FOREST AND STREAM. 



121 



through (his valley connected with the lateslrife, and I might 

 write columns ol 'the ravagesof war which iu this section, par- 

 ticular!)', was waged with such memorable vigor ; hut why 

 devote my pen ta this sorrowful subject? rather do I wield it 

 in thy belter cause of reconciliation and "pence to men of 

 gorxl will." The people here, realizing that "what's gone 

 and what's past help should be past grief,"huvc zealously ap- 

 plied themselves to the development of their rich country, and 

 traces ol the sad past have rapidly been obliterated. There 

 are no untitled fields or empty barns to remind us of the waste 

 Of war, but everywhere tbe din of the threshing machine is 

 heard, and the cereid wealth filling the barns in such plenteous 

 store, gladdens the farmer's Heart and quickens the industries 

 of the- many towns and villages in the State. 



Leaving the fertile valley where thrift and good husbandry- 

 is manifest on every side, and going westward to the moun- 

 tainous section, we find another class of people happy in their 

 primitive simplicity, having but few wants and knowing little 

 or nothing of the conventionalities of society or the wiles of 

 more civilized life. The women enrobed iu 'their plain cotton 

 gowns without frills or furbelows, simple suu-bonnots barren 

 of all ribbons or flowers. The men, with their rough, tawny 

 faces and well-worn homespun garments, are happier than 

 many who dwell in pretentious grandeur and unrestrained 

 luxury. Among them are some who have never seen a rail- 

 road and know as little, of the sights and wonders of a popu- 

 lous city as they do of ancient Athens. No rushing, scream- 

 ing locomotives invade their country, no labor-saving 

 machinery lightens their toil ; no modern civilization has de- 

 stroyed their honesty, but in their pristine sincerity they are 

 happy. A walk of ten or fifteen miles, from their log cahius 

 on the mountain side to Orkney Springs they regard as but, a 

 few steps, and with their long strides, peculiar swaying motion 

 of the body and wonderful physical endurance, they travel 

 great distances and seem to know but little of fatigue. When 

 an old man sixty years of ago, who had walked seven miles 

 that morning, told ma lie could run a deer down now, I was 

 somewhat surprised, but more so when he told me that it was 

 a common thing for him to walk seven miles by sunrise, work 

 ten hours at ditching for the pittance of eighty cents a day, 

 and walk home after his day's work. " Glad to get the work, 

 sir ; glad to get it," he exclaimed, " and only wish there was 

 more of it to do." 



The old Latin aphorism, " Ignoti nulla enpido," is truth- 

 fully illustrated in the people of whom I write. Trained in 

 the rough school of mountain life, void of the hypocrisies 

 which too often mark polite society, and free from that insa- 

 tiable rapacity of more, enlightened communities, they live 

 contented, with implicit confidence in each other's honesty, 

 knowing but little of, and caring nothing for, the pleasures 

 resulting from a higher education. Upon a few acres of 

 cleared land surrounding their cabins on the mountain side 

 they raise enough poultry, grain and vegetables to supply 

 them with food, i.nd the surplus they exchange at the nearest 

 village for dry goods and other necessaries of life, hut rarely 

 sell their produce for money, which ia uncommonly scarce 

 among them. 



Tin-so mountaineers are expert marksmen with thair anti- 

 quated rides, aud can drop a deer within any reasonable dis- 

 tance by their unerring aim. They know but little of modern 

 breech-loaders, aud have a strong prejudice agaiust all arms of 

 that description ; one of them had exchanged his old flintlock 

 weapon-a relic of the Revolutionary War— tor an ordinary per- 

 cussion one, seemed to think he had made a bad bargain, de- 

 claring that he had killed more game before he "swapped " 

 than since. "Are turkeys plentiful in these mountains?" i in- 

 quired of a homesteader. "Indeed they are, sir," he replied, 

 " but I rather shoot deer any time. Turkey got an eye like an 

 Injun.' 1 Further inquiry revealed the fact that they always 

 shoot turkeys with the rifle, and many of them never use 

 shotguns for any purpose. Some consider it a waste of pow- 

 der to shoot ruffed grouse, and look with contempt upon a 

 man who would kill a partridge. One old fellow, who had 

 dropped many a deer, evinced some surprise when I told him 

 how we city sportsmen enjoyed partridge shooting, and in- 

 tended to give me a withering rebuke when he exclaimed : 

 " Oh, they are so pretty and such nice little things you ought 

 not to kill them. I have them running about my place like 

 chickens." So, to calm his rising indignation, I gave him a 

 copy of Fobest and Steeam, and from that moment he was 

 my friend. The advertising cuts absorbed his attention, and 

 when I explained to him the action of breech-loaders, the 

 rapidity with which they could be fired, their handsome 

 finish, etc., it was plain that his credulity was severely taxed. 

