FOREST AND STREAM 
175 
ho laying was completed. This fact, I think, will be borne 
out by observation. In the woods the golden crowned 
thrushes ( Siurua auricapilus) were abundant, and their clear 
ringing notes were heard all around, but their nests could not 
be found. 
In a small thicket, not more than fifty feet in diameter, I 
watched a least fly-catcher ( Empidonax minimus ) building, 
and within twenty feet of it found two nests cf the cat bird 
and one of the Bong thrush. There were also a pair of those 
independent little birds, the wliite-eyed vireos ( Vireo novebora- 
censu ) perching about and searching for their rood, and every 
once in a while stopping to give forth their emphatic notes 
and continuing their investigations as before. I am positively 
sure they were building, if they had not already finished a 
nest, but was'uuable to discover it. These birds are common 
here, and nearly every thicket contains a pair, in order, per- 
haps, to enliven the otherwise silent habits of its denizens 
Three days after this a nest was found suspended from a limb 
about three feet from the ground. The female was occupy- 
ing it, and watched me very sharply with her sparkling white 
eyes as I approached, and did not leave it until 1 nearly cov- 
ered it with my hand, when she started up, and calling to her 
mate, they both exhibited the utmost concern for their treas- 
ures, which consisted of four newly laid eggs, together with 
one of the ever-prc9eut bunting. The nest was a beauty — 
one of the most perfect of its kind I ever saw. It was com- 
posed of moss awl baric, and decorated outside with pieces of 
decayed wood and spiders’ webs. I had one in my collec- 
tion, which was entirely covered with bits of white decayed 
wood and green moss. It was an exquisite structure. The 
use of the wood I have never noticed except in these two 
nests. A red start (Selophaga rulicilla) was’also noticed be- 
fore leaving the clump of bushes above mentioned. 
Passing through an orchard, I heard the voluble chatter of 
a wreu, and on investigation found the nest in a deserted 
hole of some woodpecker. It contained six eggs. These 
birds are common, both around the houses and in the 
orchards ; but they will have to look well to their homes in 
the latter place, for the sparrow ( Passer domestieus ) is rapidly 
taking up his residence there also. Within two hundred feet 
I found one of their De9ts, with five eggs, in a hole in an 
apple tree, and during the season two others in like situations, 
one with eggs and one with only one young bird. The spar- 
rows are abundant and make themselves at home around the 
houses and barns, associating familiarly with the chickens 
when feeding time comes round, to pick up the wheat which 
is thrown to them. In regard to their contests with the 
other birds, I have had several incidents oome under my no- 
tice during the last two years. Just in front of my window 
is the stem of a dead spruce tree, with the limbs trimmed up, 
and on the top is placed a house with two compartments, and 
a shelf running around each side, the possession of which is 
welcome to any tenants who are able to ho^d their own. Year 
before last a pair of sparrows took up one side of it, and a 
few days later I heard a pair of wrens around, who seemed 
inclined to occupy the other half. They soon commenced to 
build, and now the fun began. The sparrows took it very 
quietly at first, only looking on while the wrens scolded and 
chaffed at them, sometimes even coming around to their side 
to pick a quarrel. One morning I heard a tremendous fuss, 
and, on looking out, found that the sparro vs were going to 
resent insults, and that in a very curious way. They watched 
when one of the wrens came up with a few sticks, and when 
it had gone inside one of the sparrows followed, and turning 
around, quietly sat down in the doorway. Such a noi6e as 
that imprisoned wren made, and its mate outside also ob- 
jected ; but there was no way out of the difficulty. The 
sparrows would stay in this position a few minutes, and then 
fly off, only to repeat the performance when the wrens be- 
came too aggressive. After a while there was a mutual truce 
and matters went on more quietly. La3t spring the same 
thing wa9 re-enacted, and with the same results. How it 
will be next year, and which one will be inclined to yield, I 
cannot tell ; but it is probable that two pairs of sparrows 
may occupy the house, and then friends wren will find it 
hard work to dislodge them. It has been recently stated that 
the sparrows are very prolific, and an instance was given of 
thirty-five eggs having been taken successively from one 
nest. This might be very true ; but it is no good reason 
for their rapid increase, various other birds are known to 
do the same thing, notably our golden-winged woodpecker, 
( Colaptes auratus ), and very many of our common birds will 
rebuild if the first nest is destroyed. As stated before, in 
regard to the imposition of the bunting eggs, birds seem to 
have the faculty of counting, and if the experiment of with- 
drawing the eggs from the nests of some of our other birds, 
unseen by them, could be tried, they could undoubtedly be 
induced to continue laying for some time. The sparrows 
and the golden-winged woodpeckers are both, in a measure, 
careless about thelocation and construction of their nests, 
and any intrusion is not so palpable to them as to many birds 
which display so much more taste and skill upon their sum- 
mer homes. 
