FOREST AND STREAM 
87 
JulV 29, 1^5.] 
men were at work. The chat seemed to boldly court 
their observation. Was he performing a parental duty 
! by drawing the attention of the intruders to himself and 
away from his offspring, or was he excited by the un- 
usual audience, and being conscious and indeed vain of 
his powers, was he displaying them to the best of his 
ability? M. E. Colegrove. 
Birds from Over Sea. 
One day late m May, 1893, while passing near the old 
Block House in Central Park at its northern end, I came 
across two boys who had just taken a nest from a tree. 
Its contents consisted of three fledglings within a day or 
two of flight. The old birds were hovering near making 
their piteous protest to this cruel vandalism. 
Much to my surprise they were European goldfinches. 
I bought the youngsters and started to see how they 
could be returned to their solicitous parents. The fork 
that they had been taken from was high, and the nest 
was badly torn. I was no longer young enough to climb, 
while the tree was slender. I brought them home and 
succeeded in rearing all three, setting free two of them 
when strong enough to look out for themselves, some 
weeks later. 
The third, a male, I kept for his song a couple of years 
and then turned him loose. These _ goldfinches are in- 
creasing slowly, breeding each year in the Park as well 
as in the surrounding country. I have noticed them with 
our own goldfinches on two occasions, and iii each case 
they were male birds, two in one flock of natives, one in 
another. That they were males only is easily explained, 
■ as a thousand males of any species of old-country song 
I birds are imported into the United States, to one female, 
excepting those isolated cases where an estate is stocked, 
when presumably eyen numbers of both sexes are 
1 ordered. 
The bird importers buy only the male birds for their 
! song, so that the female of any foreign bird is a rarity 
in our land, excepting the starling and skylark. The 
male must perforce seek his mate among our own birds 
of a kindred species. This., in time, is likely to give rise 
to some rare hybrids by form, color and song, puzzling 
^ many a naturalist not in the secret. 
f Between Pelham Bay bridge and Bartow, two years 
: after the episode of the goldfinches, I noticed an English 
I chaffinch perched on a low branch by the roadside. The 
i' bird, a male, was quite tame and seemingly alone, though 
^ there were song sparrows and an indigo bird close by. 
Efe allowed an inspection at short range, leisurely re- 
treating as I walked up to him. Very likely this was an 
. escaped cage-bird or some one’s pet turned loose. 
The following summer we moved from New York city 
into a park near one of the small towns of Westchester. 
This place was partly wild, having woods on two sides 
of it and a meadow on the third, while the front faced 
the highway. Native birds were numerous. One spring 
morning I heard a clear mellow whistle perhaps a hun- 
dred yards from my door coming from the edge of the 
woods. Now we were quite familiar with the whistle 
of the orchard and Baltimore oriole, the unrivaled strains 
of the wood thrush, the loud carol of robin redbreast, 
and ringing cadence of the Wilson thrush dwelling amid 
the skunk cabbage in the swamp hard by. But these 
notes belonged to none of them, yet they seemed familiar 
enough. 
I racked my brain for a solution of this puzzle, when 
light dawned and I knew who the singer was before he 
came into vision — an English blackbird. Sure enough 
it was, Black body, yellow bill and yellow slippers, sitting 
on a stone wall evidently trying to attract the attention 
of a robin whom we suspected to be a lady. Why not? 
They were first cousins, and a blackbird from abroad is 
a black' thrush, as the robin is the red-breasted thrush. 
They both resented my attentions to their courtship, fly- 
ing deeper into the woods where I lost sight of them. 
Two or three more times that summer I heard that black- 
bird, which, as carpenters were making much noise put- 
ting up new buildings nearby, seemed to prefer an old- 
fashioned garden a quarter of a mile away which we 
sometimes passed. I looked for a nest but could not find 
it, though I felt sure that it was somewhere in this 
vicinity, as the robin was with him. 
Later in the same season, among a flock of English 
;sparrows in Bronx Park, I saw a bullfinch. I thought 
he had probably escaped from the Park aviary, as it was 
;the only specimen of the bird I have ever seen at large. 
So much has been said lately in Forest and Stream 
.-about the starling I will only add that after the ubiquit- 
.OUS-. English sparrow it is the most common of all the for- 
.eign birds here. There are large colonies of them in Mt. 
