FOREST AND STREAM. 
406 
Facts and Myths, 
East Wareham, Mass., Nov. 6.~Editor Forest and 
Stream: In reading over "Beneath the Salt Sea Waves" 
I find I may give a wrong impression where I say "All 
of this string of pouches is produced inside the winkle's 
body and can be withdrawn by a pull." That is true in a 
sense, but it is not all produced like an egg or foetus 
before any part is extruded ; the winkle buries herself and 
begins at the bottom to deposit her anchorage, and works 
gradually up and off, producing the string by degrees ; and 
at no time will there be more than three or four sections 
in her body. This can be pulled out, as written. 
Following my article is the "Horn Snake" by the 
always interesting Coahoma. So many times we are 
just on the point of discovering a true myth. I was once 
told that a man of my acquaintance had dug swallows 
out of the mud. I went to see him, and I think my 
interview was reported in Forest and Stream a gopd 
many years ago. I supposed (?), of course, that he was 
clearing out a ditch in the spring and had dug up a 
colony of hibernating birds, but it was not that way. He 
had seen a flock of swallows" flying over the mill pond 
in the late fall. They had disappeared as if by magic, i. e., 
"had dived into the water." Next spring the pond was 
drawn off, and he saw some hogs rooting among the 
stumps and lumps that characterize the bottoms of arti- 
ficial ponds, and found dead birds that the swine were 
eating — Hinc illce lachrymce. 
Once in my life I met a man who had seen a stone just 
after it had been split, thereby releasing a toad that had 
3een imprisoned for countless centuries. He saw the 
mpressions made by the toad, and I tried to find what 
became of that interesting reptile. He could only tell 
what he had seen — and he had not seen the toad. 
I saw on exhibition in Tacoma a slab of stone which 
lad been split to show the petrified remains of a fish about 
inches long and very perch-like in its general appear- 
ance. Several were shown, and they came from the Bad 
-ands country, I think. 
How many have heard the common black snake make 
lis tail buzz? He can do it, and it is loud enough to 
attract one's attention for several ji-ards. 
Why is it a small green snake common to Massachu- 
etts cannot run on a carpet? I took one into my house 
years ago for the baby to play with, and it could only 
wiggle on the carpet; on the ground it was all right. 
A.fter the little girl was tired of her new pet we let it 
?o. 
Once while fishing I caught a very small bullhead. 
The bushes were so thick I could not swing him up 
enough to get him out without some maneuvering, the 
ish meanwhile flopping round on the edge of the stream. 
When I did get a lift on him I brought up a striped snake 
also, which was trying to swallow my prize. 
Walter B. Savary. 
A Country Road/' 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In publishing such a charming picture as that which 
appeared in your last issue, and which you call a "Coun- 
try Road," you have done us all a favor such as even 
^''OREST AND STREAM rarely does. 
There must be many a man whose heart was filled 
with sympathetic emotion when he looked at this bit of 
nature in black and white, and many in whom reminis- 
ences of kindred scenes were called up by your print. 
A.nd there may be those among your readers who will 
:are to hear the experiences of others, and to them the 
writer offers- this account of what happened to him one 
ine October day in 1898, and which has always seemed as 
aoteworthy as it was unusual. 
Of all thoughts connected with Bar Harbor that of 
eeing large .game is perhaps most foreign to the aver- 
Ige "tourist" who goes there to cool off in the sultry 
log days and whose chief idea of the place is compli- 
;ated by dinners and balls, by golf and by dancing, and 
vlio little dreams that there is another and entirely dif- 
erent world of life and sense and spirit for those who, 
naking their happy summer homes there, linger on till 
;hilling winds of autumn redden the trees and send away 
he birds of fine plumage to other more congenial climes. 
But wait till those winds do come and then you know 
he island at its best, when with an atmosphere full of 
)zone you wake in the bright sunlight to find all physical 
abor a delight, and with a longing to fight the north- 
vest wind as it flings itself fiercely on you when, fast bro- 
:en, you tempt the outer air. On such a day start on 
our bicycle and take the road to Somerville, ready and 
jager for the windy fight which in other places would 
.iirely discourage all but the most professional 
'scorcher." Grind away at your pedals, westward, ho! 
