lot of land-locked salmon eggs taken from the lakes of Maine, 
and donated by Prof. Spencer F. Baird, U. S. Commissioner 
of Fisheries, to the State of Indiana. 
As Indiana has not any State hatchery of her own, our State 
Superintendent of Fisheries, the Hon George 11. Jerome 
kindly volunteered to hatch them, and without cos'. 
As I understand it, the State of Indiana i9 at present even 
without a commission. Through the enterprise of Captain 
A Men of Goshen and three or four other gentlemen of that 
vicinity, strong efforts are being made to establish a fish.com- 
missiOn and secure an appropriation from the State Legisla- 
ture, au amount sufficient to build and operate a State hatching 
house at. some desirable point in the State, where the propaga- 
tion of all our leading fresh water fish can be curried on with 
success. These gentlemen were instrumental in securing the 
above lot of salmon ova. They have paid all expenses for the 
transportation, by express, on eggs, from tbeir own pockets, 
and intend paying all other expenses for the distribution of 
the young fish in the lake sand rivers throughout the whole 
State. 
If a few more such men as the above named gentlemen 
were scattered throughout the States of the Onion, our lakes 
and rivers thnt once were so productive, but now so sadly de- 
pleted, would, in a few years, be restored, and the lawful 
fisherman and sportsman would gather a munificent harvest 
therefrom. 
The eggs for Indiana were received at the Michigan Stale 
Hatching House with a loss of only 5 per cent. They are now 
all hatched out and apparently in fine condition. The previous 
shipment of 50,000 land-locked ealmou ova to this hatchery 
wus also a gift from Prof. Baird to the State of Michigan 
being the largest shipment of salmon ova from that source 
made this year to any State in the Union. Michigan is now 
taking the lead of all other fish States in her artificial culture 
and propagation of food fishes, and her efforts are nohlv 
assisted by the United States Commission. Wishing Indiana 
success in her new.enterprise, I am, truly yours, etc " 
h - P ( >«teb, Sup’t of State Hatching House. 
State Hatching House, Pokagon , Mich., Feb. 25. 
Fisn Propagation in Michigan.— 1 Three thousand Califor- 
nm salmon ova have been deposited in Loon Lake. Assyria. 
1 u®; L a 7. e * “igh Hill Lake will soon be supplied with 12 000 
Whitehall fry. 
qo So G “™ e fi p y°^ction and Shooting Club of Howell received 
30 pOO whUefisb fry last week, from th e Fish Commissioner, 
which they deposited in Thompson's Lake in that village. 
— — -. — 
— O f ' he 25,000 wbitefish eggs consigned from Northville, 
Mich., to California, all but about 5,000 were parboiled bv in- 
competent attendants. 
Bikds and Salmon.— A correspondent of the Sacramento 
(Cal.) Weekly Unwn, writing of the fish law in that State, 
calls attention to a class of fish poachers which has so far en- 
joyed a little-merited immunity : 
“ The fact is also overlooked that a number of birds contin- 
ually prey on the young salmon when on their way down the 
rivers to salt water. There are five species or kinds of these 
birds, the squawk, shag, crane, pelican and fly-up-the-creeks 
The large fish drive the smaller ones on shore, and the birds 
gobble them up by the thousand. Some of the birds feed on 
them in the night and the others in the day time. I have seen 
them so thick that their guano killed the fish in the lakes and 
sloughs, the water being poisoned by it. If a price was set 
on these birds to thin them out, the salmon law vigilantly en- 
lorced everywhere, and especially on the spawning groun ds, 
the fish would largely increase. I am quite sure the birds 
alone destroy more fish than are consumed for food in Califor- 
nia by our people. 
Salmon in tiie Hudson. -The following is welcome news. 
