[Sept. 27, 1902. 
a month after the regular duck season closes; and Dela- 
ware, for some unaccountable reason, specifically ex- 
empts it from the protection accorded all other ducks. 
JelYerson Couaty, N. Y., furnishes one of the most 
practical and at the same time convincing demonstra- 
tions of what sound judgment and proper laws may do 
for bird protection. The County Sportsmen's Associa- 
tion secured the passage of a law protecting ducks in 
spring on their breeding grounds, and the following ex- 
tract from a letter written by the president of the asso- 
ciation shows the result of the measure: 
"We have claimed as an argument for the passage 
of this bill that if the fall ducks or divers were unmolested 
in our waters in the spring, they would find choice feed- 
ing spots, and would return earlier and in larger num- 
bers and staj' longer in the fall — a fact which yet re- 
mains to be proven. We also claimed that if the sum- 
mer ducks, the black duck, the mallard, the wood duck, 
•and the teal, were unmolested, they would remain with 
us and nest and rear their young. That they have done 
so this year is an undisputed fact, as never within the 
memory of the oldest sportsman have there been so 
many of these ducks in this county on the opening day."* 
If in one season such results can be accomplished in 
a restricted locality surrounded by unprotected areas, 
it is easy to predict that an enormous increase of birds 
would follow the universal suppression of spring shoot- 
ing. But as long as this murderous custom is tolerated, 
just so long will the wood duck be absent from our 
ponds and streams. Sportsmen willing to deny them- 
selves a little present sport for the sake of future gain 
to themselves and posterity, should spare no efforts to 
save and restore this beautiful bird. If spring shooting 
be abolished the wood duck will gradually return to its 
old haunts and by degrees reestablish itself — to the joy 
■and satisfaction of all lovers of nature. 
•Forest and Stream, Vol, LVII., Sept. 2,S, 1901, p. 245. 
Vipers Swallowing Their Young, 
I HAVE recently received from a correspondent, Mr. F. 
G. Short, of Lyndhurst, a specimen bearing on the evi- 
dence as to the truth or fallacy of the statement respect- 
ing vipers swallowing their young when approached. Mr. 
Short writes to me as follows: 
I have again to trouble you on behalf of Mills, the snake catcher. 
He brought me an adder which he declares had swallowed its 
young, and I have forwarded it to you by parcel post for in- 
spection. The adder is alive in a tin. 
I obtained a copy of the Field and read the result of your ex- 
amination of the adder (previously sent by me) to "Brusher" 
Mills, and he was much mystified by your description of the 
dissection of the reptile. I have never studied snakes, so Imow 
nothing of the subject in question. I only act for Mills, who 
cannot read or write. If you think it useless for Mills to send 
adders please let me know, and I will stop him so doing. 
F. G. Short. 
As there has been so much doubt thrown on the ac- 
curacy of the observers regarding this matter, I decided 
to get the evidence of an impartial witness as to this 
particular example. Without opening Mr. Short's parcel, 
■I took it to the Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln's Inn 
Fields, and requested Mr. Shattock, the pathological cura- 
tor, to make the necessary examination. On breaking 
the seals and opening the tin box containing the reptile, 
we found that it was the sole occupant, and in a most 
lively condition. Turning it on to the dissecting table, I 
secured it by the neck, and divided the vertebrae imma- 
diately close to the head. The viper was then pinned 
down on the back, and most carefully dissected by the 
skilled curator, with the result that the gullet, nine inches 
long, was found perfectly empty, as was the stomach. 
There were eight eggs in the oviduct, the young being 
perfectly mature, and each five inches in length. This is 
a very good example of the want of accuracy on the part 
of those who state that they have seen vipers swallowing 
their young. 
Brusher Mills, perhaps the most experienced snake and 
viper catcher in the kingdom, who declares he has seen 
the performance "hundreds of times," cannot send us an 
example of a viper with young in its stomach, and I must 
again state that the reward ofifered by the Field still re- 
mains unclaimed. — W. B. Tegetmeier in London Field, 
Mr; Tegetmeier and the writer of the article on the 
subject which appeared in the Field of Aug. 30, wrote 
down the law in a very satisfactory fashion upon a point 
which has puzzled and divided naturalists for a great num- 
ber of years, and both fall into grievous fallacies them- 
selves. 
