846 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[May 2, 1903. 
book: "There is one thing the red squirrel knows un- 
erringly that I do not (there are probably several other 
things), that is, on which side of the butternut the 
meat lies. He always gnaws through the shell so as 
to strike the kernel broadside, and thus easily extract 
it; while to my eyes there is no external mark or indi- 
cation, in the form or appearance of the nut, as there 
is in the hickory nut, by which I can tell whether the 
edge or the side of the meat is toward me." A most 
interesting fact, from which one who has good ears 
might be led to suppose the squirrel used his ears as 
well as eyes on a butternut shuck. 
True to his "Real and Sham Natural History," Mr. 
Burroughs speaks of the "provident instinct" in "Signs 
and Seasons," meaning the reason why squirrels and 
some birds gather crops of nuts. But quite contrary 
is the statement on the following page that "They 
(white-footed mice) evidently travel for adventure and 
to hear the news, as well as for food." Doubtless Mr. 
Thompson-Seton would say they had centers of news, 
as in the case of the dogs he told about. Perhaps he 
would even have drawn a picture of the grizzled old 
timer of white-footed mice growing reminiscent in re- 
gard to old days when white-foots were young and 
innocent, and were dissected in order to discover 
whether they really did have brains and convolutions 
or not. 
Mr. Burroughs says of the white-feet: "When they 
cross an exposed place they do it hurriedly," for "they 
know that foxes and owls are about." Perchance, the 
old timer would shiver instinctively at the recollection 
of when the first white-footed mouse crossed such an 
opening and was swooped at by a hawk. 
On page 60 Mr. Burroughs tells of meadow larks 
down in Pennsylvania one cold winter, half famished. 
The man fed them with grains and seeds, whereupon 
the birds ate heartily. Next day they came back, and 
again and again, "each time bringing one or more 
drooping and half-starved companions with them, till 
vthere was quite a flock of them." Just a case of plain 
instinct? Or did the birds talk to one another about 
the "graft" they were looking for and had found? 
On the last page of the essay on "Hard Fare" (61) 
Mr. Burroughs says of birds of various feathers flock- 
ing together in hard times, " T will look that way, too,' 
the kinglet and creeper probably said, when they saw 
the other birds busy, and heard their merry voices." 
On page 67, speaking of orioles' nests and changes 
wrought in them by civilization, it says they build 
them long and gourd-shaped along the borders of 
woods in remote trees, but "in orchards and near 
dwellings it shortens it up in proportion as the danger 
lessens." An owl cannot reach young orioles in the 
bottom of a long nest, and near houses the danger 
presumably lessens from owls. To suppose the oriole 
had learned something about the habits of owls— had 
gone into the study of natural history — might be far- 
fetched. It might be even farther fetched to guess that 
birds stand around houses of men to see how much 
grub is carried home to the human young — just fancy 
a congregation of students of humanity gathering in a 
back orchard discussing the habits of humanity, more 
especially the instincts of the young egg collectors. 
Mr. Burroughs says (page 69) that female birds on 
their nests are sometimes exposed to the merciless sun. 
"In such an emergency the male robin has been known 
to perch above the sitting female and shade her with 
his outstretched wings." What can one say of an ac- 
tion like that? What more could a man do for his 
sweetheart? How did the robin know his mate was 
suffering, and how that shade would be a relief, and 
how that his own body would cast a shadow? In- 
stinct? 
To go through Mr. Burroughs's books and select 
therefrom the incidents of which he tells and says he 
witnessed for the purpose of proving that birds rea- 
son and reckon, would be a pleasure, and is a pleasure 
to one who likes to think that birds do learn from ex- 
perience, that they do reason matters out. On page 
137 of "Signs and Seasons" is the story of a wood- 
pecker that drilled a hole so as to let the cold and 
air into the hiding place of another woodpecker for the 
purpose of driving her from the neighborhood — and 
what more remarkable than the case of the caged 
canary (page 204) which tried to feed her eggs! Surely 
this was uneducated instinct! 
