-CT-nrErrriTr; 



— Portions of Florida have Suffered much from fall rains. 

 The cattle men of Orange County have lost thousands of cat- 

 tle by drowning, the country lying low, with only a few 

 small elevators. The poor creatures crowded to these until, 

 as a local paper expresses it, "the dead were five and six 

 deep all over the islands, and the living struggling over the 

 dead." 



—"We are pleased to state that one of our substantial adver- 

 tising firms, the Messrs. Herring & Co., manufacturers of 

 celebrated safes, have just received notice that they have been 

 awarded the first prize at the Paris Exposition. 



GAME PROTECTION. 



Supplemental to "Dove-Shooting in Centbal KHNTUoKr." 



Stanford, Ky., Oct. 13, 1878. 

 Editor Fobest and Stream: 



lam not advised as to the origin of the truism that "honesty 

 is the best policy," but am keenly alive to the truth that " au 

 honest confession is good for a guilty conscience," as is in- 

 tended to be shown in the sequel. The offense being grave 

 •we must beg indulgence in prolixity of details. Lancaster 

 justly claims a greater number of accomplished Eportsmen, 

 more' fine guns, dogs and Ashing tackle than any bluegrase 

 town of its population, and necessarily more good fellows, 

 though neighboring towns yield only to numerical superiority. 



The terms " professor" and " slathcrer" are of Lancaster 

 origin, but do not require definition. There are many pro- 

 fessors in the Lancaster catalogue of sportsmen, and a noisy 

 demonstration of game law enforcement is common. Especi- 

 ally loud were a few of the. most accomplished professors in 

 condemnation and persecution of a brace of juvenile shots ac- 

 cused of shooting quail out of season, but a joint warrant 

 faded of convicLiou. Assured that they could not be twice 

 tried for the same offense the children confessed, and having 

 been slightly squeezed by the retributive steel-trap, they were 

 on the alert for the inveiglement of a few of the sly old foxes, 

 the professors. 



That dove-shooting party was composed of five of Lancas- 

 ter's ablest professors, and the undersigned "slatherer" from 

 her sister town, and suspicious that a few quails must neces- 

 sarily have been included in the count to run the score up to 

 179, were supported by Huffman's valet confessing that he 

 saw feathers which could not have been plucked from doves, 

 and by Smalley's evasive defence of Jim Burnside ("Old 

 Crafty ") when charged with violation of the game law. War- 

 rants were procured against Crafty and Ltuilman, and sub- 

 poenas served upon the remainder of the party as witnesses. 



Col. John Faulkner is certainly the Alexander who worked 

 up the case, as he was too palpably evasive in response to the 

 charge, and the subscribed infant is unjustly accused of hav- 

 ing been iguorantly pumped by the great philanthropist. Now 

 there were three quails killed that day and but 170 doves 

 bagged, aud the writer didn't do the counting of the birds. 

 Bam Miller is responsible for the score, and all will swear that 

 he didn't see a quail, for a can of nitro-glycerine in vise as a 

 loot-ball would not be more considerately avoided by the 

 knowing ones than is Sam by pot-hunters and violators of the 

 game law. Sam took the words of two as to how many they 

 had bagged. 



Oratty killed two and the writer one. The latter -will not 

 offer in extenuation that he didn't know that he was doing 

 wrong, or that he dropped that quail before he thought, for 

 he'd get no credit on those pleas, but asks brother sportsmen 

 to "put themselves in his place." When walking along with 

 gun at full cock in expectation of flushing a dove a bevy of 

 lull-grown quail thundered up a few yards in front, would 

 you Have shot before you thought ? That's the question. 



Now, the undersigned can't trace his lineage back to G. 

 W. and his hatchet, and doesn't boast of extraordinary in- 

 herent veracity, but confesses that he never attempted to lie 

 .out of a difficulty that he was not sooner or later overtaken by 

 merited punishment, whose relation to that lie was not clearly 

 and easily traceable. So, "experience is a school," etc. But 

 Crafty seeing that the "jig was up," discreetly confessed and 

 paid his flue, whilst Huffman obstinately refused to com- 

 promise and divide fine and costs with writer, as he thought 

 himself not equally culpable with party who killed the quail. 

