Jan. 3, 1903.I: 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
7 
Game in Greater New York. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Considerable interest in and wonder at the occurrence 
ol game birds within the limits of Greater New York 
have of late been manifested In Forest And Stream and 
in the New Yofk dailies. Gamg blfds and anirrials aban- 
don \vith reluctance haunts that aford t)fotegtioli arid 
food ] and it is due to the faet that the greater city still 
eontains many rrtarsheS and coverSj that gi'aiit a faif dfi- 
"gfee of imniuiiity to disturbance, that we haVe, at the 
bresent time, small numbers of iiearly every indigenous 
bird and animal. 
The remarks that i'olloW refef chiefly to that poi'tioii of 
ike Borough of the BronX that Ijefore , annexation Con- 
sisted of the towns of Westchestei^i Pelllam and part of 
Eastchcster. The topography of this section is twofold. 
The shore line, along tke East Riv^r and Long Islana 
Sipund, is interrupted by several tidal creeks and bays, 
with extensive salt meadows and marshes bordering upon 
tbein ; while in the interior the surface of the country is 
sufficiently uneven to be described as upland. Much of 
this latter land has been built upon and is thickly popu- 
lated, but there are many large estates and acreages in- 
tact and imimproved. The timber upon these properties 
is principally second growth and brush ^yith many swam.ps 
of alder and willow ; but many fair-sized traets of the 
original tlnibef femaiii; with the exceptloti of a few aefes 
on either side of Pelham Pafkwaj' that have been filled 
in, the salt meadows are quite as they have always beeii. 
Of the game birds .still inhabiting this neigllbofhood, 
aside ftom shpte birds and Wild foWk quail are the niqst 
numerous. From personal observation, and from tile 
information of competent observefs, I should estimate the 
number of quail hi tlie entire Borough of the Bronx at 
the commencement of the present open .season at betw.een 
150 and 200. This is a vei'y conservative computation. 
There were, to my personal knowledge, at least 
three bevies at Eastchester, another betw'een Wil- 
liamsbridge and Westchester, and a fifth on the ex- 
treme southern end of Throgg's Neck. I do not know 
how many birds located in Pelham Park this year; but 
there are always quail there in considerable numbers, and 
the same statement is true of Van Cortlandt Park and 
the adjacent countix These are not the original quail 
of lower Westchester county. While there have always 
been a few of the birds here, they are from year to year 
becoming more plenty. Furthermore, intelligent old 
sportsmen of these parts assure rne the present birds are 
not so large as the former occupants. My own knowl- 
edge of the Bronx dates back but eight years. The pres- 
ent quail Unquestionably entered the Bronx from a New 
RochcUe preserve by way of Pelham Park. 1 have noted 
their movements from year to year. They have spread 
very generally throughout the Annexed District, but never 
until this year have they come so far south as Throgg's 
Neck. _ ... 
Woodcock not only stop over during migration, but a 
few likewise bi'eed here. Owing to the clearing and 
fillmg in of many Swampy areas, their Covers have be- 
come somewhat Contracted, but the birds have by no 
means been driven away. The locations frequented are 
near Willlamsbridge, Eastchester, Van Cortlandt Park, 
a .small cover on Throgg's Neck and a spot near Morris 
Park RaCe-traCk. I have shot woodcock at the Com- 
mencement of tlie shooting season and after_ ice had 
formed; of coui'se there is no way of computing, even 
approximately, how maiiy woodcock drop in of a season. 
But there have always been enough to make it worth 
while hunting them. 
Plover still visit here spring and fall. I have often 
seen them on the upland meadows. A large flight of 
these birds occurred at Eastchester two years ago. 
Pheasants, like quail, have found their way out of a 
New Rochelle preserve and are spreading over a consid- 
erable area. They are mostly seen near New Rochelle, 
Ml. Vernon and Bronxville, but several have been potted 
near Pelham Park and Eastchester. There is some 
chance of their increasing, as in the case of the quail, if 
they ai'e given any show. 