Take easily the big hills on the road (once christened by 
.n aggravated lady the Himalayas), climb them afoot or 
wheel, as best suits your wind and muscle, knowing that 
vhen once you have reached that haven for cyclists, Mc- 
^■arland's, three miles out of town, there are no more 
reary struggles for many miles, and that you have noth- 
ng before you but down grades and easy levels, and 
laught to keep you back but the headlong wind plunging 
.nd tearing at you as you fight your way toward the land 
vhere it lives. Keep on thus with me till we get to 
he "Norway" turn, but drop behind me then, if you 
ilease, for I want to go on silently and alone for another 
nile westward till I come to a stretch of road where the 
voods are thick and where no houses of men disturb the 
inbroken wilderness .flanking beautiful Sargent's Moun- 
ain; for there it was on that bright October day the wri- 
er saw what he fears he may never have the happiness to 
ee again, but which he heartily wishes some one else 
nay be lucky enough to gaze at. , ■ i. 
Through the thick woods the narrow road (every inch 
)f it known to the writer) winds now up a trifling hill, 
low down, but always the best going for wheels on the 
sland, till you reach a point where you can see that it 
urns rather abruptly to the left a couple of hundred 
:ards away. Something unwonted at the far end caught 
he eye, but before evep a thought as to what it was could 
be formed the swift bicycle turned the smallest little curve 
and shut out the sight, only to bring it back a moment 
later, when vision told that at least the unusual appear- 
ance was caused by animals of some sort — cows, thought 
the writer; now lost again, now seen for a moment till 
the way straightens, and there, less than 100 yards off. 
walked out into the road from the side where they had 
been browsing, with eyes intent and ears straining to 
catch the least sound, with nostrils vainly trying to snuff 
the scent blown far behind the rider and his wheel, a 
splendid buck in his best, and close beside him a beauti- 
ful doe; and there they stood through the lapse of time 
that the wheel consumed in taking itself and its burden 
so close to them that it almost seemed as if one could 
'•catch them with their hands," and then, curiosity satis- 
fied, and caution, but not alarm, aroused, they turned 
and trotted down the road a rod or two and then crashed 
into the sheltering woods. 
Was not that a pretty sight to see so Hear a watering 
place? And is it not a pleasant thought that deer still 
linger close to balls and golf clubs and dinner dances? 
Not preserved or tame deer, but Cervtis himself in all his 
natural ways, in his own chosen home, where he and his 
forbears have passed their successive generations. And- 
is it not a still more pleasant thought to realize that, 
thanks to the sound wisdom of the Game Commissioners 
and to the good sense of the island community, these deer 
at least are forever safe from .30-305 and that men are not 
among the wild animals whom they must learn to dread? 
QUILIBET., 
An Australian Pigeon Post. 
Perhaps no other member of the feathered community 
has won so much fame for such extraordinary instinct, 
amounting almost to intelligence, as the homing pigeon. 
Only those who have participated in the hobby of homing 
can fully realize the fascination it possesses, and the ever- 
increasing interest that surrounds the birds. There is 
something noble about the appearance of the broad- 
chested, bright-eyed messenger of the air, as he skims 
through space, with scarcely a perceptible movement of 
his pinions, and alights at the entrance to the home he 
loves so well, after having flown hundreds of miles, look- 
ing as fresh as he would after a morning flutter around 
the loft. It is pleasant to note the intense satisfaction 
when he gets inside among his mates. Every feature of 
the sport is full of interest, and there is no better illus- 
tration of the fancier's enthusiasm than to watch him 
sky-gazing for hours at a time, starting up at the sight of 
every flying creature in the hope that it may, when closer, 
develop into the bird he is so anxiously waiting for. 
