June 8, 1907.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
893 
Copyright, 1006 . by Harper & Brothers. 
From “ Nature’s Craftsmen. 
NET-MAKING CADDIS WORM BUILDING ITS UNDER-WATER CAIRN. 
The upper figure shows an earlier stage; the lower the pebble wall further advanced. 
New Publications. 
* 
here about a month beyond their usual time for 
leaving. The birds were soon discovered, and 
to my apprehension were playing a most extra¬ 
ordinary role, that of fly-catchers. There were 
several dozens of them, scattered among some 
nearby trees close down by the water’s edge, en¬ 
gaged in the pursuit of fly-catching. They would 
dart from the perch, and with graceful aerial 
evolutions, sometimes pausing to flutter a few 
feet oyer my head, evidently were seizing some 
small insects that were invisible to my eyes. 
Their movements were exactly like those of the 
typical fly-catchers when similarly engaged. This 
may be a usual habit of the cedarbird when in 
his summer environment, but was new and 
strange to me, and the appearance of my little 
friends in the fly-catcher’s role was most strik¬ 
ing. 
, During the past few days a pair of Bobwhites 
have been proclaiming themselves in clear and 
ringing notes in the vicinity of my office yard. 
Besides these are wrens, bluejays, orioles, mock¬ 
ingbirds, redheads, with an occasional blackbird, 
and the everlasting English sparraw, that give 
animation to the surrounding trees, all busy in 
preparations for summer housekeeping, and some 
already far advanced in the business of rearing 
young broods. An English sparrow was observed 
some ten days ago, feeding her well grown 
progeny. This pestiferous little creature is the 
; only member of the whole bird family that ex¬ 
cites in the writer a feeling of positive aversion 
and resentment at his presence. He makes the 
impression as being in the nature of vermin, and 
without any title to respect or affection—a little 
street Arab and scavenger. Coahoma 
.__ 
L v 
A Summer Tragedy. 
, Milford, Conn., May 29. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I discovered to-day a painful tragedy 
that had just taken place at our house. 
On the caps of two of the pillars at opposite 
ends of the little piazza in front of the house 
are always to be seen two nests of the phoebe, 
and at the proper season of the year one of these 
nests is always occupied, having been repaired 
in the spring. 
I had been away for some weeks, and when I 
! entered the house on my return noticed that the 
phoebe did not fly off as I passed under her nor 
could I see her on the nest. A little later I 
climbed up and put my fingers in the nest, and 
as I did so I saw two young birds, still in the 
down, though fairly well grown, hanging dead 
1 outside the nest. What had occurred was soon 
i apparent. By some mischance, one leg of each 
little bird had become entangled in a loose cow 
hair which formed part of the lining of the nest, 
and the two birds were tied together and tied to 
the bottom of the nest and had died there. They 
[ had been dead less than twenty-four hours. 
I broke the hair and took them down. It was 
evident that soon after death the mother bird 
had tried to remove them from the nest, and 
her efforts must have been strong and continued, 
for the hair had been loosened enough to permit 
the bodies to hang down outside the nest, and 
the skin was broken and torn away in a triangu¬ 
lar flap from the breast of one of the birds. I 
:ould learn what had happened only from what 
1 saw. 
The parent birds were seen about the house 
his evening and I am not without hope that they 
will now repair the other nest and raise another 
! arood. Observer. 
The Pa.blo Buffalo Sale. 
All citizens of the United States will greatly 
. regret the loss to this country of the Allard- 
Pablo herd of buffalo, which for so many years 
lave ranged on the Flathead Reservation, but 
; vhich now in great part have been sold to the 
1 Canadian Government and are to be put on a 
‘eservation in Canada. Arrangements for the 
, Me were completed in March, the Canadian 
jovernment having then deposited $10,000 to 
1 he credit of Michel Pablo with the First Na- 
ional Bank of Missoula, Montana, to bind the 
largain. The first shipment—to consist of the 
Iry stock—was to be made in the month of May. 
Pablcfs reasons for selling were, of course, be¬ 
cause of the opening of the Flathead Reserva¬ 
tion, and his now having no range on which to 
keep the buffalo. It is understood, however, that 
after he has delivered the buffalo to Canada he 
will have left a number which he will try to 
keep. 