To kind of ease the friction between the disputants 
who think and do not think animals are instinctive and 
reasoning, I would suggest that they meet each other 
half way and say they are both. And also, when some 
one man comes before the public with remarkable 
stories of bird or mammal life, that we ought to be 
charitable toward him. Mr. Burroughs, I am sure, 
would be greatly relieved to know that Mr. Thompson- 
Seton did really see Two Spot do remarkable stunts, as 
described. If Mr. Burroughs were to consider that the 
birds he had seen were mere frontiersmen, very poorly 
educated, and that Mr. Thompson-Seton had by chance 
been dropped in the center of ornithological and 
zoological culture far from Mr. Burroughs's ignorant 
subjects of observation, perhaps the matter could be 
adjusted to mutual satisfaction. Of course, anyone 
can readly see that where foxes are unusually bright 
the rabbits have to be so to live. So, too, with par- 
tridges and deer, and all things. Its like the old 
woman with the pig that wouldn't cross the bridge — 
until the cat began to eat the rat, the rat wouldn't 
gnaw the rope, the rope wouldn't hang the man, the 
man wouldn't whip the butcher, etc., etc., etc. A good 
hound in a fox country will liven up the foxes, the 
foxes will liven up the rabbits, the partridges, the 
skunks will liven up the mice, small birds — when the 
prey gets lively, the hunters have to quicken, and vice 
versa — first thing you know the creatures know every- 
thing that is necessary. 
It stands to reason that in a country where there 
was a wolf like the King of Curumpaw, everything 
just had to get intellects or go dead. We can thank 
that king wolf for all the wise things Mr. Thompson- 
Seton has seen wild creatures do. He just happened, 
that wolf did, and all the rest came perforce. 
JIaymond S. Spears. 
tJoRTHWOOD, N. y. 
The Italian and the Birds. 
Robert O. Morris in the Springfield Republican. 
According to the census of 1900, there were residing 
within the State of Massachusetts 28,785 persons who 
were born in Italy. Of this number, 19,034 were males, 
most of whom are now old enough to use a gun. Since 
that year the Italian residents of this State have greatly 
increased, and during the month of February last nearly 
1,700 people of this nationality arrived at Boston, exceed- 
Ivig in numbers that of all other races together. About 
1880 the immigration of Italians to this country began, 
at least before that time there were an insignificant few 
here. At first they settled only in the cities, but now they 
are spreading out over the whole of the State, and in a 
few years will probably have so increased that they will 
do a great share of the manual outdoor labor. They are 
a frugal, industrious race, and as a rule do not belong 
to the criminal class, there being rarely any serious 
charge against them other than for assaults growing out 
of quarrels among themselves. The children in the 
schools are well behaved, bright and quick to learn. Many 
of the grandchildren of these immigrants will graduate 
from Harvard and Yale. In Massachusetts there are free 
to their use fine public schools, and they have an easy 
path to a higher education, if the ambition of any child 
leads him in that direction. If any of them are in desti- 
tute circtunstances or fall ill in mind or body, they are 
tenderly taken care of, and, if necessary, when they be- 
come infirm from age, are well provided for at the public 
charge, and in no other State or country would they re- 
ceive better treatment. 
With all these things freely given them, it would seem 
fair that they should obey the laws of the Commonwealth. 
With the first money that an Italian saves, after coming 
here, he buys a cheap gun, and then takes to the fields 
and is apt to try to kill every wild bird and animal that 
he sees, including game in and out of season. Once I 
examined the contents of a bag that one of a party of 
three Italian gunners carried, and found nearly fifty birds, 
including two or three quails, which at that season were 
unlawfully taken, and among the song birds that con- 
stituted the greater portion of what the bag contained 
were several chickadees, a bird that with its feathers ofif 
is not much larger than an English walnut. From many 
sources I have learned that Italians are in the habit of 
killing and eating chickadees and all other song birds, 
and for this purpose will snatch the young from their 
nests before they can fly. 