We shall doubless have salmon in abundance in the Hudson: 
Pkrkskill, N. Y., March 11, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream : I wish to mention the cap- 
ture of a salmon, a true salmo salar, in the Hudson, about two 
miles north of our village. It was taken on the Flats this 
morning near the mouth of Snake Hole Creek, just below 
Iona Island, in an ordinary sieve, while its*captors were haul- 
ing for perch and other small fish. It measured thirty-three 
inches in length, and weighed but eight and a half pounds, 
being in very poor condition and presenting the appearance 
of having recently spawned. Small fish of tbis species have 
been taken through the ice during the past winter in T nets, 
but nothing approached tbis in 6ize I regret my inability lo 
forward you the fisli, but it was disposed of before I saw it. 
Am I justified iu supposing it to be one of the fry introduced 
into the upper part of our river a few years since ? 
S. H. W. 
[Ans.— No doubt it is.— E d.] 
forest AND stream 
When I saw him he was feeding on the berries of the mountain 
ash The cedar bird (.Ambits cedrorum) has also been with 
us all winter, and feeds upon the same berries, which are quite 
abundant about the suburbs of the city. With the cedar birds 
I observed several red lmuets; also several pine grosbeaks 
feeding quite contentedly on the same tree. These birds were 
n remarkably tame, especially the pine grosbeaks, which 
allowed me to approach within a few feet of them Is it not 
rather a rare occurrence for these birds to remaiu so far North 
at this season of the year. I have frequently observed the 
[JJ ht? re at this season of the year, but never these 
Rare Visitors. —During the violent storm of snow and 
Wind which prevailed in New England, January 20, a female 
Louisiana tanager ( Pyranga ludovkiatui) was observed to ap- 
proach the window of a house in the city of Lynn, in which 
there were a number of cased birds. It was evidently suffering 
tor want of food. An open cage was put out for it with food 
into which it immediately entered, and allowed itself to be 
easily captured. It was evidemly a wild bird, was an adult 
lemale, and, though ravenous for food, was not in a wasted 
fondition. This bird, during the summer months, is a resi- 
dent of the regions west of the Great Plains, and in the winter 
is a visitant of Mexico and Central America. The great storm 
in which it. was captured tame to us from the Mexican Pacific 
coast; its progress was heralded several days before it reached 
us finally, comiug toward us ut the rate of about 800 miles in 
twenty-four hours. It seems probable, therefore, that our 
visitor being overtaken some five thousand miles away in the 
vortex of this tempest, may have been an unwilling traveler 
lprced to visit the inhospitable shore of Massachusetts Bay. 
Ibis is the third species from the far West that has turned up 
on our seaboard— Plectrophanes ornntus at Gloucester, the lark 
bunting at Swampscott, and now this tanager at Lynn. It 
seems more and more probable that these erratic visits'of bird* 
that do not belong to our fauua are much more coinmou than 
we have been in the habit of supposing. Their visit b, with 
occasional calls upon us, from such species as the blue-gray 
gnat -catcher, the tufted titmouse, the cerulean, Audubon's and 
the yellow-throated warbler, the Oregon snow-bird, the scis- 
sors-tail fly catcher, the white Ibis, frigate pelican and sooty 
tern, prompt one to ask what we m^y not expect to see. 
T. M. Brewer. 
- - *•* — 
Local Ornithology. — I have a male redwing blackbird, in 
which the two outer feathers of the tail are pure white. Also, 
a fine specimen of the porcupine, fully albino, with pink-red 
eyes. It was an adult male. Crows have beeu in pleuty dur- 
ing the winter. Snow buntings and red polls have been very 
scarce in this vicinity. We regret the absence of their cheery 
notes, and the flitting of their chgrming wings have so often 
gladdened and made pleasaut. the tedious winter days. Feb. 
28.— Robin reported seen. March 2.— Au Acadian owl heard 
tiling his saw preparatory for business. M. C. H. 
Warner, N. H., March 4. 
Spring Arrivals in Vermont.— Ferrisburg, Vt., March 7. 
—The weather is quite springlike just now, and this morning 
1 saw a song sparrow, two blackbiids and a bluebird. If my 
memory serves me right, it is early for any of these in this 
latitude. R. e. R. 
