412 
[Sept, xi, 1909. 
get out and would then still fall a prey to the 
crows, pinally a crow was shot and hung on 
a pole near the chicken yard, after which there 
was no further trouble.” 
In the other case cited, 87 per cent, of duck¬ 
lings hatched were destroyed by crows. In this 
case also a scarecrow was ineffectual in keep¬ 
ing the crows away. 
“The question of whether the crow is on the 
whole beneficial to agricultural interests, or 
whether he does more harm than good, is one 
that will probably have to receive a different 
answer in accordance with different conditions. 
That he does a great deal of good at times by 
the destruction of noxious insects cannot be de¬ 
nied, though it would probably be difficult to 
convince the average farmer that he is anything 
but a thief and a rascal. The problem is in 
reality an extremely complex one, depending 
upon a great many variable factors, especially 
the absolute and relative abundance of various 
kinds of food. When other food is scarce the 
crow turns to poultry, but when certain insects 
(such, for example, as the beetles, commonly 
known as “June bugs”) are abundant, the crow 
feeds largely upon them. * * * 
“Whatever may be the crow’s good points in 
particular cases, it is not likely that the poultry- 
man, who is suffering serious losses by his dep¬ 
redations, will be inclined to look upon him 
with favor. * * * 
“It should, perhaps, be mentioned that it is 
the opinion of many observers that the egg and 
poultry stealing habit is not common to all of 
the crows of even a single locality, but that the 
habit is acquired by certain individuals only, and 
that if these can be shot the trouble will be 
stopped.” 
Panthers in New England. 
Pasadena, Cal., Aug. 18.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: Regarding a panther being seen in 
Bennington county, Vermont. From my earliest 
recollection, over sixty years, there have been 
panthers in Northern Vermont and in the ad¬ 
jacent counties of Quebec, the Megantic district 
and the Brompton Lake and Oxford Mountain 
woods. 
Two years ago this summer I saw a panther 
track in East Enosburg, Vt., and about that 
time a farmer in that neighborhood clubbed or 
stoned two of these animals away from a deer. 
Up to twenty years ago there were in that 
territory more panthers than bobcats, but now 
there are far more of the latter. Formerly the 
big cats lived almost exclusively on hedgehogs 
and the great northern hare, and very seldom 
molested either cattle or sheep. We have the 
same animals here, but we call them mountain 
lions. The Vermont cats are larger than those 
found here, as I have not seen any tracks as 
large as those seen in Vermont. 
I saw last week within a few miles of this 
city a bear track that measured about eight 
inches across the ball of the foot. From the 
print of its claws I should say it was one of 
the common black bear family, though the track 
was much larger than any other black bear track 
that I have before seen. N. P. Leach. 
All the fish laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Black Ducks in Central Park. 
Mauch Chunk, Pa., Aug. 31.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: A short time ago, being obliged 
to pass a Sunday in New York, I wandered out 
to Central Park—a place that I have not visited 
for a dozen or fifteen years. Standing on a 
bridge over a little arm of one of the lakes 
there I was astonished to see six full grown, 
but evidently young, black ducks feeding near 
the shore. The birds were unmistakably dusky 
ducks, what we used to call Anas obscura, 
though I believe the poor things have another 
name now. As if to settle any suspicion that 
I might afterward feel about a misidentification 
—although the birds were only twenty-five or 
thirty feet distant—a man presently came along 
rowing a pleasure boat and amused himself by 
cutting out one of the ducks from the flock, and 
then trying to drive it out into the open water. 
Before he had followed it far, it rose on the 
wing, made a little circle and came back nearly 
to its companions. 
A few minutes later I saw twenty-five or 
thirty feet further on an old black duck with 
“when the terrapin sits in the sun.” 
eight young ones so well grown that their wings 
were pretty well feathered. I suppose that they 
were five or six weeks old. These, like their 
older brothers, were working hard for a living, 
and the old mother paid not the slightest atten¬ 
tion to the people who were passing to and fro. 
