FOREST AND STREAM 
171 
time, thinking only •of deer ; but, as nothing is heard from 
the dogs, and nothing seen but tlie squirrels, my mind gradu- 
ally wanders off, and I am thinking of home and of the 
friends I have left there. 
How still it is! Nothing is heard but the soughing of the 
wind through the pine tops— a lonesome sound. I also try to 
imagine how it will look here— the 'Circle I can sweep with 
my eyes— in the future. How it will be improved, and what 
now is only a forest, will be homes, cultivated fields, orange 
groves, and yonder beautiful lake will be dotted with sails. 
And what a place for a scull race on this same lake ! Plenty 
of water, no obstructions, no need for fouls; and with the tele- 
graph we can tell you which of the famous crews have won ; 
or, which would be better, you could get on a pnlace car and 
come and see it yourself. This beautiful and healthful climate, 
the adaptability of the soil for fruits and vegetable 
splendid lakes (all filled with fish), will make this vu „ 
Italy of America. It is only a question of time, and I am 
thinking that time will come sooner than most people are 
aware of now. Already civilization is rapidly approaching, 
and the deer and other game will have to keep on their ever 
.onward march before its approach. It seems a pity almost 
that they cannot have this portion of their native land left to 
them. 
But, while my sympathies are being aroused for the perse- 
cuted, I hear a gentle pat put, and quickly turn my head, 
when behold ! two fine does have stoleu softly up behind me 
and are quartering off on a slow lope. I have heard no dogs, 
so the sight is quite unexpected. My reveries are dispelled 
like a flash ; my sympathies are forgotten, and I rise up, take 
careful aim, as I suppose. Are, and— I have missed mv first 
deer I But I knew it not then, for when I fired she fell upon 
her knees. I let drive at the other as she wheeled. As I fired 
my second shot the first deer had regained her feet, and both 
rushed off like bullets in the direction of Wall’s stand. In a 
moment I heard him fire, then all was still again. He soon 
came in and reported. He had had a loug shot, and thought 
both went off unhurt, but said be would follow them up and 
look for blood signs. As he and Steve left I sat down to ru- 
minate over that shot of mine. Why had I not Killed my 
deer ? I took careful aim ; it was within close sbootiDg dis- 
tance; I was not excited ; did not have the buck ague, for 
they came upon ra ; too suddenly for that. It was one of 
those “ unaccountables." Perhaps my sympathies had some- 
thing to do about it- who knows ? The others soon came in 
and reported no signs of the game being hurt. Probably the 
deer partly falling was caused by its wheeling so suddenly 
By this time, hearing Paggett’s horn, we start for the lake 
vfliere we are to meet him and take our lunch. On seeing 
him I tell him about my shots. He answers by saying when 
he heard the guns be “allowed we had shot a deer,” although 
his dogs had failed to jump any. He saw plenty of signs, but 
said the cow hunters were out looking for their stock and had 
driven the deer off into the swamps, but “allowed” he 
would jump some after dinner. In the afternoon he started 
a drove of five, but they went off in an opposite direction 
and I did not get another shot during the day. 
Wee imped by the lake during the night, Paggett goiDg 
home, intending to make an early drive in the mornin» The 
day being rainy, he fails to make his appearance, and we 
after getting a string of squirrels, start for Wall's, where we 
arrive toward sundown, tired, but I. for one, well pleased 
with my trip, notwithstanding the poor shot. Next fall I 
hope to try it aguu, also the turkeys, there being plenty of 
both deer and turkey a few miles farther on from where we 
camped. We intend to take our “ fixings" along and camp 
out a week or more. There are also bear and panther in the 
swamps, which we shall have a chance to see, and at which i 
hope to take a better aim than I did at my first deer. 
I noticed two very large flocks of brant flying over the lake 
(banta Fe) this morning, on their way North. We are hav- 
ing warm weather, everything growing finely. Orange and 
peach have be. n in full bloom for some time. They both 
give promise of a large yield. Yours, C. O. Gladwin 
thought, and spurred on, I suppose, by the aggravating ab- 
sence of the snipe, I tumbled two into the dead grass, as they 
fanned heavily away. Upon examination I discovered that 
nwui null mu ui mu inner, wim uu cuunui/ua 
wing, and a smaller head, devoid of the horn-like tufts of our 
big hooter. What were they ? 
About all of our summer birds, with the exception of the 
martin and swallow, the oriole and catbird, are here. The 
robin, sparrow, woodpecker, yellow-hammer, blackbird, in 
all colors, yellow and bluebird, the dove, night-bawk, 
meadow-lark and peewce, are all back; in fact, nave been 
here for weeks, many of them all winter. The martin and 
swallow invariably come within a day or two either way of 
the 1st of April. 
