2BA 
Fua%Si AiND STREAM. 
"Winding among the buttes is the famous Lithodendron 
Creek, so named by Lieut. Whipple in 1853. 
" 1 he valley of tnis creek is narrow in tlie northern and 
central parts of the area, and ihej'e are several short 
branches or affluents, but at the southern end it broadens 
out and its rugged, spurred and caiioned slopes are highly 
picturesque, mere is located its principal petrified forest, 
lind this js the region that has been characterized by some 
as Chalcedony Park. The petrified logs are countless at 
all J)orizons, and lie in the greatest profusion on the 
knolls, buttts and spurs, and in the ravines and gulches, 
while the ground seems to be everywhere studded with 
gi.-ins consisting of the broken fragments of all shapes and 
?,izes and exhibiting fill the colors of tile rainbow. When 
we rtmeniber that this special area is several miles in 
extent, some idea can be formed of the enormous quan- 
tity of this material that it contains. 
■'Besides the fact that this bed lies wholly within the 
petrified forest area, there is another important circum- 
stance which serves to give it special prominence. One 
of the most celebrated objects in the whole region is the 
\sell-known Natural Bridge, mentioned by so many 
travelers and referred to in the documents quoted at the 
beginning of this report, consisting of a great petrified 
trunk lying across a canon and forming a natural foot 
bridge on. which men may easily cross. This occurred on 
the northeast side of the above-mentioned mesa near its 
rim, and the bed in which it lies is the coarse sandstone 
which holds all the petrified wood. The Natural Bridge 
therefore possesses the added interest of being in place, 
which can be said of but very few of the other petrified 
logs of the region. 
"The canon or gulch has a due north direction and is 
very precipitous, beginning only 200 yards above tht 
bridge and rapidl.v broadening in its descent. At the 
point where the bridge crosses it it is about 30 feet wide, 
biit the trunk lies diagonally across and measures 44 feet 
between the points where it rests upon the sides of the 
canon. The angle is nearly 45 degrees, and the tree lies 
with its roots to the southeast and its top to the north- 
west. The canon is here about 20 feet deep, anfl from 
its bottom and sides se\'eral small trees are growing, some 
of which rise considerably above the bridge. The trees are 
mostly cedars, but there is one cottonwood (Fopiihif; 
angustifolia). The root is quite near the brink of the 
canon, but rests on a solid ledge for a distance of 4 feet, 
so that there is no probability that, in this dry region, it 
will be endangered by further erosion. The total length 
exposed is in feet, so that more than 60 feet of the 
upper part lies on the left bank of the canon. At about 
the middle of the canon and above where the coating of 
sandstone still adheres, it measures 10 feet in circum- 
ference, giving a diameter of over 3 feet. At the base it 
is now 4 feet in diameter, but the thickness of the in- 
crustation is not accurately known. At the extreme 
summit the diameter is reduced to 18 inches. As in the 
case of practically all of the petrified logs of the region, 
there are no indications of limbs or branches at the top. 
"No one denies that visitors to this region usually carry 
away with them as much as their means of tran.sportation 
will permit, but this consists u^ually, of course, of the 
smaller objects that lie in such profusion on the ground. 
At the first view it might seem that the immense quantity 
of such objects makes it impossible that any appreciable 
impression can ever be made upon the who.le mass in this 
way. This is the same kind of reasoning, or rather tm- 
reasoning. that has led to the practical extinction of the 
buffalo, and which threatens tu exhaust the sources of 
natural gas. But the class of persons known a.s relic 
hunters is very large, and the number who will in the 
future visit the petrified forest is destined greatly to 
increase. They usually carry with them some 
concealed tools or instruments, and with these 
they are perpetually breaking off pieces of objects which 
they wish to carry away as souvenirs. In this way 
the finest trunks are being hacked to pieces and disfigured, 
l^r example, there are several places on the Natural 
Bridge where this process has been going on until quite 
large holes or unsightly cavities have Ix^en dug m the 
upper side of the trunk. The small pieces, chips and 
blocks that lie in such profusion on the ground vary 
greatly in form and coloration, and it is. of course, always 
the most symmetrical and brilliant that are first picked 
up, and these will eventually be so culled out that only the 
plain, unattractive pieces will be left. 
"Leading citizens and prominent public men in Arizona 
are sincerely desirous of preserving this interesting ^iot 
from vandalism and wanton destruction, and many of 
them think that this can best be done by making it a 
national reserve and appointing proper guardians to take 
charge of it. As they show, the expense of this need not 
be large. A single mounted ranger, such as now patrol 
the forest reser\es of the Colorado Plateau, would prob- 
ably be adequate for this purpose for some time to come. 
