166 


Batural Historp. 
THE “EIDER DUCK. 
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HE reputation of this bird is world-wide, “And it is 
not from any peculiarity that it possesses, but because 
it ministers (unwillingly, to be sure) to the comfort of man. 
There are four species of this genus in the United States, 
but two of which are found upon the Aflantic coast. The 
king eider is the rarer of the two, and the most northern. 
Plain eider duck is the one most common, and the one re- 
ferred to here. We naturally associate them with icebergs 
and Icelanders, as they form such prominent features in 
tales of Arctic adventure. ’Tis true vast‘numbers have 
their summer dwelling-place in the Polar regions, but even 
those who seek a breeding place in Greenland, Iceland or 
Labrador, seek a less rigorous climate as winter approaches. 
The range of the eider duck is from the coast of New Eng- 
land to the Arctic regions. It is only in winter, however, 
that we are favored with their presence, and then they keep 
well aloof from the shore. By the 1st of May they leave 
us, and seek aplace to make their nest and rear their 
young along the shores of the Bay of Fundy, Newfound- 
land, and Labrador, though the first eggs are not laid till 
the last of that month. It was my good fortune to visit 
the southermost place of their breeding last summer, in the 
Bay of Fundy. 
Upon one of the outlying islands of the Grand Manan 
group, called the ‘‘Whife Horse,” from a fancied resem- 
blance to that beast, I found my first ‘‘sea duck’s” nest. 
As my guide and I approached the island we could see the 
female eiders leave the grassy part of it and fly from tke 
rocks to the malls, collected in a body near. This was in 
July, too late for eggs, had the first laying not been robbed. 
Landing, I ran eagerly forward, hoping to see the treasures 
I had so long ago read about. 
It required some searching before my friend gave the 
joyful intelligence that he had found a nest. Before I 
reached him he had covered it with grass, as when found, 
and I should have stepped upon it, had he not warned me, 
so carefully was it hidden. We found half a dozen nests 
in various parts of the island, all in the tall grass that grew 
near the rocks. From the rocks many tortuous, narrow 
paths led to the grassy thickets, and these paths invariably 
led to a nest, sometimes two, though some had been rob- 
bed. Upon the ground they place a few pieces of grass 
stalks, with other fine material, in a slight depression of 
which the eggs are laid, from three to five, though form- 
erly, before much hunted, as high as ten. These eggs are 
about three inches long by two wide, of a beautiful olive 
green, and very smooth. Sometimes we found these cov- 
ered with a mat of dry grass, and, in two instances, with 
the highly prized eider down, so elastic that a whole nest 
full could be squeezed in the fist and then regain its orig- 
inal bulk. This down was dark slate in color, having been 
plucked by the female from her breast. The young had 
not yet made their appearance, but would had the first eggs 
been allowed to hatch. They are beautiful little creatures, 
can swim like a fish, and tame easily. My friend said he 
had caught a whole nest full and sent them to a friend of 
his in the States. 
Towards the last of this month (October) the eiders begin 
to appear along the Massachusetts coast, forming in large 
bodies off the rocky capes. Good sport is had by gunners 
from Cape Ann in the winter months. A good boat, with 
aman to sail it, can be hired at Rockport or Gloucester, 
and if the day is pleasant, with wind to westward, anda 
a trifle rough, the sportsman may expect shooting. F. B. 
2 
THE MANATEE AT CENTRAL PARK. 
beans gases 
EpiroR Forest anp STREAM — 
One of the most interesting animals lately received at the 
Central Park Menagerie, is a Manatee, believed to be the 
first of the species ever kept for any length of time in cap- 
tivity. These creatures are now retreating before the tide 
of population, and as animals generally are valued in pro- 
portion to their scarcity, a brief description of the manatee 
may preve interesting to your readers. There are found 
but three species, M. letirostris, inhabiting Florida, the 
Gulf of Mexico, and the Carribean sea coast; I. australis, 
from Carribean sea down the coast of Brazil; and WM. sene- 
galensis, on the west eoast of Africa. The more northern 
species, strange to say, ismore closely alied to the African 
species, M. senegalensis, than to its near neighbor, AM. austra. 
ls. Warlan, in his description of the Florida Manatee, 
when he wrote in 1825, says, ‘‘that they were found in con- 
siderable numbers, so that an Indian was able to capture 
ten or twelve with the harpoon in one season.” 