Yesterday we had a break in our “ bland and childlike 
weather” of the rigid description, accompanied with a fine 
flurry of snow ; but. it is hoped that our glorious fruit and 
wheat prospects will come out safe. The cold has brought 
the ducks about as if by magic, and a party left this morning 
for the Big Reservoir crazy for a little shooting. Our rifle 
and sporting club has not as yet been put upon a permanent 
foundation, but a lively interest has been aroused, and if you 
will only lie srrkind as to send us the form for such an organi- 
zation we’ll all be happy. S. G. V. G. 
Culture. 
Fish Breeding in Canada. — The importance of this sub- 
ject has attracted no little attention during late years, and 
great efforts have been made to increase the stock in Canadian 
waters. The present headquarters at Newcastle, Ont., are 
under the special charge and superintendence of Mr. Wilmot, 
whose knowledge of such matters is well known. Besides 
the above, there are at present in the Dominion six fish-breed- 
ing establishments, located as follows: Bedford, N. S.; 
Restigouche River, N. B.; Miramichi River, N. B.; Gaspe, 
Que.; Tadousac, Que., aud the Whitefish breeding establish- 
ment of Sandwich, on the Detroit River. We learn that it 
is the intention this spring to stock the rivers back of Ottawa 
with 3,000 whitefish and 1,500 speckled trout. The fry are 
in Col. Denis’ aquarium pending favorable weather. To give 
some idea of the extent to which fish culture is carried in 
Canada we might state that no less than 150,000,000 of these 
fish have been turned into the open waters of this county, a 
great proportion of which are to be found in Lake Erie. 
Last fall 30.000,000 eggs were successfully laid down, and 
with the improved facilities, it is anticipated that from six to 
one hundred millions of eggs will be laid down next autumn. 
It is found that 00,000,000 can be produced at the same cost 
as 7,000,000. 
Considerable headway is being made in salmon culture. 
There are 7,000,000 ova now in process of hatching which 
will he. distributed at various points in due time. Also 
1,000,000 salmon trout, the ova of which has been obtained 
from Lake Hurou. There are now being hatched 10,000 Salmo 
fontinalis, or speckled trout, aud what is only found in the 
lakes of Cumberland and Westmoreland (England), the Salmo 
ximbla or Char, one of the most delicious eating fish that 
swims. Royal II. 
Montreal, April 2, 1878. 
Mr. Whitouer to Mr. Blackford. — The Fish Commis- 
sioner of Canada writes thus pleasantly to Mr. E. G. Black- 
ford : 
BIRD NOTES FROM LONG ISLAND. 
By Franklin Benner. 
DUCKING AT ENGLISH LAKE. 
Lancaster, O., March 25, 1878. 
I have been on a most enjoyable as well as successful duck 
hunt at Eoglish Lake, Northern Indiana, one of the finest 
feeding grounds for water-fowl to be found within the bor- 
ders of the United States. There are vast fields of wild rice 
m and about this lake, and I was assured by my “ pusher’’— 
boatman — that it could be gathered in large quantities in the 
proper season. If George Green, proprietor of the Sports- 
men s Hotel at English Lake Station, was applied to I have 
no doubt that he would attend to the harvesting of a crop 
M i Id celery, too, abounds here in sparse patches along some 
of the sluices and bayous, but not iD sufficient quantities to 
attract the canvas-back very numerously. 
English Lake at this time of the year is an almost intermin- 
able stretch of watery wilderness, the whole country being so 
swallowed up by the extending swamps and marshes as to be 
utterly indistinguishable from the lake proper. The Kanka- 
kee River, dun artery to tfce core of that whole wild region’s 
heart, cannot be told, even, by one familiar with the gen- 
eral configuration of the landscape, from the hundreds of 
sluices, divides, channels, bayous, and cut-offs, which bewil- 
der one on all sides. These waters cover, in a great measure 
aheavdy wooded country with an exuberant growth of 
pucker-bush and swamp-willow to fill up the interstices, while 
extensive fields of wild rice and cane are to be met with at 
very frequent intervals ; and these towering fastnesses with 
the interspersing woods and lonely shades of morass and lagoon 
afford an almost undisturbed home for the wild goose and 
duck, the brant, sand hill and fish-hawk. That it is a fine 
point for duck shooting I will observe, parenthetically, that 
Dr. G W. Boerstler and myself bagged ninety-three in two 
days shooting, and that, too, during the extreme stimmerish 
weather of a week ago, which was diametrically opposed to 
success. Our bag was composed principally of blue-bills 
with a fair showing of mallards and whistle-wings, and a 
single canvas-back, downed by the Doctor from a flock of six 
all we saw that came near settling amoDg our decoys By the 
way. a blue bill is no slouch of a duck, hut a splendid, plump 
little fellow, somewhat larger than a blue-wing teal, and every 
whit as much of a moreeau , -and far the mallard’s superior. 
