Feu. 8, 1902.! 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
105 
which, by the usual signs, it was determined that 
fowl were feeding. An hour or so before sun- 
down the gunner went there, made a small blind, 
termined that owls were feeding. An hour or so be- 
fore sundown the gunner went there, made a small blind, 
and without decoys had good shooting at black ducks, 
mallards, widgeons, gadwalls and shovelers. I suppose 
they would have come to decoys of any kind, but as de- 
coys were not necessary, the fowl coming to these ponds 
to feed, we did not use them. 
"We shoot black duck and mallard in these ponds now, 
using four or five decoys. On moonlight nights we 
tack a strip of gray cloth or a few feathers on the back 
of the decoys to keep them from glistening. The black 
duck and mallard are all we find now; widgeons, gadwalls 
and shovelers are gone. I do not think the decoying 
of single birds is of any value to form an opinion of 
what any variety will do over the stools. My experi- 
ence in wildfowl shooting is that a single bird of 'any 
variety will readily come to the decoys, while _ a large 
bunch of many of the varieties will dart and twist away 
out of gunshot, or even will make no offer whatever, 
The single exception to this is the golden-eye or whistler, 
vet no bird decoys so easily or with more confidence if 
you use but a few decoys, not over seven or eight. 
"We have had more mallards here this fall than have 
been seen for many years. In fact it looks like the old 
days again. I also killed two female gadwalls, single 
birds, the only ones killed on the marshes in many 
years. Mr. Baker, of Milford, Del., killed from one of 
my blinds, a female American eider." 
From Chicago comes a pithy note by Mr. Edwin F. 
Daniels, which is very interesting as agreeing with Mr. 
Foulkes' observations, which are those of most experi- 
enced duck shooters: 
"I am a member of the Tolleston Club, of Chicago, 
which has a shooting preserve in northern Indiana. We 
had very heavy shooting last fall, both with the teal 
flight on Sept. 17, and with the mallard flight, which be- 
gan about Oct. 15, and lasted until December. There 
were more gadwalls seen on our marsh last fall, I be- 
lieve, than for several years, and the experience of one 
of our members, Mr. W. T. Johnson, with gadwalls, was 
quite remarkable. 
"It was in the latter part of October, a beautiful fall 
day. Mr. Johnson went into a slough known to the club 
members as Second North Shore. As he went in there 
was seen to be auite a bunch of ducks on the water. He 
did not count them, but there were probably from 
twenty-five to fifty, a good, large flock. As they raised 
when he went in, he saw they were nearly all gadwalls. 
He put his decoys out and made his blind, and they soon 
began returning by ones and twos and small bunches 
until he had bagged twelve. They came in much like 
mallards and swung around and decoyed just the same 
as mallards. The open water where they sat when he 
first went in was not very- large. They had evidently 
been in there feeding for some time and were anxious to 
get back. They might have come in in the same way 
had there been no decoys out; that of course it is impos- 
sible to determine, but to all appearances they came to 
the decoys just the 'same as mallards, and apparently an- 
swered the mallard call that Mr. Johnson and his pusher 
gave when they came in sight." 
Mr. A. G. Holmes, of Green Bay, Wis., relates an in- 
teresting experience of last autumn, which seems to show 
the general unreliability of the bird under certain con- 
ditions. He says: 
"The gadwall duck with us is a very unsatisfactory 
duck for decoy shooting. Sometimes they will decoy 
nicely, and at other times they will not. 
"In two days' shooting from exactly the same point 
and with the same wind, the first day the birds would 
come as though they were about to decoy nicely, but 
when within 100 to 120 yards would swing off and go 
around behind us, while the second day they came fairly 
well. 
"Our blind was well made, and we were well con- 
cealed in thick rushes about 2ft. high and of a natural 
growth. Our clothes matched the weeds well, and the 
distance out to our decoys was about 30 yards, and from 
the decoys when low down we were invisible. Being no 
novices in duck shooting, we used every precaution in 
keeping still, and in setting out our decoys and fixing 
upon the place for the blinds, which, as stated, was very 
good. My companion was an old market-shooter of long 
experience, and he claimed that the gadwall was never a 
.satisfactory duck to shoot over decoys. - 
The birds — and they were quite numerous on this 
day — and would come from the north anr northwest, ap- 
parently looking for a place to feed^ but would swing off 
and go around us, sometimes completely in a circle, but 
would not come within gun range. Our blind was so 
good that we managed to bag about thirty birds, a couple 
cf canvasbacks being in the bunch, and the balance red- 
heads, bluebills and mallards. 