 Unfortunately I did not have my gun with me at the time. 

 Had it been in my hands I am sure he would have looked 

 upon me as sume powerful genii, having the weapon to kill 

 all the game in his section. 



During the summer months these mountaineers are found 

 about Orkney Springs, especially on Saturday, which they 

 seem to observe as a. holiday, selling buck horns, snake rattles, 

 and such articles to the guests. For the horns they receive 

 from fifty cents to two dollars, accordiug to their size, and for 

 rattles from ten to thirty cents. Some of them make a living 

 doriug the autumn and winter by hunting deer and wild tur- 

 keys, for which they find a market at the nearest village. 

 They carefully mark the places frequented by deer on the 

 mountains and kill them when the season opens. So, too, the 

 turkey haunts are noted by them, and being expert in imitat- 

 ing the call of the bird, they soon kill the whole flock. Gray 

 squirrels are numerous in this section, and a good deal of 

 skill is required to bag them, especially if a rifle be used in- 

 stead of a shotgun in the pursuit of them. Last year they 

 were so plentiful that they became pests, destroying much 

 corn and grain in the cultivated districts. The mast in the 

 Alleghenk-s was not suilicient to support them and they emi- 

 grated eastward in large numbers, raiding the cornfields and 

 barns en route. At this season the mast is tender and succu- 

 lent, and the squirrels soon became fat and juicy. I believe 

 they raise two broods annually, the first in early spring and 

 another in August, but the young soon take ewe of them- 

 selves. 



As in all other mountainous regions, there are plenty of 

 rocky formations wherein rattlesnakes make their abode, and 

 sometimes come down the mountain sides in search of water; 

 but the many hogs roaming through the woods are a terrible 

 enemy to the snakes and devour all they meet. This diet 

 does not seem to fatten these porcine rovers, judging from 

 many specimens which I have noticed. Some of them were 

 so lank as to prompt the suggestion from a wag that a knot 

 should bo tied in their tails to prevent them from goiug 

 through garden fences. The mountaineers here tell ma that 

 there is a deadly enmity existing between the rattlesnake and 

 his conqueror, the hlacksnake. The latter vanquishes his 

 enemy by crushing him iu his deadly wrap, while the rattle 

 must always go into coil before he can strike, aud it is here 

 (he WacVohako gotg the advantage by circliut; around Mb Ad- 



versary, and watching the opportunity, seizes his foe back of 

 the neck, l brows his deadly cod around him, only relaxing it 

 when life is extinct. 



Not having the amended game law of Virginia before me, I 

 erroneously stated iu my last letter that the close season for 

 partridges expired on the 1st of November and for deer on 

 the loth of October. The Legislature, at the last session, so 

 amended the game law as to make it unlawful "for any per- 

 son to kill or capture, or offer for sale or buy, any partridge 

 or quail between the first day of January and the fifteenth 

 day of October of each year," and "to kill or capture deer 

 within this State between the fifteenth day of January and 

 the first day of September iu any year." R. F. B. 



GAME PROTECTION. 



White Mountain Tbout and Salmon.— A New England 

 paper having taken some pains to call the attention of the 

 Fish Commissioners to the fact that the "trout," taken in 

 such quantities by White Mountain anglers were unquestion- 

 ably young salmon, we referred to Mr, Sam. Webber, oho of 

 the New Hampshire Commissioners, who replies ; 



The item is unquestionably incorrect, and the story was 

 started as a joke on two or three young law students from 

 this city, who visited the small trout brooks at the extreme 

 head of Baker's Kiver this summer, and caught a large number 

 of very small trout, some of which were brought home, and 

 seen and eaten by one of our citizens, who pronounced them 

 nothing but trout. One of the gentlemen who thus practi- 

 cally examined them was Col. John B. Clarke, of the Man- 

 chester Mirror and Farmer, and the President of the State 

 Fish and Game League. Please correct this statement au- 

 thoritatively, as it reflects on the care and watchfulness of 

 the Fish Commissioners and Wardens. 8ome of the young 

 salmon placed in the Pemigewasset and Baker's Rivers in 1870 

 were taken by boys and city anglers in the summer of 1877, 

 but when the fact came to the notice of the commissioners, 

 handbills, containing extracts from the laws, were printed and 

 sent to all the towns on these rivers, and wardeus were at 

 once appointed in the towns where it seemed necessary, and 

 we have heard of no further complaint. 



