 
19, three being dead when first seen by the keeper, all of 
them having been much torn, apparently by the mother. 
Some little life being left in the fourth, it was removed 
and an attempt was made to bring it up on the bottle, but 
it died at the end of thirty-six hours. It was photo- 
graphed, while living, by Mr. Carson. The cub was 7^4in. 
long and weighed i2^oz. The body was covered wnh 
fine, short, grayish hairs, and had on each shoulder (as 
seen in the picture) a triangular white patch, these being 
connected by a white bar between the upper anterior cor- 
ners, forming a half-collar. Two of the other cubs were 
without the white markings, while the fourth was too 
much mutilated to draw any conclusion from. Its pres- 
ence in the one specimen is interesting, as these marks are 
known to occur sometimes on older animals _of this 
species. Ursus coUaris, F. Cuvier, from Siberia, was 
founded upon such specimens, and they are referred to 
as occurring in Japan, by Temminck, in the "Fauna 
Japonica," in speaking of his Urstis ferox; both of these 
alleged species being forms of Arctos. 
The number of cubs in the litter appears to be un- 
.usually large. We do not know very much with exact- 
ness upon this point, but it seems to be generally assumed . 
that two is the normal number, and personally I have 
never seen signs of more than this number, accompanying 
the mother at one time, among our American species. 
It would be interesting to get some information on this 
subject from your correspondents. 
Arthur Erwin Brown, 
Philadelphia Zoological Garden, Jan. 27. 
In the Brooklyn Zoo, 
About ten days ago, Sallie, a black bear in the Pros- 
pect Park Zoological Gardens, in Brooklyn, N. Y., gave 
birth to a litter of cubs. Edward Walsh, one of the 
keepers, informed a Forest and Stream representative 
who called to inquire about the new arrivals that it had 
not yet been definitely determined whether there were 
three or four cubs. The mother has a good dispositioin, 
and the cubs have been seen repeatedly by the keepers, 
who enter the inclosure to feed the bears, but there has 
been no opportunity as yet to determine the exact num- 
ber of cubs. It is certain, however, that there are at least 
thite. 
The cubs are healthy and doing well. The mother 
seems to spend most of her time suckling them, and is 
very solicitous for their comfort. The cubs have a habit 
of whining like puppy dogs, especially when by any 
chance they are crowded away from their dinner. Their 
mother licks them and fondles them with her paws and is 
as proud of them and jiealous of interference as any 
human mother. 
At birth the cubs were steel gray, and about the size of 
kittens. No white markings were noticed on their bodies. 
The exact time of their arrival is not known. For two or 
three days the mother bear had not been seen, but this 
attracted no particular attention, as ttie bears often lie 
in their dens several days at a time in cold weather. 
It was not till the young bears were heard whining 
that the real state of affairs was known. 
The father of the cubs is a bear called Peter. Peter has 
for company, besides Sallie, two other female bears, Lilly 
and Mary Ann. The four bears get along well together, 
and no one of them has attempted to interfere with Sal- 
lie's family. Each of the four has a separate den half 
filled with straw, and at this time of year much of their 
time is . spent inside. There is a possibihty that Mary 
Ann may go to housekeeping before lung. 
Sallie's cubs are the first ever born at the Park, it 
was thought last year that the bears had mated, but there 
was no result. The season, according to Mr. Walsh, is 
the last of July and first of August. This would tnake 
the period of gestation about five months. 
The conditions at Prospect Park are very 'Similar to 
those to which bears are accustomed m a wild stat?, and 
differ chiefly in the fact that the animals receive food 
throughout 'the winter; Strictly speaking, the bears do 
not hibernate. A good deal of their time is passed in 
sleep, but it is not uncommon to see them out on the 
coldest days, and they will break Y^m. of ice to get drink- 
ing water from their trough. 
Snakes Swallow their Young. 
Brooklyn, N. Y,, Jati. 27. — Editor Forest arid Stream; 
I take your valuable paper from my newsdealer, and see- 
ing in Forest and Stream an article entitled "Snakes 
Swallow their Young," I shall be pleased if the informa- 
tion herein contained will aid in strengthening the state- 
ments made by Col. Nicholas Pike, whose letter was 
enclosed to you by Seiior X., of Pasadena, Cal., under 
cover of Dec. 17. 
In 1886 I had the pleasure of witnessing such a per- 
formance, in a swamp about three miles from where I 
then resided. There were a male and female garter snake, 
and as I came upon them I made a slight noise, when, as 
Col. Pike states, the female placed her head flat to the 
ground, made a peculiar noise, and four of her offspring 
crawled down her oesophagus. The male ran away with- 
out my noting his actions. I was very greatly surprised 
at the time, never having seen it before, and on killing the 
female, to make sure that my eyes had not deceived me, I 
was enabled and did secure from her gullet the four off- 
spring. 
On going in the direction in which the male had run, I 
came across him about 20ft. away, with three more young 
ones, and killed him, in order to ascertain whether he also 
had swallowed his progeny. He had not, however, as 
subsequent dissection showed, and I have since been sorry 
that I did not spare his life and make a noise in order to 
see the result Geo. W. Bu-^tty, M, D. 
