FOREST AND STREAM 
879 
It may be positively asserted that there has been no 
work of any kind undertaken by the General Government 
which has yielded such remarkable results as that of the Fish 
Commission. The benefits obtained by the country have 
been very far beyond the small amount of money expended. 
Under the careful and systematic management of the Com- 
missioner-in-Chief, Professor Spencer F. Baird, aided by such 
a zealous lieutenant as Professor Milner, work of the most 
thorough and comprehensive character has been accomplished - 
It has taken, then, but a very few years to create an entirely 
new science, and from speculative theory to have produced 
the most practical usefulness. The position held by the Fish 
Commission was fully recognized a few days ago by a visit 
paid by Mr. Hayes to the hatching works olf Spesutia Island, 
where, for the first time in the history of the country, a 
President of the United States received explanations in prac- 
tical shad hatching. 
• • — — 
Fish Culture in New Hampshire. — Manchester, N. H., 
June 1. — I Bent you a month siuce a copy of our annual re- 
port to the G. VV. Council, which was necessarily prepared 
before our work was entirely completed, in order to have it 
printed for the June session of the Legislature. Since then 
we have completed our labors for the year by planting o, 900 
land locked salmon in Suuapee Lake; 4,000 iu Star l end, 
Springfield; 5,000 in Silver Lake, Madison, and 5,000 in 
Merry Meeting Pond, New Durham, and have also placed 
5 000 blue backed trout ( Salmo oquapa) in Sunapeo Lake, and 
25 000 in Lovewell's Pond, Wakefield, and the same number in 
Cook's Pond, Brookfield. The above are all uatural trout waters, 
and we hope to get favorable results in due season. We have 
also prepared, with the aid of Commissioner Brackett, of 
Mass., plans for new fishways on his pattern at the two dams 
on tho Nusliua River in Nashua, to be followed up in Massa- 
chusetts by fishways at Pepperell and Groton, so that the 
young shad and salmon, which the Mass. Commissioners have 
planted in the headwaters of that river at Lancaster and Clin- 
ton, can return to their starting point. We have also matured 
a plan for a Brackett fishway at the Amoskeag Falls iu this 
city, for which grouud will be broken next week, of ample 
width and gentle slope to permit the ascent of shad as well as 
Bolmon. The latter fish have ascended the old Foster fishway 
last year in large numbers, but we have doubts of its pracli- 
bility for shad. I saw a flue shad in the Laurence fishway on 
the 29th ult., two-thirds of the way up, iu company with a 
number of alewives, bass and suckers, and an innumerable 
multitude of lamprey eels. We have reports to-day of a flue 
6almon, estimated at twenty pounds, 6een four miles above 
here at the mouth of a once celebrated trout brook, now near- 
ly depopulated. This fish was above all the dams with his 
way open to the Pemigiwasset, where we shall probably hear 
from him in due season. We are makiDg good progress in 
excavation of the storage ponds at the State Hatchery at 
Livermore Falls, and preparing our nets, boats and lines to 
capture spawuers by and by, aud are accumulating a stock of 
trout for breeders. Samuel Webber. 
and a covered way into the adjoining yard and drove away the 
cats from the neighborhood. At eventide it could be seen 
prowling about daily, picking up bugs aud looking for bits of 
meat. When playful it would elevate its big flag-like tail and 
strut up and down the path with the manners ot a black and 
white turkey cock. II is favorite food was a fresh egg. If 
given to him whole he would carry it to the edge of the stone 
wall, and then taking it in his front feet, pouud it on the 
stone until he had broken a hole in it, and then would put iu 
his nose and eat the contents. Unfortunately about this time 
1 read Col. Dodge’s “ Life on tho Plains." and the numerous 
instances there giveu of hydrophobia following the bite of the 
skunk lead me to doubt my pet, although I handled him 
freely and he had never attempted to bite. I did not care to 
experiment further, and so presented him to the Aquarium, 
where he still leads a happy life. Whitehead. 