Our sportsmen here are all much puzzled at the non-appear- 
ance of snipe, as the weather, with the exception of vester- 
day e sudden change, for the past fortnight, has been highly 
snipe-like. On Saturday I took a prospecting tramp through 
the low marshy prairie land west of the city, but failed to 
‘jump ’ a single bird. I did “ put up," however, a veritable 
flock of owls, who nad been basking in the sun among the 
“ digger heads ” in the open prairie, and without a moment’s 
My Dear Mr. Blackford : Ottawa, April 1, 1-78. 
I am much obliged to yoa for Interes’ing printed circular* respecting 
exhibitions of choice varieties of fishes. These displays would be 
profitable as well as entertaining tome, if for no other reason than that 
I koow you to be so practical and skilful a man of fishes, thae none but 
the best of each class would be represented In your collection. It was 
my intention, and I looked forward to it with great pleasure, to attend 
meetings of the Fish Cultural Association at New Tork last winter. 
Unfortunately, however, pressing public business rendered it impossi- 
ble for me to realize such pleasurable expectation, and the same pres- 
sure still prevents my visiting your establishment this spring. Probably 
our friend Hallock will notice it, and as I take Forest and Stream, will 
look ont for it. That paper I consider the best authority on fishing and 
fish culture published In the United States. 
Yours truly, W. F. Whitciibr. 
—The California brook trout at Caledonia began to spawn, 
and a large number of eggs are expected March 14. Seth 
Green has crossed them with the native brook trout, expect- 
ing an improvement on both parents. 
i ~ ? et ]‘ Gre ? n ha 9 done a good work by planting 100 black 
bass in W appingles Creek last week. They were fine breeders, 
averaging a pound and a quarter apiece. 
—Six cans of black bass, one hundred in number, each 
weighing from one to two pounds, were taken to Middletown 
on March 2 and placed in Monbagen Lake. Seth Green’s 
agent accompanied them from the State fishery at Rochester. 
A number of brook trout will ho brought soon and placed in 
the different streams in Second Assembly District. 
ta. ? A ,- Lo °„ Mo, Assyria, has been stocked with 
3.000 lake trout. Aldrich Lake, White Pigeon, has been 
stocked with 5,000,000 whitefish, and Klinger Lake with 
50.000 of the same. 
W wcoNBi N— T omah , April 8 — Hon. William Y. Baker, 
member of assembly, in connection with the Buckhorn Sport- 
ing Club, have just planted 15,000 small fry of speckled trout 
in the head waters of Bear Creek. The little fellows were re- 
ceived from the State commission in good condition, and suc- 
cessfully placed in the stream on Monday night, April 1. 
Soud. 
Carp at San Franoisoo.— It is probable that in a few 
years the small streams around the Bay will be well stocked 
with carp. Those which escaped from Poppe’s ponds, in 
Sonoma \ alley, a couple of years ago, have increased consider- 
ably and it is now no uncommon occurrence for the boys to 
catch them along Petaluma Creek with a hook. Several were 
mken in out of the wet last week, and parties who know the 
fish say they are genuine carp. One of them weighed between 
one and two pounds , — Pacific Life, 
T HE following remarks are founded on notes and obser- 
vations made during the early part of the past ye ar 
and give some idea of the birds that are nesting as near the 
city of New York as Astoria, L. I. A few days only could 
be obtained for extended investigation, and these amply re- 
paid for the time expended. The birds noted were nearly all 
found within a mile of the ferry that crosses from 92d street. 
This proximity to the city is having a most destructive effect 
on the fauna, aud the woods in the fall are overrun with 
pseudo-sportsmen, followed by worthless curs, who shoot 
anything and everything that has the least apology for feathers 
or the remotest appearance to game. Robins, spnrrows, 
warblers, all fall under this category and are ruthlessly de- 
stroyed. There are still a few rabbits, gray squirrels, and oc- 
casionally a woodcock to be found there, but the day of their 
complete extermination is near at band. The local destruc- 
tion of all the small birds and songsters is getting to be in- 
tolerable, not only in Astoria, bill in all the suburbs of the 
city, especially on Stolen Island, aud it does seem as if there 
should be some action taken by the local authorities to pre- 
vent it. 
The observations, recorded commenced on the 8th of May 
when a song sparrow (Melospica meloriia) was found snugly 
ensconced in nn ivy growing along the inner wall of a green- 
house. The birds had evidently watched their opportunity 
when the door was open or the glass raised during the warm 
days, and constructed their nest and deposited tnree eggs be- 
fore they were discovered. In 1875 they built a nest in the 
same place, and the year before on the grouud against the 
wall just outside. A pair has been around there for a great 
while ; a nest being found within a hundred feet of the spot 
for some six or seven years. Whether they are the same pair 
of birds I am unable to state, but it is to be presumed so. The 
next day another egg was laid and incubation commenced. 
