446 
The Heron as a Sentinel. 
One of nature's sharpest sentinels is. the blue heron. 
Not only does he stand guard for himself and immediate 
relatives, but he is unwittingly a sentry for other birds. 
Ducks and geese use him, and I have often wondered why 
sportsmen, particularly duck and geese hunters, do not 
employ a decoy rescmblmg a heron, or crane, ^s they 
are often erroneously called. 
I can assure the readers of Forest an0 Stream that 
the common wooden or canvas decoy is not to be com- 
pared with a neatly mounted bltie heron as a lure for the 
feathered gobblers. 
Not far from where I boarded one autumn was a 
reedy, muddy lake, a perfect paradise for water fowl. 
Where the wood road debouched on the lake \yas a small 
brook that often afforded a good bag of game. I would 
reach the brook some mornings perfectly certain that no 
one had preceded me, yet would not hear a solitary quack. 
I would also notice that there would not be a heron on 
guard. At other times the reeds would be alive, and I 
could nol get a shot, for the blue heron sentry would 
give the alarm, spread his broad wings in his slow, clumsy 
fashion, and ducks, geese and all would follow him out of 
reach. Repeated disappointments of this kind showed me 
that wittingly or not the ducks were making good use of 
the long legs and keen eyes of the heron. He was' able to 
see over the rushes, while their vision was completely cut 
off. When he was inclined to visit the brook to get a 
frog or a fish for breakfast, they gathered round him, 
feeling perfectly secure so long as he was throwing his 
searchlight glances over the reeds and into the bushes. 
When his heronship took occasion to visit other scenes 
not a living paddle Would disturb the placid eddy at the 
mouth of the brook. 
I watched the situation carefully and found the heron 
one morning entirely alone. I sat down where I could 
get a good view without being seen, and awaited develop- 
ments. A flock of ducks came winging their way down 
the lake, casting glances on all sides as if uncertain where 
to go. They were swinging their long line for a sandy 
spit away down at the southwest corner of the lake, when 
the heron saw them and uttered one of his lonely yet 
complacent calls. Immediately the ducks swerved and 
circled into the cove where the heron was on guard and 
settled down quite contentedly around their sentinel. The 
thought struck me to use the heron for a decoy. I drew 
a bead on the guard, and in a couple of days after he 
again visited the lake, only this time I carried him under 
my arm. and his eyes were made of glass and his body of 
excelsior. I placed him on a tussock as natural looking 
as possible and had all the shooting I wanted. Whenever 
I desired water fowl all I had to do was to put my heron 
in position and I had not long to wait before he was 
surrounded. Tfy it. A. H. 
Monkey and Medicine. 
New York, Nov. 19. — Editor Forest and' Stream: I 
recently had thejsleasure of learning of a remarkable in- 
stance of anima^i? coming to the assistance of a wounded 
comrade, as related by Mr. Haviland, a civil engineer con- 
nected with the law department of the N. Y. C. & H. R. 
R. R. Co. While engaged in locating a railway line in 
Mexico, Mr. Haviland once shot and wounded a monkey 
which, with a number of companions, was in a tree. At 
the report of the gun all but the wounded animal dis-_ 
appeared among the branches. The wounded one, utter-' 
ing cries of pain, placed its hand to its wounded side, 
withdrew it covered with blood and examined it. Its cries 
brought back its companions, some of which also placed 
their hands to the wound and examined them. Then 
they departed, shortljr afterward returning chewing some- 
thing (probably leaves), which they applied to the wound. 
The stricken animal, holding the leaves in place, was then 
assisted by its companions in making its escape to a place 
of safety. ' Edward F. Ball. 
Somewhat analogous to this is an incident recorded by 
Mr. H. H, Keays, in notes on mammals collected in south- 
eastern Peru, and printed in the Bulletin of the Amer- 
ican Museum, on this subject by Mr. J. A. Allen. Mr, 
Keays relates of a Peruvian monkey, Alouata nigra: 
"I took this specimen from a band of about fifty. They 
were the first I had seen. They traveled by swinging from 
tree to tree. As the specimen fell dead, the rest of the 
band did not appear to be frightened by the noise of the 
gun. Two of them dropped down from the tree to the 
ground where the dead one lay, picked him up and stood 
him up against the tree, as though thej^ expected him to 
climb it. Then they seemed to realize that he was 
deadj and, dropping him, began to chatter. Then the 
whole band took up the cry and scampered off through 
the treetops. The stomach was partly filled with green 
leaves." 
A Nest fn a Weather Vane 
Hartford, Mich. — have been waging war on the Eng- 
lish sparrow and have killed about 1,500 of them. They 
have driven our phoebe and bluebirds away entirely, and 
tried to drive our house martins. But the martins left 
their old haunts and went too high for the sparrows. We 
have a city water tank 90 feet high and surmounted with 
a weather vane 12 feet long, and the shaft of the vane is 
made of 3-inch gas pipe. Our martins made their nests 
in the open end of that iron shaft 100 feet from the 
ground, and the sparrows did not know where they 
stayed. Think of it — that vane never pointing the .same 
way for three minutes at a time. High minded little 
fellows. I love them for their sense and grit. 