An Early Recognition. — Land and Water , in its last 
number, acknowledges the receipt of a letter from our well- 
known fishculturist, whom it calls Maitre, which communica- 
tion, as it is dated “Newark, N. J., Feb. 11,” must have 
taken not quite three months to reach England. Possibly our 
much esteemed fricud, Fred Mather, Esq., will keep on 
writing to Land and Water. 
Illinois— Charleston, Coles Co., June 12.— Fish Commis- 
sioner Haines put 75,000 shad, eight days old, into the Em- 
barass River this morning, two aud a quarter miles east of this 
city. Mr. Haines thinks shad will do well in this river be- 
cause it is fed principally by springs. J. B- D. 
An American Jurassic Mammal. — The first mammal 
ever fouud in American rocks of Jurassic ago has just been 
described by Prof. Marsh in the American Journal of Science 
for June. The remains preserved include the greater portion 
of the right lower jaw, and one of the teeth is still iu place 
in tho socket. Dryolestes priscus was about tha size of a 
weasel, and was apparently a marsupial allied to the existing 
opossums. The fossil was found in the Atlanto saurus beds 
of the Jurassic of the Rocky Mountains, and the associated 
fossils arc mainly Dinosaurs. 
Another Kibtland Warbler.— Our correspondent, H. 
Ernst, writes us from Cleveland, Ohio, under date of May 4, 
sayiDg : 
“Lost evening Mr. John Hall, of Rockport, near here, shot 
a fine male specimen of that rarest of rare warblers, the 
Kirtlands. This is the third instance, if I am not mistaken, 
of its having been taken in the United States." 
Curious, If Tbue.— T he Springfield (Mass.) Union of 
June 10, says : 
“A most singular affair recently happened near Lynchburg, 
Va. As Col. A. H. Fulkerson was riding over his farm he 
was attacked by about one hundred swallows, who assailed 
him with great chatteriug and pecked away lustily at his face 
and clothing. He was at first amused at the puuy assaults, 
but the wounds which they inflicted on his face aud neck 
convinced him that he had nothing to laugh at, and he barely 
escaped with Ins life. It is feared that he will lose the sight 
of both eyes, and his nose is so badly mutilated that, in all 
probability, it will have to be amputated.” 
If the statements in this extract are true, the case iB a 
most extraordinary one, and deserves investigation. Do any 
of our Virginia readers know anything about it ? 
Minnesota.— The State Fish Commissioners have put 5,000 
brook trout in the head waters of the little Iowa river tins 
pring . V - A - K 
Ai’PRBOiative Mississippi. — Vicfcfbuiigft, Miss., June 8.— 
Editor Forest and Stream: Please return thanks to the Hon. 
g D encer F. Baird for the prompt manner in which ho com- 
plied with our request iu stockiug some of the Southern 
streams with shad, notably, Yallowbusba, 120,000 ; Cold 
Water 120,000; Sun Flower River, 120,000 ; total, 3b0, 000 
All placed nicely and in good condition. We also thank him 
for his promise to assist us in building and stocking a hatch 
house here for the propagation of California salmon this 
coming fall- Marooneb. 
Eels in Michigan.— We venture to print the following ex- 
tract from a private letter to the editor of this paper from 
Supt. Geo. H. Jerome of the Michigan Fisheries Commission: 
>. At present I am terribly busy in the labors and anxieties 
of our annual eel campaign, having already captured and re- 
moved into our State from the Hudson at Troy, in the neigh- 
borhood of 690,000. Our people will have eels -they are en- 
thusiasts-yes, more ; they are monomanmeal on the subject 
of their introduction into Michigan waters, and we have to 
humor the disorder. Whether it shall prove fitful or chronic 
I dare not prophesy." 
^utarnl 'Qi&torg. 
Pet Skunks— There are few animals more beautiful than 
the skunk, although they are “very desaving." as the Irish- 
man said when he attempted to pick one up in the road. 