Note. — Since writing the above I have been informed that 
fish hawks will continue laying in the same manner as the 
eggs are gradually taken from the nest. B. 
{To be continued). 
LIVING BIRDS WITH TEETH. 
Editor Forbst and Stream : Chicago, 1878. 
In your Issue ot Feb. si there appears an Interesting and well-written 
article, entitled, “ Birds With Teeth.” The description or the rossil 
birds or the Cretaceous period Is accnrate and instructive : but I cannot 
believe It certain that Ursperomis was a water bird exclusively, nor 
that It was a pure carnivorous creature. But whether it was one, or 
both ot these, the doctrine or the Evolutionists, that these birds repre- 
sented the transition lorms between the great reptiles or the Oolitic 
and the subsequent higher developments, Is neither a necessary nor, In 
my oplnton, logical deduction trom the gteat racts ot creation. 
The birds spoken ot had teeth— bona fide teeth, without doubt ; some 
ot them set in sockets, with a tang at one extremity, and enamel at the 
other. But, In order to tully understand the import or so remarkable a 
circumstance, we mui.t take Into tail view all ot the surrounding taotfl. 
A great change had como upou the world duriDg the ages under con- 
sideration, Geology tells ub that there are ludednlte marklogs or plant 
llte so low down as the Silurian and Cambrian beds, but these represent 
mere sea weeds, which preoeded the rich development or vegetable life 
during the Devonian— that age rendered famous by Hugh Miller In his 
studies of the "Old Red Sandstone.” 
But up to the beginning of the Cretaceous period, the only known 
flora consisted of evads, pines, and various forms of cryptogamlc vege- 
tation. At this time, however, a remarkable development takes place. 
Flowering plants— the dicotyledonous— the higher forms of vegetable 
and plant life, have made their appearance. Along with this great 
change, marking another click in Nature's time-piece, comes, hand tn 
hand, an almost Incredible faot, viz. : Many forms of tropical vegeta- 
tion, as the myrtle, flg-tree, oleander, etc., flourished luxuriantly In 
that region now known as Greenland, where, at present, natural vege- 
tation, with the exception of the small forms of snow-llohens, etc., Is 
Impossible. 
What do these accompanying facts show? Why, simply, that the 
fauna of the age was tn harmony with the surroundings. In other 
words, that these birds with teeth lived largely, If not exclusively, upon 
the luxuriant vegetation. In this they bnt represented a fact which 
constantly shows Itself throughout animate nature, viz.: Special forms 
of life exist by reason of special physical conditions, and local varia- 
tions In species are possible within certain limits, though these limits 
are sufficiently well-deflned. always, to preserve the characteristics of 
the species The bird with teeth, then, camo Into existence as a 
demand of the period, and gradually vuutshed, as the demand passed 
away. It seems Impossible to the writer to oonueot these birds with 
the reptiles as transition forms. The conclusion seems lame and Im- 
potent, and though the souud sense of the Evolution philosophers can- 
not be Impeached, yet the reductio ad a bsurdum may be Illustrated by 
Imagining a chipmunk constructed from a sea-serpent, and a tom-tlt 
built into a mastodon. 