'Vernon, Yonkers and New Rochelle; in fact, they are to 
■jbe found all over Westchester county. There have been 
several importations of the English larks for the purpose 
-of stocking country places, notably one on Long Island 
and a second in New Jersey. These birds, like the star- 
tling, have stood the winters well, and their worst enemy 
:!SO far has been the field mole, which broke up some of 
rtheir nests in New Jersey. 
One summer, when on the Maine coast, I purchased a 
: South American cardinal from a retired sea captain. The 
third could imitate a robin to perfection, though he dwelt 
Jonger on the last notes, drawing them out with a tender 
;sweetness more akin to the rose-breasted grosbeak. He 
was very tame, and I kept him until the following spring 
.-at my home in the park. One day he, too*, was allowed 
his freedom. For a couple of weeks he remained in the 
■vicinity, being seen and heard every day. At first quite 
;tame, he gradually became wilder, and at last disap- 
ipeared. 
'Besides the cardinal I have caged at different times 
■most all the best foreign songsters, turning loose at vary- 
;ing intervals the following, all males : English song 
Thrush, blackbirds, Japanese robin, linnets, sky and Rus- 
:.sian shore lark. This last bird I bought of a Russian 
sailor, constructing for it a round cage twenty inches in 
.diameter and three feet high, having a thin piece of light 
blue cloth across the top instead of wire, for a double 
•purpose — to represent the sky and prevent hurting my 
■captive, who proved the most untamable bird I ever 
'possessed. His song was as wild as himself, weird notes 
that reminded one at times of a seagull’s cry and at 
-others of a plover’s call. The kindest treatment for a 
^ear made not the slightest difference in its behaivior. Its 
'pature was so untamable it seemed cruel to keep it longer, 
I had taken the cage to the edge of the meadow and 
the moment the cloth was lifted the wild creature sprang 
straight up and away on its powerful wings till a height 
was reached enabling it to overlook the surrounding 
country, then it made a bee-line for the Sound and Long 
Island, and in a moment was beyond my vision. 
Each of my other pets showed characteristics peculiar- 
ly its own. The Japanese robin, a vei-y restless bird, 
when liberated flew into a neighboring apple tree in full 
bloom, and at once proceeded to give each petal a hurried 
examination. Being a native of the land of the chrys- 
anthemum and cherry blossoms, no doubt this was his 
habit at home. He stayed in the tree perhaps five min- 
utes and was all over it, and probably would have stayed 
longer if a Baltimore oriole, which resented having a 
stranger in a tree he considered his own personal prop- 
erty, had not noticed him and made a savage attack at 
the Jap, who left instanter. 
At different times I possessed two English song 
thrushes. The first one ,was an ancient bird when he 
came to me and died soon after, just as the mating sea- 
son was on. As I wanted one of our own thrushes, a 
"Wilson, to study his ways, I mounted the dead bird on 
wires and used him as a toller in a trap cage. In half 
an hour I had a male Wilson, which a year later was re- 
turned to his own woods. The second thrush was al- 
lowed to leave early in May, just after our wood thrushes 
had arrived. While it is a larger bird than ours, its 
habits are much the same, though it is not so shy, so I 
hoped it would mate with a bird of this species. 
My European linnets (I had a pair) were peculiar in 
so much that they could not bear a separation. In the 
house I had occasionally given them the run of t^ room. 
The male would go hopping around on the floor with the 
female behind him, the two never more than six inches 
apart. When at large, the male, followed closely in his 
first flight by the female, flew to a bush a short distance 
away, lighted on it, rested for a moment, and then 
hopped down to the ground, commencing to scratch 
about in the leaves for all the world as our handsome fox 
sparrow does in March when on his northern migration. 
I watched for some time as they gradually moved off on 
the ground, and in their usual order of going; a little 
couple, bright, cheery and entertaining, and as his notes 
grew fainter and fainter to my listening ears, I wished 
them good cheer in the new country now their own. 
W. Warren Brown. 
Mt. Vernon, N. Y. 
Warden Guy M Bradley. 
The cause of bird protection in Florida has just re- 
ceived a severe blow in the death of Guy M. Bradley, a 
warden of the Audubon Society at Flamingo, Fla. Mr. 