But for one trait they would make pleasant pets. That there 
are immaculate skunks, our correspondent, who writes below, 
abundantly testifies : . . 4 , , 
A few months since the writer noticed at a herdsmans 
in Tpvas several skunBS playing around the hut. You 
needn t* skip^’em J the re all dSctored,” gracefully explained 
mv host “HOW do you do that ?" “ We just take out two 
liUle sacks when they Te pups," quoth he, taking up one and 
showiue a minute cicatrice each side of the anus. 
These inouvous skunks wandered around the camp foraging 
on whatever they could pick up, and repaying their protect- 
o?s bv consuming beetles, cockroaches and spiders without 
number and, as the herdsmen said, keeping away Ml snakes. 
They made’ their nests in little holes in the corner of the hut 
and lived in gentle amity with the dog, who seemed to regard 
^One'was givento me and I brought it to New York in a basket 
nd turned it out in my hack-yard, where it soon dug a hole 
More Testimony on the Old Subject.— A correspond- 
ent who signs himself “Prairie,” and who writes from the 
Creek Nation, Indian Territory, confirms by his experience 
what other Western contributors have so often asserted in 
these columns about deer burying their horns. “Prairie" 
has hunted deer in New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and the 
Nation, and had never heard of deer burying their horns un- 
til he read Mr. Cassel’s letter in the columns of Forest and 
Stream. Our correspondent believes that there is a wide 
difference in tho time of shedding, and states that on the 11th 
of May last, when hunting cattle, he rode up in one day 
twenty-seven deer, two of which still carried full horns. 
We give the remainder of this interesting note in “ Prairie's ” 
own words : 
Mcskokeb, Indian T. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
Hunting 1 b done liero in tee saddle. Deer are to be louud In the 
prairie branches and sloughs, and seldom go to timber lor cover, ex- 
cept In winter or when started from their range by the gun aud dogs. 
Their horns are to be found on their grazing grounds, near their cover, 
where they come out at night to seek grasses along the sprmg branches. 
1 have shot deer under a lamp at night, and having failed to kill my 
game outright, I went to the spot la the mornlug with my dogs and 
picked up a fall head of horns, dropped by tho sudden start ot the ani- 
mal by the dlschorgo of the gun. I have also seen liter drop then 
horns in the velvet, and hive been informed by old Indian hunters In 
the latter case they eat them ; bat I have yet to be convinced that they 
ever bury them. If any of your numerous readers wish to see deor 
horns, or enjoy a rare chase, let them come to the Indian Territory. 
SPARROW AND STARLING. 
OniOAOO, April 27, 1878. 
Dear Editor: I am glad to see that some of our naturalists can 
speak a word tor the English sparrow, even though he may be a trifle 
pugnacious about squatter rights. When a boy, throngh a mistaken 
piejudlce, I have robbed their neats, trapped them, and when old 
enough to carry my first gnn, have shot them by aoores. borne of the 
farmers gave us premiums for taking their eggs, while others gave us 
a good thrashing for our pains. This, combined with an occasional 
thrashing at home for torn pante, jackeis and shirts, while shinning 
up trees for the nests, soon taught as that blrds'-neeilng was a losing 
game. At one time we made sparrows pretty soarce, so vigorous was 
the war we waged ugalust them. I think It was tue wlater of 1«6. 
A very mild one, snd in early spring the gardens were overrun with 
snails, grubs and caterpillars, and every other squirming thing that 
attacks vegetables. What a time we boys had of it l It was imalla and 
grab3 from early morn until dewy eve. When not In school we were 
picking, picking, until we were nauseated, yet everything greon was 
alive with ihese parasites. Oabbage, brocolll, garden turnips, aspara- 
gus, kale, cress, radishes, In faot everything green. waB more or less 
eaten, while ihe strawberries wire rained. The currant bushes hung 
in festoons of caterpillar life, while the applo blossoms had been eaten 
off bo early that the One summer apple crop failed. Did not we boys 
curao our folly as day by day through that season wo had to take oar 
pan of salt and dose these •• critters." 