From early days in Massachusetts one of the most 
destructive enemies to orchards and certain kinds of 
shade trees has been found to be the canker or measuring 
worm, which feeds upon the leaves. Sometimes in June 
orchards will be found entirely stripped of foliage by 
these pests. There are two varieties of these worms, 
which are similar in appearance and habits, both being 
destructive to vegetation. One kind emerges from the 
ground in the spring and the other in fall. They are 
then in the shape of moths. The female is without wings, 
and she crawls up the trees and deposits her eggs, which 
hatch out in the shape of caterpillars, ready to consume 
the leaves of the trees. Nature has developed an enemy 
to this destructive insect, which has done much to check 
their ravages, and this is the chickadee. These birds are 
with us the whole of the year, even during the coldest 
weather, and are free from any faults toward man. They 
feed largely upon the female moth of the canker worm 
and their eggs. In the stomachs of four chickadees E. 
PI. Forbush, ornithologist for the Massachusetts Board 
of Agriculture, found 1,028 eggs of this destructive insect, 
and has estimated that one chickadee in twenty-five days 
would destroy 138,750 of these eggs, that, if incubation 
was successful, would have hatched out into that number 
of canker worms in the caterpillar stage, ready to feed 
on the leaves of the trees. Now, this valuable bird never 
had in this State an enemy in man imtil the Italians ar- 
rived. The Indians knew something of the value of birds 
as insect destroyers, and placed gourds around their wig- 
wams for martins to occupy, so that they would feed 
upon the flies that annoyed them. The first white set- 
tlers or their descendants have not killed the chickadee, 
but early spoke of their usefulness; neither have the 
representatives of the Irish, German or French races that 
have established their homes here. 
It does seem that these little birds .should be strictly 
protected. They have rendered as great service to the 
State in destroying the canker worm as did the commis- 
sion which, at an expense of more than a million dollars, 
attempted to exterminate the gypsy moth. 
Robert O. Morris. 
An Owl's Flight for Life* 
While the whaleback steamer Forest Castle, from 
Liverpool, was ofif the Newfoundland banks, an owl as 
white as snow fell exhausted on the deck. 
The owl made a desperate flight from an iceberg to 
the ship. It was "dead beat" when it floundered 
abroad, and without a great deal of trouble was made 
prisoner. 
The sailors were utterly astonished at the arrival of 
the passenger. Some one saw the peculiar object com- 
ing laboriously through the air, making a line fly for 
the whaleback. Away off on the horizon line was a 
great iceberg, which had worked its way further south 
than these terrors of the northern sea are wont to do. 
When the "berg" parted company with the icefield 
of the far north it probably carried with it the owl, 
which clung to its raft of crystal until flight was use- 
less, a stretch of open sea forming a barrier over which 
the bird did not dare attempt flight. Like a sensible 
owl, it held to the refuge in sight, hoping for a better 
one by and by. 
When the Britisher Forest Castle appeared on the 
horizon the bird made its one last dash for life. It 
was probably half starved and ill prepared for such a 
long chase — a stern chase, too — for the vessel, well to 
the south, was also plying steadily in that direction. 
However, the race was won by the owl. — Philadelphia 
Press. 
All communicationB intended for Fohest and Sthkau should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 
York, sad not )o aajr isdividiul ooanected with the paper. 
^mjie ^^tg mid ^mu i 
Projirietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to advertiae < 
them in FoaxsT and Stkkaii. I 
The President in the Park. 
President _ Roosevelt concluded his exploring and 
camping visit to the Yellowstone National Park on 
April 24. His companions in the Park were Major' 
Pitcher, the Acting Superintendent, and John Bur- 
roughs. Billy Hofer, who in years past has guided Mr. 
Roosevelt in the Park, was with the party, and by his f 
familiarity with the country, the natural phenomena and ' 
its wild animal ways, added much to the President's j 
enjoyment of the trip. On April 24 the cornerstone 
of the new gate was laid. We take from the New 
York Times this report of the President's participation 
in the affair: 
Gardiner, Montana, April 24. — President Roosevelt ' 
this afternoon resumed his tour, going to Livingston 
from here. Before going, however, he participated in 
the laying of the cornerstone of the new gate at the | 
northern entrance to Yellowstone Park. The cere- ; 
mony was performed according to the Masonic ritual, 
and was in charge of the grand officers of the State of ; 
Montana. Special trains brought hundreds of people | 
here, including a large body of Masons, and as the 
weather was perfect, the scene was a very pretty one. 