You have frequently spoken in Forest and 
Stream of the presence of black ducks breed¬ 
ing in Central Park, but I always imagined that 
there must be some mistake about it, some error 
of identification. I now know that you were 
right and I was wrong, and I am willing to 
pledge myself to the fact that there are fifteen 
genuine wild black ducks in one of the Central 
Park ponds, unless some of them have been 
killed within a very short time. 
I am told that the black ducks reach the park 
just as soon as the ice melts in February or 
March, and that they breed very early. Should 
not this be a great incentive to those people who 
are talking about rearing wild ducks in private 
ponds to try their hand at it? Stranger. 
[These wild black ducks arrive in Central 
Park early in the spring and begin nesting in 
due time in the low shrubbery or among the 
rocks along the margins of the chain of ponds. 
During the earlier part of their stay in the 
park the drakes, and at times the ducks, rise 
and fly away through the trees and over the 
streets and housetops in the direction of the 
marshes of Long Island, apparently to feed, re¬ 
turning later in the day. Harlem Mere shelters 
a number of pairs, which make their nests along 
the isolated and rocky shore furthest from West 
noth street and Fifth avenue. On the Mere 
there is more or less boating, but while the wild¬ 
fowl pay little apparent heed to this, they will 
not permit one to approach very close, but seek 
safety by swimming rapidly or, as our corres¬ 
pondent says, they rise and circle the boats. 
For several years we have watched the pair 
which make their summer home on the Pool, on 
the west side of the park. This is an artificial 
pond in a deep hollow, well shaded. The nest 
is made on a point between some broken stones, 
and the duck may be seen from above or from 
the water. It is believed the same pair return 
to this place every year. Two years ago the 
duck laid nine eggs. In April the pair were 
seen on the Pool, but the nest was empty and 
not even a broken shell remained. Perhaps the 
eggs were stolen by some boy; within a short 
distance a robin’s nest and eggs were pilfered 
at about the same time. 
Last year the duck laid eleven eggs and ap¬ 
peared on the water with that number of little 
ones. One by one they disappeared until six 
only remained, possibly due to rats which are 
numerous along the pond. We did not see 
these ducks from late June until in August, and 
then there was a second brood of some six, 
the first brood being about two-thirds grown. 
The drake flew away and remained several 
hours each day, returning toward sunset. The 
mother at that time objected vigorously to the 
mixing of her two broods and flew at the older 
ducklings like a little fury every time they came 
too close to the younger ones. 
It can scarcely be doubted that this pair re¬ 
turns to the Pool every year, for there are sc' 
many other safe nest sites that a strange pair 
coming in would not be likely to hit upon th( 
V-shaped cranny among the rocks on the poin 
nearest one of the most frequented walks 1 
Their actions are alike, too, year after year 
and they cruise about it the same fashion. 
That they brought forth two broods last sea 
son seems certain also, for the second broor 
appeared several weeks before their customary 
departure over the housetops for the South. 
It would be interesting to know just hor 
many of these black ducks breed in Centra 
Park annually—more, we feel sure, than is gen 
erally believed to find sanctuary in a large citj' 
—Editor.] 
Rattlesnakes in California. 
In a recent issue Stanstead, writing froi 
Pasadena, Cal., said that since he had made h 
home in Southern California he had covere 
the adjacent country quite thoroughly, but hs 
seen no rattlesnakes either alive or dead. 
Charles Hallock, who was in California du 
ing the very wet winter of 1904-5 when it rainc 
almost every day for four months, says that tl.l 
rattlesnakes were drowned out. In Nationl 
City, near San Diego, he saw a great many <1 
them from under the bridge in Paradise Vail 
whence they were swept out into the bay Ij 
the torrential stream. Previously to the w' 
spell a picnic party killed fifteen on San MigP 
Mountain in one day’s outing. 
All the game laws of the United States at 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, a’ 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