How we wished the sparrows had "been let alone. I need not Bay it 
was not healthy for a boy to be seen huntlog for sparrows' nests 
during that summer aud the next spring. Since that tbue I have bad 
many opportnoltles to seo something of sparrow life, aod though some- 
times they would help themse.ves to the rurrants, yet ofiener we 
would see them bringing grubB or young caterpillars from the trees. 
I remember at one time our beautiful lawn was made unpleasant 
and unsightly by numbers of large worms continually casting up hills 
on It. It was fun to see a little cqok-sparrow pounce down on these 
long worms and pull as for dear life, never giving np ontll he bore off 
the prize wriggling and squirming to a neu full of open mouths. I bo 
llevo many otiior birds aro more destructive to vegetition limn tho 
sparrow. Tho bnllflnoh— indeed all tho flnehes— la destructive to all 
kinds of bads, while even the red-breast is a very scamp when cherries 
are ripe. That there la a great (leal of antagonism between trie spar- 
rows nod »ome other birds I nevor dispute ; they will hold to ibelr own 
and Oglu fleroely before giving up. Bat for fifteen years I have never 
kuowlugly shot a sparrow. 1 tbluk them too useful to vont a little 
spite upon, and don’t want to sco them driven out b‘cau<o they arc im- 
ported birds. 
To correspondents from Texas : Get tho Stirlings, by all means. 
They are hand mme birds, aud from peraoiml knowledge I would say 
are useful, loo ; they are fond of Insect life— worms, malls aud grabs. 
I have seen . i Mock of Ofty plokiug around the sheep and cows; have 
seen them Industriously working through the thick wool ou a sheep's 
hack to pick out ticks, Jumping from oue sheep to another, while the 
sheep wero quietly grazing ; w lie ou tho cows you would Und a star- 
ling on the back of every one in the pasture. 
They uro not puguaoloss, bat are very difficult to k» cp In confinement, 
bscauso they are very wild ; but if taken from a nest quite young can 
be tamed to stay around the home, coming to yoar cull. My mother 
onco raised one that had fallen out of tho nett. Even nftcr It had 
grown and mated and built It* no« In the trees fronting tue house If 
mother was seeu atiho front door or ou tho lawn the bird w ould 'm- 
stautiy Jump for the topmost branch of the true and send out it* uno 
flute-Uko note of greeting. Mother hail only to any, •* Pretty Jack " 
when down ho would dart, olcoltng around her head, uttering short 
clear notes expressing Ills Joy ; bnt though lie knew m all, to no ono 
else would ho act In tbU niaouer. Every rctu-mogspring would In thus 
greet mother, until ono day somo one suot him. Ho came to the old tn u 
badly wounded, vat on tho top twlf, uttering short, piercing notes to 
call us out. When ho sailed down on tbe grass mother picked him up, 
aud In a few minutes ho died In her hands. Tho bird was the handsomest 
starling I ever saw, and I have counted them by thousands Mr. Edi- 
tor, it may scorn foolish, but it Is a fact, that when Pretty Jack ” died 
wo all felt we had lost somethlug that had given us a grout deal of 
pleasure In our daily llfo, even though ho was ojiy a haiulsomo star- 
' ling. Yours, respectfully, Norman.' 
THE MIGRATORY QUAIL AT HOME. 
Malaga, Spain, April 80, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream and Rod and Gux : 
1 have road with much interest several arilolus which havo recently 
appeared In the FoinssT and Stkram respeoung Mlgrutory Quail, aud 
thloklng It might bo aecoptablo to you to kuow something of them aud 
their movements in this part of tho world, I beg to offer you a little In- 
formation. This bird Is known horo as tho Codoruie (Latin, Tetrao oo- 
tumix), and resemules tho American quail very much, being, however, 
of a muoli lightor color, and only nbuut ouc-liuif tho aiz -. Its habits 
arc Identical with those of tho American quail, except us logurda itu 
semi-annual migrations. Its winter home li in nuriUoin Africa, In 
the plalnB south of tho Atlas Mountains, whence It takes It* departure 
la large bodies la the month of April, crosslug over to Spain at polnu 
from Tanfa on the Atlautlc coast to Capo St. Martin ou tiioMcdiionu- 
uean in the province of Alicante ; and thoT night occurs goncrally at 
night and scar the time of the full moon. If the wind BhouUl be sttoug 
from cither the west (Ponlonto) or from tho oast (Levuute), at such 
time thoy seek the narrower point* between Africa and Europe, near 
Gibraltar, to cross. They usually alight upoa some lull or mountain, 
where they rest one day, when they again contluuo tliolr Jourmy eit 
masse and In such a complete inuuucr that tho following day not ono 
can bo found. Tholr next resting place la on tho northern slopes of tho. 