 The case was tried and Huffman fined $3 and costs. His idea 

 was to make the witness confess on the stand to killing the 

 bird which he concealed, took home and ate, but he was 

 thunder stricken when witness declined to answer all his 

 questions, and the court ruled that he was not compelled to 

 answer any question which would implicate himself. 



The representative of the common wealth after conviction of 

 Huffman, illiberally called for a warrant against the writer, 

 but on confession that he had killed the bird for having which 

 in possession Dr. H. had been fined, and believing that neither 

 law nor justice contemplated the infliction of more than one 

 three dollars fine for killing, pursuing with intent to kill or 

 having in possession any one bird, the court dtcided that the 

 law was satisfied, and refused to issue the warrant. Huff- 

 man's discomfiture after defeat was a source of infinite amuse- 

 ment as well as suspicion that he had hydrophobia, till in- 

 formed that his threatened appeal to a higher court had been 

 obviated by the killer's payment of the line and costs. 



liukluxing the unfortunate for paying the expenses and 

 letting H. know it so soon was seriously discussed, but every- 

 thing culminated in a cordial indorsement of the general ver- 

 dict that the professors were " served right." It is a common 

 declaration that no more quail will be shot out of season in 

 Garrard County, and J udge Boyle is a source of pride to all the 

 law and order loving citizens of that county, for he abates not 

 one jot i r tittle in the instance of his nearest and dearest frieud 

 proved deserving of punishment. Now, if any of our friends 

 and acquaintances or fellow-rtaders of FoeBst and Stbeam 

 think that Crafty and 1 have not in addition to the pecuniary 

 suffering had enough hard things said to us, which we couldn't 

 resent, and been often enough iaughed at till we couldn't get 

 up even a respectable grin, let. them charitably accept our 

 frank acknowledgment to wrong doing, and unhesitating 

 confession to richly merited condemnation and punishment, 

 and extend us a liberal probation in which to verify the sin- 

 cerity of our pledge to never do so again. 



Repentantly . T. J- Bohon. 



p. a.— cralty and I, privately, in committee of the Whole, 

 mutually pledged ourselves to never shoot at another quail 

 out of season as long as we retain our present convictions of 

 sufficient self-control, and if we should ever again perpetrate 

 such outrage, think we'll have sufficient prudence to neither 

 bag the game nor mention the circumstance except in secret 

 nraver. J, T. B. 



THE DEARTH OF GAME ON LONG 

 ISLAND. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



A recent article iu your paper on the dying out of game on 

 Long Island, and the causes thereof, leads me to add a few 

 words on the subject. It is a matter in which all New York 

 City sportsmen ought to be interested, as the land and Days of 

 Long Island are our nearest shooting grounds, and they ought 

 to furnish game in great abundance and variety. There are 

 several reasons why they do not tlo bo and why the supply is 

 likely to grow less in the future. To some of these reasons 

 I wish to refer, confining my observations to that part of the 

 island and its waters lying cast of MatthiaB' Point. As to 

 land birds, very little attention is paid to the game laws. The 

 netting of quail 1b too pornmon, and I know of instances in 

 which New York City sportsmen (?), unsuccessful with their 

 own guns, have bought trapped quail, picked shot into their 

 skins and then taken them homo as trophies of their own 

 skill. 



For the dearth of water birds there are many causes besides 

 the drainage of the pond, which you have mentioned. One 

 is apparently without remedy. The south shore of the island 

 becomes each summer more and more popular as a resort for 

 city people. With these visitors come many young men and 

 lads who find a gun very entertaining. They therefore go 

 day after day to the beaches, and their fusilade at everything 

 that comes along keeps the snipe on the wing and drives them 

 from their feeding grounds. This is one cause of a poorer 

 quality of snipe shooting. 



