FOREST AND STREAM. 88 5 
Mav 30, i8<>ei,l 
tliat do not award the blue ribbon to her special pet. I 
have often wondered what the dogs themselves thought 
of it. Their howls are anything but a mild protest to the 
whole business. PoDGERS. 
The Old Desk. 
"Forest and Stream" Picture Books. 
In many of the letters coming to the Old Desk, and 
not intended for publication there are "good things" it 
were churlish in the Man at the Desk not to share with 
others. So far, that is, as he may do this without calling 
down upon his devoted head the criticism with which 
tlie present Robert Browning is being scored for pub- 
li liing the love letters of his father, Robert BroAvning, and 
Elizabeth Barrett. Here, for instance, is a hint for 
Forest and Stream readers, which is so pertinent and 
timely, that it deserves printing : 
"For six years — or since the advent of my first boy — I 
have portfolioed Forest and Stream pictures — and some 
other.s — but mainly those of animals, fish, hunting and 
camp scenes, etc., hoping by means of theili to make up 
in some small way, to my little boy the lack he must realize 
of farm life and country experience, which lack I regard as 
very serious indeed, and deeply to be deplored. 
"But pictures in portfolios are alwa3'S tucked away out 
of sight, and are not available. So, while I have been 
gaining a little strength from my long illness, I have used 
it in .sorting — classifying in a natural way — my accumula- 
tions and pasting them into great books of paper cam- 
bric, which the boy's mother made for me. You should 
see the noble and altogether surprising result and the 
wild delight of C R A , aged six years. 
Really, these sumptuous folios .are wonderful, and de- 
light me and every one who has seen them as much as 
they do the boy. 
"You have no idea what an effect can be so easily pro- 
duced. I didn't know I had such riches. My Animal 
book, my Bird book, m^^Fish and Fishing book, my book 
of Camps and Camping, take one away to the wilderrtess 
and keep him there till he shuts them and pulls himself 
back to the 'settlements.* " "C. H. A." 
"That reminds me." 
The Great Eye Theory Again. 
St. Louis, Mo,, May lo. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
1 learn through a friend that one George Kennedy, of 
St. Louis, has been circulating libellous stories about me, 
to the effect that I was treed by razor-backs in the 
Arkansas swamps, exterminated a mixed flock of tur- 
keys, etc., etc. 
NoM', without going into details about my own lurid 
past, I desire to put you on your guard against this 
fellow Kennedy. Don't take my word for it, but just di- 
gest the following indictment and judge for yourself: 
First count: Shortly after I came to St. Louis, a 
guileless and undiscriminating youth, I fell in with Ken- 
nedy, and he told me the following story. It was all 
Greek to me, as doubtless it will be to you; but with the 
help of certain dictionaries you may be able to struggle 
through it. 
"We were down at White Sand Landing, the first 
above St. Genevieve, on the Missouri side. There were 
five of us: Sam Adams, Wad Smith, old Roussin, Joe 
the ferryman, and I. It was too hot to fish, and the 
woods were full of jiggers. So we went out .on the back 
porch and sat down to a little game. 
"It was ro cent limit, and two calls five. We used 
grains of corn for chips; white grain one cent, yellow 
grain 5. We played all forenoon, and had a good pile 
of cobs under the table when the dinner-bell rang. The 
biggest pot of the day was on the table, and no openers 
on the third round. But Madame Roussin was very 
strict about meals, and after the thing had run around 
a couple of more times without openers, she declared that 
if- we all didn't quit that sinful game she'd clear the 
table. So we went into dinner; but the meal wasn't what 
you would call sociable. Every fellow was thinking about 
that fine pot on the back porch. It didn't take long to 
eat all we wanted, and then there was a stampede. 
"Well, sir, I'm a jug-fishing white trash with one gal- 
lows and a dugout, if the chickens hadn't hopped up 
on the card table and eaten up all our chips!" 