Sierra Morena Mouutalus, from whence they descend to tho plains 
thronghom Castile, Aragon and Estremaduru, aud scatter for breeding, 
and remain until the yuuug birds aro strong enough to bear ilio return 
Jouroey to Africa In the months of September, October and November ; 
out this is Accomplished in smaller duiauhiuent* than during their en- 
trance into Spain. Stray birds may bo found all the year, both in Spain 
and lu Africa, but nut In numbers sufficient fur sport out of their regu- 
lar season. They arc hunted lu thlB country with tho old .Spanish 
pointer (not ono lu a hundred, however, being gnllty of any proper Held 
training), are shot sluing, caught In traps and slaughtered m Meanly 
In aoy manner possible hy wretched pot-hunters who liavo no idea o f 
what true, mauly fleld sport Is, and, as there are no game laws iu Spain, 
wero It not for the boneflccnoe of au All- Wise Trovldcnco lu ouusing 
these periodical migrations there would be uo such thing us a game 
bird to bo had In all this laud for tho luvtUld, or the cplouro. W ero It 
not that I fear 1 have exhausted your patlenco already 1 could give you 
some idea of the capital shooting, boar huutlng, etc,, to be hud in Mo- 
rocco, twenty to tinny miles from lilbraliar; but, basta! I will leave tho 
pleasant theme, and if I havo told yon ought of Interest I am pieused, 
and you can say with the pool, "Thutold man went hack to his old 
wild and lived on grass and vanished, and his book camo down to mo. 1 
Very truly yours, Ortyx. 
Arrivals at the Philadelphia Zoolooioal Gardens for Week 
Ending Tuesday, June ll. — Four ruffed grouse, Bonam umbetlus, horn 
In garden; one white rabbit, Lepus euwmfu* var. albino, presented; 
ono spotted cavy, Caclogenya paca, presented ; one nitik snake, Coluber 
obsoletwt eonfinU, presented ; ono mulo deer, Cervus maerotis, born In 
garden. 
A Freak of Memory— Nashville, Term., June 5.— A man 
living in tbis city received during tlie war a severe wound in 
the head which affected his mind. Upon a close examination 
by several surgeons, it was decided to perform an operation, 
with the hope of relieving the sufferer. As the ease was a 
peculiar one, the operation was performed at the medical 
college before a class, the operator at the same time lecturing 
upon it. The poor fellow was not benefited, and siuce has 
been Bubject to violent attacks of pain and delirium. Lust 
night, during one of these paroxysms and in the pretence of 
one of the surgeons who assisted in the operation, strange to 
6ay, he repeated verbatim the lecture delivered at the time, 
although several years have elapsed. J. D. H. 
This instance has many parallels in medical and psycho- 
logical annals equally curious. We recall a well authenticated 
incident of an ignorant servant girl, in her [delirium reciting 
verbatim whole pages of Greek and Latin, which she had 
casflally overheard read aloud while she was sweeping in the 
mornings. From facts of this character it is argued that wc 
never really forget anything. 
Fly Time.— The New Haven Register says : 
The “ Buck Fly " is the heading of an article in a sporting 
paper. We mmt confess that iu all our experience with flies 
we have never beeu able to tell a buck fly from a doe. 
The most favorable field for enlightenment Is a cheap res- 
taurant. Our friend with proper application will soon be 
able to recognize a dough fly when he sees it, 