•'As nearly all visitors must approach the forests by wa^- 
of .the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad, it is clearly to the 
interest of the road that they be made as attractive as 
possible, and there is no doubt that the officers of the 
road will gladly co-operate with the Government in this 
matter. A few years ago the nearest railroad station 
\yas Corrizo, which is some six miles west of north of 
the upper forest. The inconvenience of this w^as apparent 
to the railroad authorities, and they have recently estab- 
lished a station due north of the forests, only seven miles 
from the nearest margin and about eight miles from the 
Natural Bridge. This station is Adamana, the name 
being modified from the only person living there. Mr. 
.Adam Planna, upon whom now falls the duty of conduct- 
ing parties to the petrified forests. Mr. Hanna derives 
considerable revenue from this source, especially as it is 
usually necessary for parties to stay over night, and he 
takes care of them. But this house is not convenient to 
the station, and is not adapted for a hotel, and as the 
number of visitors increases it will be necessary to provide 
more ample accommodations. There will need to be a 
Wptel with civilized conveniences, and it will eventually be 
tp th^ interest of |he railroad company to provide^such, as 
also suitable conveyances and gnides." 
This tHct of land is unsuitat>1e for cultivation and has 
nO'V^lue otjtside of its scenic beauty and fossil curiosities. 
The people of Arizona desire that it should thus be set 
aTii^rt. The wanton de<;truction by the use of powder and 
H\'-4i!T''*'' continue until the region is protected by 
l»w "Reddess men destroy these great curiosities with 
explpsiy*^ in search .o:f :.th? b.e^.atifBl crj.-^t^s . frpin the 
interior ot the trunks ol the trees. 
the Grand Canon ot the Colorado and, the sunny 
climate of Arizona can take care of theniseivea, but the 
Petrified Forest will be aestroyed uuiess it is protected 
by laWk and it is proposed by this bill to create a national 
park for the preservation or this wonderi..u<i for the en- 
joyment of posterity. The bill which is now before the 
House has been prepared for that purpjse, and when 
enacted into law win add the Petrified .'orest iNatiunal 
Park of Arizona to the Yo.semite,, the Yellowstone, Rainier 
and the other wgndftrs of nature around which the G .vern- 
meiit of the L nitexi States iias thrown its protecting 
mantle. 
Summer Molting Plumage o< Male 
Ducks. 
It has long been known to a few gunners t':ial i!ic male 
mallard, and some other ducks, assume dui.ng -um- 
mer a jilumagi. very different from thai \.k.-.n > iCy 
commonly wear during the auttjitin,- Avintcr s^inng, 
and not unlike lloat ol t-ie female. This is not generally 
known, and eveji by ornithologists has not been ai ail 
understood. Recently, hcwcver, in the Proceeding.-, of 
the .Academy of Natural Science or Philadelphia, lor the 
last iiuarter of 1899, Mr, VV'itmer Stone, in a paper en- 
titled "J he .Summer MoJt and Plumage 01 v^Ariain 
Ducks," has thrown much light on the subject. 
.Mr. .Stone calls attention 10 the fact that m only one 
of our diick- — the old squaw — does the adult male pos 
sess a distinct winter plumage w.hich is ditferem from 
the breeding dress, that tfie old males of all our u liei 
ducks remain in the jaine iilumage from the ti''ie they 
arrive in autumn till their dcparai.c mrthward in spring, 
and that judging by analogy we should .suppo^e that 
since the<e ducks show no tendency toward a change of 
plumage when they leave us in the .--pring they must 
retain the same feathers that covered them during the 
winter rntil the end of the breeding seasoa. when a com- 
plete molt should occur and a new Uress be assumed 
exactly like the one just .shed. 
That this is not the fact is known, and as .stated, the 
"suinmer plum.age," "molting plumapc." or "plumag;^ 
after the breeding scacon"' has been described in some 
sfK-cics. The first record of this peculiar summer plumage 
in the male ducks is found in the supplement to "Mon- 
tague's Ornithological Dictionary," 1813, under the head 
of "The Pintail (Dadla acuta)." The observations made 
on some domesticated birds are given as follows: "In 
the month of June or beginning of July these birds 
commence their change of plumage, and by degrees after 
making a singular mottled appearance, especially on the 
part of th^- b<.)dy which was white before, became by the 
first week in xAugust entirely of a brown color. The 
beautiful bronze on the lucad, the white streak on each 
side of the neck, and all the white beneath, as w-ell as 
the elegant scapulars, had en1,irely vani.shed, and to all 
appearance a sexual metamorphosis had taken place. But 
this change was of short duration, for about the latter 
end of September one of the males began to assiime the 
masculine attire * * * and by the middle of October 
this bird was again in ftill pluniage." 
