454 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[March 23, 19075 
BIG SEA HARE WHICH MIMICS THE BOTTOM UPON WHICH IT CRAWLS. 
March Fields and Woods. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
With lengthening days and lessening nights, rough 
March is here at last; 
The sun is climbing northward, and the birds begin 
to sing; 
Old -winter with his freezing blasts and snow and ice is 
past, 
The loveliest season’s with us now, this season’s naiae 
is spring. 
Now soon the sun’s warm rays will draw the frost from 
out the ground; 
The buds with sap are swelling and the streams from 
ice are clear; 
The spathes of the skunk cabbage plant in marshy lands 
are found; 
Again grim winter’s reign is o’er and gentle spring is 
here. 
March 1.—Gathered several well-grown spathes 
of the skunk cabbage plant—the first flower of 
spring time. The walls of the spathes seemed 
thicker or more fleshy than common; also the 
inclosed seed globes were more fully covered 
with the yellow pollen than is commonly seen 
as early as this. The pussy willows that I came 
across are fairly well blown, considering the 
awfully cold weather we have had. 
March 3.—Heard and saw redwing blackbirds, 
bluebirds and song sparrows, thus showing that 
the vanguard of our little warblers is already on 
the wing heading northward. On the same day— 
Sunday—while on a tramp through the fields and 
woods, I saw six rabbits, four gray squirrels and 
a good-sized covey of quail, some twelve or 
fifteen in number, and all within easy shooting 
distance. Query; Had I my shotgun along for 
the purpose of getting a bag full, would I have 
come across as much game even in a much longer 
time, strolling about? 
If what I saw that day is any criterion, the 
prospects for gunning next fall in this part of the 
State were never better. A. L. L. 
Field Museum. Catalogue. 
Volume VIII. of the Zoological Series of 
the publications of the Field Columbian Museum 
Dr. Daniel Giraud Elliot has recently issued a 
catalogue of the collection of mammals in that 
museum. 
When the author took charge of the Depart¬ 
ment of Zoology in the museum, many years ago, 
its collection of mammals consisted of a limited 
number of mounted specimens, interesting, no 
doubt, to the public which view them, but practi¬ 
cally of no scientific value. There were no mam¬ 
mal skins, a study collection did not exist. Now, 
however, the museum contains 15,000 specimens, 
most of them skins which represent over a thou¬ 
sand pecies. 
As is natural when beginning a formatioil of 
a collection, the material nearest at hand was 
first sought, and so the mammals of the United 
States make up the greater portion of the cata¬ 
logue. Nevertheless, as will be remembered, Dr. 
Elliot made an expedition to Africa, which pro¬ 
duced most important results, and in gathering 
the museum’s collection he had given much at¬ 
tention to exotic forms, and especially to wild 
horses and African antelopes, important and 
beautiful creatures, which are well on the way 
toward extinction. The museum has kept many 
collectors out in North America and with very 
satisfactory results. 
The Field Museum’s groups of mounted mam¬ 
mals are well known for their beauty and for 
the naturalness of their surroundings, and more 
than one of these groups has become famous over 
the whole country. 
The volume at hand is a ponderous one of 700 
pages, and has a number of beautiful illustrations. 
Mr. Kellogg’s Bird Notes. 
Baltimore, Md., March 11. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Mr. Charles Dennison Kellogg, popu¬ 
larly known as the “bird man,” gave an interest¬ 
ing lecture recently at the Friends’ Meeting 
House. In a darkened room he imitated the 
notes of the song sparrow and other birds. Dur¬ 
ing his lecture the audience were for the time in 
the woods with the little songsters. Mr. Kellogg 
is a lover oi all animals, but birds are his 
specialty. Birds have come to him through his 
bird notes. The lecture was given especially for 
Children, and he endeavored to fix in their 
minds a kindly regard for birds and animals. He 
is opposed to caging birds. He also^ exhibited 
pictures of the white heron, and explained how 
the bird is killed when returning to its nest with 
food for its little ones. Wm. J. Reed. 
Spearing Muskrats. 
