132 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Jan. 23, 1909. 
billed cuckoo and mourning dove eggs, found in 
a robin's nest, with the cuckoo and mourning- 
dove sitting on the nest at the same time. 
On Oct. 31, 1889, Captain Bendire wrote as 
follows: “I am sure that it will be a long time 
before such another combination of eggs will 
be found in one nest, as you took on that occa¬ 
sion.” I still have the nest and eggs in good 
condition, although taken twenty-six years ago 
last June, and consider it one of my greatest 
finds. 
In 1893 ss'it to Captain Bendire a nest and 
eggs of the wood pewee {Contopiis wirens) for 
examination. In Vol. II., pg. 290, he says: 
“This nest which is well preserved is exteriorly 
composed entirel}" of wool. * * * It is very 
sparingly lined with fine grass tops and a few 
horsehairs, while a single well-preserved apple 
leaf lies perfectly flat and exactly in the center 
and bottom of the nest. It contained three eggs 
when taken and bears not the slightest resemlj- 
lance to any other nesf of this species I have 
ever seen.” 
While I had scores of letters from Captain 
Bendire, I never met him, which I sadly de- 
deplore. J. L. Davison. 
Avocet in New Jersey. 
Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 14.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I feel like calling attention to the 
propriety of giving better protection to our shore 
birds; not only gulls, terns, etc., which are not 
prized for food, but sandpipers, surf snipe, wil- 
lets, black-bellied plover and others, which are 
treated as game birds, and for which there is an 
open season. To anyone who can remember the 
great abundance of these birds on our ocean 
beaches forty years ago, and who sees the scar¬ 
city of their numbers now, it must be evident 
that, unless shooting them is prohibited alto¬ 
gether, it is only a question of a few years when 
one of the most attractive features of a sojourn 
by the sea will be lost. Naturally slow to take 
alarm and apparently learning nothing by experi¬ 
ence, they permit one to approach them with so 
little precaution that shooting them on the open 
■stretches of sand is more like butchery than 
sport. Gunning for rail, ducks, etc., on the 
meadows and bays, back from the beach, is a 
different proposition, and as the rail and duck 
tribes are much more prolific than the class of 
birds in question, there is not the same danger 
of extermination. But even these, especially 
ducks and geese and their allies, are evidently 
losing ground. 
It is true that most of the beach birds have 
both their breeding plaees and their winter resi¬ 
dences outside of the United States, and hence 
beyond our control, but we can, at least, treat 
them as friends while they are favoring us with 
their delightful company at the times of their 
migrations. Those who find profit in preserving 
and developing the attractive features of the 
sea shore, would do well to take notice. 
I saw an American avocet, about the middle 
of last September, on the beach near Avalon, 
Cape May county. New Jersey. It appears 
that these singular birds, with their long, slen¬ 
der, up-turned bills, were at one time quite 
abundant in this part of the Atlantic coast, but 
are now very rare east of the Alleghanies. 
Alexander Wilson, in his account of them a 
hundred years ago, says: 
“This species (Reciirvirostra americana) from 
its perpetual clamor and flipping of tongue is 
called by the inhabitants of Cape May the lawyer 
* * * , arrives on the coast of Cape I\Iay late in 
April, rears its young, and departs again to the 
south early in October.” 
In “The Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and 
New Jersey,” by Wilmer Stone, published 1894, 
it is said of the avocet: 
“A very rare straggler on the New Jersey 
coast. * * * The only recent records that we 
know of is one specimen shot by Mr. I. N. De 
Haven, near Tuckerton, N. J., last of August, 
1866, and one seen by W. E. D. Scott, at Long- 
Beach, N. J., IMay 20, 1877.” 
The one that I saw last fall came across from 
the meadows to the beach and flew so elose by 
me that identification was certain. And its dis- 
eordant clamor indicated that the tribe has lost 
none of its lawyer-like qualifications. It opened 
up its boisterous address upon seeing me in the 
distance and did not change its course in the 
least to avoid me. I. W. G. 
Belden, the White Chief. 
Manilla, Philippine Islands, Dec. i. — Editor 
Forest and Stream:- Can any of your readers 
give me any information about Belden, who 
was the subject of Gen. Brisbin’s book entitled, 
“Belden, the White Chief”? I know nothing of 
what became of him after about the year 1867, 
at which point, if I recollect aright, Gen. Bris¬ 
bin’s book ends abruptly. 