, — •- _ 
Food of the Wild Pigeon.— To-day, on the market, a 
huckster bad for sale 1,200 pigeons ( Uolumba migratoria), just 
received from the Chicago market. They are what ore called 
“ trapped pigeons," and are in excellent condition fur the 
table. All trapped pigeons that I have ever seen, until now, 
have had their crops filled with some sort of cultivated grain, 
but these birds, without a single exception, bad their crops 
filled with acorns, specimens of which 1 send you. As I know 
hardly anything of botany, it is impossible for me to say to 
what species of oak these acorns belong, but m3' impression is 
it is the pin ogk of the Southwest, sometimes called “ Black 
Jack Oak." 
The question now is, did the men who trapped these pigeons 
bait their nets with pm oak acorns?— and if so, where is the 
locality of their industry ? 
The knowledge of the food of a bird is an introduction to 
his life-history. ’Twos said once that the passenger pigeon 
hnd pever been killed in the Northern States without rice in 
his crop, but I believe now that, all agree that this bird can 
gather his daily meal from the rice swamps of Carolina and 
digest it the same night on the soil of Northern Ohio. 
I never see the passenger pigeon fljing or tor sale on the 
market, without thinking of the naturalist Audubon and the 
much respected naturalist Alexander Wilson. 
Yours, respectfully. Dr. E. Sterling. 
Cleveland, O., Feb. 6. 
[Our impression Is that, as our correspondent suggests, the 
acorns are those of the Black Jack Oak.— Ed.] 
Another Vicious Owl- TI 10 account of the attack of an owl upon a 
human being, by Dom Pedro," lu your last laaue, Onus somethin* 
m ar among the “fixed foots" which aro known hy myself. About 
wenty-nve yciw ago n Mr. Colwell, of New York Stale, going home 
n ght through a plcco of woods with a tall hat on, was greatly tur- 
pr aea to Ond ids hat suddenly drunk (as from one behind), end so vto- 
y to ,a '’ 1,1 f'fubt over his eyes. Thinking It very sirange 
? f ° “ y u 1811 lu 110 opposite direction from that which It would 
. ™ ha ‘ l 11 lolv bou «" 1,11 ») tie picked it up and put it on hla 
P ro<; t‘cded on his course, lie was trying to account for this 
timoXv?! T.T” 10 ' " h " n " Wout “ 81,80,1,1 tl,ne - Hearing this 
aa at win * ^ U,nrou » ,u y Moused) a slight whirring sound 
nrnniLrn.it ? B ’ be tooV blR walk ‘ug-stlck. alter readjusting hi* hat, and 
m .anJ S k ort,) ,iewd Uu - “ 0 '>nd again, and bringing 
IwnnT! T L b °r hauiU 8nUtle,,| T vertically through a quick 
sweep in front of him, he hit, as his hat weni oft the third time, a 
large owl stunning It so that it fell on the ground, where the nattering 
wings told him whore lo strike to llnlsh hi . msk. nis owlshlp was of 
course soon overcome, and ho bore the trophy of this singular oecur- 
reuoo homo In triumph. sunscuiBiR. 
Mataican, .\. J., Feb. 9 , 1878 . 
. 
A Dombsticatbo Te4i„— M r. James n. Comal', of Mount Pleasant 
St. John, has in Ills possession a blue-wingod teal, which was caught 
while quite young on the Grand Luke meadows, St. Johu's River. Mr. 
C. has had this Interesting little pot in hla possession nearly six 
mr.mlis, during which (line It has become quite domesticated. Having 
had full liberty of his work-room, It appears to be quite contented. 