Both of these gentlemen seem to agree that the structure 
of the viper's oesophagus makes the swallowing of her 
ycung by the female impossible, and Mr. Tegetmeier goes 
further, and alleges— or rather I should again say lays 
down the law — that the .stomach also would not allow of 
the young being swallowed. They seem entirely to for- 
get — I will not, as they would, allege ignorance — ^what 
bulk a viper is capable of swallowing, and, if necessary, 
throwing up again. The gape of the mouth is, beyond 
doubt, large enough to allow the young to seek refuge 
through it, and surely it is common knowledge that the 
swallowing of frogs, birds, mice, and even small rats is an 
everyday occurrence. 
l-'urther, it is not quite correct to term the operation 
swallowing; there is a difiference between an adder swal- 
lowing her young and merely opening her mouth to enable 
the young to pass through it, making a passage for them- 
selves into the gullet and stomach. 
Both in the article and letter, the young vipers are 
quoted as being five inches long. That this was so in 
Ihe cases referred to, 1 do not doubt, but the length of 
tt'wly born vipers is usually nearer three inches, and I 
th nk that five inches would, in most cases, be an over- 
estimation of length. 
Then again, the writer of the article alleges that, even 
if it were possible for the young to get through the gui- 
lt t, they would not be able to breathe there. But surely 
it is a well-known fact that vipers have a wonderful 
\ tality, and can live for a very long space of time without 
biealliing becoming a necessity; many snakes can remain 
t rider water for a considerable period. No one has, so far 
3i my knowledge serves me, ever suggested that the 
ft-male carries her young in her stomach for days on end. 
i have lived among, and been an ardent student of, 
fiature since my farly boyhood, and th^t which Mr, Teget^ 
meier and your editorial declare in so decided a manner 
to be impossible, I have most certainly myself seen. 
On more than one occasion have I seen young vipers 
entering, their mother's mouth, the latter lying on her 
belly with jaws wide open. On one occasion, which is 
especially clear m my memory — the first week in June, one 
year in the sixties — saw this happening on the edge of a 
copse near Shepham Woods, Westham, Sussex. The 
viper made off on my approach. I went to the copse the 
next day. and saw the adder again (this time in the 
copse) about five yards distant, and I again saw the 
youngsters going into her mouth. I shot its head oflf with 
my gun, and, hurrying up, stamped upon each young 
adder, to the number of fifteen, as it came out of its 
mother's body. I was then with my father at Priesthawes 
Farm, Westham, not far from Eastbourne. 
Another case I well remember is that of an adder which 
was frequently seen in old Lewes Castle with young 
vipers going in and coming out of her mouth. 
For Mr. Tegetmeier, under these circumstances, to class 
all those whose views on the subject do not coincide with 
his own as "superficial observers," and to insinuate an 
utter lack of anatomical knowledge as the bar to their 
attainment of his height of scientific bliss is, to say the 
least of it, annoying to one, like myself, who has not only 
been a keen observer and lover of nature for over forty 
years, but has most assuredly seen the phenomenon the 
existence of which he so dogmatically denies. 
I trust you will see your way to insert this letter out 
of fairness to those who believe that it is not only pos- 
sible, but that young vipers, as a matter of fact, do pass 
through the mouth of their mother. — Horace Tuppen in 
London Field. ^ 
The Red Sqairrel* 
Toronto, Canada. — Editor Forest and Stream: It is 
with great pleasure that I read your interesting paper. 
Recently I was out hunting with a .22-caliber rifle looking 
for a rabbit or a few squirrels, when in front of me I 
saw a red squirrel putting his head in and out the top of a 
post about four feet high. Hoping to capture him alive 
rather than shoot him, I waited till he had his head in the 
post. I then shouted and ran toward him, thinking the 
noise would frighten him into the post, and so he would 
be trapped, but instead of going into the hole, he ran off 
into the woods. I then walked over to inspect the post, 
and to my astonishment the post had in the top a little 
hollow which looked much as if it had been gnawed, and 
this hollow was almost full of clear water, which I 
tasted and found quite good. I wondered if the squirrel 
had gnawed the hole to catch rain water to drink or wash 
in. On another occasion I found the squirrel there acting 
in the same way, but I can't say whether he was drinking 
it or just putting his nose in the hole. I should like to 
know whether squirrels drink or not, and if so do they 
do it in this manner? 
