[April 18, 1908. 
6 l 2 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
An Early Whippoorwill? 
New York, April 12.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: May I ask some of your readers, 
whose collecting days are not quite so far dis¬ 
tant as mine, a question about the date of arrival 
of one of our common birds? 
I was in southern Connecticut on Saturday 
last, and while going through the woods had 
occasion to cross a brook six or eight feet wide. 
As I landed from my jump a whippoorwill rose 
from the ground not more than three feet in 
front of me, flipped up into the air, passed over 
my head, crossed the brook behind me and 
alighted near an old stump. 
I could hardly believe my eyes, because my 
memory is that the whippoorwill usually reaches 
here about May 1, or nearly three weeks later 
than the time I saw this one. I turned about, 
recrossed the brook, and carefully approaching 
the spot where the bird had alighted, presently 
saw it sitting on a black weathered log. It al¬ 
lowed ipe to approach it within about ten feet, 
so close in fact that, so far as identification 
goes, I might as well have had the bird in my 
hand, but of course the species is so familiar 
that no great care was required. 
As I drew still nearer, the bird rose and 
started back in the direction it had last come 
from, and then, seeing my companion, turned 
to the right, flew around uncertainly among the 
tops of the alders and birches, and finally tried 
to alight among the very slender twigs on the 
end of a branch of the large birch tree. It tried 
to do this two or three times, each time appar¬ 
ently falling through the twigs, and then rising 
above them and trying it again. Finally it 
seemed to find a place where the twigs were a 
little thicker and rested, and there I left it. 1 
do not recall ever to have seen a whippoorwill 
alight or attempt to alight on such a place as 
this. They ordinarily select a wide surface, as 
a log, stump, a fence rail or the horizontal 
branch of a tree. 
During my walk on Saturday the wind was 
blowing a gale and very few birds were seen. 
A few bluebirds and robins were in the fields and 
along the hedge rows, but most birds seemed to 
have sought the shelter of the woods. There 
I saw a number of phoebes hard at work catch¬ 
ing the moths which were flying about every¬ 
where. Even the red-winged blackbirds were 
not evident about the pools where their nests 
will soon be built. They were hidden some¬ 
where among the low water bushes. 
Near a little wet place with green grass, where 
a tiny trickle of water comes out of a piece of 
woods, I started the first redpoll warbler that 
I have seen this year. According to my recol¬ 
lection it is just about the proper date for these 
birds to make their appearance. I saw only this 
one, but perhaps with more time I could have 
found others. The bird’s tail motion, its olive 
body and its white tail spots made it unmis¬ 
takable. 
Spring started in March with a rush, but the 
last ten days or two weeks have been so cool 
and very windy—more like March than like 
April weather. Nevertheless the flowers are 
beginning to bloom—skunk cabbages, anemones 
and a very few marsh marigolds, though a week 
more of warm weather will be needed to bring 
these out. The red maples are coming into 
bloom and of course the elms and the alders. 
I did not attempt to fish, but from the looks 
of the brooks and streams I should say that the 
fishing has not yet begun; the brooks are high 
anjl look cold. G. 
Northwest Police Notes.- 
Regina, N. W. T., April 2.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: In looking over the published notes 
sent to you I say, in the Churchill notes, that 
caribou were scarce. I intended to say that 
wolves and caribou were plentiful and white 
foxes scarce, but did not punctuate rightly.* 
I have just been reading over the diary of our 
detachment at Fullerton on Hudson Bay, and 
have picked out a few notes which may interest 
you. It is a lonely spot, the weather is abomi¬ 
nable most of the time, and you can appreciate 
what life is there. The notes cover period from 
Jan. 1 to Sept. 4, 1907. 
White Fox.—Scarce; the first trapped on Jan. 
5. About end of February began to get more 
plentiful, and up to May 3, when traps were 
lifted, forty-seven had been secured. 
Seals.—Frequent trips made to the floe, but 
no success until March 14, when two were se¬ 
cured. No more until June 4, when one was 
shot; after that more plentiful. 
Bears.—On April 5 two tracks were seen near 
the floe. On Aug. 15 natives employed at post 
killed two. On Aug. 18 natives brought in four 
and on Aug. 20, seven. 