Through Hie day it remains very quiet, but In the evening amuses 
itself by Hying around the room, on ono occasion settling on the 
siovoplpe, which proved a little too warm for his feet, which were sore 
for several days afterward. It has had several opportunities of es- 
caping Upon one occasion It walked out into the yard, looked all 
around as tlioiiBh surveying the situation, nnd then allowed Itself to be 
driven back Into its old quarters. On uuother occasion, on a stormy 
nlglu, the work-room door b^?w open, allowing tho bird full oppor- 
luulty to escape If It had folt so Inclined. Mr. 0. upon coming Into Ids 
work-room the llrst thlug lu the morning, and Onulng the door opon, 
did n"t think It. worth while to look for the ditch, feeling quite confident 
that uis little pet had escaped ; but after working for about two hours, 
to his sreat surprise Ihe teal walked out of his box as usual and took 
hlB morning stroll around tho room, and then laid down by the stove, 
for It appears 10 be very fond of the heat, it feeds on Indian meal and 
water, and Is h'so very fond of canary seed, which It picks up singly 
from the Door quite expertly, n has apparently no four for any oue, 
It and un old spaniel being on quite friendly terms. They will feed to 
gether and lie down togetlior; the teal without tho least fear, and tho 
dog without the least ill-feeling toward It. h. G. 
St. John, F. II., Feb. 3 , 1978 . 
— .*. — 
Knitting Together of tiie Bonks ok a Fox— Dunbarton, 
A\ H., Feb. 8.— Seeing an urticle in this week's paper about 
the growing together of the bones of a bird, I think 1 cau state 
a similar instance in a red fox. About a year ago, while driv- 
ing along the road, I saw a fox sitting on the snow under an 
apple tree. I drove to the nearest house and borrowed a gun, 
which was loaded with blastiug powder and No. 2 shot, and 
went back and crept behind a fence, and then, by imitating 
the squeak of a mouse (which, by the way, 4 have never 
known to fail, unless the fox should see or scent the shooter). 
I called him up within about thirty yards, but failed to kill 
him, breaking the near hind leg above the second joint. The 
following winter I shot a fox in the same locality, nnd ou 
skinning him found that the near bind leg had evidently been 
broken, nr it bad grown together, leaving quite a large bard 
bunch on the bone. I may be mistaken about its being the 
same fox which I shot at, but I am certain that I never have 
known of a fox being killed about here (and there are a great 
many shot every winter), with a broken leg, unless it showed 
signs of having been receutly done ; and I have known of 
several instances in which a fox has had his leg broken and the 
hunters fail to get him. 0. M. Stake. 
[The growing together of bones recently broken is by no 
means uncommon, and every collector of birds and mammals 
has his attention called to it now and then.— E d.] 
— 
The WEioriTs of Derr. — I have beard from trustworthy 
sources that the deer of Northern Wisconsin and Michigan 
occasionally weigh as much as 300 lbs. I have shot for many 
seasons in that locality and can personally vouch for two 
bucks weighing 217 lbs. and 228 lbs. The lutter was killed 
late in the season and was in poor condition. A year ago last 
fall, shooting with a parly in Chateauguay Lake, Franklin Co., 
N. Y., I saw a large buck which weigued 258 lbs. E. E. F. . 
AVt# York, March 2. 
- 
DEER SHEDDING THEIR HORNS. 
IMPORTANT EVIDENCE. 
nturul IQistorg. 
Dr. Hayden’s Survey.— Attention is again called to the 
grand work which Dr. Hayden’s survey is doing, by the appear- 
nce of Vol. VII., of it.8 quarto publication, which consists of 
Prof. Lesquereux Tertiary Flora This superb work, contain- 
ing sixty-five lithographic plates and over 350 pp. of text, 
deserves an extended review instead of the mere mention here, 
which lack of space enforces. It is another reminder of the 
painstaking zeal of the author, and the energy and wisdom 
of the Chief of the survey. 
We bnve also to call attention to the issue of No. 1, of Vol. 
IV., of tho bulletins of the survey. Besides some papers by 
Drs. Coues and Yarrow, already referred to in these columns, 
it contains Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio 
Graude, by G. B. Sennett ; Descriptions of New Tineinnfrom 
Texas, by V. T. Chambers; a paper by Prof. A. R. Grote, on 
Noctiud Moths from California; Notes on the Mammals of 
Dacotah, by Dr. McChesney ; a Dew classification of the 
Herodioues, by Mr. Ridgeway, and many other papers of 
interest. 