The point raised Is susceptible of extended argument and analogy, 
but we have no need to ransack the reoords of vanished ages to tell tho 
story of these birds. ir« hare living bird* with teeth in our own era I 
Those referred to Inhabit Chill, in South America, and there Is at least 
one specimen In our country. It Is on exhibition at the rooms of the 
Cuvier Club of Cincinnati, aud belongs to the private collection of tbo 
Don. Thomas A. Logan, of that city. This bird, the Phytoma rara. Is 
abont the size of an English sparrow. The teeth ore not set in sockets, 
but consist of serrations In the mandibles. It Is in no sense carnivor- 
ous, but lives eutlrely upon vegetation, and 1 b very destructive to 
the young frnlt bads and tender plants in the spring, as the writer has 
frequently witnessed. The bird Is perfectly authenticated, and has 
been described by Gillies In his “Report of the Expedition to the 
Southern Hemisphere." There Is probably a specimen of this trans- 
mogrlfled little Saurian In the Government Collection at Washington. 
C. A. L. 
[We regret that lack of Bpace forbids us to go .into this 
question with our correspondent, for we should enjoy break- 
ing a lance or two for the Evplutionists. However, those 
gentlemen arc well able to take care of themselves, and so we 
will merely notice one or two points in “ 0. A. L's.” commu- 
nication. He says that no traces of plant life, except indefin- 
ite markings of sea weeds, have been found during'.the Silu- 
rian. We think that if he will look the matter up more care- 
fully, he will find that lycopodiums and ferns have been 
discovered in rocks of that age. 
The question as to whether the toothed birds’are transition- 
al forms between the reptiles aud the birds of the present era, 
is only to be decided by evidence. Anatomists, without ex- 
ception, 'believe that they are ; and in support of this belief, 
adduce facts, which, in our judgment, amount to incontro- 
vertible arguments. 
The strangest part of “C. A. L’s." communication is, that 
after having shown that he knows perfectly well what teeth 
are, by speaking of them as '‘set in sockets, with a fang at 
one end and enamel at the other,” he proceeds to speak of a 
living species which has the horny covering of the bill 
serrated, as toothed. If this be a toothed bird, our common 
ducks, geese and swans are toothed, and it is scarcely neces- 
sary to go so far as South America for a Living Bird With 
Teeth.— Ed.] 
— — . 
PRAIRIE CHICKENS IN NEVADA. 
chain which alone has prevented tills bird from occupying the Pacific 
slope, and once there. It must thrive and multiply, and afford no end of 
fine sport to those eager for It, It Is already at iholr doors, aud very 
little effort is needed to securo all the advantages which Its presence 
affords both to sportsmen anil epicures within reasonable distance of 
Sou Francisco. 
1 ic-echo “ Amigo's ” query, " Why does not some one Interested In 
ths game ot that region introdnoo the mountain quail of California 
(Ortortyx pieta) Into the Middle Stales ? " It Is a splendid bird, and 
Judglug from Its habits and tho localities It frequents— high and rugged 
mountains— such an effort lias all tho likelihood of suocess that should 
commend It to tho lover of flue game. Apropos of this I understand 
that sueh an attempt us this him been inaugurated by certain of the 
Riiu-lovtug men of Vermont, os Dr. Goldsmith, Mr. Meyers and others. 
To lnereaso thetr ohauccs of success their birds wore procured from 
Oregon, as being hardier and and more likely to become accustomed to 
the deep suows which thoy must contend against tn the Granite State. 
A trial of the same bird In Virginia has bcon talked of In Washington, 
though hero the less robust valley quail would probably answer. 
Waehington, March 86, ISIS. □. W. Hrnshaw. 
BREEDING OF THE OPOSSUM. 
U NDER head of “Notes trom California” In your Issue of March 81 
I notice that your correspondent “ Amigo ” has something to say 
upon the prairie chloken. Speaklug of Its extension westward, ho tells 
us, bat not without some evident misgivings, that there may have been 
a mistake somewhere of the supposed arrival 6f the chloken at Battle 
Mountalo, Nevada, and the belief of hts Informant, Hon. B. B. Redding, 
of its eventual occurrence In California. I should bo very sorry to 
destroy any well-founded hopes tn a result so ardently to be hoped for 
by California sportsmen, but that there Is an error I am quite sure, and 
believe further that It may bo readily pointed out. 