Second count: Kennedy once went back to Pennsyl- 
vania to Adsit his folks. Of course he had to go fishing 
as soon as he'd said "Howdy." The only stream in the 
county was three miles away, and it ran past an insane 
asylum. Kennedy got in position right near the insti- 
tution and fished. He is a patient man, Kennedy, but 
finally he had to give it up. As he passed under the 
asylum wall on his way home, a red-headed lunatic stuck 
his head out of a window and called out: 
"Hello, there! Catch anything?" 
"■No." 
"Get a bite?' 
"No." 
"How long you been a-trying?" . , 
"All morning." 
"Say, partner, come in and room with me." 
Horace Keph.vrt. 
That Moose on the Railroad Track. 
Lake Megantxc,- Que., May ii.-^EdUor Forest and 
Stream: Your footnote to my article regarding moose— 
that something must have been wrong with my first moose 
at the time he was seen — as moose do not carry horns "a 
few weeks previous to April 34." I knew when writing 
that article that Mr. Timmons saw the animal during the 
<3pen season of last fall, and the statement that he went 
■back a mile to find a gun I thought sufficient to show that 
fact, as it would not be safe for any one to shoot a 
moose out of season in that section of country. Mr. Tim- 
mons writes a reply to my question that the occurrence 
happened on Nov. i, 1898. Wm. Brown. 
The Wild Pigeons. 
Ashland, Wis., May 13. — Editor forest and Stream: 
A press dispatch from Milwaukee says: "A large flock 
of wild pigeons — at least a mile in length — passed over 
this vicinity j'esterday, flying northward ; reminding ob- 
servers of pioneer days in Wisconsin, when these flocks 
used to darken the sky in their annual spring flights." 
This doubtless will carry pleasure to thousands of old 
pigeon hunters, like myself, and if you have not chronicled 
the fact of this "mile long" flight, please do so. We, who 
were pigeon hunters back in the sixties, all know about 
these large flocks, which usuallj' passed about the ist of 
April each year. I then lived in southwestern Wisconsin 
in Grant county, the home of your well-known friends, the 
Neavilles, Mather and W. Seaton. The question you 
have been discussing in Forest and Stream, "Where have 
the Pigeons Gone?" used to frequently recur to me, after 
witnessing the flight of one of these large flocks through 
the sky and starting out with my gun to see where they 
"lit." Still, we boys used to find .some quite large flocks 
sometimes, in the trees. The largest flocks were always 
in the spring. In the fall, after the acorns got ripe on 
the large white oak trees — what we boys called "sweet 
acorns" — the pigeons were on hand, especially about day- 
light, and for half an hour would settle down to break- 
fast, fluttering from limb to limb and keeping up a con- 
stant "peeping." Every morning, during the season of 
two or three weeks, sunrise would find me in the hunting 
grove, next to my father's place; the pigeons were as 
promptly on hand, and always about the same time — 
the break of day; they were as regular about this habit as 
the clock. My usual "bag" was half a dozen to a dozen. 
That meant a pigeon "pot pie," and as I would hand the 
birds to Bridget to "take care of," I would get a tornado 
of Irish that started in with, "Oi'U niver clane thim 
burrds ; no !" — but we always had the pot pie just the 
same. My father had a printer working for him by the 
name of Hubbard, from Potosi, and my recollection is 
that he had one of the Neaville boys with him at our 
home once on the occasion of a pigeon pot pie. There 
wasn't any doubt about "where have the pigeons gone" 
after they were once served in that style by good old 
Bridget. There was never, to my taste, any other style of 
I)ot pie quite so nice. Joseph Cover. 
A press dispatch from Reedsburg, Wis., under date 
of May 9, reported: "There was a general excitement 
at Lime Ridge recently when a flock of American pas- 
senger pigeons passed north over that place. The flock 
being a mile long and so dense as to nearly obscure the 
sun. Their appearance has created interest through- 
out the country, as these birds have not been seen for 
twent^- 1'ears, and even specimen hunters could not se- 
cure a single bird. They formerly roosted near Liine 
Ridge and came every summer by the millions to nest and 
breed. The people made pigeon hunting one of the prin- 
cipal sources of revenue in those days." 