The President rode down from the post, accom- 
panied by Major Pitcher, and was escorted to the 
gaily decorated stand where he delivered an address. •■ 
Troops B and C of the Third Cavalry, from Fort Yel- 
lowstone, were drawn up in front of the stand as a 
guard of honor. Frank Smith, Grand Master, con- ^ 
ducted the services, assisted by Deputy Grand Master '■ 
Sol Hapner, and Grand Senior Warden Lew Calloway. 1 
The President, on behalf of the Masons of the State, 
was presented with a Masonic charm, mounted on a 
nugget of Montana gold. There were placed in the 
cornerstone a photograph of Mr. Roosevelt, a num- 
ber of coins, copies of newspapers and some Masonic ■ 
emblems. 
The ■ President began his address by thanking the 
people and the soldiers for his enjoyable two weeks' 
holiday, and then spoke of the natural wonders of the , 
Park. 
"The Yellowstone Park," he said, "is something 
unique in this world, as far as I know. Nowhere else 
in any civilized country is there to be found such a 
tract of veritable wonderland, made accessible to all 
visitors, where at the same time not only the scenery 
of the wilderness, but the wild creatures of the Park 
are scrupulously preserved as they are here, the only 
change being that these same wild creatures have been 
so carefully protected as to show literally astounding 
tameness. The creation and preservation of such a 
natural playground in the midst of our people, as a 
whole, is a credit to the Nation, but, above all, a 
credit to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. It has been 
preserved with wise foresight. 
"The scheme of its preservation is noteworthy in its 
essential democracy. This Park was created and now 
is administered for the benefit and enjoyment of the ^ 
people. The Government must continue to appropriate ' 
for it, and especially in the direction of completing 
and perfecting an excellent system of driveways. The 
only way that the people, as a whole, can secure to 
themselves and their children the enjoyment in per- 
petuity of which the Yellowstone Park has to give, is 
by assuming ownership in the name of the Nation and 
by jealously safeguarding and preserving the scenery, 
the forests and the creatures. < 
"At present, it is rather singular that a greater num- 
ber of people come from Europe to see it than come 
from our own Eastern States to see it. The people 
near by seem to be awake to its beauties, and I hope that 
more and more of our people who dwell far off will 
appreciate its really marvelous character. Incidentally, 
I should like to point out that some time people will 
awake to the fact that the Park has special beauties 
to be seen in the winter, and any person who can go 1 
through it in that season on skis will enjoy himself as ; 
he scarcely could elsewhere. I wish especially to con- | 
gratulate tile people of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, : 
and notably you of Gardiner and Cinnabar, and the ij 
immediate outskirts of the Park, for the way in which , 
you heartily co-operate with the Superintendent to pre- 
vent acts of vandalism and destruction. 
"The preservation of the forests is, of course, the ; 
matter of prime importance in every preserve of this ,| 
character. In this region of the Rocky Mountains and i 
the great plains the problem of the water supply is j 
the most important part of the homemaker's office. ' 
Congress has not in recent years done anything more "j 
important than passing the Irrigation Bill, and nothing <| 
is more essential to the preservation of the water sup- | 
ply than the preservation of the forests. Montana has ' 
in its water power a source of development which has J 
hardly been touched. This water power will be seri- 
ously impaired if ample protection is not given the 
forests. Therefore, this Park, like the forest reserves 
generally, is of the utmost advantage to the country 
around from the merely utilitarian side. 
"But, of course, this Park also because of its peculiar 
features, is to be reserved as a beautiful playground, j 
Here all the wild creatures of the old days are being 
preserved, and their overflow into the surrounding 
country, means that the people of the surrounding ^ 
country, so long as they see that the laws are observed , 
by all, will be able to insure to themselves and to their « 
children and to their children's children, much of the , 
old-time pleasure of the hardy life of the wilderness } 
and of the hunter in the wilderness. I have been lite 
ally astounded at the enormous quantities of elk 
at the number of deer, antelope and mountain she y 1 
which I have seen on their wintering ground, and tne j 
deer and sheep in particular are quite as tame as r«i. _ ■: .j 
stock, ^ ;i 
"A few buffalo are being preserved. I wish very 