"The next day we shot from the ^ame place and with 
the same wind, and bagged about the same number of 
birds, but this day we killed about a dozen gadwalls, and 
they came to the decoys very prettily. This was during 
their southern flight in October, 1901, and if I remember 
rightly, was the 17th or 18th of the month. 
"Now, why these birds should act differently is beyond 
me. The flocks were large on both days; often twenty 
to 25 birds being in one flock, although the flocks as a 
rule contained about a dozen. This is the way we get 
gadwalls at this point. We can never tell what they will 
do. as they are decidedly erratic in their ways." 
I am greatly' indebted to those whom I quote, below for 
their kindness in responding so promptly and fully to my 
inquiries as to the manners of the gadwall duck. I am 
also obliged to you for your kindness in turning over to 
me the various notes which you have received on this sub- 
ject in order that I may bring them together under a 
single head. 
called here the blatin duck — a corruption of bleating — 
bunch of many of the varieties will dart, and twist away 
years. Mr. Barker, of Milford, Del., killed from one of 
"The birds — and they were quite numerous on this 
day — would come from the north and northwest, ap- 
The reports above quoted, coming as they do from so 
many localities, are extremely interesting to me, as I think 
they will be to all gunners. They seem to indicate that 
the gadwall is an uncertain bird in the matter of coming 
to the decoys, but I should be very glad if we might hear 
from other observers, since the more evidence we can 
receive about this not very well known bird the better. 
Mr. Daniels speaks of the response, which Mr. John- 
son's gadwalls made to the mallard's call, and that brings 
up the question of the voice of the gadwall. Of course it 
is a common matter to call flying birds by the voice of 
another species, just as we sometimes call canvasback by 
honking to them like geese. The only cry that I person- 
ally have heard the gadwall utter is a single full rather 
high-pitched whistle. It may have other calls, however, 
and it would be interesting to learn if other people know 
what these cries are. Geo. Bird Grinnell. 
New York. 
Studies of Bird Songs. 
In a recent number of Science, Prof. W. E. D. Scott, 
of Princeton, N. J., has published an interesting paper 
regarding the propensity of birds to acquire new methods 
of expression in song. The subject naturally divides 
itself into three parts; first, the disposition of wild birds 
to change their normal song or to acquire new songs; 
second, the acquirement by direct teaching from man to 
birds in confinement of novel forms of expression; third, 
the propensity of captive birds to imitate songs or 
sounds that attract their attention. 
Of these divisions, the first is sufficiently familiar. The 
trained field ornithologist recognizes the individuality of 
the song produced by many birds of a species. Certain 
observers also have heard wild birds produce the songs 
of other birds, as well as such unusual sounds as the 
barking of dogs, human speech, the creaking of a wheel, 
the filing of a saw and the like. The mockingbird is the 
best exponent of this apparently imitative faculty, but the 
catbird is almost equally facile in this respect. One of 
these birds which nested in the neighborhood of Prof. 
Scott's house in the season of 1900 reproduced the call 
of a whippoorwill so perfectly that it was a hard matter 
to induce those who heard it to believe that the song was 
not made by a whippoorwill. A person who was ignor- 
rant of the catbird's agency in the matter announced to 
Prof. Scott that she had heard a whippoorwill singing 
near his house repeatedly in the daytime, and inquired 
if this was a usual habit of the bird. During a residence 
of twenty years in the locality, the author has never 
heard w r hippoorwills nearer than three miles to the point 
in question. 
The curious case of a rose-breasted grosbeak talking 
is quoted from Miss Emily B. Pellet, Worcester, Mass., 
who says: 
"Early last summer, while standing on my back steps, 
I heard a cheerful voice say, 'You're a pretty bird. 
Where are you?' I supposed it to be the voice of a 
parrot, but wondered how any parrot could talk loud 
enough to be heard at that distance, for the houses on 
the street back of us are quite a way off. 
"Almost before I had done laughing, the voice came 
again, clear, musical and strong: 'You're a pretty bird. 
Where are you?' ' 
"For several days I endured the suspense of waiting 
for time to investigate. Then I chased him up. There 
he was in the top of a walnut tree, his gorgeous attire 
telling me immediately that he was a rose-breasted gros- 
beak. 