Macomb, IlL, May 13. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
have been trying to locate the wild American pigeon, and 
every attempt has proved a failure. I wrote to all parts 
of South and Central America, Mexico, Red River coun- 
try, Arizona, Oregon, California, Washington, Arkansas, 
Indian Territory, and no trace of the passenger pigeon 
could I find. There have been a few scattering birds 
over the country. Five years ago three were seen here 
and two of them were killed. 
To verify the report of the Reedsburg, Wis., great 
flight, I wrote to the postmaster at Reedsburg, and this 
is what he says: "There is no question about the cor- 
rectness of the report. I know the parties, who are old 
residents, hunters and trappers, and who know what they 
are talking about. Quite a number of the birds have 
been seen around the hills, eight miles southwest of here, 
in addition to the large flock mentioned." 
The question arises now, where have they been for the 
last fifteen years? Dr. W. O. Blaisdei.l, 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I can endorse most fully the statement made by Mr. 
Isaac Tallman in his reply to the article written by Mr. 
A. Meersch, and published in your issue of April 29, in 
which he claimed that there was a flight of wild pigeons 
in this county in 1895. I have been quite familiar with the 
game and fish of this county for nearly or quite fifty 
years, and during all that time I have never heard or 
known of a flight of wild pigeons in this county. 
For many years up to about 1850 flocks of wild pigeons 
in the fall were quite abundant, and were very often 
taken with nets, which was a very favorite way of 
capturing them at that time, but very few if any have 
lieen taken in this manner since that time. A few small 
flocks appeared in the fifties, but not to such an extent 
that an attempt was made to capture them through the 
aid of pigeon nets, and I find upon inquiry that the ex- 
perience of others agrees with my own. ' 
The last flight of pigeons of which I have any knowl- 
edge occurred in the seventies, where they nested in the 
mountain range south of the Beaverkill in the lower part 
of Ulster county. There were two flights about this 
time, one small one and in the course of two or three 
years this was followed by a flight where the pigeons ap- 
peared in great numbers. 
This flock had nested in Missouri in the month of April, 
and- the most of the squabs were killed b}- those who 
were in the business of furnishing squabs for the market. 
When the nesting was over the entire flock went to 
Michigan, where they nested again, and they were fol- 
lowed there by the same persons who again destroyed 
most of the squabs. When thej' left Michigan they took 
their flight eastward, and telegrams were sent all over 
that part of the country where the pigeons would be 
likely to nest a third time, and -as soon as they settled in 
the Catskills these persons were apprized of the location 
and very soon appeared on the scene. 
The party, about thirty strong, stopped at Monson's, 
whose house was located on the upper Beaverkill, about 
three miles from the nest. 
This nest was a mile from the Willewemoe Lodge, 
where I happened to be during the whole time that the 
pigeons were in their roost. It was claimed at the time 
that the squabs were sent down to New York by the ton, 
but as to this I have no personal knowledge, though I do 
know that during the nesting all, or nearly all, of the 
squabs were destroyed, and this was done by invading 
the grounds at night and striking the trunks of the trees 
with a heavy axe or sledge hammer, upon which the 
squabs would tumble out of the nests on the ground, and 
be picked up and carried to Monson's and shipped to 
New York the next day. 
I do know, however, that from a natural ice house and 
the ice house belonging to our club, these persons ob- 
tained not less than fifteen tons of ice for the purpose of 
preserving the squabs. 
This is the last flight of pigeons that has ever taken 
place in this part of the country, so far as I have any 
knowledge, and I am very sure that if there had been 
any I would have known it. J, S. Van Cleef. 
PciCGHKEEP-SiE, N. V. jMay, 12. 
The Jerusalem Cricket. 
Yet another animate oddity is described to me by Mr. 
Arthur Putnam, of San Diego, Gal,, who recently spent 
some months in the studio of Mr, Edward Kemeys, of 
Bryn Mawr, Chicago. Mr. Putnam is an artist and a 
naturalist in his way, and. he tells me of a creature of 
which I for one never heard before. 