Bradley had charge of the Florida Keys and was earnest 
in his efforts to put down plume hunting and the de- 
struction of the bird rookeries. On July 8 last he at- 
tempted to arrest a poacher on Oyster Key and was 
killed by the poacher. Walter Smith was arrested for 
the crime, and taken to Key West, where he was com- 
mitted to jail to await the . action of the Grand Jury, 
which does not sit until next; November. While evidence 
to convict the slayer of the warden of murder in the 
first degree is not to be had as yet, the National Associa- 
tion of Audubon Societies has engaged Mr. L. A. Harris, 
one of the best criminal lawyers in the State, to- assist in 
the prosecution, and no stone will be left unturned to 
bring the man to justice. 
During his trip to Florida last November Secretary 
William Butcher saw Bradley and traveled about with 
him from key to key in the Association’s steam launch 
Audubon, which was in charge of the warden. At that 
time Bradley said that his life Was in danger and that he 
was likely to- be killed at any tirne by the lawless element 
with whom he had to 'do. Thisr belief, however, did not 
affect his action in any' way, and he was steadfast in the 
performance of his duty. 
Mr. Bradley, who was about thirty-five or forty years 
old, was especially adapted to the work in hand, for he 
possessed a strong constitution, abundant energy, and 
indomitable courage. A thorough woodsman and per- 
fectly acquainted with the country, he could tramp more 
miles in a day, carry more of a load and do more work 
than most men. He was a quick and good shot, and it 
is believed that the man who killed him must have shot 
him from behind. The plume hunters and poaching 
negroes of that region are a lawless and desperate class, 
and while they have had a wholesome respect for Brad- 
ley and his rifle, there is no doubt that he was in con- 
stant danger from them. 
Guy M. Bradley leaves a wife and two young children. 
His parents are still living. 
Of Mr. Bradley, Mr. William Butcher, Chairman of 
the A. O. U. Committee on the Protection of North 
American Birds, said in his report for the year 1903 : 
“Our warden in Monroe county, Mr. G. M. Bradley, has 
been- continuously employed since the last report, during 
which time he has cruised hundreds of miles along the 
coast and among the keys where thousands of birds still 
breed. He has also patrolled on foot the swamps where 
boats could not penetrate. He has every part of the ter- 
ritory under his care posted with warning notices, and 
has watched and warned many boatloads of cruising 
tourists and hunters. Many visits, have been made to 
the city and island of Key West, which is in Monroe 
county, although over seventy miles from his home. His 
excursions have extended as far north as Chokoloskee, 
on the border of Lee county, sixty miles away, and east- 
w'ard his patrol has extended to Key Largo. There is 
no doubt that it is well known in all that district that a 
deputy sheriff is continually on the lookout for game and 
bird law violations, and the moral effect is excellent.” 
In the same year Messrs. A. C. Bent and Herbert K. 
Job, members of the A. O. U., sent in a report to Mr. 
Butcher, in which they said: “You are certainly fortu- 
nate in your selection of wardens for the protection of 
this inaccessible region, and it will be hard to find better 
men for this work than Bradley and Burton, and again 
the Bradleys have the reputation of being the best rifle 
shots in that vicinity.” 
In his last annual report, that for the year 1904, Mr. 
Butcher says: “Warden _ Guy M. Bradley is employed 
by the year and is continually cruising in the launch 
Audubon arnong the keys and islands at the extreme 
southerly point of the State or else is patrolling on foot 
the swamps and everglades in that wild section. , He 
covers some hundreds of square miles. Frequent reports 
are rnade of his travels, with notes about bird conditions. 
It is impossible to give the details in a public report, but 
the committee are satisfied that the results achieved are 
most excellent. The warden writes that there are no less 
than nine nesting places — rookeries — within ten miles of 
his home. With the exception of the Cuthbert rookery, 
these have not been disturbed. Formerly they were shot 
out and robbed of eggs quite often by pleasure parties, 
pot hunters and plume hunters. The section is a most 
interesting one.” 
A friend writes of him : “I have always consideted 
Bradley as one of the most ideal men I had ever niet; 
he wRs so strong and fearless and seemed capable of al- 
most anything requiring those qualities. It does seem 
as^ if death always picks off the best, and his death in 
this way is one of the saddest things I have heard of for 
a long time. * * * By his death it would seem as if 
that whole section was doomed to a serious setback.” 
A Co ’ora do Beaver Colony* 
Not a few interesting observations' have been lately 
published on colonies of beavers which in recent years 
have taken up their abode close to- the homes of man. 