Twenty-five years later the naturalist Waterton de- 
scribed a similar molt in the male mallard, and as time 
went on otjier species were found to undergo like changes. 
In Mr. Ridgway's "Manual of North American Bird-," 
a number of species are given as having a peculiar sum- 
mer plumage resembling the female. Such are the mal- 
lard, bluewing and cinnamon teal, the gadwall, widgeon, 
pintail and scaup. On the whole, however, very little is 
said in the books about this change. 
Mr. Stone's examination of four species of eider ducks 
brought back from the .\rctic by Mr. E. A. Mcllhenn>'. 
and taken near Point Barrow, throws considerable light 
on the subject, and Mr. Stone is disposed to believe that 
in all ducks where the plumages of the male and female 
are markedly different we may expect to find tliis double 
molt and dull summer plumage in the male. He points 
out that this summer plumage is in no sense a nuptial dress, 
and that while it may begin to appear before the young 
birds are hatched, it is not seen until after the mating 
season is over, and is distinctly a postnuptial dress. The 
change is chiefly restricted to the head. neck, breast and 
scapulars ; in other words, to those parts which are most 
conspicuously colored. 
A very important point in connection with this sum- 
mer plumage is that the annual molt of the flight feathers 
does not begin until it has been fully acquired, and that 
as soon .as the new flight feathers have become strong 
enough to be used the dull plumage as well as the re- 
mainder of tile old plumage is lost, the molt of the body 
feathers proceeding in the usual way. In other words, 
this dull pkimage lasts only during the period while the 
birds arc unable to fly, for, as is well understood, ducks 
molt the quill feathers of their wings all at once, and for 
a time lose the power of fligJit. Now at such a time a 
dull plumage Avould naturally be useful in rendering the 
bird inconspicuous, and thereby protecting it, and this. 
Mr. Stone believes, is the explanation of this curious 
summer molt. He adds that the feathers of this phimagc 
are \^ry poor and loosely constructed. like the "first" 
plumage of young bird-s. which is only a temporary 
summer dress. 
Mr. Stone quotes European authors who have described 
eider ducks of different species in this dress, but have 
called them young males, evidently not appreciating 
the meaning of the change. He then goes on to describe 
in detail this summer olumage in four species of Pacific 
eiders, and in the red-breasted merganser, from which it 
a]>pears that up to Julv the nuptial dress of the male is 
usuallv retained, but that by the latter part of August and 
in early September this "summer molting plumage," as 
Mr. Stone calls it. is fully assumed. 
The Linnacan Society of New York. 
RERUtjAB meeting of the Society will be held in the 
American Museum of Natural History on Tuesday even- 
ing, April ^4, at 8 o'clock. 
April 24— Eugene Smith. "Notes on Some Local Fishes 
and Batrachians." Walter W. Granger, 
Secretary American Museum of Natttral History. 
Spring Notes. 
Cm ARLESTOWN, N. H., April 5. — Editor forest aiul 
Sircam: "Spring lime is coming, though when it will 
actual ly arrive in earnest is somewhat problematical. 
Anynow, it has come according to the almanac, and rny 
daugnter picked a bunch of "pussy widows on Sunday, 
and on 1 uesUay i was delighted by the sight ol a* pair ot 
robins fiirting and coquetting on rhe rim 01 a iQiuiiam, 
which, with a bit of bare ground around 11, had appeartd 
above the snow, 011 the lawn south of my wiiulow. 
then tht-y began Hying about among iiie trees a.i if in 
search of a place to build a nest, but it was cold iiict 
raw yesterday, and they did not put in an appearanci-. 
i iie .snow has gone trout the middle of the road, leaving 
a broad streak ot mud, and the country teaui.s have dis- 
carded runners and come into the village on wheels. The 
side paths are yet merely ditches, where the snow plows' 
cleared tueni in the winter, and between them and the 
roadway is a sheet of ice 4 or 5 inches thick, through 
which numerous little brooks are cutting narrow chan- 
nels. If this sliect of ice extends under the top snows 
into the woods, as I .fear it does, I pity the sqttirrcls and 
other little ■'woo., folk/' for the fallen nut must be in- 
accessible, and 1 fear game, as well as fish, will be 
scarce the coining year. 