The manatee is generally to be found at the mouths of 
large rivers, such as the Orinoco and the Amazon, and they 
ascend the South American rivers several hundred miles, 
and even into the inland fresh water lakes. They are usu. 
ally seen in small troupes, associating for mutual protec- 
tion and for defense of their young. When the cubs are 
captured the mother becomes careless of her own preserva- 
tion, and should the mother be the victim, the young will 
follow her to the shore. Being found in shallow waters 
they are easily captured by the natives, who kill them with 
harpoons, lances and arrows. The manatecs grow to the 
length of ten or twelve feet, and generally inhabit tropical 
countries, and are represented in the Pacific or Indian 
oceans by the allied species, the dugong. The manatee 
has the elongated, fish-like body of the whale,head conical, 

FOREST AND STREAM. 
without distinct line of separation from the body. The 
fleshy nose resembles somewhat that. of a cow, semi-circular 
at its upper part where are the nostrils, which are closed 
with valves when the animal is under wdter. The upper 
lips are full and cleft in the middle. Rows of stiff bristles 
are placed on each side of the cleft. The lower lip is much 
shorter than the upper one, but the mouth is not very large. 
In the young animal there are two sharp incisor teeth in the 
upper jaw whieh afterwards fall out; canines none; molars 
thirty two; eyes very small; anterior limbs flattened into 
fins, upon which are four rudimentary nails; posterior 
limbs wanting. The limbs are more free in their motions 
than those of cetaceans, and can be used for dragging the 
body about in shallow Water. Mamme two, situated on 
the breast. The tail oval about one quarter the length of 
the body, ending in a horizontal rounded expansion. The 
skin isa grayish dark olive color, becoming black on dry- 
ing, and hasa few scattered bristles on the back. The skin 
isin great demand by the natives of South America for 
making harness, whips and leathern articles for which 
great strength is required, and is noted for its great dura- 
bility. The oil which is extracted from the fat is of excel- 
lent quality. The flesh of this aquatic animal is said to be 
well flavored, being considered a fish by the Roman Catho- 
lic church, consequently is eaten on fast days. When 
properly salted and dried in the sun, the flesh will remain 
sweet a whole year. Orton in his ‘‘Andes and the Ama- 
zon,” says the flesh resembles fresh pork. Capt. Hender- 
son, in his account of Honduras, speaks thus enthusiasti- 
sally of the tail as a tit-bit: ‘‘The tail, which forms the most 
valuable part of the manatee, after lying some days in 
pickle prepared for it, with spices, Ge., and eaten cold, isa 
discovery of which Apicius might have been proud, and 
which thé discriminating palate of Elagabulus would have 
thought justly entitled to the most distinguished reward.” 
The manatee now on exhibition in the Central Park was 
received from Mr. P. 'T. Barnum in the latter part of May last, 
The following are its absolute dimensions: length, 6 feet 
94 inches; circumference around body, 4 feet 9 inches, 
length of flipper, 1 foot; width of same, 42 inches; width 
of tail joining body, 1 foot 6% inches; greatest width 
of tail, 1 foot 8} inches; weight, 450 pounds. It has 
grown two inches since its arrival. After being received it 
was placed in a tank of fresh water, and remained without 
tasting food for five days, refusing everything offered to it. 
A variety of aquatic plants were placed before its mouth, 
and each in turn rejected. At length some canna, canna in- 
diea, was procured, which it devoured greedily, and which 
it continues to use alternately with sea weed, Huscus vesi- 
culosis, obtained in the East river. The process of eating 
takes place under water, which seems strange in view of 
the fact that it cannot breathe during that time. It mani- 
fests at times extreme playfulness, and will answer the call 
of the keeper by a peculiar noise somewhat resembling the 
squeak of a mouse. Sometime ago the epidermis on the 
back peeled off in small pieces, leaving a ‘bright new skin 
similar to that of asnake just after shedding. It was kept 
out in the open air until the thermometer fell to 53 deg., 
when it was removed to a building. 