The purposes for which the homer has been utilized are 
numerous. Before the electric telegraph connected so 
many country districts with the centers of population, the 
birds were used all over Europe for conveying news, and 
even now some English sporting papers maintain large 
lofts of homers for carrying results of racing events from 
outlying places. Extensive experiments have been tried in 
order to test the capacity of the homing pigeon as a 
medium for conveying naval and military dispatches in 
time of war, and the results in many instances have been 
highly satisfactory. But of all the accomplishments 
credited to the homer, probably none has been of such 
practical benefit as that of a number of birds of the Great 
Barrier Island Pigeongram Agency. These creatures are 
trained to carry messages to and from the Great Barrier 
Island and Auckland, New Zealand, and the system has 
expanded so much that it has now become a very im- 
portant means of intercourse between the inhabitants of 
the island and their friends and business connections in 
the city. At the time of the wreck of the steamer Waira- 
rapa* on the Great Barrier Island, it was four days be- 
fore news of the calamity reached the capital, and this 
fact gave rise to the pigeongram system. At first but a 
few birds were available for the purpose, but in 1896, with 
the increasing population on the island, it was found 
necessary to reinforce the feathered army, and at the 
present time large numbers of messages are daily sent 
from the island to the metropolis, and vice versa, by this 
means. In the first place, 2s. per message was charged 
from the island to the city, and when a team of birds had 
been trained to fly from Auckland to the island, messages 
were sent at a cost of is., and the messages to the city were 
reduced to 6d. each. The reason of the extra expense 
from Auckland to the island is the difficulty experienced 
in getting birds to leave the city on their journey across 
the water. No messages for the island are sent from the 
city after 10 A. M., as the island is often enveloped in a 
fog after that hour. Some idea of the dispatch with which 
the birds deliver their messages m.ay be gained from the 
fact that they average (bad weather and head winds taken 
into consideration) from sixty-five to seventy minutes, 
which journey is-about fifty-seven miles. One bird will 
carry as many as four messages at a time. 
The New Zealand Graphic gives the following informa- 
tion on the subject: 
The messages are written on tissue paper (quarto size) 
with carbon leaf, the tissue paper being perforated down 
each side, and on being folded is sealed with the pigeon- 
gram stamp, which secures the privacy of the message. 
The messages are then wrapped round the pigeon's leg 
and covered with a water-proof legging. This protects 
it from wet in case of bad weather, or from the bird peck- 
ing it off during transit. To open the message the re- 
ceiver cuts through the perforation. There are just 100 
birds engaged in the service. At both termini the usual 
trap for homers is used, on entering which the wires 
fall back and strike an alarm. This notifies an attendant, 
who removes the messages, and the bird is permitted to 
enter the main loft, , 
As an evidence of the appreciation of the service the 
agency has been subsidized by a steamship company, by 
mining companies working at the island and also by 
merchants in Auckland. F. T. C. 
Victoria, Australia. 
Pigeon History ia Ne-w" York. 
PouGHKEEPSiE, N. Y —Editor Forest and Stream: 
There has been no flight of pigeons in this part of the 
State for over twenty years, the last being in Ulster 
county in the town of Hardenburgh, in the early seventies. 
In the forties these birds were quite abundant in this 
country in the fall, and I know of their being taken with 
net sin quite large quantities, but they were never killed 
with use of a cannon. 
The last flight of pigeons in this county that I ever 
heard of came in the spring, and they nested in Missouri," 
then came to Michigan and nested again, and finally nested 
in the month of June in the Catskills, and the last time 
I ever knew of their nesting was in the early seventies 
between the Wiilewcmoc Club bouse and the Beaverkill 
in the month of June, while I was at the lodge, and I 
never knew or heard of their nesting in this county, nor 
have I ever known of any being taken with nets since 
1850. and I have never seen or heard of a flock of pigeons 
of any size in this county for over forty years. 
j. V4N Cleef. 
How Bats Catch Insects. 
In the October number of the Zoologist is found a very 
interesting paper by Mr. C. Odham on the method by 
which bats secure their prey. It appears that when 
walking these animals carry the tail curved downward 
and forward, so that the membrane which connects it 
with the hing legs forms a sort of pouch or bag. If the 
bat meets with a large insect, it quickly seizes the creature, 
and resting on its folded wings, brings its feet forward, 
and then bending its neck and thrusting its head beneath 
its body pushes the insect into the pouch. When once in 
the pouch the insect rarely escapes, although it may 
struggle violently. Subsequently the insect is taken from 
the pouch in the same way and devoured. It is assumed 
that the same mode of capture is employed when the bat 
is on the wing, and the observations of a correspondent of 
the author confirm this. 