I can indorse what my friend Commissioner Wentworth 
has said as to the drying up of the brooks last stimmtrr 
and the probable extermination of the trout in all south- 
ern New^ Hampshire, and now we are to be favored in 
this town by another "forest raid" by the Diamond Matcli 
Company, who have secured all the pine timber of any 
consequence about here, and are stripping the hills as fast 
as possible, Avhile the oak which grows among them has 
been secured by a furniture factory. My squirrel shoot- 
ing days axe over, and my grandchildren are all girls, so 
it does not touch mc personally, so far as game is con- 
cerned, but 1 fear the brooks will dry up worse than 
ever, and I hate to see the hills as bare as those of Scot- 
land, for we ha\'e not the moist climate in summer to 
keep the streams full. I am sorry to see by Mr, Hough's 
letters that the spring shooters are still busy slaughtering 
the migratory birds in the Western States, and fear the 
canvasback and the mallard will follow the wild pigeon 
and the buffalo unless the general Government inter-, 
poses soon, but I have said enough on this subject for 
one man not directly affected. 
I might, however, call attention to one point — summer 
woodcock shooting. The sportsmen of some of the 
Middle States complain that if they do not shoot wood- 
cock in July they cannot get them at all. Now I do not 
believe this. The qsestion is as old as the days of Frank 
Forester, when it was pretty clearly shown that woodcock 
"trxok to the woods" duruig the moulting season, reap- 
pearing later, and I know they have not gone south, for 
one of the best days 1 ever had with those birds was one 
sunny first of November almost forty years ago here in 
New Hampsjiire. 
Let me add my little tribute to the memory of Fred 
Mather, whom 1 shall sadly miss from your columns. It ia 
some years .'ance I have seen him, but I have read and 
enjoyed all he has written. I first met him in Philadel- 
phiau in 1876, at the meeting of fishculturists and com- 
missioners at the Centennial Exposition, and afterward at 
llolyoke with Prof. Milner. when I was after shad fry, in 
an attempt to restock the .\Terrimack River, and have had 
more or less correspondence with him since, alway.? 
redolent, on his part, with that quaint humor which so 
strongly marked his character, and I sincerely regret his 
departure for the better land. I am very glad, however, 
that almost the last words he wrote were an indorsement 
of one of my hobbies — ^the English .spelling of the name 
of the "winninish," or "wannanish" — for I can see no 
rea.son for using the French alphabet, when we have a 
fulkr one of our own. on the authority of a tribe of 
Indians who never had an alphabet, and will accept the 
words as I have spelt them as readiljr as if they were 
spoken by any Canadian from the French spelling. 
Qua 11 tu m s-uif.- Von W . 
Wild Pigeon Days* 
We have been "looking backward" to-day, and feel 
agahi tnat thrill of delignt when as a great favor we 
were allowed to .spend an evening with our father on 
ijiack Creek, seated in the old liat-bott.omed boat and 
commanded to "keep still" while the man paddled quietly, 
and father, standing with spear in hand, watched for black 
bass or pickerel, guided in his sure aim by the bright 
fire of pine knots or hickory bark from the jack fastened 
securely at the end of the boat. 
And those delicious pigeon pies 1 None needed to be 
denied the "dainty dish ht to set before the king," The 
sky was fairly darkened by the flight of the birds, and at 
eventide what a twittering and chirping from the myriads 
of these pigeons literally swarming on the trees on the 
creek's bank. It needed no sldllful shot to bag this game, 
as it was as plenty as the quail for the Israelites. 
They still fish for bass and pickerel, htit the pigeons 
come no more. 
Last season, however, at our little place in the country 
in a thicket of underbrush growing back of the apple 
orchard, were seen wild pigeons smaller than the old-time 
ones, but some were shot l)y a sportsman,, aod they were 
certainly of the same species. 
Can any of your readers enlighten tts in regard to 
these birds? 
Have they been seen elsewhere? It would be a blessing 
indeed to the farming community if they would come in 
great numbers, as with so many insects, pests and fungus 
diseases the farmer would now welcome the pigeon 
and appreciate its value as never before. 
Sarah B. Bowerman. 
[To persons -who have time and again looked up the 
reported occurrence of the passenger pigeon in variou-s 
localities, and have found that the bird seen was some- 
thing entirely different, the phrase "wild pigeon smaller 
than the old-time ones" has a suspicious sound. Were , 
not these supposed small pigeons merely mourning doves; 
birds which in shape and flight more or less closely re- 
semble th^ passenger pigeon of childhood days? I» 
many parts of the land these mourning doves are still 
abuiidsint, and in many places they are slaughtered as 