Another strange thing I once noticed was a little squir- 
rel eating an icicle on a maple tree. I shot him, and he 
caught in the tree, and when going up to get him, I 
noticed many more icicles, and on tasting them found 
that they were very sweet. On looking under a bough I 
noticed it had been tapped, and the icicles formed from 
the dripping sap. I am positive the squirrel made these 
tappings with his teeth, as I can distinguish pretty well 
a squirrel's tooth mark in a maple tree's bark. 
S. C. S. T. 
[We fancy that squirrels drink, and it is quite certain 
that they are fond of maple sap. No doubt the maple 
was tapped by the squirrel, as oirr correspondent 
suggests.] 
Iowa Fofestfy and Park Association,"^:^ 
A GRATIFYING evidence of the continually increasing in- 
terest in the protection of our natural products is the for- 
mation in many States of forestry associations, and in 
many counties of associations for the protection of special 
areas of woodland, or of natural features which deserve 
the special care of the locality where they exist. 
The Report of the Proceedings of the First Annual 
Meeting of the Iowa Park and Forestry Association is a 
handsome volume of eighty pages, and contains much 
that is interesting. The purpose of the Association is to 
arouse interest in and secure the establishment of one 
or more State parks, of smaller parks about cities and 
villages, to awaken interest in forestry in the State at 
large, and to urge Congressional and State legislation in 
furtherance of these objects. 
The Association took strong ground in favor of the 
establishment of the proposed national park at the head- 
waters of the Mississippi, and of the ptirchase of land bi' 
the Gov,ernment for the Appalachian National Park. Its 
Proceedings contain a number of papers of great value 
and usefulness, and it is handsomely illustrated. 
It is within our recollection that wild elk were found 
within the State of Iowa. Since that time the work of 
destruction of natural things has been going on at a 
rapid rate. It is high time that the inhabitants of all our 
States began to consider the importance of calling a halt 
ill the work of destruction and to take sitch action as 
has been taken by the thriving and progressive State of 
Iowa. 
B«II Moose Repotted Killed in Vermont, 
SwANTON, Vt., Sept. 17. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I wish to call the attention of your Vermont readers to a 
report that has just reached me, and it requires prompt 
investigation. A few weeks ago a bull moose and cow 
with calf came into the eastern part of this State, and 
the bull and calf were killed near Silsby's mills, some 
two miles from Lunenburg, Vt, A piece of meat was 
cut out of the bull and the remainder of the carcass was 
left where it was shot. It is said that both the State's 
Attorney, Hale, and Game Warden John Folsom, have 
knowledge of this fact, but so far have not taken any 
action to punish the guilty parties who committed this 
dastardly outrage. It is very evident that the Hon. John 
W. Titcomb is not at the present time residing at his old 
home. St. Johnsbury. 
This is a matter that the Fish and Game League should 
have thoroughly investigated, and if this report proves 
true, have tht ^ilty parties punished. My informant 
received his information from W?»r4ew Fplsom. 
§7ANSTEAA. 
"That reminds me. " ' ! L. 
Listerine Cocktails. 
A Modern lodfan Stofy, 
Sioux names are nothing if not expressive, and this 
fact was particularlv apparent in the case of Lame Eagle 
(who happened to be "heap sick" and incidentally respon- 
sible for this narrative), as the poor wretch, with the 
aid of a cordwood stick in lieu of a crutch, came hob- 
bling up to the tent and peered through the fly, with 
only the guttural "How!" for an introduction. 
I have a faculty, like dogs and horses in their ability 
to detect the approach of man and beast, and always 
imagined that I could scent an Indian, and still thitik 
so. With this instinct, my black whiskers and a com- 
plexion which is said to command respect from sav- 
ages, T was able to reassure the other members of our 
party who were somewhat in doubt as to the proper eti- 
quette in dealing with the lordly Sioux on whose reser- 
vation we were camped hunting ducks. Three days of 
hard hunting had about tired us out and I was resting 
up for a day, my companions being a mile or more away 
trying to annihilate a flight of mallards which had set- 
tled in the lake the evening before. 
Up to this time we had not seen an Indian, and this 
sudden appearance of so poor a specimen as stood in the 
doorwav, knocked all my plans for a spectacular recep- 
tion galley-west and crooked, beside the boys were not 
in camp to see even this disappointing show. 