He is said to be buried at Ft. Yates, South 
Dakota, in the same cemetery with Sitting Bull. 
I should be gratified if I could learn anything 
about his later life. A. P. McNab, 
Philippines Scout. 
[Belden was alive in 1870, and it is our im¬ 
pression that he was killed about a year after 
that, say in 1871 or 1872. We know little about 
his death, but at the time it was said that he 
was waylaid and killed by an Indian from the 
tribe that Belden was living with at the time. 
Our impression is that Belden was returning 
from Ft. Yates to the Indian village when he 
was killed. We shall be glad if our correspon¬ 
dents can help us to anything further on the 
subj ect. —Editor.] 
To Help Bring Back the Game. 
Scarborough, N. Y., Jan. 9. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: It is suggested that a relentless 
war be carried on against the crow and hawk; 
that men be employed by the game wardens of 
each county to destroy the young in the nests 
when about half grown, by shooting heavy shot 
into the nests, or otherwise; or, that a bounty 
be paid for the heads of young crows, young 
hawks, young owls, as well as the heads of old 
birds; a bounty sufficiently large to induce 
every farmer boy and every country boy to hunt 
the nests. 
That a certain amount of money received by 
the State from resident and non-resident licenses 
be allotted each county for the above purpose. 
E. J. B. 
[There is much to be said on the other side 
of this question. —Editor.] 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
National Forester’s Report. 
Washington, D. C., Jan. 16.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: Gifford Pinchot, forester, has just 
made a retrospect of the work of the United 
State Forest Service for the fiscal year 1908. 
For the administration and protection of the 
182 national forests in seventeen States and Ter¬ 
ritories and Alaska, the Government spent $2.- 
526,098.02, or about one and one-half cents an 
acre. Permanent improvements, including the 
construction of 3,400 miles of trails, 100 miles 
of wagon roads, 3,200 miles of telephone lines, 
550 cabins and barns, 600 miles of pasture and 
drift fences, 250 bridges and 40 miles of fire 
lines cost $592,169.19. Telephone wire to build 
approximately 400 miles of additional lines was 
shipped to the forests, but with the funds avail¬ 
able before the close of the year the work of 
construction could not be completed. Some of 
this work was done in each of the forests in 
the United States. 
Although many needed improvements could 
not be undertaken, the benefits of what has been 
accomplished are seen in the more convenient 
and economical manner in which the forest 
officers are enabled to carry on their work and 
in the opening up to forest users of territory 
hitherto inaccessible. The remaining $297,840.40 
of the total of $3,416,107.61, disbursed on ac¬ 
count of work of the Forest Service, was used 
in forest investigations costing $235,855.14, and 
in diffusion of forest information and federal 
co-operation. 
Last year the receipts from sales of timber, 
grazing fees and permits for special uses of 
forest resources amounted to $1,842,281.87. an 
increase of $271,222.43 over 1907. The per acre 
receipts from the national forests were a little 
more than one cent, less than five mills under 
the per acre cost of administration and protec¬ 
tion of the forests. 
The amounts paid the States and Territories, 
to be expended for roads and public schools 
from the year’s receipts, amounted to $447,- 
063.79. Chiefly because of increasing the 
revenue to the States from 10 per cent, in 1907 
to 25 per cent, last year, there was a total in¬ 
crease of $294,031.62 in the amounts payable to 
the States. 
In addition, the national forests yielded 
heavily to the public in free use. There were 
30,714 permits granted for the free use of tim¬ 
ber by settlers, schools and churches during the 
year valued at $168,720. compared to 63,000.000 
feet, valued at $75,000 in 1907. 
The aggregate of free use of the forests for 
grazing added perhaps 10 per cent, to the amount 
of stock carried by the forests. 
Of free special-use permits there were issued 
during the year 1,768. The grazing receipts for 
1908 were $962,829.40 and were paid by the hold¬ 
ers of 19,845 permits. Receipts of $849,027.24 
from timber sales were paid by approximately 
5.189 purchasers. The receipts from special uses 
amounted to $30,425.23 and were paid by 2,065 
permittees. 
The year’s receipts represent profitable use of 
the forests by some 30,000 individuals or con¬ 
cerns, in addition to more than 30.000 getting 
free use of timber and other resources. About 
one-fourth of all the timber cut from the na¬ 
tional forests was under free-use permits. 
The purpose of this free-use privilege is to 
Continued on page 125. 