Numbkb Four Pakk Association. — An association of this 

 name has been organized at Number Four, in the North 

 Woods, for the protection of fish and game. They have ob- 

 tained possession of 10,000 acres, which will be converted 

 into a private park. The officers are: Pres., Dr. Charles 

 Barnes, Syracuse; Vice- Pres., D. II. Bruce, Syracuse; Sec, 

 Frank Bo'lles, Jr., Windsor, Conn. Directors and Game 

 Keepers— James Lewis, Marcus Smith, Frank Smith, Isaac 

 Stone, Chas. Fenton. Treas., Chas. Fenton. The members 

 are gentlemen living in different parts of the State, who each 

 summer repair for recreation and sport to the Number Four 

 region. We take pleasure in recording this movement, and 

 wish the new society all success. 



Nkw Hampsuikij: — Editor Forest and Stream: We have 

 just started a Game aud Fish League hero for the protection 

 of game aud fish in the close season, and to protect the game 

 birds from men and boys who make a business of snaring 

 them in and out of season. Geo. L. Forbubii, Sec'y. 



I'eterboro, Sept. 5. 



Arrksts Madk by the Philadelphia Association. — 

 Statement of arrests for violation of the game laws of Penn- 

 sylvania, made by the Philadelphia Game Protective Society 

 during August, 1878: Aug. 26— Herman Marck aud Chas. 

 Kolb, taken before Magistrate Leisenwiug, of Philadelphia, 

 for shooting reed birds ; held to bail. Aug. 27— Jesse S. 

 Bonsai) ana George Slook, taken before Magistrate W. P. 

 Price, Moore's Station, Delaware County, and fined $20 and 

 costs for killing reed birds. Aug. 30— John Martin, game 

 dealer, Market street, above Eleventh, arrested aud taken be- 

 fore Magistrate Hugh F. Kennedy and fiued $00 for selling 

 reed birds. Sept. 3— Charles Haines, taken before Magis- 

 trate J. \V. Allen, City of Chester, for shooting eleven rail 

 birds on August 28, on Tinnicum Island. He wai ved a hear- 

 ing and entered security in the sum of $200 for his appear- 

 ance at next Court of Quarter Sessions of Delaware County, 

 Pennsylvania, 



Nokwav's Game.— The Norwegians complain that foreign 

 sportsmen, especially English, are likely to exterminate the 

 reindeer and wild fowl. More than fifty reindeer are now 

 seldom seen on the Hardanger table-laud, where 800 or 400 

 could formerly be found ; and Professor Friis, the greatest 

 Norwegian sportsman, says their arc only 6,000 or 8,000 in 

 the whole country. A couple of sportsmen, moreover, are 

 said to have shot 1,200 young wild fowl in a week. 



RUNNING DEER WITH DOGS. 



Watkrville, Me., Sept. 2, 1878. 

 Editor Posest and Stream ! 



I know that " nip Rap" ts right when he says that the wholesale 

 destruction of our gania Is owiug to our so-culled guides. They are 

 totally unscrupulous about lime and season, aua will shoot a fawnoi 

 Kb mother in July, it th«y are out with a party, just as soon as in Octo- 

 ber; and they have acquired that desire to kill at all times, and to get 

 big bags to brag of, in part iroui the so-called sportsmen whom they 

 take into the woods. 



Only a short time since a Boston sportsman gave me an account o( 

 trip ha made onco to the region about Chesemcook Lake, lie " had a 

 good pack of dogs, and often killed three to six deer in a day, bat there 

 are no deer there! now to speak ol." I quote his words exactly. Now 

 wliatuecanie ot the game kiUed 1 They could not have eaten a fiftieth 

 part of it, and it could not have been " packed out," hence it rotted on 

 the ground. This/uwc to get immense bags Is a curse to every game 

 country. 



Only a tew months since one ot our popular monthUea bad an account 

 ota deer hunt in Michigan, and th«re was a out of a ton of venison 

 being hauled out ot the country. No wonder 'the residents of that 

 region occasionally shot a hound. Let any party try that In the region 

 where I am camped In October, and If they get off with a dog on their 

 way home it will be oue'stnffed as a keepsake. 