"The Jerusalem cricket," he says, "is a California 
product. He is one of the largest of his race, his aver- 
age size being about 2in. long and 'Ain. wide. He never 
bothers anyone, but spends all his time asleep. If you 
turn him over in a plow furrow he lies on his back 
and snaps his teeth like a wildcat. Then he will struggle 
for a moment or two, and if not touched will turn over 
about as gracefully as an ice wagon and run away for 3 
foot or two. He will hide under the nearest clod, and if 
you turn over the clod he doesn't mind, for by this time 
he is fast asleep again. Touch him on the back and he 
is wide awake, and at once throws himself on his back 
and begins to kick and bite, which is his mode o£ de- 
fense. In this he shows his wisdom. His head is stuck 
on his body like a double potato, and as he can't turn 
quickly or see quickly, he flops over on his back. 
"In the fall the Jerusalem cricket burrows in the 
ground and does not come out until spring, though he 
does not live in .a cold country. He probably does not 
get enough sleep in the summer, so he makes it up later 
on, when he can't stand it any longer. 
"This odd fellow has a large round head, as large as a 
hazel nut, with two little black beads the size of a pin 
head for eyes, which are placed about the middle of his 
head. He has two feelers, which hang out in front when 
he walks, and which lie straight over his back when he is 
asleep. His legs are hooked on to his waist, which is 
short. His hind legs are long, like those of a grass- 
hopper, but he never hops. He is clumsy and built for 
heavy work. In color he is light amber yellow on the 
head, legs and waist, his posterior whitish, covered with 
black or dark brown stripes, which run horizontally across 
his back. His hind legs are covered with two rows of 
thorns, which scratch a fellow pretty lively on occasion. 
He chews a light colored tobacca and his mouth gees 
very full if you make him talk. If you put him in a cup 
sometimes you can get him to squeak, though the sound is 
very faint. 
"The butcher birds have a great way of hanging these 
clumsy crickets on the thorns of the orange trees, where 
they leave them to sleep it out, which they do if they are 
unable to squirm off. You can see their dried skeletons in 
dozens hanging on orange or lemon tree thorns. 1 have 
seen butcher birds follow a plow all day waiting to catch 
these crickets. 
"The Jerusalem cricket lives on grass roots. It rarely 
burrows deep than a foot. It does not shed its skin as 
some insects do. The young are rarely seen. The adults 
never seem active, and rarely crawl loft. without a nap. 
They do not chirp like the ordinary cricket, and have no 
wings. 
"I do not know that the Jerusalem cricket is a very 
sporty bird, except in one particular. If he discovers 
himself near an ant hill, he will stop short in his tracks 
and turn around very quickly. The ants will promptly 
attack him, and this he knows. He turns his big head 
first one way and then another as they come on, and lum- 
bers off as fast as he can. The ants cannot get through 
his armor at any place, except at his waist line, where 
his two sections of plates lap oyer. The ants knovi' this 
and go after this vulnerable point. Defending himself 
after this fashion, the big bug throws himself on his 
back and tries to fight of¥ his little foes. He cannot reach 
his enemies with his legs very well, and in the end is very 
lucky if he gets off safe." 
A fight of this kind is something of a sporting event 
in miniature. I presxune, and shows nature in a serio- 
comic light, which is a relief against the usual somber 
tragedy. E. Hough. 
-ISO Caxton Builuing, Chicago, 111, 
Weight of Raccoons. 
Lowell, Mass., May g— Editor Forest and Stream: I 
notice in the last tuimbers of the FoiiEST and Stream, 
items relating to the weight of the raccoon, and while I 
have heard similar stories of coons being shot, weighing 
35 to 5olbs., it has not been mj' luck in years' experience 
of hunting them to get one. 
The largest I ever saw, weighed- 23, 24^/2 and 261bs. each, 
all males, the first one named was shot in the Province of 
Quebec, Canada, and the other two in Middlesex county, 
Mass. The largest female coon weighed an even 20lbs., 
and that is as large as an}' I have ever heard of, although 
several have come to my knowledge of about that weight. 
Procyon. 
Ironton, O,, May 13. — As to coons: In February of 
187 1 I killed a coon which weighed 281bs. Its hide was 
a great curiosity. I have never since found one over 
iSlbs., and think the 28-pounder about twice the average 
size for this part of the country. 
James Dupuy. 