"At the end of a week he varied his compliment to 
' Pretty, pretty bird, where are you?' with a kind of im- 
patient jerk on the last ' you.' 
"He and his mate stayed near us all last summer, 
and though I heard him talk a hundred times, yet he 
always brought a feeling of gladness and a laugh. 
"Our friend has come again this spring. About May 1 
I heard the same endearing compliment as before. 
"Several of my friends, whom I have told about him. 
have asked, 'Does he say the words plainly? Do you 
mean that he really talks?' My reply is, 'He says them 
just as plainly as a bird ever said anything; so plainly 
that even now I laugh whenever I hear him.' " 
In the second division — the education of birds by 
direct teaching from man — the European bulfinch's abil- 
ity to whistle airs has been well known and cultivated 
for a hundred years. This seems the more remarkable 
because the wild bulfinch has little or no song. Canary 
birds have learned to whistle simple airs; parrots, star- 
lings, jays, crows and magpies also talk and whistle. 
The minos of India very readily learn to talk, sing and 
imitate many other birds' songs. 
For the study of the third division of the subject — 
the propensity to imitate sounds that attract their at- 
tention — Prof. Scott has kept in captivity a considerable 
number of native birds, which have been left purely to 
themselves, with the view to learn what they would do 
in the way of song, their needs as to food and water 
being supplied. Among the birds so observed were 
bluebirds, robins, woodthrushes, catbirds, thrashers, yel- 
low-breasted chats, rose-breasted grosbeaks, a cardinal, 
Baltimore and orchard orioles, cowbirds, crow and red- 
winged blackbirds and bluejays. 
A number of the robins have peculiar songs, that do 
not resemble the wild robin's song. They are perhaps 
invented songs. Catbirds mimic the songs of other 
birds. The yellow-breasted chat imitates with astonish- 
ing fidelity the whistle sounded by the postman who 
comes to the house. The call deceives the members of 
the family, and even after the author was known, it still 
continued to call to the front door persons who believed 
the postman to be there. 
A certain redwinged blackbird crows for ten months 
of the year in very close imitation of the crow of the 
common bantam rooster. A bluejay reproduces the 
song of the cardinal bird; the European jay has learned 
to imitate certain phrases spoken by the cockatoo. 
Finally Prof. Scott quotes a letter of Mr. Edwin T. 
Merrick, of New Orleans, telling of a duck, which was 
hatched with thirteen turkeys by a hen as foster mother, 
which followed the turkeys about, learned their call and 
" still imitates the turkey's note with its duck voice." 
Prof. Scott concludes that the reason why birds in 
confinement diverge from the normal in habits of song 
is that all their physical wants being carefully looked 
after, they have leisure, and employ it in giving their 
attention to occurrences about them. Wild birds, on the 
other hand, are more or less constantly occupied in seek- 
ing food, and they do not have much leisure. 
This is a matter about which little is known, and the 
suggestion offered by Prof. Scott presents a broad field 
for investigators who have opportunities to pursue studies 
of this nature. 
Snake and Scent. 
Westfield, New Jersey, Feb. 2. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: — I notice in your issue of Feb. 1 a communica- 
tion from A. L. L., Milhurst, N. J., relating an instance' 
of a blacksnake following the trail of a rabbit, and ex- 
pressing his surprise thereat, as it was all new to him. 
I wish to say through Forest and Stream to brother 
A. L. L. that not only blacksnakes but many other snakes 
follow the trail of their prey in exactly the same manner 
as a hound — by pure scent. 
I have observed many instances of it in blacksnakes, 
watersnakes and gartersnakes. 
I will relate one of the most singular and best demon- 
strated of my observations on this subject, viz.: Three of 
Us were planting potatoes one May day. and hearing a 
sort of squeaking croak looked about for the source, and 
directly saw a watersnake coming along with a toad half 
in his mouth. I put my foot on the snake, and it at once 
threw out the toad and ran into a log heap near by. 
The toad lay flattened out on the ground for some five 
minutes, and then gradually opened its eyes and cau-^ 
tiously looked around, when, not seeing its enemy, it 
began to creep away— slow at first, then faster, until it 
had made a distance of probably 75 feet, when it straight- 
ened up, gave a squeaking, exultant sort of croak, and 
started on a jump and passed out of sight over a little 
hill toward a creek. 