On the 22d four huugry mouths greeted me when 1 looked 
into the nest, but alas for the fut ure happiness of the parents a 
cat, during her investigations two daps after, found them, 
and a deserted home was the result. 
May 15— Noticed the appearance of the chestnut-sided 
warbler (Dendroeca pemtsylmnca), yellow warbler (Dmdroeca 
( estiva ) aud Baltimore oriole ( Icterus Baltimore). The catbird 
(Mimas caroli nensis) put in its appearance the next day. On 
the 20th, while sitting on the front piazza of the house, I 
noticed two wood thrushes ( Turdw mustdinus ) under a cop-, 
per leaved beech not twenty feet off, tugging at an old piece 
of newspaper The paper was too large for them, and they 
were not inclined to use anything else just then for the nest 
which they had decided to construct, and whose location had 
been already fixed upon as will be seen. In a few moments 
they were off, aud hastily running doWD, I tore the paper into 
strips and went back to watch results. In a short time they 
returned and eagerly seized the strips, which had by some 
force unknown to them become suitable to their wants and 
flying up in the tree they placed them in a fork about ten feet 
from the ground. I then furnished them with pieces of cedar 
bark, soft hay and some pieces of cotton, scattering it under 
the tree, and from that moment the building went on at a 
lively rate all day long without intermission. The cotton they 
declined to use, as unsuitable for their purpose, but it was ap- 
propriated by a pair of Orioles that were build n^ in a neigh 
boring willow tree and had already a nest half finished. Two 
pairs of chipping sparrows ( Spizella sodalis) were also noticed 
in the garden as having their nests under way. 
The thrushes’ nest progressed favorably, and in due time 
the eggs were laid and hutched, and the young left it on the 
20th of June, just one month from its commencement. The 
parents on June 30th started another in a maple tree near by 
and brought it to a like successful issue. These thrushes are 
abundant, both around houses and in the d ep recesses of the 
woods, where they usually keep themselves iu other localities 
some four nests being found in such places. Near houses 
they are very sociable, a pair building one year in a tree so 
near the house that I could touch it with a cane from the 
piazza before mentioned. There is a limb of a flowering crab 
apple on which they seem to delight to perch, and all through 
the spring and early summer at evening there is one of these 
birds upon it, pouring out its rich notes to the world at large 
They have used this perch for years, and they all seem to 
know it. Perhaps there is an inspiration in the view from it 
which brings pleasant thoughts to them of incidents iu their 
bird life that ma ce them happy. On several occasions I have 
heard a note or two from them as late in the evening as ten 
o’clock, but this is only on rare occasions. 
The 30th of May was a bright, warm, suDny day, just such 
an one to be enjoyed by a tramp through the country, and I 
took advantage of it and started out at niue o'clock for the 
woods a short distance from the house aud extended my tour 
for two miles beyond during the day. In going along a small 
stream I soon noticed the yellow warblers, aud Muryland yel- 
low-throat ( Geothlypis trichas) dodging in and out among the 
alder bushes and blackberry briars that covered both sides 
Soon I found a nest of the former in an alder bush, containing 
four fresh eggs ; a little farther on, another, containing four 
fresh eggs and one of the cow burning. There were probably 
many more in the neighborhood if the trouble had been taken, 
to find them. A song sparrow's nest was discovered on the 
ground quite near these, with four fresh eggs. After search- 
ing for 6omc time for the yellow throats I was at last rewarded. 
As I was passing through some black alders one started 
out almost under my feet, and, on looking down I 
saw the nest placed in some weeds and raised some six 
inches from the ground. The cow buntings had been on a 
visit here also, but had not let it off so easily as the war- 
blers ; three of their eggs were in the nest, and only one of 
its rightful owner. Thinking the bird might still lay its full 
complement, I left it, but on my return, a few days after I 
found incubation had commenced without further addition to 
the number of eggs. Could this bird couut and thus know 
that she would have all the mouths she could possibly fill, 
and that four was her just number ? If her reason had ex- 
tended a little farther, she might have deserted this set entirely, 
for the fate of her own was sealed when the strangers were 
placed under her unwilling care. A few days after 1 found an- 
other ne6tof the same species, and Ibis, in addition to the full set 
of the bird's own eggs, contained likewise one of the bunt- 
* D S- I judge that birds, where the bunting eggs have been 
placed in their nest9, before they have commenced laying, will 
never lay full sets, and where full sets are found with the » 
addition of the bunting, the latter has been placed there after 