In Shinnecock Bay — which was formerly a great snipe 

 ground, aud which ought to be so yet, as it is tolerably free 

 from boy shooters — another cause has long been at work. 

 This is a stoppage of the inlet from the ocean. This lack of 

 an inlet prevents the action of the tides, and the bay soon fills 

 up from the fresh water streams that feed it. Consequently, 

 during the months when the snipe are flying southward, the 

 bars and low meadows on the beaches are under water aud the 

 snipe can find no feeding-ground at which to atop. Why has 

 not this been remedied ? Because of the dog in-lhe-manger 

 jealousy of the men living on different parts of the bay. For 

 several years they would not agree as to a place at which a 

 new inlet should be dug. To make an inlet in any way a 

 probable success, it is necessary to dig it where the water ol 

 the bay is pretty deep, and, after making the artificial channel 

 through the beach, to have a full head of water in the bay. 

 Then, when the headings aie cut away at low tide, the water 

 of the bay rushes through and deepens its own channel. The 

 inhabitants of the west end of the bay say, and I think with 

 reason, that experience has proved that no inlet at the east 

 end will remain open. But the east- enders having but a short 

 width of beach to dig through, would open an inlet there as 

 soon as the west-enders began digging, aud would thus draw 

 off the water of the bay, only to see their inlet fill up with 

 the first storm. An inlet is now to be dug from deep water 

 west of the light-house, which promises to be a success. 



Ab to duck shooting, East Bay alone is protected from the 

 gunner's limitless rapacity. There battery shooting is iorbid- 

 den. In Shinnecock Bay not only are batteries used, but they 

 are used every week day during the season, and there is no 

 law against sailing after the bunches of ducks and thus driv- 

 ing them to the decoys. The result is that, while iu East Bay 

 there is good point^shooting and a variety of the finest kinds of 

 ducks, in Shinnecock Bay point shooting hardly ever pays j 

 even battery shooting often fails, and while there are a great 

 many birds there spring and autumn they are almost all 

 broad-bills, Fuligula mania, the choice and shyer varieties 

 being rare. 1 would not abolish battery shooting iu Long 

 Island waters, but I would introduce some of the safeguard 

 regulations provided in Maryland and Virginia waters to save 

 the. sport from ruin. 



Finally, I would call attention to the fact that the natives of 

 the island who profit by sportsmen's visits and act as their as- 

 sistants should learn that a disregard of all the rules of gentle- 

 manly behavior does not pay. Many of these men are en- 

 tirely honorable; but there are some whose rapacity knows no 

 check. For inslance : I went to a certain bay not a great 

 many years ago in April to shoot ducks. t A western gale kept 

 us in the house for three days, as we had to depend on a bat- 

 tery for our sport. The morning of the third day, the wind 

 having died out, our baymen put out the battery aud decoys 

 at an advantageous point an hoar before sunrise, and by day- 

 light my companion got into the box. Just as the sun rose 

 we saw a boat approaching, and lo ! it contained a New York 

 sportsman and his assistants. Without asking our leave even 

 they began putting out their battery and decoys within five 

 feet of ours. We protested. The city man replied, " This is 

 all right ; we have a right to lie alongside you ; ask the bay- 

 men.'" His baymen backed him up ; ours said they could not 

 protect us from the outrage, while recognizing its character. 

 It took nearly an hour for our companions lo get out their 

 battery and decoys. Thus we lost all chance of doing any 

 shooting during the best hour of the morning. So we pulled 

 up and came home. We have not been to that bay for ducks 

 again. 



It was the duty of the city man's assistants to refuse to let 

 him perpetrate the outrage. Instead of this they probably ad- 

 vised him in it, because we were likely to get more birds than 

 he could in any other position. I may add that this man is 

 now prominent as a game protector. 



Such are a few of the causes of the dying out of game in 

 Long Island, and such is one cause of its loss of favor among 

 true sportsmen. _ L. 