After the toad had disappeared we bethought ourselves 
of the snake, and looking toward the log heap saw its 
head projecting above the top and its tongue flashing. 
I .said: J'Boys, let's keep quiet and see what the snake 
will do," which being agreed to, we stepped behind a 
big stump and waited for developments. Very soon we 
noticed the snake had drawn itself entirely upon the log 
heap, and was surveying the situation. It soon seemed 
to be satisfied, for it descended and made a careful cir- 
cuit — exactly as a dog would do — to find the trail; and 
when it came to the place where the toad had crawled 
away, it stopped instantly; then holding its head about 
five or six inches from the ground, started at a rapid 
gait after the toad. In about two hours' time we were in 
the vicinity of the log heap again planting, and the sub- 
ject being called to mind by the log heap, we began to 
discuss the matter, when some one shouted, "Well, here 
comes that snake now." And sure enough, there was a 
watersnake following back on the trail where the other 
had gone out. And as this snake seemed to be very 
portly, I concluded to investigate. So we killed the 
snake and opened it, and found the toad as I expected. 
The toad lay dormant for some minutes, then gradually 
went through his former performance and returned re- 
joicing to the creek, this time with one enemy less to 
contend with. M. L. Nichols. 
An Outing in Acadia.— X. 
BY EDWARD A. SAMUELS. 
{Continued from Vol. LVII., page 846.] 
"Well, Doctor," said I, as he tossed the newt and tad- 
pole back into the water, "your pan of mud will give us 
an evening's entertainment, I have no doubt; but see, 
here is one of the biggest caterpillars I ever met with; 
it's a perfect monster." 
"Yes," he replied, breaking off the small branch of an 
oak to which the worm was hanging, "it is a beautiful 
specimen, indeed; fully grown and all ready to spin its 
cocoon. It is late in doing so, however. It is a fine 
specimen: it is the caterpillar of the American silk worm, 
or Polyphemous moth (Telea polyphemus) ; its history is 
now well known, and its value as a silk producer ha.s 
been fully established, chiefly by an enthusiastic natural- 
ist named Trouvellot, who had at one time a vast num- 
ber on a tract of several acres of scrub oaks in Medford, 
near Boston." 
The larva which the Doctor still held was about three 
inches in length and it was very thick and fleshy; its 
body was of a handsome yellowish-green color, with 
seven oblique lines of a pale yellowish on each side; 
its head was of a light brown; the underside of the body 
was striped longitudinally with a faint yellowish band; 
the feet were brown, and there was a number of wart-like 
protuberances along its body of a variety of bright 
colors. The posterior part of the caterpillar was bordered 
by a purplish-brown line in the form of the letter V. 
"And so this is the Polyphemus larva," said I, exam- 
ining the caterpillar more closely. "I had no idea that 
it lived in these parts." 
"Oh, yes," was the reply, "and I have no doubt that 
other varieties which have been reared as silk producers 
occur here."* 
"Other varieties?" 
"Yes; Trouvellot experimented with several large and 
handsome species, among which the Polyphemus, 
Cecropia and Luna moths were the principal. He finally 
settled down to one and confined his attention to the 
Polyph emus. This is one of the handsomest of our 
*The writer has frequently captured the Polyphemus in Nova 
Scotia, and, although I have not found the Cecropia and Luna I 
have never had any doubt that they occur there. To settle the 
matter beyond question, I wrote to Mr. Robert R. McLeod, of 
tfrookneld, W. i>., for information, and his reply was- "I have 
a r p0 £Tn Spec i m £ n of a Luna moth that 1 obtained in the summer 
of 181)9, and have seen two others in twelve years here The 
cecropia I have seen from time to time; its caterpillar oftener than 
the moth. 
A. H. McKay, Esq., Superintendent of Education for Nova 
Scotia, also writes, m reply to my inquiries: "The silk worm 
moths, to which you refer, are pretty common in Nova Scotia 
Some years ago I prepared illustrated articles-lessons-as samples 
of nature object lessons m the public schools, A. cecropia beinir 
the first, as it is the most common, so far as mv observation has 
gone; A. polyphemus second, and if I prepared a "lesson on A luna 
it was more on account of its gorgeous shape and green color" than 
of its commonness. * * * We have lists of portions of our in- 
sects Published * * * but I cannot say whether there is any 
large list of the noctural moths. However, the three SDecics 
which you name will be in any list that covers such group, as thev 
are the best known." 