— 
Mild Weather in New Brunswick.— Our correspondent 
H. G., writes us from St. John, as follows : 
‘‘While strolling near the city, on January 11, I observed 
mall bird which proved to be’ a hermit thrush ( T. pallasii. 
A Large Woodcock. — A correspondent, Mr. G. Lyman 
Appleton, who writes from Bryan Co., Georgia, informs us of 
the killing of -a nine ounce woodcock nenr that place. This is 
certainly an unusually large bird, but Mr. Appleton says it was 
exactly like the others that be killed the same day, so that it 
could scarcely have been anything but an American bird. Our 
correspondent writes : 
“ I killed yesterdays woodcock that weighed nine ounces. Is 
not this a remarkably lorge bird for Ibis country? I have 
shot woodcock in Europe much larger than this, but never saw 
one here so large before. A friend and myseli killed fourteen 
other birds yesterday, and weighed them all. We were much 
surprised to find the’ wonderful difference. The largest of the 
fourteen weighed 8 ounces and the smallest ounces. The 
average of the fourteen was 6{ ounees ; only two were over 7A 
—all the rest from that down. Do you know the greatest 
weight of European woodcock ?" 
We cannot explain the differeDCt; in size, except by referring 
it to individual variation. There are large men and small 
ones. 
In a note recently received, the same correspondent a9ks 
what is the difference between the Europeun and American 
woodcock, and do the former ever occur in this country? To 
the last question we reply yes; and to the first say that the 
European bird is much larger, weighing from 12 to 15 ounces, 
while the black markings of the plumage are much finer and 
the russet lighter in shade. There are other differences, but 
these are the most striking to the unscientific eye. Does not 
our correspondent remember how his European birdB looked? I 
Moorbfibld, W. Va., Feb. 1, 1878. 
Editob Forbst and Stream : 
I feel almost Jlko aa intruder on venturing any farther remarks on 
this subject. However, us I believe I was the llrst to provoke Ihe dis- 
cussion, and as my interest Is unabated, I trust you will pardon me a 
few comments on “ Penobscot's” article. I most earnestly beseech that 
wilier to ponder well over that excellent advlco furnished by Judge 
Caton. I be* of him, os a fellow sportsman, to take no'ea of ULs dolDgs, 
lest by some little indulgence In hyperbole he bring our whole craft 
into disrepute. Let me not offend when I vooture the opinion, thut had 
he found a horn foreveiy day he ever hunted he would still luck a few 
of Oiling a “city bedroom.” Let the gentleman reflect a little, and I am 
sure bo will either be more modest os to the size of his room, or at 
least come down a horn or two. If, ufter roaming the mountains of 
Malue and California, he does not comprehend what Is meaut by a 
“ seciet place," let him come to the lnsIgnlQcaot AlleghODles, and ho 
may soon learn. By permission of the writer I desire to lay before 
your readers the contents of a letter lately received by me In answer to 
Inquiries about park derr. The abundant opportunity for observation, 
and the name of the writer, give ample assurance that It wdl be read 
with great interest. It tolls It's own story : 
~ Baltimore, January 40, 1678. 
Dear Sir— Your* of 20tb Inst, received. In regard to your Otat In- 
outrv " Do deer bury their hornt.?” I answer, emphatically, they do. 
After a carelul observation of eleven yean--, I have itblmUant evidence 
Of this fuel They sometimes butt their liorns i II In their come-ts for 
the does but when they arc about lo shed them (during Dec.) they get 
off and rub me horns violently against a tree. Alter ihe- horn, or horns, 
are off. they paw the ground, alto using the ilose to moke a cavity. 
After which they stamp the horns In, frequently covering the place with 
leaves. Ou several occasions I have taken four « Hirers with me, 
burned the park inrough in seel Ions, but we have nivrr found more 
than Ove horns In any one season. As u further evidence. I, in com- 
pany with an ofllcer. have waiched the whole proceeding- 1 bey sel- 
dom leave both home In one place. (Dlspeusiug with “Penobscot e 
cache arrangement.— Syc.) 