I have never seen a ruflfed grouse anywhere within this 
liorough and I do not believe there have been any here 
in many years. The last bird seen nearby, so far as I 
can learn, was killed above New Rochelle — out of the 
Bronx — six years ago. If by any possibility there should 
be a stray bird or two here, it would likely be in the 
upper part of Van Cortlandt Park, or between that point 
and the Mount Vernon line. Old residents tell me they 
have not killed or seen grouse east of the Bronx River 
v.ithhi thirty-five years. But at least a few of the birds 
certainly remained in or near Van Cortlandt Park much 
later than this. It would be interesting if some of the 
older readers of Forest and Stream would contribute 
their experiences upon this point. Wild fowl are still 
plenty in Pelham Bay and in the many tidal creeks enter- 
ing the salt meadows. Battery shooting is employed on 
Pelham Bay each winter and a good many ducks are 
killed. Line shooting is no longer practiced this side of 
Sand's Point and the ducks are too wild to permit of 
much success in shooting over stools from a blind, al- 
though a few are got in this way. The most common 
\'arieties are broadbills, black ducks, coots and old wives, 
with an occasional teal and sheldrake. Loons and grebes 
are also frequently killed in Pelham Bay. Geese are 
often seen, usually 'flying high, and are only rarely killed. 
One was secured on the meadows below Unionport two 
winters ago. 
Of shore birds the most frequently met with are yel- 
lowleg snipe. They are here spring and fall in very 
considerable numbers and many are killed. I saw an 
unusually large flight on the meadows near Baychester 
three j'ears ago. I had killed three or four birds of a 
flock, and was calhng the remainder, as I slipped in new 
shells, when my whistle was answered from the edge of 
the meadows near the land. As the first birds did not 
decoy, I worked in the direction of the new call with my 
dogs close in. I had nearly reached the spot I knew the 
tiirds would he on, when a crow sailed lazib^ out of the 
woods and directly over the snipe, which got up in alarm 
tnd circled. There were hundreds of them. I squatted 
down and called and the birds came back toward me, 
ihe crow following. The snipe were anxious to continue 
their feeding and fiew round and round the meadows, 
endeavoring to shake off the crow. The latter stuck to 
them, however, and I devoted my energies to killing the 
crow, knowing if I succeeded in this I could do business 
with the yellowlegs. I could iiot get within range, how- 
ever, and the snipe, with the crow in pursuit, continued 
inoving in gradually increasing circles until they had 
passed out over the bay and beyond my reach. 
Nej?t to the yellowlegs, Wilson stiipe are most often 
seeil. They are nevci- numerous: they come later and 
stay but a vciy short time. 
Sandpipers are here constantly. 
The Virginia rail is co:nmonly met with, while the 
sora is infrequently Seen. 
1 killed a long-billed curlew on the meadows- four or 
five years agOj the Only instance of meeting^ with this 
bird; 
Of the birds allied tb game bifds that are common may 
be mentioned the green and blue herons, mud hens and 
bitterns, all of which, with the possible exception of the 
blue heron, nest here. Of Course meadow larJca and crow 
and redwiiig blackbirds are here in tlocks- 
No doubt many other shore birds drop iil and a.l'c away 
again before they are observed; but those enumerated 
above are so constantly present as to be regarded as 
regular inhabitants. 
Of game and allied animals gray squirrels are the niost 
abundant. They are very generally distributed, as inany 
gi-oveg of oak, chestnut, hickory, butternut and walnut 
remain. These squirrels are by no means limited to 
Bron:!t and Pelham Parks, 
Rabbits are scattered pretty much all over, wherever 
a small brush lot is found. 
There are many radCoons at ClaSon Point, Westchester, 
Eastchester and elsewhere in the Bronx. 'Coon dogs are 
still kept by colored and white huntei's. Only a day or 
two Since I read in a local paper of the midnight dis- 
turbances caused by the *'coon hunters around Wakefield 
and of the mounted police having been directed to break 
up the practice. 
The mink, muskrat and skunk arc still represented liy 
fair numbers in this metropolitan fauna, and a colony 
of woodchucks is located at Castle Hill. 
Foxes are found near Eastchester and around the upper 
city line. One was killed before hounds at Eastchester 
two years ago. J. W. D. 
Borough of the Bronx, Dec. IS. • 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I hive been interested in the accounts printed from 
time to time in Forest and Streaivi of game in New York 
at the present day, for I myself, within the past year or 
two, have seen, or have had reported to me by relatives, 
Such occurrences as woodcock and Avild geese, both within 
easy gun shot. 
Such occurrences recall various observations of earlier 
date, which 1 ask your permission to i'ecoi-d here, even 
though they be nothing more than my personal memories. 
Perhaps even that will not be urged against them, for an 
interesting feature of Forest and Stre.am is that it has 
to do largely with the personal experiences of its con- 
tributors. 