Brockville, Ont., March 8 .—Editor Forest 
and• Stream: In your issue of Feb. 9 last, 
F. A. L. asks information as to spearing mus¬ 
quash under the ice. I wrote an article giving 
the Indian way of spearing and trenching these 
animals, which was published in Forest and 
Stream, Aug. 27, 1898, which I think will give 
F. A. L. the desired information. I may say 
that the ice on ponds or sluggish rivers is gen¬ 
erally strong enough to bear a man’s weight be¬ 
fore the rat houses are frozen enough to prevent 
the spear penetrating. I mean a single shaft 
spear; no one would think of using a four prong 
one. Martin Hunter. 
A Wasp-Destroying Redbird. 
Hot Springs, Ark., March 12.— Editor Fo/\ 
and Stream: A redbird, truly, yet not a redb 
—at any rate, it was not a specimen of ; 
species I am acquainted with. It was no lari 
than a bluebird, much “dumpier” in form, 
color red and gray mixed, somewhat like I 
coloring of the female of one variety of vl 
well known redbird, but not so evenly mingled 
I was sitting under a sassafras shade tree j 
my yard, at what time of day I would like ; 
recall, but cannot, as it was about a year a ! 
when a sudden slapping, thrashing sound aroiu 
me from a deep reverie, and looking up, son 
what startled, I caught a very unsatisfactc 
glimpse of the bird described, with a was 
nest much larger than its own body in its n 
It was pounding the nest—a live one—vigorou 
against the trunk of the tree, about ten feet abc 
my head, as fearless of the insects as a ’coon 
said to be; but it was unwilling to be gazed up 
by a man, for it instantly dropped its trophy a 
fled. Who knows of such a bird ? 
L. R. Morphew 
A Black Adirondack Hare. 
Napoleon Bonaparte Tobideau, a young Frenc 
Canadian, who works for Frank Pelon at He? 
quarters Camp, at Cedar River Flow, in the A> 
rondacks, not long ago shot and killed a rajbl 
in a balsam slash near Pelon’s camp. Mr. Pel 
is an observant man who has hunted and trapp 
in numerous places, and when he saw this rabl 
his curiosity was aroused, for it was perfec 
black from head to tail with the exception 
the ears and head, which bore a few browni 
hairs. In size it ranked with the great northe 
hares which are common along Cedar River. 
Mr. Pelon intended to send the black hare 
a taxidermist to be mounted, but as it ivvj 
frozen wdien the boy brought it home, in han 
ling it both hind legs were broken and it w 
therefore skinned and eaten by the family. 
P. D. F. 
Destruction of Game in South Afric 
At the recent annual meeting of the Griqualai 
West Game Protection Association at Kimberl 
attention was called to the wanton shooting 
game for sale, and it will be instructive to co; 
sider the reported returns of the head of mix 
game sold on the Kimberley market for the u 
dermentioned seasons : 1904 season, 12,975, rer 
izing £2752; 1905 season, 29,119, value £466 
1906 season, 40,933, realizing £4829. The detai 
comprising last year’s total of 40,933 wer 
Springbuck, 4025; duiker, 174; steinbuck, 1,41 
hares, 5,131; knorhaan, 3,565; redwing, 2,95, 
guineafowl, 818; paauw, 59; wild duck, 13 
geese, 33; small birds, 22,626. When retur 
like these are on record, it is little to wonder 
that the hope was expressed at the annual mee 
ing mentioned that a measure on the subje 
would be introduced in the Cape Parliament. 
The P'ield. 
Catamounts Kill Pennsylvania Deer? 
William Samton, caretaker of the Otsinacl 
son Gun Club preserve in Clinton Co., Pa., can 
here recently with the pelts of three catamoun j 
which he killed. One of them fought him des 
perately and was dispatched with a small a nr 
A second he chased twenty-three miles with 
dog before he got a shot. 
Samton and his men have found the carcase 
of ten deer that were killed by catamounts.-! 
Philadelphia Record. 
Cougars Killing Sheep. 
In some of the mountain regions of Calif or 
nia where sheep raising is one of the princip; 
sources of revenue of the ranchmen, mountai 
lions have increased in numbers or at least havj 
been attracted to the vicinity of the sheej 
ranches, and during the winter the sheep me I 
have lost heavily to them. Such efforts as ca 
be made to kill the cougars do not result ver 
satisfactorily, and organized hunts take light to 
on these big cats. 