It appears to be very sensitive to the cold, curling up its 
back if the water is inthe least chilly. It has been ob- 
served to remain under water five or six minutes at a time 
without coming to the surface to breathe. 
W. A. Cong1in, 
Director C. P. Menagerie. 
eT a ig ea 
SMORE SNAKES. 
JACKSONVILLY, Il]., October 11, 1878. 
EDITOR FoREsT AND STREAM:— 
Inoticein your isene of October 2d an article, ‘Do Snakes Swallow 
Their Young?” I answerin the affirmative. While living in Wisconsin 
some years ago, I saw acommon garter snake with a quantity of young 
ones about 2 or 2} inches long and about as large as a common ground 
worm. As soon as the snakes saw me the old ove qpened its mouth and the 
young ones ran down its throat. I afterwards killed a large copperhead 
which looked as though it had just swallowed something. J cut it open 
and found it was amass ef small snakes. How did they get there, unless 
the old one swallowed them? 
I have killed snakes with eggs in them, but never found any snakes in 
the eggs. This was in the township of Yorkville, Racine county, be- 
tween the years of 1840 and 1850. Rattle and copperhead snakes were 
abundant in this township, but I never saw a blow snake until I moved 
to Eagle township, Waukesha county, about twenty miles distant. Blow 
snakes were plentiful. It was a common saying in this township that 
neither rattle nor copperhead snakes had ever been seeninit. Is it com- 
mon for different species of snakes to inhabit separate districts ? 
Yours truly, GEORGE HAYDEN. 
es ee 
EpiTor Forrest anp StTREAM:— 
What becomes of the young snakes when swallowed by their parents 
I should like to make inquires of those who have seen the young snakes go 
into the mouths of their mothers, as to whether they were ever seen to 
come out again. NowIdonot mean to say that they do not come out 
the way they wentin, but has any one ever secn them do this? Will 
those who can give any information on this subject please answer ? 
C. J. Maynarp. 


Goop ADVICE To MisstonARIES.—Mr. Winwood Reade 
in his African sketch book, gives the following good advice 
in regard to missions in Africa, recommending in all cases 
native clergymen. He says:— 
“An ordained negro is a walking sermon, a theological 
advertisement. The savages regard an Oxford Master of 
Arts as a being fearfully and wonderfully wnade, belonging 
to a different species from himself. His argument invaria. 
bly is, ‘white man’s God, he good for white man; black 
man’s God, he good for black man.’ But when he be- 
holds aman as black as himself with a shiny hat, a white 
cravat, glossy garments, and shoes a yard long, wearing a 
gold watch is his fob, blowing his nose ina cloth, and 
‘making leaves speak: and when he is informed that these 
are the results of being baptised, he also aspires to become 
a white man, and allows himself to be converted.” 

~ 
———— eee eeeseseeeeSSse 
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Chie Fennel. 
SPEcIAL RETRIEVERS FOR Duck SHoorinc.—Theése dogs 
—so called on account of their value in recovering or 
“retrieving” game that has fallen out of the reach of the 
sportsman, or on which he does not choose to expend the 
labor of fetching for himself are of various kinds, and in 
every case are obtained by a crossing of two breeds. There 
are two principal breeds of retrievers, the one being ob- 
tained by the mixture of a Newfoundland dog and a setter, 
and the other by a cross between the water spaniel and the 
terrier. The former of these breeds is the most generally 
known, and the characteristics of each are plainly percep- 
tible in its form. To train a retriever properly is rather a 
difficult task, requiring great patience and perseverance. 
It is easy enough to teach a dog to fetch and carry, but to 
teach him to retrieve in water is quite a different matter. 