Sullivan Cook. 
An Albino English Sparrow. 
West Roxbury, Mass. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
This morning I saw a very good specimen of an albino 
English sparrow. It was sitting on a srone wall with two 
or three others. It was pure white except for two or 
three barely noticeable streaks of grayish brown across 
the breast. This ytm ifl vm of the suburbs of Boston, 
Mass. Mushkodosa. 
FOREST AND STHEAM. 
Notice. 
AH communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., and 
not to any individual connected with the paper. 
Proprietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Forest and Stream. 
American Wildfowl and How to 
Take Them.— XIIL 
BY GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL. 
[^Continued from page 425.] 
Cinnamon TeaU 
Anas cyanoptera (Vieill). 
In the adult male the top of the head is blackish- 
brown, while the rest of the head, the neck and lower 
parts are bright chestnut. This color grows darker on 
the belly until it is quite black on the under tail-coverts. 
The scapulars, or ,«ihoulder feathers, and a part of the 
back are chestiuit, the leathers having paler edges and 
the long ones a buff central stripe; these are also barred 
with black. The smaller wing-coverts and the outer 
webs of some of the scapulars are sky blue. The middle 
coverts are dark, tipped with white, and the speculum is 
dark metallic green. The tail is blackish, the' bill i;- 
black, the eyes yellow or orange, and the feet are brigb. 
yellow, with touches of dusky. The female is very much 
like the female blue-winged teal, but is larger and some- 
what more richly colored. The belly is usually di:- 
tinctly spotted. Length, 17 inches; wing, yYz inches. 
The cinnamon teal is a Western species. It is rare!)' 
found as far East as the Mississippi Valley, though it has 
been taken in Florida, but such birds are mere acci 
CINN.A.MOX teal. 
dental wanderers. The cinnamon teal becomes abundant 
after the main Continental Divide is crossed, and is a 
common breeder and migrant all through the Rocky 
Mountains and in California. In summer it is found as 
far north as the Columbia River, and probably breeds 
freely all through the Western United States. I have 
found its nest in Wyoming placed under a small sage 
bush, 30 or 40 yards from a little mountain stream that 
was nearly dry. It had eleven eggs, ivory-white in color, 
and there was no down in the nest, nor any appreciable 
lining. 
In his account of the cinnamon teal, published in the 
"Birds of the Northwest," Dr. Coues paints one of those 
charming word pictures which make his writings such 
delightful reading as well for sportsmen as for natural- 
ists. He says of it: "I never think of tlie bird without 
recalling scenes in which it was a prominent figure. I 
have in mind a picture of the headwaters of the Rio 
Verde, in November, just before winter had fairly set in, 
although frosts had already touched the foliage and 
dressed every tree and bush in gorgeous colors. The 
atmosphere showed a faint yellow haze, and was heavy 
with odors — souvenirs of departing flowers. The sap 
of the trees coursed sluggishly, no longer lending elastic 
vigor to the limbs, that now cracked and broke Vi'hen 
forced apart; the leaves loosened their hold, for want of 
the same mysterious tie, and fell in showers where the 
quail rustled over their withering forms. Woodpeckers 
rattled with exultation against the resounding bark and 
seemed to know of the great store for them now in the 
nerveless, drowsy trees that .resisted the chisel less 
stoutly than when they were full of juicy life. Ground 
squirrels worked hard, gathering the last seeds and nuts 
to increase their winter's store, and cold-blooded reptiles 
dragged their stiffening joints to bask in sunny spots and 
stimulate the slOw current of circulation before they 
should withdraw and sink into torpor. Wildfowl came 
flocking from their Northern breeding places — among 
them thousands of teal — hurtling overhead and plashing 
in the waters they were to enliven and adorn all winter. 
"The upper parts of both forks of the Verde are filled 
with heavers that have dammed the streams at short in- 
tervals and transformed them in some places into a suc- 
cession of pools, where the teal swim in still water. 
Other wildfowl join them, such as mallards, pirttails and 
green-wings, disporting together. The approach to the 
open waters is difficult in most places from the rank 
growths, first of shrubbery and next of reeds, that fringe 
the open banks; in other places, where the stream nar- 
rows in precipitous gorges, from the almost inaccessible . 
rocks. But these diffieulties overcome, it is a pleasant 
sight to see the birds before us— perhaps within a few 
paces if we have very carefully crawled through the 
rushes to the verge — fancying themselves perfectly . se- 
cure. Some may be quietly paddling in and out of the 
sedge on the other side, daintily picking up the floating 
seeds that were shaken down when the wirid rustled 
through, stretching up to gather those still hanging or 
to pick off little creatures from the seared stalks. Per- 
t0EC. 1900. 