Tee Gbeat Pond Inlet. — There having been doubts ex- 

 pressed as to^ whether the Great Pond Inlet, Long Island, was 

 open or closed, we have taken the surest means to ascertain 

 the facts, which seem to be fully stated in the subjoined 

 letter : 



Shelter Island, October 18, 1STS. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have been making inquiries a > to the Great Poud Inlet, to ascertain 

 whether or not It Is open or closed, and from all accounts I think that 

 it Is open at times, ami then again closed up. It is curtain that it was 

 open at one time lu the autumn of lust year, but slnoe then has been 

 c oseii up for a time. 



I Haw, yesterday, In Greenpoint, a flahornian on one of the bunker 

 steamers, and he told me that he saw that it was open a week eince. 

 He was in the rtjguuj, looking outjor Hah, and saw clearly that tha 



tide was running in at the Inlet, so that I do not think that at present 

 It Is either open or closed at all times. If It should be closed up for 

 some two or three years, the dnck-graaa {Valixmria) would taka root 

 and R row iu the fcesh water, and there would be ihen au abundance of 

 food for the ducks and geese, and probably tltey would be as plenty 

 there us ever. 



My friend, Captain Ireland, an old and respected resident of Green- 

 point, who haa been in the cus'oni of gunning at Montana for thirty 

 or forty years, eaya that the pond la opon or clO'ed at various tunes, 

 according lo the tides. He says that no longer than ten years since he 

 ho?! seen as many as ten thousand geese In the pond. at one time. He 

 and Mr. D. «. Floyd and Dr. Ireland, always passed a few weeks at the 

 pond, encamped m tent; The fowl were then innum rable, and were 

 killed hi great numbers, as they entered or passed out of the pond, fly- 

 ing over the low beach tluit separates it fromtlie bay. It la, or was, 

 probably the very best place [or gecse-anootlng on the coast, and It 

 should be rescued from the ee:ers, and the succulent grass once more 

 allowed to grow. It is surprising that Mr. strattou. who keeps the 

 lionae there should not have secured It tor the use of hia gueuts 

 years since. Yours, truly, Isaac mcLellan. 



HOUNDING DEER. 



Mb. Enrroit : 



Your paper of August 15 contains an articlofrom Jonathan Dar- 

 ling on the subject of " Hunting Doer with Doga in Maine." In 

 this article Mr. DarliDg states his opinion, having, as he saya, 

 hunted deer "in all waye for 30 years" he desires other sportsmen 

 to express theirs. Mr. Darling ia answered in your issues of Aug. 

 29 and Sept. 12. I wrote Mr. Darling, calling his attention partic- 

 ularly to the article of "Rip Bap" and to the article of " C." I 

 received from him the following answer which speaks for itself : 

 East Lowell, Maine, Sept. 16, 1S78. 

 Dear Sir : 



I know that "Rip Rap" and "0." are mistaken when they say 

 that deer are slaughtered by tho guides. The slaughter of deer, 

 mi. lertheoiroumstanoes I bey describe, ia done oniony by the farmers 

 and lumbermen during Hie logging season. 



A year ago last Man:!. I hail business in tho lumber regions on 

 the Machias waters : I went by way of Brandy Pond to the head- 

 waters of tho Union River. A short distance from the Pond I saw 

 a largo heap of snow. I went to it, and found the aun had melted 

 tun arrow, and that deer'a legs were sticking out, and, in my judg- 

 ment, there were twelve or fifteen doer in cue pile. Some two 

 miles further up the stream I met two men with four deer on aleds; 

 about one mile further I met another man with another deer, 

 dragging it by a rope tied in its noso. A little further on I found 

 where they were camping, and one of the party proved to be one 

 of " Co" friends, and one of those gentlemen "who believe in lull- 

 ing other men's dogs which they find running deer in October or 

 November wbeu they are worth something, I don't believe in 

 killing ahga, and I think it would be better to enforce tho law 

 against the man. 1 never knew a dog-killer that had any better 

 principles than are mentioned above. These men who kill doga 

 generally kill them because they are afraid the man who hunta 

 with the dog will get tho deer, w'iioh they desire for themselves. 