On land the dog can see the object from some distance, but 
in the water his nose is so nearly on a level with the object 
for which he is searching that he can only see a very little 
distance ahead, and must learn to guide his way by the 
voice and gesture of the shooter. . Another obstacle in the 
tuition is the natural propensity of the dog to bark when 
he is excited, and generally tries the teacher’s patience be- 
fore he learns to be silent and not disturb the game even by 
alow whine. 'The natural instinct of the dog teaches him 
to eat the bird or animal which he has found, and in order 
to keep the dog from closing his teeth too firmly on the 
bird he should be made to lay it down at the shooter’s feet, 
or to loosen his hold as soon as the shooter touches the ob- 
ject which he is carrying. One great point to gain is, to 
make the dog understand that the birds are killed by the 
gun and not by himself. Until he fally understands this 
lesson he is apt to dart off after a bird as soon as he per- 
ceives it, or perceives its scent, and to chase it until it is 
ot of sight. The smaller retriever is produced by a cross 
of the terrier and beagle, and in many points is superior to 
the large retriever. They are very quiet dogs, and when 
on their quest do not make so much noise as the large re- 
trievers, so that they are especially useful when the game 
is wild. Being small dogs, they can be kept in the house, 
and become very companionable, so that when they go to 
their regular work they feel more love and respect for their 
master than would have been the case if they had been kept 
in a kennel. ; 
—We gave in the Forest anp Srream of October 9th 
several recipes for destroying parasites and fleas in dogs, 
among them one known as the ‘Persian Insect Powder,” 
and now we give the very best method to perform the ope- 
ration without injury to the animal. Dust the dog well 
with the substance until every portion of him has reccived 
a few particles of the powder, and then put him into a 
strong canvas bag, in which a small handful has been 
placed, and shake about well,’so as to distribute it equally 
over the interior of the bag. Leave his head protruding 
from the bag, and put on his head and neck a linen cap, 
in which are holes for his nose and eyes, and let the inte- 
rior of the cap be well treated with the powder. Lay him 
on the ground and Jet him tumble as much as he chooses, 
the more the better. In an hour or so let him out of the 
bag, and scrub his coat well the wrong way with a stiff 
brush. In a week or so this operation should be repeated, 
in order to destroy the creatures that have been produced 
from the unhatched eggs that always resist the powers of 
the destructive powder. 
GREAT FIELD TRIAL OF POINTERS. 
Eas 
Many of our subscribers are continually writing to us, 
asking about the management and directions for pointer 
and setter field trials. We subjoin the following account 
from Land and Water of the late field trials at Ipswich, 
England, which will tend to give our readers an insight as 
to the marks of accuracy denoted in the different animals: 
1. Toe Surrotk STaAxes, for all aged pointers, limited 
twenty. Entries, £6 6s. First prize, £70, and a cup valued 
£10, presented by R. J. L. Price, Esq.; second ditto, £30; 
third ditto, £15. 
2. THE ORWELL Park Sraxes, for pointer puppies, 
pupped since 1st January, 1872, limited to ten. Entries, 
£5 os. First prize, £30, and a £5 cup, presented by the 
manager; second ditto, £15. 
3. THe East or ENGLAND Stakes, for all-aged setters, 
limited to twenty. Entries, £6 6s. First prize, £70, and a 
cup presented by the Kennel Club, value £10; second ditto, 
£30; third ditto, £15. 
4. Tue Ipswich Sraxes, for setter puppies, pu ped 
since January 1st, 1772, limited to ten. ntries, £5 ds. 
First prize, £30, and a cup value £5, presented by the man- 
ager; second ditto, £15. 
5. Tue Trimuey Stakes, for retrievers, limited to twelve. 
Entries, £5 5s. First prize, £30, and a cup valued £10, pre- 
sented by the Kennel Club; second ditto, £20; third ditto, 
5. 
a 

6. THE ConsoLation Stakes, for beaten pointers or 
setters. Entries, £2 2s. Two thirds of the entrance money 
given as first prize, and one third as second prize. The 
judges to fix the time of trials in this class. 
On Wednesday, about nine a. m., a start was made for 
Trimley Hall, a farm belonging to Col. Tomline, which 
was the first day’s rendezvous, a dusty drive of some eight 
miles having been accomplished, operations commenced 
about ten o'clock. Mr. Salter’s elegant lemon-and-white 
pointer-bitch Venus, second at the late Crystal Palace Show, 
attracting during the brief interval of waiting at the farm, 
considerable attention. 
A fair number of spectators were present on the ground, 
including Col. Tomline, M. P., Lord Cork, the Master of 
the Buckhounds, the Duke of Sutherland, and Lord Dwyar. 
The commencement of the Orwell Park Stakes took place 
in a good sized turnip field. My, Price’s Grecian Bend, and 
Mr. Fairhead’s Belle, being the first brace put down, both 



