824 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Oct. is, 1904. 
We thought it could be found in the morning. Some 
things were found out before morning. One of them was 
this — that five men (and some of them large) could not 
be comfortable in a camp only big enough for three. But 
you say there were six of us. Yes, but the boy took the 
best blanket and stretched himself across the foot of the 
bough bed. He slept so soundly that walking on him as 
late retirers crawled into bed did not waken him, but in 
the morning he was completely wound around the post 
which supported one end of the ridge-pole for the tent. 
He said he rested well. As for the rest of us— well, it 
reminded me of the prison ships where men were packed 
spoon fashion, and not one could turn over unless all did 
at the same time. And yet at times somebody in camp 
snored ! 
After a late breakfast, hunting was resumed. Some 
looked for the wounded deer, some for others; neither 
were found. Then B. and the Doctor had a plan of their 
own. About a quarter of a mile from camp the log walls 
of an old lumber shanty were still standing. Within easy 
range a muddy space near a brook 
looked like a much-used sheep yard. They 
would go there that night and kill a 
deer. So before dark a flooring of old 
boards was loosely laid on the joists 
in one corner, and at nine o'clock, with 
the boy carrying a big lantern, they 
went there. Deer were there before 
them, and of course retired before the 
advancing light. But the deer were 
not frightened, nor the hunters dis- 
couraged. Climbing to their perch, 
they lay down, the Doctor — who 
weighs "nearly 200 pounds — in the 
middle. He affirms the other two 
snored. They as stoutly maintained 
that he lay there laughing, and shook 
the floor boards so that they rattled. 
At any rate, although they heard deer 
near them, they got no shot. _ But it 
was a funny contest — men snoring and 
deer whistling. It puzzled the Doctor , 
to decide which was the louder. At 
length they gave it up and returned to 
camp. The weather being fine, the 
tent had been pitched on the ground, 
and a bed prepared for two in the hut. 
So all got some sleep and rest, and 
were ready for the homeward journey 
next day. 
Deer tracks, elk tracks, and bear 
tracks, were seen, but the track 
makers very prudently kept out of 
sight. Home was reached safely, and 
two purposes with which we set out 
had been realized — we had no ac- 
cident, and we had lots of fun. But 
we got no game. Why? Lack of 
work, poor method, and too much 
noise, are sufficient explanation. The writer has 
had far more than average success during many years, 
but seldom when out with so large a party. But, 
after all, it is not all of hunting to hunt, and 
the spirit of comradery cultivated by the camp-fire and 
the camp stories, and the love of nature, and the strength 
developed in the woods life, are abundant compensation 
for all the toil. Juvenal. 
Capercailzie in Ontario. 
Toronto, Can., Oct. 6.— Game Warden Tinsley is greatly 
pleased with the success of the experiment tried last year 
of acclimatizing in Ontario the largest and noblest of the 
grouse family, the fine game bird known as the caper- 
cailzie. Fifty-two of them were liberated in Algonquin 
Park, some 200 miles from Toronto, and not only had 
many of them withstood the exceedingly severe winter, 
but several broods of young birds have been seen. This 
proves conclusively that our northern country is suitable 
for their requirements. Some of the birds had been seen 
forty miles distant from the point where they had been 
set free at Cash Lake or Canoe Lake, the park head- 
quarters. 
Mr. Tinsley does not think they will have many ene- 
mies, as they are big, strong, powerful birds, always on 
the alert, and roosting in trees. They are, like domestic 
fowl, polygamous, the male bird mating with four or five 
£ctHcilcs 
The capercailzie, in which name the z is usually 
sounded like a y, is the wood-grouse, Tetrao urugallus, 
and is the largest of the gallinaceous birds of Europe. 
The name is perhaps derived from the Gaelic capull-coille, 
meaning the "horse of the woods," or cock of the woods, 
as it is called, and sometimes mountain cock. In appear- 
ance it is not unlike a huge pigeon of dark plumage. 
The average weight is about 12 pounds, but they have 
been taken at 16 pounds weight. The bird has a magnifi- 
cent appearance, standing erect and approaching the size 
of the wild turkey. 
W. W. Thomas, U. S. Minister to Sweden, says the 
capercailzie is "pre-eminently a bird of the pine woods, 
or pine mixed with birch, spruce, maple, and other 
growths. He loves wooded hillsides better than wooded 
plains, and he must have fresh water near by, either a 
brook or a spring, or a piece of swampy ground. He is 
local and not migratory." Mr. Tinsley says of those m 
Algonquin Park that they have gone into the largest and 
densest pines, which appear to be their favorite haunt. 
