cave-dwellers, as Mr. Winaris says, but this does 
not entitle it to the name “Aurochs,” which was 
another species of primeval cattle co-existent 
with, but exterminated earlier than the first 
named. 
Next, I have not been fortunate enough per¬ 
sonally to behold any of the Chillingham breed 
of cattle in England; Swedish cattle, on the 
other hand, I have frequently observed in their 
native country, and am of the opinion, like many 
others, that they, as well as the first named, and 
nearly all other modern European domesticated 
cattle are the descendants of the true Aurochs 
( B . primigenius), and not of the Bison. A per¬ 
functory glance at a Bison and our domestic cat¬ 
tle will satisfy any one that a Bison could not 
have been the progenitor of the latter. 
As already stated, I did not intend to abuse 
or belittle Mr. Winans, whose exploit is greatly 
appreciated and admired not only by myself, but 
I dare say by many others who have run away 
from the appalling sight of an infuriated do¬ 
mestic bull—very far from it. That Mr. Winans’ 
exploit Ceteris paribus is quite worthy of being 
immortalized by the erection of a suitable stone 
monument I am the first one to admit, and 
would even advocate its perpetuation in the his¬ 
torical and patriotic annals of Poland as rivalling 
the deeds of a Sobieski, a Kosciuszko, or a 
Poniatowski. 
I never doubted that due permission to kill 
the animal or animals had to be obtained from 
“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Russia,” 
but only expressed astonishment that such per¬ 
mission was given, in view of the scarcity of the 
beasts. Since Mr. Winans has explained just 
why the privilege was given, of course the feel¬ 
ing of surprise has yielded to a sense of deep 
gratification at the justice of Mr. Winans’ mo¬ 
tives. 
American “Buffaloes” (another unfortunate 
term, and to be avoided) or properly Bisons, may 
indeed exist in Europe, if imported there, but 
since they barely exist in America, their original 
home, the chances of their “existing” in Europe 
would of course be still more precarious. 
Again, as Mr. Winans truly remarks, I have 
not been fortunate enough to visit Count 
Potocki’s estate at Pilawin, and therefore could 
not know that “Wapiti” had been imported to 
that place from North America. This fact should 
have been stated in the original article. But this 
does not alter the validity of my contention that 
no animal identical with the North American 
Wapiti exists in Europe as a native or indigen¬ 
ous species of that continent, for it does not. 
That Mr. Winans shot a specimen or specimens 
of the descendants of American Wapiti im¬ 
ported into Europe from America is another 
matter. In this instance Mr. Winans did not ex¬ 
actly quote the language which I was careful to 
use in such a way as to avoid all possibility of a 
misunderstanding. 
The nante “Elk” as applied in America is 
really another appellation for the “Wapiti,” 
which latter term, although of Indian derivation, 
is not popularly used in North America. The 
name “Elk” in this instance is, however, also 
improperly applied, since the Wapiti is a true 
deer, (genus Cervus), and not an elk (genus 
Alces). Elk and. Moose, properly speaking, are 
nevertheless synonymous, the former term being 
FOREST AND STREAM 
applied, and properly, in Europe, and the latter 
in North America. 
The chief object of my calling attention to 
Mr. Fitzhamon’s version of Mr. Winans’ “late 
big game shooting expedition” in Europe was to 
point out the confusion and misapplication of 
terms which unfortunately exists in the vernacu¬ 
lar names of animals, particularly in the United 
States. It has been said and may easily be be¬ 
lieved that this circumstance is due to the ig¬ 
norance of the early American colonists relat¬ 
ing to animals and their proper terminology and 
to the fact that, upon arriving in the New World, 
they applied names of Old World animals to 
the New World forms without due regard to 
their identity. It may also be that, being at a 
loss how to name new and unfamiliar forms, 
they seized upon the first convenient although 
improper name that their fancy could suggest. 
A few other well known cases may serve as 
illustrations: 
The Canada Porcupine ( Erethyzon dorsatum ), 
a member of the family Cercolabidae of the 
hystricomorphie Rodents, is repeatedly referred 
to in Canada and the Northern United States 
as “Hedgehog,” i. e., an animal of the family 
Erinaceidae of the true Insectivores, an ex¬ 
clusive inhabitant of the Old World. 
The application of the name “Prairie-dog” to 
a species of the squirrel-like or sciuromorphie ro¬ 
dents ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) is too absurd and 
familiar to require more than a mere mention 
here. This name is. however, commonly ac¬ 
cepted and must, considering its long use, be 
tolerated. 