Maine has its beavers which are protected, the Adiron- 
dacks have been stocked in one or two places, certain 
portions of New Jersey have been occupied by escaped 
beavers, which we believe have run over into Pennsyl- 
vania. Most interesting observations have been made in 
Colorado and Montana. 
One of the latest from Colorado is by Mr. Edward R. 
Warren, who recently before the Washington Academy 
of Sciences read a paper on certain beaver dams in 
Gunnison county, Colorado'. 
In this district the Slate River is a clear mountain 
stream, at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet. Several dams 
and a few lodges have been in existence for some years, 
but in 1902 some very extensive new work was noticed 
further down stream. So large, 'Indeed, was this work 
that, in order to arrive at an estimate of its extent and 
general effects on the valley, it was necessary to resort to' 
surveying. With the exception of a couple of dams all 
the recent work is on the south side of the river, the 
land on the north side having been raised above high 
water mark and converted into a meadow — now covered 
with willows — by the labor of the beavers in past years. 
The lower dam is seventy-six feet in a straight line, but 
is curved twice, .so that it is really larger; it does not 
quite reach the left bank, where there is a subsidiary 
oblique dam some distance down of about twenty feet 
in length. The effect of these two dams is to maintain 
deep water on the left side of the stream; and they head 
up the water for more than a couple of hundred feet, 
thus forming a pool which is inhabited by a large colony 
of beavers. The second dam, which is about 350 feet 
from the first in a straight line, is nearly 100 feet long, 
and extends ’right across the stream, which flows over 
the north end. It heads up the water for a distance of 
nearly 500 feet, _ Some 200 feet above this dam is a large 
lodge, formed, in the usual manner, of mud and logs. 
Some 170 feet above this dam is a backwater, across 
which are_ two dams, one new and the other old, the 
former being about twenty feet in length by eight feet 
in width, and mainly composed of mud. Other dams also 
occn.r in the neighborhood. 
All the dams are constructed of willow, although fur- 
ther up stream the beavers have used spruce brought 
down from' the mountains by avalanches. The author of 
the paper finds it difficult to assign an object for this ex- 
tensive damming of the stream, especially as there are 
only three lodges in_ the district. It is suggested, how- 
ever, that the main idea was to afford a large extent of 
deep water in which the beavers might swim in safety 
beneath the ice in winter ; but this does not explain the 
necessity for such a large flooded area, in which, with 
the exceptioa of the ditches, there would not be much 
Avater of the required depth, although nearly all would 
be available for the numerous muskrats of the district. 
Possibly the beavers had to work out the capacities of the 
valley by actual experience, and found that the shallow 
flooded areas are failures. It is satisfactory to learn that 
in Colorado beavers are protected by statute, and al- 
though the. law may not be enforced so strictly as might 
be desirable, yet it is quite sufficient to- deter, people from 
molesting a colony so near a town as is the one on the 
Slate River. 
The author discusses also the food collected by the 
beavers. The paper is illustrated by maps and beautiful 
photographs. 
Dovefcic in Nofth Carolina* 
On several occasions recently we have noted the oc- 
currence of the dovekie {Alle alle) on the North Caro- 
lina coast on the outer beach of Currituck Sound. The 
first of these, which we recall, was picked up nearly 
twenty years ago by John Doxey, a local gunner of 
Poplar Branch, in Currituck county. Much more re- 
cently Mr. T. Gilbert Pearson recorded the finding of one 
or more specimens on the beach in northern North Caro- 
lina, and this year, in Januaiy, 1905, a living specimen 
was picked up on the beach near the Currituck Shooting 
Club, North Carolina, half a mile south of the life-saving 
station. The specimen was sent to Mr. John E. Thayer, 
of Lancaster, Mass., and is now in his collection. 
Attdabon^s Birds. 
We are informed that Mr. Fred H. Boardman, Minne- 
apolis, Minn., has a complete set of seven volumes of the 
smaller size of “Audubon’s Birds of America,” colored. 
The set is in perfect condition and is bound in half- 
morocco. It formerly belonged to the late George A. 
Boardman, of Calais, Me., and thus has a peculiar interest 
for all ornithologists. Of course these books have long 
been out of print, and their precise value is uncertain. 
Anyone who is sufficiently interested in the subject 
should apply to Mr. Boardman, whose address is 537 
Andrus Building, Minneapolis, Minn. 
All communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed toi the_ Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 
New York, and not to any individual connected with the paper. 