 They kill deer m the deep enow, without regard to law or the 

 rights of others. I went to several logging camps, and found tha 

 same slaughter had been carried on, so far aa I could learn 

 throughout the country, and I never yet have heard of any marl 

 who killed deer under those circumstances being overtaken by the 

 law. 



There are no caribou in Maine where deer are moat plenty, I 

 have repeatedly homed caiibouwith dogs, and my experience ia 

 that Mr. C. is not correct. I believe 1 never shot a deer for its 

 bide in my life, and never so stated to any one. I regret that any 

 mm should suppose that 1 do not desire good game lawa, and that 

 I should be unwilling to have them enforced. A good game law, 

 and one that could be rigidly enforced, is what I earnestly desire. 



I beiieve hunting deer with dogs is legitimate, and we ought 

 to be allowed to hunt, thorn with dogs during the months of Octo- 

 ber, November and December. If thia were the case, so many 

 BporUman would come to visit us that the deer would be worth 

 more killed in our forests during those months, and yyould pro- 

 duce more in cash to our community than thev would produce in 

 the markets iu Boston and New York. Then farmers, lumbermen 

 ami guldsB would unite in opposition to the slaughter of the deer 

 during other seasons of tho year. I sign my name in full, and 

 staud by what I aay. Youra, , Jonathan Dablino. 



Now, if the above statements by Mr. Darling are correct, I think 

 these communicationa, when taken together, furnish important 

 evidence iu regard to tha aubject which Mr. Darling desired to be - 

 diacueeed. 



By the law of Maine deer cannot be hunted with doga. Conse- 

 quently, every sportsman who goea to Maine, and has not the op- 

 portunity to hunt while the snow ia on the ground and tho skill 

 to pursue the deer in a "still hunt," must bo deprived of tho 

 pleasure of hunting deer, and lbs result ia that few aportamen 

 visit Maine for that purpose. The result ia the lumbermen, 

 farmers and, perhaps, the guidcB, shoot great numbers of deer 

 for the market during the winter montha, when the anow ia deep. 

 Many of these deer so killed spoil before they roach the market ; 

 or if they do not spoil, they only roach the market in the eeaaon 

 when the venison ia ao plenty that it ia of little value, and the re- 

 ault ia theae men get a very small amount of money for their 

 labor. They must live, and in order to live they must make the 

 business of shooting deer aa groat as possible. Now, it would be 

 otherwise if sportsmen were allowed to shoot deer with dogB. 

 Tho forests would be visited by aportamen during the montha of 

 October aud November particularly, beforo tho arrival of the in- 

 clement weather j guides would bo employed at profitable wages j 

 farmers would be patronized for aupplioa and tranaportation, and 

 the arrival of a party of a half dozen hunters in the little village, 

 and their sojourn there for ten or twenty days, would be the oo- 

 oaeiou for an expenditure of at leaat from three to four dollars per 

 day per man. Thia aum of money would be received to tho bene- 

 fit of all partioa employed. Tha market for deer would go to 

 Maine, instead of the deer shot in Maine going to market 

 in Boaton or New York ; and, aa tho result, Bvery man in that 

 community would be ambitious to protect an animal which should 

 furnieh ao great a souroo of rovenne. From conversations with 

 Mr. Darling and othera, I have become fully convinced that Hub 

 ia the trne solution of the question of how to enforce a game law 

 so aa to protect the deer from wholesale destruction during that 

 season of the year when, by reaaon of the depth of the anow, thoy 

 aro not able to protect themselves with their legs. 



From conversations yvith Mr. Darling and otherB, I am satisfied 

 that tho experience of "M. V. H." and Mr. A. n. Thomas, aB 

 stated in their letters, found in your iaBUO of Aug. 29, la correct. 

 Hunting deer wilb doga haa little or no tendency to chive them 

 out of a particular locality. During my extended travels in Main© 

 for several years, I have been informed that the experience of 

 thoBO who hunt doer la uniform. The deer, when ohased by doge, 

 do not leave the locality in which they are started, but after being 

 driven for a long distance, invariably return at the end of two or 