The flesh of the bird is excellent for table, resembling 
that of prairie chicken, and it is hoped that in due course 
they may become plentiful among the great pines in the 
localities they seek. The Government will strictly pre- 
serve them for five years at least, and sportsmen are 
warned not to approach them with anything more deadly 
than a camera. 
Virginia Quail Immature. 
Brookneal, Va., Oct. 6.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
I would advise all sportsmen who intend coming South 
this fall, to put their trip off as long as possible, as three- 
fourths of the coveys can barely fly. I saw eight coveys 
this morning, and none of them were more than half- 
grown. It is the same down on the North Carolina line. 
Herb. 
A Winter Feeder for Quail. Distinguishing Marks of Waterfowl 
. Whitinsville, Mass., Oct. 1. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I send inclosed a photo of a device which we 
used in this" section last winter to feed quail, which I 
think will be of interest to some of your readers. The 
idea was brought here by one of our sportsmen who at- 
tended the Connecticut Field Trials last fall, and saw it 
in use there. We call it a feeding trough. It is made 
to stand on an incline by means of an upright at the rear 
which does not show in the picture. Being on an incline, 
it is necessary to have partitions in the trough which 
form pockets that prevent the grain from all running to 
the lower end. The idea of the incline is to accommodate 
varying depths of snow. The feeding trough has a roof 
also that extends quite a little over the sides to keep snow 
and rain out of the grain. We further protect the trough 
by piling pine boughs around it in the form of a brush 
house. The boughs are supported by steadying pieces 
such as old fence rails or stout pieces cut from the trunks 
feeding trough for quail. 
of young trees, which also serve to brace the trough and 
hold it firmly in an upright position. We also try to select 
a place under a thick-growing pine tree, and give the 
whole outfit a southern exposure, so the snow will melt 
away quickly. The result of the brush house and the 
shelter of the pine tree is that very little snow ever gets 
on the ground under the trough, barely an inch in a 
storm that will show eight or ten inches just outside. 
Our experience last winter shows that a trough full of 
grain will last two weeks without replenishing, though 
we intend to put in fresh grain at least once a week. The 
dimensions of the trough are 5 feet long, 10 inches wide, 
5 inches deep, pockets spaced 8 inches ; roof 21 inches 
wide, standing about 8 inches above the feed. 
We believe we saved a good many quail by means of 
this device; and we are certain that quail can be carried 
through any cold and snow that we are likely to have in 
this section, if they find the feed. The main advantage 
of this sort of feeding box is that the grain is never 
covered up by snow; it is always accessible, and none is 
wasted. 
Of course we incidentally feed many other forms of life 
than quail, such as crows — a little — bluejays, grosbeaks, 
sparrows, kinglets, chickadees, besides squirrels and mice, 
and even rabibts visit the grain. The tracks in the snow 
about the boxes are myriads of all sorts, and sometimes 
we see where a partridge has looked in upon the supply 
of feed. 
As to the particular results we secured, I know of one 
flock of eleven or twelve quail that fed in one box all 
winter, and were intact after the snow was gone. This 
covey was easy to watch, and they would come to the 
feed on the fly, stay around the little cleared place for 
two or three hours, and then take wing again for a 
near-by swamp. They were seen as late as the last of 
April, and we have heard them whistling all summer in 
the open fields within less than a mile of the feeding 
box. Another box brought through four quail at least 
that were counted. These were from a flock of only 
seven at the start. We have reason to believe that three 
other boxes carried through good coveys, and one or two 
others showed signs of use. We have besides liberated 
some quail that we obtained through the Massachusetts 
Fish and Game Protective Association, and these, we 
have every reason to think, raised at least four or five 
broods this season. 
We therefore, as a result of all this, have a number 
of coveys in our covers this fall that we would not have 
had otherwise, and while we feel we should be saving of 
them in shooting, we still will be able to take a few, and 
so help out the interest of a day's sport. We shall put 
out more feed boxes this coming winter, and liberate more 
birds next spring, if they can be obtained. 
We all believe, of course, that there is no bird that can 
possibly take the place of the old partridge; but he is 
getting scarce, and we find that quail fill in a wide gap 
very acceptably, and it is well worth a little effort to 
provide means to keep them through the winter. Give 
the quail a chance to clear the cold and snow, and they 
will fully take care of themselves the rest of the year, 
and steadily increase in numbers. Cyrus A. Taft. 
M * * The current number of Game Laws in Brief gives 
laws of oil States and Provinces. Price 25 cents. 
Each year produces, from among the youth of the land, 
not only a crop of new voters, but also a crop of new 
shooters. The tastes or circumstances of many of these 
will lead them to turn their attention to the water fowl. 
