FOREST AND STREAM. 



269 



He reports large flights of ducks, and KrailgW 



to satisfy any ordinary family. A good-sized boy named 



Charley W , of Brooklyn, wits his companion, and, 



although an expert amateur sbnl, it was currently reported 

 that the ducks followed him around to ascertain what kind of 

 ammunition ha used which proved so harmless. This will be 

 an important problem for ducks to solve when they find boya 

 ad the bay again. Uncle Bill says that some folks say ducks 

 only fly at the rate of ninety miles an hour, but you can find 

 them down there going at the rate of 100,000 miles a minute ; 

 aud some gentlemen present said that the nest time they saw 

 a duck coming from Montauk Point they would aim fov 

 Brooklyn, in order to get ahead of the bird. Shooting there 

 this season thus far is first-class, and when the quail seasou 

 •opens Unole Bill saya prospects -were never better, as large 

 flocks are in the immediate vicinity. 



Rev. Db. Murray's Accident.— Friends of this well 

 known clergyman and sportsman will be pained to know that 

 he met with a painful accident last week while loadiug his 

 double-barreled gun for ducks on Long island Sound. He 

 was in a kind of sailboat called a sharpie, near Guilford, in 

 company with a party of gentlemen ;and ladies. r ,.The New 

 Haven Register says : 



" One barrel had been discharged, and while loading it the 

 other was discharged in some manner nut fully understood. 

 The little finger at the first Joint and the two middle fingers 

 at the second joint of the right, hand were blown entirely 

 off." 



Our advice to the afflicted gentleman is " Don't let it hap- 

 pen again." 



Thk Dittmar.— In our issue last week a most reliable gen- 

 gleman, Mr. Dorrance, made complaints of the Dittmar pow- 

 der over his own signature ; and wishing to speak as well 

 as we could for the powder, wo remarked in reply, that 

 Messrs. Carver, Paine and Bogardus used the Dittmar in their 

 exhibitions. The inference from this statement would be 

 that the powder was perfectly safe. Of course accidents are 

 liable to happen from the use of all powder ; and it may be a 

 question to what extent Dittmar powder is safe, or to what 

 extent plack powder is relatively safer than Dittmar. Mr. 

 Paine has just handed us the enclosed card with a request 

 to publish it. No doubt the manufacturers are equally 

 anxious with the public to make a perfectly reliable and de- 

 sirable powder ; and it the fault of any partial failure in its 

 use is due to the powder rather than to the sportsmen who 

 handle it they and the public will both be glad to know it : 

 Editor Forest and Stbkaji : 



Having seen my mnir used In connection with Dittmar powder from 

 tune to time, I will hereby state that I cannot conscientiously indorse 

 it as being equal to black powder. Sportsmen will understand that T 

 can only lead my name to indorse the best of Its kind, whatever it may 

 be. Respectfully, etc., Ira A. Paine. 



Comfobts foe Camf. — When an old campaigner like our 

 friend Podgers, of San Francisco, condescends to let loose 

 some of his private store of information, sportsmen ought to 

 be grateful ; for they are sure to learn something which they 

 can apply and adapt to their own requirements and thus make 

 camping out a pleasure and a life of ease. Here is what 

 Podgers sends us this time : 



San Fbanoisoo, October 19, 1878. 

 Editok Forest and Stream : 



Beading in the last number of your paper an account of a 

 new camp stove, suggests a description oE one containing a 

 camp basket that I had constructed under my direction, and 

 which 1 have found very efficient and very portable, owing to 

 its light weight. 



I had a basket made of rattan about the size of a cham- 

 pagne basket, but three or four inches deeper, containing three 

 tin trays, the bottom one plain, the second one partitions ; the 

 upper one, square tin boxes with lids to contain tea, sugar, 

 cjflee, etc.; at the end an apartment for knives and forks and 

 small stores sufficient for half a dozen persons for a week's 

 consumption; The basket sets in a sheet-iron tray (with 

 handles at ends), which protects the basket from wear. This 

 tray when reversed shows on the bottom, which then becomes 

 the top, four holes of the proper size for cooking, covered 

 with iron discs which turn off on a pivot, disclosing the holes. 

 In front is a small, square hole for draught, and a single joint 

 of pipe a foot long- (carried inside the basket) fits on an open- 

 ing at the back of the plate just back of the holes. The 

 draught is perfect, and in ten minutes with the simplest fuel 

 you can get up a boiling heat, and you suffer no annoyance 

 from smoke in your eyes, and run no risk of setting the grass 

 on fire, as with an open fire. 



The whole affair, including tin dishes, cups, etc., for six 

 persons, weighB twenly-three^pouuds, and comprises every- 

 thing necessary. The cost of the whole outfit is about $15, 

 and will last for years. Mine has been in use ten years, and 

 is as good as ever. 