Another case is that of the American Prong¬ 
horned Antelope (Antilocapra americana), which, 
of course, is not an Antelope, i. e., a genus of 
the family Bovidac, but is more like a deer, the 
nature of its horn-casting being so unique and 
peculiar as to require for it a family all its own 
(Antilocapridae). The application of the name 
“Buffalo” to Bisons is another instance. The 
three last named cases have nevertheless ob¬ 
tained popular sanction and must be endured. But 
it is quite evident that if instances of this kind 
could be reduced to a minimum, the state' of 
zoological science and especially nomenclature 
would be greatly simplified and untold Confusion 
and misapprehension in the popular mind would 
be to a large extent obviated. 
In conclusion I beg to say that if I did not 
know all “the facts and circumstances of this” 
(Mr. Winans’) “particular case,” it was due to 
the manner in which it was at first presented, a 
faot which Mr. Winans as a prominent naturalist 
should be prompt to realize- This was also one 
of the very reasons why the article was criti¬ 
cized. In order that I may gather all the in¬ 
formation available, however, I am awaiting with 
pleasure Mr. Winans’ refutation “of all the rest” 
of my previous communication. 
* Unless the family has changed its name, or there 
are two or more houses of a very similar name, 
Potocki is the correct spelling, and not Patocki. 
S. M. GRONBERGER. 
DUCKING ON THE MARYLAND FLATS. 
By Charles Fulton Oursler. 
If you will look at a good sized map of the 
United States, focus your attention on the Mid¬ 
dle Atlantic collection, put your finger on Mary¬ 
land and then squint hard, you may notice, in 
very small type, the town of Havre de Grace. 
237 
Unless you choose a good sized map, you will 
not find it. Only twice a year does Havre de 
Grace, one of the prettiest of Maryland towns, 
wake up to the fact that there is a big, busy world, 
beyond its rose-bowered, grape-vined borders. 
Those two phenomena in this steeply little vil¬ 
lage occur in the spring, when the shad fisheries 
become an important business, and again in the 
fall when the time for duck shooting is at hand. 
It is about the latter I would speak. 
Every year has seen a dwindling in the flocks 
of the precious “red-heads,” so long linked with 
the other epicurean delights of Maryland, the 
gastronomical center of the universe. The “black¬ 
heads,” less valuable, but really almost as delici¬ 
ous, are lessening, too. It may be that soon the 
glories of the historic duck season on the Susque¬ 
hanna will be as much a thing of the past as the 
pagan revels of the ancients. 
It would be a pity, too, for it is a glorious, 
picturesque festival of real sport. When it be¬ 
comes lawful to shoot ducks on the Susquehanna 
fiats for a while, only three shooting days each 
week are allowed—Mondays, Wednesdays and 
Fridays. And of them all, the first of these days 
after the opening of the season, is the greatest. 
It is not unlike an opera “first night,” for the 
crowd is much larger and has more notables than 
later. 
At the recent session of the Maryland legisla¬ 
ture, laws were passed which will better protect 
the ducks, so that these “first nights” will not soon 
pass into history. Stringent regulations were 
established to make it real sport and not whole¬ 
sale slaughter. But this will help, not hinder, 
the game. 
With the dawning of the day before the open¬ 
ing of the season, the “sports,” as they are called 
by the natives, begin to arrive. The earliest are 
those who steam up from the bay in their steam 
yachts. In duck shooting times there are always 
two or three of these pretty little craft in the 
quiet little harbor, and season after season they 
fly the colors of about the same men who look 
upon the duck shooting as a great annual event. 
But these power yachts are only good to flit 
around in before their owners get down to busi¬ 
ness. For that, they must use the broad flat- 
bottomed boat, built especially for sailing in the 
exceedingly shallow waters at the mouth of the 
Susquehanna. The man who arrives in his own 
craft puts in his time until evening in transfer¬ 
ring his larder, or rather a part of it, to the 
other craft he has chartered for shooting pur¬ 
poses. These “sports” live well. 
From early afternoon, the trains from Balti¬ 
more, Washington, Philadelphia, New York and 
smaller places begin to bring in other “sports,” 
and the captain of the vessel each party has 
chartered is, as in duty bound, at the station to 
welcome his “boss,” and pilot him to where the 
craft lies secured, waiting for the tide, which 
sometime before sunrise the next morning must 
aid it to “drop down” to the scene of the trouble. 
These boats have been stocked up with “grub” 
in advance. The fleet of vessels used by duckers 
number often more than 50, and embraces every 
kind of craft from miles around—scows, bateaus, 
pungies, sloops and schooners. Motor boats are 
much in evidence, but the law prescribes that 
these shall not be used on the flats. And that is 
a good law. 