1 he range occupied by these buffalo in the 
Flathead country has a mild climate and fears 
have been expressed by some correspondents, who 
were familiar with the buffalo in the old days, 
that their transfer to the north will necessitate 
winter feeding, and that they will not always 
thrive and increase under new conditions. It is 
also remarked that, in the old days, scabies or 
mange was more prevalent to the north than to 
the south. 
We do not think that these fears are justified 
by what is known of the past history of the 
buffalo. It is an animal of great adaptability 
which once ranged from Great Bear Lake south 
to Mexico, and was apparently equally at home 
on the hot and arid plains or on the high moun¬ 
tains above timber line. 
Much as the loss of these buffalo to the United 
States is to be regretted, we all hope that the 
herd will prosper in its new home. 
Persons especially interested in this herd will 
remember that in July, 1902, two long articles 
were published in Forest and Stream which 
gave the history of its origin, increase and its 
condition in that year. 
What about the Spring Migration? 
New York, May 30.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: May I through your columns inquire 
of ornithologists and collectors whether the 
spring migration this year has shown any un¬ 
usual features? Circumstances have prevented 
my being in the field and watching the birds that 
pass along the Atlantic coast, but to-day, being 
obliged to go into the country, I noticed, as it 
seemed to me as I drove along, more warblers 
than would usually be seen at this date. Be¬ 
sides the birds which commonly spend the summer 
with us, or just to the north. I saw bay-breasted 
warblers, black polls and black-throated green 
warblers; and all these from the wagon as I 
drove along. Usually the migration is over by 
the 15th or 20th of May,-is it not? 
Has the unusually cold and wet weather of 
the present spring caused the birds to linger with 
us longer than usual? The black poll is, of 
course, one of the latest migrants, but I am 
greatly surprised to see that and the bay-breasted 
warblers with us as late as Decoration Day. 
Will any of your observing readers tell us 
what they have noticed about this spring’s migra¬ 
tion? Ramon. 
In a popular way Dr. Henry C. McCook pre¬ 
sents his “Nature’s Craftsmen” to the natural 
history reader. It is not dry reading although 
it deals with facts, but natural history facts need 
not of necessity be dull reading. In this case 
excellent illustrations serve both to instruct and 
interest the reader. Several chapters are de¬ 
voted to the habits of ants, bees, wasps and 
spiders, but the natural history student and the 
angler will read with care all that is said of the 
net-making caddis worm, for too little of the 
attention of fly-fishermen has been given to the 
life history of the caddis fly and those insects 
on which trout feed just before or during the 
brief life of the flies. Although more attention 
than formerly is being given to the particular 
fly that is to be found on the water at certain 
times, the average fly-fisherman cannot fail to 
be benefited by a closer acquaintance witlr these, 
interesting insects from the larval to the imago 
stages. Dr. McCook’s book is large and there 
are 100 or more finely executed drawings from 
life of the insects referred to. It is published 
by Harper & Bros., New York and London. 
‘‘One Hundred Photographs from Life” is a 
little booklet relating to the mice of Great Britain 
constituting part one of Douglas English’s nature 
books. The first half of the book is given up 
• wholly to very excellent half-tone reproductions 
from photographs, from life, as the title indi¬ 
cates, and these are followed by descriptive notes 
on the smaller British mammals, with a table of 
names, measurements, etc. 
No. 2 in this series is entitled “One Hundred 
Photographs from Life of British Birds,” .by R. 
B. Lodge. The pictures are remarkable, includ¬ 
ing one of the hedge sparrow in the act of feed¬ 
ing a forlorn young cuckoo. The notes that' fol¬ 
low are in keeping with the pictures, and enable 
the young naturalist to identify the birds by 
their scientific and popular names as well as 
through means of the photographs. 
Bousefield & Co., London, are the publishers of 
both books, which are pocket size. 
^ “The Young in Heart” is an appeal by Arthur 
Stanwood Pier to all human beings to be cheer¬ 
ful and contented; and in his anecdotes and 
pleasing pen pictures of the power for good pos¬ 
sessed by cheerful men and women, the benefits 
of healthful outdoor sports receive their full share 
of praise. There are eight essays in the book, 
and all are well worth reading. Published by 
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston. 
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