Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-22

The DOvE-EETTER FROM IkOkESSok
BA1RD.-G. w. Johnston, OF Sacramento,
writes send you letter from Professor
Spencer F. Baird, in relation to the dove,
winch will be Of interest TO those who Ia
vor protecting the dove portion OF the
wear. The letter IS dated August 9, 1879,
but for some unaccountable reason 1t has
lust come to hand 50 In compliance with
your request, it gives me pleasure to an
swer the questions contained IN your CIR
cular relative to the Carolina or common
dove. This species, although generally
distributed through the Eastern States, Is
much less abundant in some localities than
In others, this being particularly the case
In New England and other parts or the At
lantie seaboard, where the country is IN
every way favorable to their presence.
THE natural inference, therefore, IS tna5 IN
all localities where the dove Is rare 1t has
been made so by persistent persecution,
since it is chiefly, if not only, III those To-
calities where 1t has escaped destruction ON
account OF the abundanceof larger teathered
game. that it occurs in considerable num-
bers Thus, in many portions OF the MIS-
sissippi valley where the dove Is almost
universally looked upon as the most
innocent of birds, IL Is quite as numer-
GUS as n the far West, notwithstanding
the country is thickly populated and highly
cultivated Scarcely anywhere can the
dove be called truly migratory bird, since
a greater or less number spend the winter
even so far north as Canada. In most To-
calities, however, the greater number un-
dou5tedly 20 southwark, immense numbers
wintering in the Southern States. The
breeding season varies with the locality.
In Southern Illinois, where the species is
very numerous, the first eggs are laid early
In April and the last in September, the
breeding season therefore occupying fully
half The year. Most pairs, however, rear
their young n May and June. The food
of the dove consists of various kinds of
seeds and berries, and the smaller acorns.
Ii is very fond of grain, but whatever
'depredations' it may commit upon the
farmer are chiefly confined to cleaning
grain which has become scattered on the
ground in the process of harvesting. In
nv opinion the dove should be protected
by law in all sections where it is much
persecuted, and l trust that your efforts to
secure this protection in California may
meet with success"
ODD NoTEs.-A walking match for men
with no legs is now talked Of Matches
for men with no brains are about played
out =. A Brooklyn gymnast fell recently
and broke his neck. History does not re-
cord the injuries sustained by the floor.
The Young athlete who speaks of his
insipient fuzz as his mustache Is ''glvlng to
hairy nothing a local habitation and
name :" .Happeny, pedestrian, agreed,
for $500, to lose a race, at Natlck, Mass.
The plotters stipulated that he should
drink some drugged liquor on the track be-
fore the money was paid, so that he could not
play them false and win. But they lost, after
all, for the referee suspected the fraud and
declared all bets off Then they demanded
their $500 back from Happeny. He re-
fused it, and they made public the
written agreement. The hackers OF
James Riley, the oarsman, have authorized
him to challenge Edward Hanlan to row
Eve miles for the single-sculi championship
of America. Riley will name Springfield,
Mass, as the place for the race. Sydney
lAustralia) has produced another wonderful
water man. His name is Henry Pearce,
and his speciality is skifs. On February
I45h he met and defeated Elias Laycock.
The race was rowed over the champion
course g miles $50 yards) and we are IN
formed that Pearce never gave his antago-
MIST show, but beat hun in the hollowest
fashion in the very slow time OF % minutes
and 40 seconds . The Worcester Spy
saws Give members of the Bicycle Club
rode down to Westboro the other afternoon,
covering the distance of II miles in D
hours. They returned home on the cars"
They stood up like little men coming
home. There is a certain kind of restless
men who can never be happy until they
can wheel themselves in wheelbarrows.
A GREAT MARE.-The nearest to defeat
which the celebrated Kincsem ever came
was for the Grand Prize at Baden, a month
after she had visited England. She was
rather stale and faded, and was sent to
Baden to run for the Grand Prize, an event
which she had won the year before. One
of her opponents was Prince Giles l., said
To be the very best colt in Germany that
wear. Long odds were laid on her, but she
moved very stiffiy in her preliminary can
Ger. and showed plainly that she was not
quite herself. Madden therefore rode her
very tenderly in the race, and instead of
making strong pace, as was his custom,
laid back with her. He did not make his
run till within short distance of home,
and Prince Giles l., having a good start
allQ HuiSuluS very ShO hIaiO OIiSS
Just got up in time to make a dead heat.
The excitement was of course intense, and
offers to compromise were made by the
other side; but Mr.. Hesp, her owner,
would not hear of it, and insisted on run
ming off This time the mare went to the
front at once, and, making strong running
all the way, won anyhow" amid the
plaudits of the multitude, who would Bit
! h.
In 1878 she won fifteen races, aud last year
Just dozen.
WONDERFUL RIFLE SHOOTING. cor
respondent of the Chicago Field, writing
from Franklin, Pa, says: Otto c. Will
kins beats the best score on record with
rifle at glass balls, out OF Bogardus trap,
six yards rise, breaking SO out of 100,
using Kennedy magazine rifle, manufac-
tured by Whitney Arms Company. Shot
on May 4th. Time, two hours and thirty
minutes. In the first hundred he missed
2, In the second l, in the third S, In the
fourth and fifth 5 each, making total of
479 hits. Mr.. w. did his shooting in the
presence of the Franklin Sportsman's Club
and hundreds of spectators. He was con-
fined strictly to the Bogardus rules. He
showed wonderful pluck and endurance,
being only l9 years of age. His shooting
is graceful and easy, and his shots were
simply wonderful, as the trap worked
badly, throwing balls high and low, and in
almost every direction. After finishing
his score he made most wonderful and sur
prising shots at pennies, lead-penclls,
dice, or anything else any one in
the crowd threw up. This score of
go out of 100 beats young Bogardus %
balls, and justly entities Otto C. Wilkins
to the championship of America of shoot
ing glass balls from the trap.
WALLENsrEN. = Although Wallenstein
won the Newmarket handicap so easily,
e., 800 was all that was taken out of the
ring by the chief hacker of the Americans.
Wallenstein was backed to win no less
sum than f4O, 900 for the Lincolnshire
handicap. He was well beaten in the
Newmarket international handicap, on the
l4th, and rumor had it that he had been