These guides learn that the height o£ sport consists in killing every 

 living thnig that comes within range ot tho shot-gun or rlflo. Above 

 that, the " Uaest sport" is to ruu deer Into a lake, paddle up to him in a 

 canoe, and shoot him at Uve feet distance when hi: is utterly helpless— 

 aehce it must be greater sport to walk up tooue, up to Ids back iu snow 

 and unable to gel away, and cut his throat with a knife tied to a short 

 stick, l knew twenty-two deer killed, mostly in that way, a few years 

 nl&ne, only a few miles from Jirowiivllle, 



Whut your corrcsponaonts »»y about deer rotnrninjr to m? sitmo 



places when chased out by dogs may be true, but in this State, wliere- 

 ever there are deer tuero are caribou, and if you put in hounds every 

 one of them will get out, aud rarely come back— at least not for sumo 

 time. The still hunter, following a tegi r track, may "rlsu" a caribou at 

 any moment, and find much better game tliat Instant, and It takes a 

 good shot to stop his veniaou where he cau stop It at his leisure. 



We have good game laws, aud we hero ia Maine intend to see that 

 they are enforced, and as for these fellows who hunt and fish one of 

 season, I suggest that a " Black List"' be kept at headquarters, and nil 

 sportsiucu coming Into tho state refuse to employ them. If a man 

 know that his name was liable to be placed on a list of those who habit- 

 ually violate the law, and that he would lose employment by It, it would 

 have a most salutary effect. 



We have an Immense area of timber which la owned by lumber 

 dealers, who do not Intend It to be cleared but simply grow timber, 

 and by a proper enforcement of the law we could have tho finest 

 game country In the world. Hut, when a gentleman's vacation 

 happens to fall In July or August, he must come here ostensibly to fish, 

 but teach his guides tbat it is perfectly proper to shoot everything that 

 he win see while out in tbe woods. They are apt scholars if ignorant 

 of book knowledge, and when idle the nest winter will put on their 

 snow-shoes, and kill a whole Herd of deer, after tiring them out by a 

 few mlleb' wallowing through four feet of snow, while the hunter 

 follows along easily on top of the crust. c. 



8h* §M*- 



National Riflk Cloti.— The National Rifle Club held 

 their twenty-first annual meeting on the 3d of September, 



1878, at South Vernon, Vt., on grounds near the railroad 

 depot and but a short distance from the Mount Vernon 

 Hotel. The weather, though mid the Ureen Mountains, was 

 such as rendered the manipulation of the rifle very warm 

 work. The order of the day was three ten-strings at 40 

 rods ; position and rest unrestricted ; standard weight of rifle 

 barrel, 15 pounds ; a prize pro rata to each of the best three, 

 the medal of honor to the best aggregate. Of the sixteen 

 competitors we give the respective scores in inches, eighths 

 and tenths s 



1st string. 20 string. 8n btkinii. 



Williamson.... 10.3.1 Brockway 9.5.0 Mautn 941 



I'rlcBt 12.1.0 Martin 10.3.1 Hatch u'c'o 



Brown 13.5.0 Williamson,... 11.3.0 Brockway 12,4.0 



H. W. Martin wins the medal by the best aggregate, 

 34.1.1. The next anniversary of the club will be cele- 

 brated at the same place on the first Tuesday of September, 



1879. J. Williamson was re-elected president for the en- 

 suing year. This club is a leading one, and has a wide repu- 

 tation in the New England Slates. 



Massachusetts— Walnut Hill Mange, Sept. 4.— Final con- 

 test of the amateur series ; distance, 200 yards : 



Frye 6 04454554 6—46 Bntler 6 34454444 5-42 



Lord 44544455 5-16 Bias 4 44455444 3-41 



Jewell 4 5 B 5 4 4 5 4 4 4.. 44 Bennett ....5 3444444 4 4—40 



BartlEtt ....446555444 4-44 OUrlis 443345544 4-40 



Nichols 4 6 4 5 4 6 5 453—44 



Fine practice was made during tbe day by the Charles- 

 town Cadets at 500 yards. 



The second match was the "no cleaning" one; distance, 

 200 and 300 yards ; seven shots at each range ; no cleaning 

 allowed : 



soo yds. 