■ 
haps a flock is floating idly in mid-stream, some asleep, 
with the head resting close on the back and the bill 
buried in the plumage. Some others swim vigorously 
along, with breasts deeply immersed, tasting the water- 
as they go, straining it through their bills to net minute 
insects, and gabbling to each other their sense of perfect 
enjoyment. But let them appear never so careless, they 
are quick to catch the sound of coming danger and take 
alarm; they are alert iti an instant; the next incautiou.s 
movement or snapping of a twig startles them; a chorus 
of quacks, a splashing of feet, a whistling of wings, and 
the whole company is off. He is a good sportsman who 
stops them then, for the stream twists about, the reeds 
confuse, and the birds are out of sight almost as soon 
as seen. 
"Much as elsewht^re, J ^jresunie, the duck hunter has to 
keep his wits about him and be ready to act at very short 
notice; but there is double necessity on the' Verde,- Tlje 
only passages along the stream are Indian trails, here 
always w.^rpaths. In retaliation for real or fancied 
wrongs — or partly, at least, from inherent disposition-r— 
these savages spend most of their time in wandering 
about in hopes of plunder and murder.; this, too, against 
each other, so long as the tribes are not leagued in com- 
mon cause against a common enemy. On the day I have 
in mind more particularly we passed a spot where lay 
the bodies of several Apaches. From the arrows still 
sticking in them we judged afterward that they had been 
killed by, a stray band of Navajos. But this was not what 
we thought most about at the time. We were only four 
together, and this was close by the place we designed to 
spend the day in hunting and fishing. Contemplation 
of the decaying Indians was not calculated to raise our 
spirits, for, though of course we kn-ew the danger be- 
forehand and meant to take our chances, it was not pleas- 
ant to, have the thing bfought up in such a way. We 
kept on through the caiion a little more cautiously, talked 
a little more seriously, and concluded to look for game in 
places where there was tlie least likelihood of an am- 
buscade. I confess that the day's sport was rather too 
highly spiced to be altogether enjoyalsle, and suspect that 
others shared my uncomfortable conviction of fool- 
hardiness. However, the day passed without further in- 
tinxation of danger. Game was plenty, and the shooting 
.good. Out of the woods and with a good bag, we were 
disposed and could better afford-fo laugh at each other's 
, fears." ' ' . ' - ^ ' " 
The habits of the red-breasted teal do not differ 
markedly from those of the Eastern relative, which it so 
closely resembles. 
The true home of this species seems to be in Southern 
North America and South America, and it is found in 
Chili, Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. It is a bird 
that gives great shooting to Western sportsmen. 
- Sboveler. 
Spatula clypeata (Linn.). 
The male shoveler has the head and the upper neck 
very dark glossy green, with violet reflections, an en- 
tirely different color from that of the mallard, almost 
a black. The lower neck and breast are white; belly 
and sides rich chestnut brown. The under tail-coverts 
and vent are black, bordered by a gray line, a patch of 
white at either side of the rump. The back is dusky 
brown; the upper tail-coverts black; the long scapu- 
lars, or shoulder feathers, streaked with black and white; 
tips of middle wing-coverts white, forming a black band 
across the wing; the middle wing-coverts are light blue, 
and back of this is a bright green speculum. The tail 
is whitish, blotched with brownish-gray. The bill is 
black, eyes yellow, and the feet orange-red. 
The female is colored very mucli as is the female 
mallard, but has the blue wing-coverts and the green 
shovelb;r duck. 
speculum. The belly is sotnetimes pure white. The 
bill is orange or brown, often speckled with black. The 
feet are orange. Length, about 19 inches; wing, 9 to 
10 inches. - ; 
Young males of different ages have the plumage gener-' 
ally like the female, but as they grow older the head 
and neck are mottled with black, and the under parts are 
often chestnut. Whatever the plumage, the shoveler may 
be recognized by the great expansion of the bill toward 
the tip, which gives it the name spoonbill. This bill has 
a- fringe of very slender, close-set lamellse, which are 
long, yet flexible, and are admirably adapted to tiie 
process of sifting out food from the fine soft inud in 
which the shoveler delights to feed. 
This species is one of the most widely distributed of 
all the ducks, being found throughout the whole of the 
Northern Hemisphere. In North America it is nowhere 
a very abundant duck, but, at the same time, is fre- 
quently met with throughout the South and West, yet 
it never appears in great flocks, as do the black duck, 
mallard, wfdgeon and the teals, but rather in small, Oc- 
casional coitipanies, though I have seen a flock number- 
ing nearly a hundred. This, however, is unusual. 
.On the New England coast and Long Island the 
shoveler is quite an uncommon bird, but further to the 