Passenger Pigeons Seen* 
Parkersburg, W. Va., Nov. y.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Wm. M. Paden, M. D., F. M. Kiser and I were 
east of town quail shooting on the morning of the 4th 
inst., when our attention was drawn to three long, drag- 
stiaped lines of birds flying south, which we soon made 
out to be passenger pigeons. We estimated them at 700 
or 1,000 birds, and were close enough to be positive re- 
garding their identity. Any other sportsman noticing 
pigeons will please report through the Forest and 
Stream. C. L. S. 
The Linnaean Society of New York. 
A regular meeting of the Society will be held in the 
American. Museum of Natural History on Tuesday even- 
ing, Nov. 28, at 8 o'clock. 
Nov. 28. William Butcher. — "Home Life of Birds 
Through a Camera." Illustrated with lantern slides. 
William P. Lemmon. — "Notes on the Taking of a Duck ' 
Hawk's Nest on the Palisades." Illustrated by a series of 
photographs. 
Walter W. Granger, Sec'y. 
American Museum of Natur-^l History. 
♦A ship of about 3,000 tons. Nearly all the passengers were lost. 
The FoitEST AND Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday. 
Correspondence intended for publication should reach us at the 
latest by Monday and aa muck earlier aa practicable, 
Cows and Licenses* 
Providence, R. I. — Editor Forest and Stream: Jere- 
miah Shea, of North Providence, was accompanied to 
the District Court la.st Monday morning. He had been 
caught hunting rabbits with a ferret, by Game Warden 
Nicholas F. Reiner, and it was on a private complaint 
of the warden that Shea was brought into court. To 
Judge Sweetland he admitted his guilt, and was fined $5 
and costs. He settled. 
On Saturday hist a party comprising W. H. Cole and 
A. H. Cole, of this city; Charles T. Chase and wife, 
E. E. Dodge and wife, J. J. Arnold, E. W. Brown and 
William. Pratt, of Saylesville,. and H. D. Jourden and 
Miss Nellie Wood, of Grafton, Mass., returned from 
their annual trip to camp on the Macwahol River, Aroos- 
took county. Me., after two weeks' absense. Three deer 
were shot by the party. A. H. Cole secured two and 
E. E. Dodge one. iVIr. Chase shot a very handsome 
fox. The very dry and warm weather was unfavorable 
to securing more large game. 
The members of the Camp Comfort Club, of Central 
Falls, who have been in Maine for the last fortnight, 
furnished the papers with material for long stories dur- 
ing the past week. There is a law in Maine prohibiting 
the transportation df game out of the State unless the 
game is accompanied by the owner. The officers at 
Bangor found a quantity of deer and moose marked 
for Pawlucket, and as there was no one on the train 
to claim, ownership it was held up. This fact was sent 
out in the press dispatches, and a big seizure was chron- 
icled. The members of the party had separated and had 
agreed to meet in Bangor. The game had been sent by 
express, and the members of the club followed later. 
The game was marked for Pawtucket, and there was 
nothing else for the wardens to do but scire it. When 
the party arrived at Bangor there was no further 
trouble. They were well known by the game wardens, 
and they continued on their way with the fruits 0/ the 
chase. The members of the club are too well known in 
this vicinity for any one to suspect that they ha*^ been 
trying to evade the game laws. 1 
The character of the hunters of a vicinity is established 
by the conduct of the meanest man in that vicinity 
who carries a gun. It does not matter how many good 
men go into the woods to hunt, if there is one who com- 
mits depredations' the entire class of hunters has to 
suffer. This is the reason why so many hunters find 
their privileges abridged and why so many farms are 
posted to-day. It was not many years ago that the 
hunters were allowed to roam unrestrained wherever 