Coues, writing as late as 1874, says : “ I have found no record of the 
prairie chicken (Cupidonia enpido) reaching, as yet, either Colorado or 
Wyoming.” Without doubt he was correct In thus Limiting the west- 
ward range of the bird, and a similar statement of Its non-occurrence 
so far west as Colorado will, I think, hold good to-day. Asa well-known 
matter of fact the prairie chicken Is travelling westward, but very 
slowly, and certainly not in Jnmps of some thousand miles or more. 
That It will ever reach so far as the west coast 1 b In the highest degree 
Improbable ; for, if deserts do not. mountains will snrely prove an In- 
surmountable barrier. Just as they have to the bird we are now about to 
speak of. 
What species, then, ls.lt Involved In the above statement of “Ami- 
go’s ? " Why surely none other than the Pedloecties phasianeUu » colum- 
bianua — a rather hard name, we must confess, but still one that will 
enable us to pin our bird down fast, and escape all danger of misleading 
—In other words, the southern sharp- or spike-tailed, grouse. The name 
of “ prairie chicken ” Is Just as applicable to this bird os to the Cupido- 
nia, and whether It he or not, so la the sharp-tall called In Nortbeaa era 
Californio. Oregon, Idaho, and throughout that whole region. 
I cannot make a positive statement of ever having, mjself, known of 
this bird so far east In Nevada as Battle Mountain, having only passed 
through there on the cars, but I doubt not that It Is actually fimnd 
thereabouts, os this Is by no means out of Its range. Furthermore, 
I have an indistinct recollection of having noticed some of theBO grouse 
at one of the atatlpus on the U. P. R. R. In Nevada, which were said to 
have been shot near by. Of the Oregon and Eastern California bird, I 
can speak with all posttiveness, having seen it in more than one locality, 
and having last fall, in company with my friend MaJ. Norvall, had 
maoy a crack at the sharp-tabs abont Camp Btdwell, Colorado, where 
they are numerous. In no part of this region, however, is Its presence 
at a'l new, for this has been known as a part of Its true home ever since 
we knew anything of the far Western avifauna. 
In addition, let me say that sportsmen have no need to repine at the 
absence of the better known pinnated grouse wherever the sharp-tall 
la found ; for in ail essential particulars of habits, it is the counterpart 
of that bird, and lies os well to the dog, flies as strongly and swiftly 
eats as well, and is every whit as much of a game bird. 
In return for his hint as to the introduction of the mountain qaall 
Into the East, let me suggest an attempt on the part of the California 
sportsmen to carry the sharp-tailed grouse beyond the western slope of 
the Sierras and Into the fleldsof the rich river valleys, especially toward 
Northern California. Doubtless It Ls the presence of a high mountain 
Bkkur Heights, O., Feb. 86, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream and Rod and Qon: 
- 1 would request that sportsmen who have had opportunity to bocomo 
familiar with tho embryonic development of the opossum, would give 
their Ideas of the same through yonr paper. I had the pleasure, abont 
eight months since, of examining one, with twelve little onos tn the 
morsuplum or pouch, which was to mo, indeed, a great curiosity. The 
little ones were uo larger than half-grown niloe, hairless, aud grown 
fast to tho teat of the mother.- Now comes tho query— how did thoy 
get thoro at that tender ago? Did they originate there, or were they 
transplanted from the uterus of the mother to tho quarters thoy then 
occupied? I have heard several theories advanced regarding this 
point, nono of which are quite satisfactory to my mind. Tonhi. 
[This is a matter which, in the past, causod a world of dis- 
cussion among naturalists. Wo have not space this week to 
discuss it, but shall do so later. In the meantime, wo shall 
be very glad to have the views of auy of our correspondents 
on the point raised by “Tonic." — E d.] 