I am an old New Yorker, and ray boyhood days— until 
I went away to school and college— were passed on upper 
New York Island not vei-y far from the old homes of 
Audubon, the naturalist, and of that other eminent ornith- 
ologist, Mr. Geo. N. Lawrence, who was well-knowri to 
a large number of your readers. My first surreptitious 
shooting excursions were undertaken at the age of lO or 
11- years, and for a number of years thereafter were 
pretty constant during the open season. 
At that time, the part of Ne\\f York Island where I 
resided was not laid out in streets and avenues, as it is 
at present, but was divided by a few old country roads, 
one of which running about north and south had been 
the main artery of travel between New York and Albany, 
and the others— cross roads — were chiefly countiT lanes, 
leading to the ditferent farms and places which were 
located along the shores of the two rivers which bptmd 
the island. 
Even at that time there was little -game fcq be fouiid 
about my home; but there were memorials of the wild 
creatures' that in earlier years had inhabited the country. 
Thus, each season there was a considerable flight of wild 
pigeons from north to south over the island, and I recall 
that when quite a big boy, we used to get up on top of the 
house to shoot at these birds as they passed over. I do 
not recall the killing of more than one or two of them 
by this means, but quite frequently we used to get a 
pigeon or two when they came to the Avild cherry or the 
dogwood trees to feed on the ripened fruit. Much earlier 
than this— some time bet^veen 1S50 and i860— I recall 
very well going to the front door before breakfast one 
morning, and seeing a dogwood tree, which stood a few 
yards from the door, absolutely covered, as it seemed to 
me, with pigeons which were feeding on the berries._ The 
birds almosM: at once took flight and rose in the air— an 
innumerable multitude, as they appeared to my childish 
eyes, though I cannot say whether there were 50 or 100. 
At all events this flock of pigeons has always impressed 
me as by far the largest that I ever saw close at hand. 
It was in Harris' woods, north of 158th street, and 
between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues, that I killed in 
my very earliest shooting days a ground dove (Colurih 
bigaUina passerina) — identified by John W. Audubon, the 
son of the naturalist. Of course the specimen was not 
preserved, though it is very unusual so far north as this, 
but was carried home by the proud small boy who cap- 
tured it and served on the famib^ table — flanked perhaps 
by a robin and a high-ho. 1 
' In those days the Hudson River in winter was often 
full of ice, on which crows and wdiite-headed eagles 
seemed to find abundant food. It has never been clear 
to my mind what it was that they ate, but great numbers 
of tlie bird were seen there constantly. We knew that 
the eagles subsisted in part on fish, for I recall very well 
an occasion when three eagles flew over our place, two in 
.hot pnrsuit of the leader, which held h\ its claws a fish 
freshly captured. 'I'he pursuers pestered the lucky fisher- 
man so much that it alighted in one of the trees in the 
. pkice, and in doing so dropped the fish, which we- recov- 
ered. In those days it was quite common for eagles to 
alight in the great trees in the place. 
There was then a cedar crowned hill m the east side of 
the Harlem River and lying between 154th and 147th 
streets, and in these cedars great numbers of crows used 
to roost, and each morning at daybreak to fly nearly due 
west to the North River, where they spent the day, re- 
turning at nig-ht. Some times, if the weather was foggy 
or the wind blew strong from the west, the crows flew 
very low, and some times I used to shoot at them from 
an upper window of the house. I knew nothing whatever 
alwut wing shooting, but on one occasion I succeeded in 
killing a crow, which, falling from a considerable height 
was buried in the soft snow which covered the ground 
to the depth of a foot or two. My pride and satisfacation 
at this shot were enormous, and 1 endeavored to stufif 
and mount the crow, but as this was my first attempt at 
such work I failed completely. 
At that time a stretch of country, noAv largely occupied 
by tall flat houses and stoi'es lying between 165th and 
175th street, and between what are now known as Am- 
sterdam avenue and the old Kingsbridge Road, was open 
pasture and swamp land; the swamp land being over- 
grown by great water oaks and gum trees and under 
them by a growth of smaller brush. 
Here the little green heron bred in considerable num- 
bers, and from this fact, we boys called it the Green 
Heron Woods. Undoubtedly a pair of two of woodcock 
bred here also, and a few migratory birds dropped in 
during the flight; but at that time woodcock Avere far 
beyond my power to shoot, and though I knew the bird 
by sight and sometimes started one, I never saw them 
until it was too late. Moreover, as I did not know how 
to shoot on the wing, and was convinced that I could not 
hit a flying bird, I always waited, watching the bird as 
it passed, in the hope that it would alight within range 
and give ine a "sitting" shot. 