Some of the young gunners will begin hunting without 
experienced company, and will find it convenient to have 
means of promptly identifying the species of birds they 
fall in with. For that purpose the following list of dis- 
tinguishing marks is offered, the aim being to give for 
each species, in language free from the technicalities of 
ornithology, some characteristic point, or very simple 
combination, which is not found in any other species ; 
thus furnishing a characterization so short and distinct 
that it can readily be' produced from the young hunter's 
memory, if not from his pocket, and applied to the bird in 
hand; or, in the case of some of the marks, to the bird 
seen anywhere within gunshot or even further away. In- 
creasing practice will associate with each species, in the 
young sportsman's observation, some 
trait of appearance or action that will 
identify it at a considerable distance; 
like the long neck of the pintail, the 
white wing-lining shown by the black 
duck in flight, or the erected tail of 
the ruddy duck as it sits on the water. 
To this end a knowledge of the com- 
parative size of the different ducks is 
also desirable, and they are therefore 
named below in about that order, be- 
ginning with the largest. It should be 
understood, however, that two or 
more species may average the same 
size, so that the larger individuals of 
one kind may outweigh the smaller 
ones of another which would in the 
average be heavier. As to their 
plumage, the ducks vary with age and 
season, and the colors given here are 
those which prevail in the months 
when they are usually shot. Full- 
grown young drakes are apt to re- 
semble the female rather than the 
male. A combination of black and 
white in the coloring of a duck is dis- 
tinguishable at some distance, and, in 
connection with the bird's size, shows 
it to belong to one of limited num- 
ber of species, and thereby helps to- 
ward its identification. In this view 
the eider, surf duck, old squaw, white- 
winged scoter, bluebill, goldemeye, 
ringneck, and bufflehead, and the 
mergansers may be bunched as black 
and white, although not exclusively so, 
especially the females. 
The list does not profess to name 
all the species, some being omitted 
which are unknown or rare in most parts of the coun- 
try, and not likely .to be seen by the reader outside of 
a collection. 
Geese. 
Canada. — The common wild goose. Head and neck 
black; white patch on cheeks and throat. 
Hutchins's. — A much smaller bird, with the same 
coloring. 
Snow Goose.— All white, except black ends of wings. 
Two varieties, differing in size only, like the two above- 
named. 
• Brant. — Head, neck and breast black ; whitish spot each 
side of neck. 
White-fronted. — Chiefly brown; white around the bill 
in the adult; same region dark brown in the young. 
Blue Goose. — Head and s^me other parts white ; other- 
wise mainly bluish-gray. 
Ducks. 
Eider. — Drake black and white; crown black; white 
crescent on each side before tail. Duck brown and black 
speckled. In both the upper bill is forked at the base, 
branching toward the eyes. 
Mallard. — Drake's head green ; a white collar below ; 
breast reddish brown. Duck streaky brown. In both a 
broad purple stripe across the wing, bordered at each side 
by a narrow black and then a white one. 
Black Duck. — Blackish brown, lighter about head; 
wing-mark blue-green; wing white inside. Duck and 
drake similar. 
Surf Duck. — Drake black, with white on forehead and 
back of neck; base of bill light, with large black spot each 
side. Duck dark brown, whitish under eye ; webs of feet 
black. 
Canvasback.- — Drake's head reddish or bay; breast 
black; eyes red. Duck mainly brown; bill black in both, 
and forehead low. 
Redhead. — Colored much like canvasback, but bill 
bluish, forehead high, and eyes yellow. 
Longtail (Old Squaw). — Drake black and white, with 
two very long black tail feathers ; face gray, darkening 
downward to blackish; bill black with reddish bar. 
Duck's head white; crown and cheek patch blackish; bill 
and neck short. 
White- winged Scoter (Velvet Duck). — Drake black, 
with white spot under eye; bill humped, black, white and 
red. Duck dark brown ; white before and behind eye ; 
large white wing mark in both. 
Pintail. — Drake's head brown, breast white, with a 
stripe of the same continuing up each side of the neck; 
two long black tail feathers. Duck buff, with spots ; wing 
mark in both green, edged, with white and black; neck 
long and slender. 
Gadwall. — Head, in both duck and drake, gray, 
speckled with brown; both have the wing striped chest- 
nut, black and white. Duck's legs yellow. 
Shoveler. — Bill very large and much widened toward 
end; in both duck and drake a light blue patch on the 
wing. 
Widgeon. — Drake's head whitish, speckled with black; 
on the side a strip of green; containing the eye, like the 
nucleus in a comet; front of the wing white. Duck 
mostly brown; bills and legs light bluish-gray; green- 
black wing mark in both, - 