Tiie Wormy Trout op tiie Yrli.owstone. — A corres- 
pondent writing from Portland, Oregon, inquires why the 
trout of the Yellowstone River are wormy. Ho says : 
“ While on a recent trip with Governor Howard’s command, 
after the Nez Perce Indians, we struck the Yellowstone River, 
about the first of September, some six miles below tho famous 
YellowBtone Lake, and found the river to bo swarming with 
trout from fifteen to eighteen incbe9 In length, but literally 
full of worms, not in the insides, but in tbo llcsh. Cut them 
lengthwise along tho sides, and thoro would be u mass of yel- 
lowish-looking matter ooze out at intervals along tho cut, or 
as a half-breed Indian called it, worms. Otherwise the fish 
seemed to bo all right, lively, uud would light to the end. 
Now, as this place is near tne also famous Geyser Basin, in 
the National Park, and hot sulphur springs are everywhere 
all ulong the banks of the river— in fact tho air in thut section 
ia full of the smell,— I thought, perhaps, that may have been 
the cause. The river was very swift, and perfectly clear, ex- 
cept a kind of sediment, coming as I thought from the springs. 
In taking up a cupful of water, it would seem to bo full of 
small pulp like ballB, the size of a No. 8 Bbot and smaller. 
This same balf-breed of whom I speak, told me that it was 
only the fish above the falls thut were in this condition, which 
was found to bo true. Reaching a place about twenty miles 
below the lower falls, and hot getting time to experiment my- 
self I had a companion do so for me, and he reported 1 no 
worms.’ Occidental.” 
[Mr. Omohundro (“Texas Jack’’) was calling our attention 
to the same fact only a few days ago. Tho parasite with which 
these fish are afflicted was first described by Professor Leidy 
in 1872, under the name of Dibothrium cordicep*. Although the 
trout of the lake, and of the river above the falls, are especi- 
ally subject to the attacks of this creature, we have taken 
many below the falls that had the worms in their flesh. The 
“ sediment ” of which our correspondent speaks is thought to 
be the fruit of some aquatic plant, hut its nature is not well 
understood. It is said to bo present in the water only during 
the late summer and autumn. Wo do not imagine that the 
presence of sulphur springs iu the region lias anything to do 
with the worms in the trout.— E d.] 
• 
Bighorn on the Birdwood.— Our friend, “ L. H. N.," 
writes us from Nebraska that a bighorn ( Ovia montana ) was 
seen last autumn on the head of the Birdwood in that State. 
We have never before known of a sheep being found so far to 
the eastward along the Platt River. The individual probably 
came from somewhere in the neighborhood of Scotts Bluffs, 
but what induced it to wander so far from its usual feeding, 
grounds? 
Deer Shedding tiieir Hobns .—Bromfteld House, Boston, 
March 18 — The big buck in the park on our common has 
not vet shed lus boras, although they look bleached and dead 
as sticks. One might conjecture that he is aware of the con- 
troversev in the Forest and Stream and is waiting to have 
the question decided, that he may drop them at the proper 
time ; but, in my note book of last year, I find : March 15- 
“ The big buck has shed one horn and carries the otner. i 
then thought it strange, having shot two in Jan. that had evi- 
dently dropped them some weeks before. I am too green in 
the business to take sides on the question of buryrng, but d 
looks quite reasonable that the time ofsheddmgsbouldvary 
according to locality, the age and condition of the ammah^ 
rWe quite agree with our correspondent that it is impossible 
to decide difficult points like those to which reference is 
made above, by what takes place in captive animals. -E d.] 
it t ions Is It.— Wortham, March 1st, 1878.— In the 
Tvn Stream and Rod and Gun of Feb. 7th. Dom 
Ppdra of Pottsville, Pa., reports a rare quadruped in the form 
STSriiSe weSIl with a black tipped tail for which its captor 
r/ceiTed twenty-five dollars ($25). Well, that was a good 
nrice for a weasel, snd perhaps it was cheap for that market, 
butwhile they are rare there they are not particularly so in 