Deer.—Were plentiful all winter, but long dis¬ 
tances had to be traveled to secure them. Wol¬ 
verines are mentioned as eating cached deer car¬ 
casses. A fawn was brought into post on June 
10, but only lived four days. 
The only fish mentioned are white whales. 
One of nine feet was caught in a net; the other 
nets were broken up by bigger fish. Trout nets 
were set in harbor on July 28 and up to Aug. 
.30, when they were taken up. Fifty trout are 
mentioned as caught. 
Regarding birds. Entry on April 17 states 
first snow birds seen. May 31 first geese seen 
on lake near post. June 24 one goose shot, and 
some eggs secured. June 25 one duck and 
seventy eggs. July 7 a hunting party returned 
with some eggs, but mostly uneatable. 
Wolves.—Report plentiful. Caches of hunting 
parties dug up in many instances and devoured, 
entailing much hardship on men and dogs. 
Walrus.—Reported plentiful at Chesterfield 
Inlet. 
First mosquitoes appeared on July 7. Harbor 
clear of ice on July 23, but drifted in again on 
July 28 and finally left on Aug. 4. First rain 
is mentioned on July 26. 
Temperature was often very low for long 
periods and there was a lot of snow and high 
winds. For six weeks previous to May 28 it 
blew an almost continuous gale from the north¬ 
east. 
A large number of train dogs died. The sick¬ 
ness is not described, but the animals appeared 
to die tyery quickly and no recoveries. They 
were dying at intervals all winter and means 
serious loss to the natives. 
J. H. McIllree. 
The Forest and Stream may be obtained from 
any newsdealer on order. Ask your dealer to 
supply you regularly. 
Protective Mimicry. 
At the recent meeting of the Society of 
American Zoologists Mr. Chas. R. Stockard, of 
the Cornell Medical School, read an interesting 
paper on “The Habits of the Walking Stick, 
( Aplopus ).” 
The habits of this animal on the plant on 
which it feeds are as protectively adapted as is 
its singular stick-like appearance. In color and 
form the large female resembles the stem of 
the plant, the males are greenish and inconspicu¬ 
ous among the leafed twigs, while the eggs are 
peculiarly similar to the seed of Suriana in size 
and color. During the day the insect only moves 
occasionally, but at night is much more active. 
It walks in a slow stiff manner, often swinging 
its body from side to side, in such a way as to 
suggest the motion of a branch shaken by the 
wind. If alarmed, or to escape its enemies, the 
insect may drop from its position and become 
lost among the lower branches or may fall 
entirely to the ground and lie motionless for 
several minutes. 
During the day, while inactive, these insects 
may be made to assume an endless variety of 
awkward positions, any of which may be main¬ 
tained for some time. They may even be piled 
over one another, backs down and legs extended 
in the air, as if they were inanimate sticks. This 
resemblance and their slow movements often 
cause them to escape the notice of their enemies. 
The Appalachian Bill. 
The Association for the Protection of the 
Adirondacks, in sending to the members of the 
Senate and House of Representatives a memorial 
in favor of the Southern Appalachian and White 
Mountain Forest reserve bill, says that, in realiz¬ 
ing the importance of the ends sought to be 
attained by this bill, the association expresses 
its approval of the bill and respectfully urges its 
enactment; adding: 
“We need not turn to desert tracts of the j 
world for warning or to the rationally managed 
forests of some foreign countries for encourage¬ 
ment. The experience of our own country is 
already eloquent with admonition concerning the 
evils of improvidence; and our knowledge of the 
unfailing laws of nature accords its unimpeach¬ 
able warranty to our confidence concerning the 
beneficent results of forest protection and cul¬ 
ture. 
“The considerations' of public policy, of com¬ 
mon business sense, and of humanity moving to 
the enactment of the bill under consideration are 
so powerful that we again commend it to your 
favorable consideration.” ■ 
In a short time Forest and Stream Publishing 
Company will bring out a small volume which 
will contain the charmin'g serial recently con¬ 
tributed to these columns by Mr. S. T. Ham- • 
mond. The book will contain not far from one 
hundred and -fifty pages, and will be illustrated 
by a number of engravings. All readers who 
enjoyed the serial as it appeared in the Forest 
and Stream are likely to desire this book in 
order to keep in permanent form these charming 
accounts of New England shooting. Orders will 
be received for the book at any time. It will be 
sent postpaid for the sum of $1.00. 