We had been warned not to display any liquor on the 
reservation, and under no circumstances was an In- 
dian to be given a drop, under penalty of having our 
permit cancelled; therefore, our small supply of snake- 
bite antidote was well hidden and guarded. 
I was not long in arriving at the conclusion that our 
red visitor had called for a drink. "How!" said I. rising 
and extending my hand as cordially as possible, but 
without smiling. He shook hands rather timidly and 
glanced about the tent, then looked me straight in the 
eye, tapped himself upon the breast and began the coii-- 
versation which was notable for its very few words of 
English and its many expressive signs, which we both 
seemed to understand perfectly — "Me Lame Eagle, heap 
s'ck" (rubbing his solar plexus). I endeavored to ex- 
press to him how sorry I was — not. for if he had really 
been sick he could have been relieved at the Agency with- 
out all the exertion of coming to our camp. "Where sick?*' 
I asked. Again he rubbed that portion of his anatomy 
about the equator, tapped his head and crippled leer and 
with a w'ave of his hand again repeated, "Lame Eagle 
heap sick." To- humor him I gave him a cigar and 
pointed to a camp chair where he seated himself, and I 
began rttmmaging among our supplies to see if we had 
anything to relieve his "heap sick," and if possible, get 
rid of him. I knew this beggar was trying to work mc 
for a drink in spite of the rules of the reservation, which 
he understood as well as I, and it occurred to me that, 
with my natural ability to do things — and Indian.? — I 
could satisfy his cravings and still not violate any rules, 
unless those of the Humane Society. "Lame Eagle 
want cocktail?" said I with a broad grin. He grunted, 
but the expression of his face never changed. I then 
began brewing a bowl which I am sure was never of- 
fered a human being before. With two teaspoons of 
listerine and an equal portion of sugar for a basis. I 
put a teaspoonful of paprica and five quinine capsules, 
mixing them thoroughly; then out of the grub box I 
pulled a quart bottle of malt vinegar, which had all the 
appearance of being good whiskey, and half a teacupful 
of this had to go for appearance sake, and as I poured 
this in I noticed the look of extreme interest on the 
face of the patient, who, I fancied, would be one indeed 
if he took the whole dose. 
I filled the cup up with cold coffee and dropped in a 
piece of very dr}' lemon rind, and then the cocktail was 
ready to cheer the heart of the noble redman. and with 
some misgivings as to the result and what would hap- 
pen if it should kill him and he should die about the 
camp. I handed him the cup, without the formality of 
"drink hearty," which he would hardly have understood 
and which was quite unnecessary, for he seized it and for 
the first titne grinned, then down went the decoction at a 
gidp. The patient shivered and his eyes glistened for a 
moment as I stood transfixed, awaiting further develop- 
ments, then with a yell that fully sustained the Sioux 
reputation, he rolled off the chair and writhed about on 
the grass. I was now alarmed, and was thinking he^ 
would have to have the water cure, when he leaped to 
his feet, regardless of the crippled leg, and began a wild 
dance, which was certainly amazing. He tore off his 
blanket, waving it aloft, and as he pranced about chant- 
ing something which might have been a war song, I 
caught sight of an ugly looking knife which I had not 
seen before, and on the strength of this backed into the 
tent, where I could reach my gun if it was required. 
He soon left off dancing, the perspiration pouring downi 
his face and breast, limped over to where his stick lay, 
with its assistance straightened himself up to full height,, 
swelled out his chest, threw back his head, pointed to^ 
the west and was away much faster than he had come.' 
He soon disappeared behind a sandhill, and I began to 
realize that quite a sensational incident had just closed — 
or I should have been glad to be sure that it had 
just closed, in fact, for I was getting somewhat uneasy 
and appreciated the fact that an Indian is an unknown 
quantity, and I could not guess whether this_ one had, 
left satisfied, or planning revenge for having been 
scorched from gullet to gizzard, and would kill me at 
the first opportunity. This train of thought made me 
suddenly anxious to join my friends down the lake, so 
taking my gun I lost no time in getting to them. 
Burt and George immediately began reminding me 
that I was a quitter, laying around camp all day when 
shooting was good, and were ready to throw me in the, 
lake when I admitted that I had forgotten to bring them 
a bite to eat or anything to drink. Then, when I, in my 
preoccupatioii of mui4t Tft a fine flock of mallards go 