During the migration, we used to see woodcock fre- 
quently and in all sorts of places. And indeed in recent 
years they have been seen often in the city parks and 
even in the people's back yards. Quail, however, were 
much less common even in those days. During our ex- 
peditions to "Bronson's" — now Van Cortlandt Park — 
after blackbirds, robins, meadow larks, highholds and such 
large gaiTie, we frequently started flocks of quail on or 
near the old Van Cortlandt place, in what is now Van 
Cortlandt Park. At little to the northeast of Van 
Cortlandt Lake, there were some wet places from which 
often English snipe used to get up, and fly away fol- 
lowed by the longing looks of the small boy hunters. 
Incidentally I may remark, that on the hill lying north- 
east of Van Cortlandt Lake there was for many years 
a fish hawk's nest in a tall chestnut, and in early spring 
] often watched the birds for hours while they gathered 
material to put the nest in oi'der for the coming season. 
I recall also a flock of four or five black ducks of enor- 
mous size — ^as we believed — which lived among the water 
bushes in Van Cortlandt Lake, and when alarmed — as 
they always -were long before we got within shot of 
tlieni — they used to fly northeast, as we supposed to some 
pond or spi-ing beyond the hill where the fish hawk had 
its nest. Very likely they went over to the Bronx River, 
or perhaps to the Sound. 
Quail were occasionally seen on the island as far 
south as the old villages of Carmansville, or even Man- 
hattanville, but I always suspected that these were birds 
which had escaped from the place of Mr. Shepherd F. 
Knapp, a great sportsman, who frequently had game birds 
of one kind or- another in captivity. 
One of our great shooting grounds was the old Dyk- 
man meadows, north of where the speedway now ends, 
and where Dykeman street crosses the island from the 
Harlem River down to what we used to call Tubby Hook 
— now Inwood. Here tiny sandpipers were often to be 
found in the marshy meadows, sometimes English snipe 
were started, and on rare occasions a few yellowlegs 
were seen and captured. To us these last seemed as im- 
portant and desirable as the elk or moose to the modern 
big game hunter, while the occasional wild duck, that was 
PEaienLly stalked and finally potted on the water by the 
eager boys, represented, let us say, the charging grizzly 
of to-day. 
In those days there was no dearth of rabbits or squir- 
rels. Rabbits were especially abundant in what we used 
10 call the Blind Asylum Woods, lying a little west of 
north of the present Institution for the Deaf and Dumb 
at 165th street and Boulevard Lafayette; and gray squir- 
rels have been increasing ever since^ so that they are very 
abundant all over the island. 
To go back to other wild life, not game; hawks and 
owls were common enough, the barred and long-eared owls 
being the two more familiar species. I have; not seen 
either of these for years in New York City, but some 
pairs of little screech owls still breed at different points 
on the upper part of the island, and their plaintive cry 
may be heard on almost any evening from February until 
May. 
These details of old times may have some interest for 
the younger generation, and it seems to me that it would 
lie a useful thing if the older men among your readers 
would set down their boyhood memories of such matters. 
I'hese details cannot fail to be interesting to residents 
of American cities which in these days are changing so 
rapidly. I understand that Mr. Haswell, still living in New 
York I believe, used to shoot snipe on the Lispenard 
Meadows, near where Canal street now is, and there are 
unquestionably many jolly old fellows,,' contemporaries 
of mine, who, if they would take the trouble, could give 
most interesting stories of the game aspect of what is now 
New York, 50 or 60 years ago. 
Plovefs* Egfgfs in England* 
New York, Dec. 23. — Editor Forest and Streams I 
read a letter from Didymus in your issue of tlie 13th 
inst, regarding the destruction of plovers' eggs in Eng- 
land. 
Any one who did not know would infer after reading 
his letter that the eggs were those of the small plovers, 
tliat are good eating; whereas, the eggs sold in the mar- 
kets are those of the pewit, which is about the size of a 
small sea gull. Instead of being a fine game bird, very 
few are shot at, as they are not fit to eat, but the eggs 
are excellent, and when a boy I often hunted for their 
nests, which are difficult to find. In the winter pewits 
flock together in great numbers, and are comparatively 
t^m? to the otber plovers, - K- 4; 4\ 