 4 4 5 4 5 4 4—30—81 



3 6 4 4 5 4 4-23-61 



4 5 4 4 3 6 5— /.9— 81 



4 2 5 4 4 B— 23—58 

 4 4 4 3 4 3 3— 26— 6S 

 4 85534 4— 2S— 57 

 4 3 4 4 3 5 4— 27— 51 

 3 4 4 3 4 4 4-26— 6T 



3 4 4 4 4 4 4—27-66 



4 4 3 4 4 4 3— S6— 55 



1 3 S 3 5 2 2—23—63 



Tho first prize, a Peabody-Martini breech-loading Creed- 

 moor rifle, with reloading tools, presented by the Providence 

 Tool Company, value $125, goes to Mr. O. M, Jewell, who 

 won on 50, 50, 59—177. The second prize, a life membership 

 in the Massachusetts Hide Association, $25, was taken by L 

 L. Hubbard, scores, 59, 59, 59—177. The third prize a 

 silver medal, was won by Mr. H. Tyler, with 59, 59, 59—177 

 The fourth prize, cash ,f 10, Executive Officer Frye gathered 

 into his purse on 58, 57, 58—173 ; and the fifth prize, f 5 

 found a safe resting place in the grasp of Mr. E. JJ. Souther 

 With 50, 53, 57-160. 



Sept. 7. — Amateur series, 200 yards : 



Jackson 5 564 5 4545 4—46 Taylor 4 34466444 4 11 



Prye 464 5 4 44 6 4 4-43 Butler 5 4 3 4 465 3 4 4T4T 



Lor. 5 4 4 6 4 4454 1-43 Sias 5 4344443s 4— jii 



Williams. ...5 4 6 5 4 6 3 4 4 4-13 Nichols 4 5 3 5 5 3 3 4 4 iZZjJJ 



Impromptu match at 300 yards : 



Frye 4 4 3 454445 5-42 Taylor 44 4453456 4—41 



Jackson 4 6 3 4 4 4 5 5 4 4-43 . »uoso 04-41 



MimroBD Amatbtjb Rifle Association.— Match of August 

 30; last amateur August competition ; 200 yards: 



UHDCushing ..32 13 N Howard •>„ 



J"! '■ Grady 31 E WMaves l£ 



WlCHuerner.. 31 W Wlttn'ngtou £ 



' ;Sl "'..ver 30 J WVIinug ". it 



•' li ltiimf.s - :.u , i- :,■.■!..: - - ",: 



HHDOushing 23 ,1 H Telle "on 



11 in.-i. unison 29 JHW'hitney.. ' ia 



— BarrlB 29 w 



The score at the 400-yard range was as follows : 



— Harris 35 Withlngton o. 



f,^?? 116 -, 35 HA Ireland, it '"S 



H Richardson.. 35 J Grady ...W'.lo 



The ties will be shot off on the 13th of this month. During 

 September there will be matches held on every Wednesday. 



Connecticut — Schueizen Park, Bridgeport. — A rifle match 

 of teams of eight took place on the 5th. The conditions of 

 the match were : Open only to invited teams of eight marks- 

 men ; weapou, military rifle of model used in the States to 

 which the teams respectively belong ; distance, 200 yards • 

 position, standing ; ten rounds ; no wiping only after the first 

 rive rounds ; no entrance fee for invited teams. The follow- 

 ing are the team totals of the scores, out of a possible 400 

 points: 



Bridgeport Rifle Club, .805 Irish-American Bine Clnb n* 



Company B, Fourth Hegmie»t..2'J0 BobUWOn Zft)aave,V."."."."*.'.V.'.'.'."l?IS 



200 yds. 



JN Pryo 5 5 5 3 4 5 4-31 



O M Jewell 4 5 4 5 5 8 4-32 



L L llubuard 4 5 5 5 4 5 4—32 



JN Frye, re-entry f, 3 4 4 6 4 4—29 



J N Ifrye, rc-entcy 4 5 4 6 4 4 6—32 



JS B Souther 4 6 4 4 4 4 4—29 



J Nichols 6 4 4 5 4 4 4—30 



o M Jewell, re-eutry 4 4 6 4 4 5 5— 31 



U M Jewell, re-entry 4 5 4 3 8 6 5—29 



J Borden 4 4 4 4 4 5 4—9 



L B Souther, re-entry 4 4 4 5 6 4 4—30 



.Emmet Rifli! exm—WiSt Stradford, September 8 — The 

 prize was a 1111c Sliarps idle for team .shooting; won fry Ihe 

 Bridgeport Killc Club with 305 out of a possible 400, at 200 

 yards. The Irish Rifles, of New Haven, made 203 : Com- 

 pany B, 290; Irish-American Rifle Club, of New York. 374- 

 Emmet Rifle Club, 860 ; Robinson Zouaves, 175. In the 

 ftU-comor-8 mutch tho scores wove Rg folio ws i H, MoJloJs, gS; 