I have used a tent for the same period, pyramidal in form 

 (octagon), the apex being twelve feet from the ground and 

 eighteen feet at the base of each square. At the apex is a hole 

 for the pole, which fits tight. The pole is jointed, by sawing 

 diagonally, with a brass band at each termination, binding the 

 joint securely wheu shoved together. The tent can be 

 erected in three minutes by hauling out and pegging the four 

 corners, then Bhoving the pole under and ihe point through 

 the apex and raising it, planting the heel'of the pole in the 

 centre. The pitch being continuous from the base to the 

 apex, it never leaks, no fly being necessary, When expect- 

 ing cool evenings I use u telescopic sheet-iron pole or tube, 

 comiog down to within three feet of the ground, where it 

 branches off into three iron rods or tripod that hook into eyes 

 in the base of the pole. I have a little cylinder sheet-iron 

 stove with a joint of pipe running straight tip into the iron 

 tube or pole, which then does duty in supporting my lent and 

 sb a chimney. 



During the war I supplied a great many of the pyramidal 

 tents to the army, and in some eases with the sheet-iron out- 

 fit, and received many grateful and congratulatory letters 

 from officers using them. Jinny of the tents are in use to this 

 day in Arizona. Gen, McDowell, who used one in Arizona, 

 pronounced it the beat tent ever supplied the army. 



ble Hoot caii bo improvised with strips of 



pine halt-in. ■■■ wide, backed with canvas, 



i table mat, rolling up into a small 

 compass, a , spread over it makes a nice, warn*) 



cosy floor, on which blankets can be spread and some tall 

 sleeping done without fear of a bug ia your ear. Podqers. 



—Any enterprising gunsmith wishing to establish himself, 

 will find an excellent opening at Huntington, West Virginia, 

 which is the terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad 

 on the Ohio Biver. It is a town of five thousand people, in 

 the middle of a game country, without a gunsmith or lock 

 smith. We do not charge for this infoi-mation. 



—We waut from one to two thousand live quails. If any 

 of our readers in such States wherein netting or trapping is 

 not prohibited can furnish us with information as to how they 

 can be procured they will have our thanks. 



The HoToiiiciss Gun-.— 1 here was an exhibition yesterday 

 a. Seeaj le R rk, Fridgsrajrt of the famous gun invented by 

 B. b. Hotel, kiss, of Shawn, in this State. The gun was first 

 pointed with the elevation fixed so that the projectile would 

 stride at short range, two shots fired singly. The shells 

 struck the water about three-quarters of a mile distant, Bend- 

 ing up a column of water and spray several feet high. On 

 striking, the shell exploded with a noise that could be dis- 

 tinctly heard by the spectators, and the 25 or more fragments 

 scattered in all directions, making a commotion in the water 

 for several rods around. Then a case of ammunition— ten 

 cartridges— was fixed in the feeding trough, and the whole dis- 

 charged continuously. The discharge ot ten shots occupied 

 six seconds. The piece consists of four revolving barrels 

 mounted on a carriage, and having a fixed breech containing 

 the mechanism which revolves, loads and discharges them. 

 This mechanism is operated by a crank turned by a man. At 

 every revolution of the crank one of the barrels is loaded and 

 one discharged. The ammunition is introduced through an 

 opening in the top of the breech at the forward part. The 

 cartridges drop into this orifice from a trough filled with 

 them, a covor or top piece over the opening rising with a 

 regular movement to allow one cartridge to fall into°the lead- 

 ing groove at a time. A bar which slides backward and for- 

 ward along the groove pushes the cartridge into the barrel ; at 

 the same instant a firing pin, which darts back and forth in 

 the lower part of the breech, strikes and discharges the 

 cartridge in the lower barrel, and so the operation goes on 

 the swiftly revolving barrels taking in and expelling their 

 deadly contents in a constant stream. While eighty shots per 

 minute is the capacity of the gun, the actual number of pro- 

 jectiles which it delivers is about 3,000 per minute, as it dis- 

 charges, not, balls, but percussion steel shells which explode 

 when they strike an abject, and burst into about 35 pieces 

 each. The gun exhibited weighs only 1,060 pounds. It be- 

 longs to the government and was brought into this State by 

 Mr. Hotohklss to show his father, a hale old gentleman of 

 eighty years, who lives in Sharon. Mr. Hotchkiss, who is a 

 brother of 0. A. Hotchkiss, of Bridgeport, has quite a re- 

 markable history as an inventor. Besides getting up the 

 piece described above, he has invented a shell which obtained 

 the preference over all projectdes of that class during the 

 war of the rebellion, and also the military rifle known as the 

 Hotchkiss gun. This was the arm adopted by a board of 

 government experts after a long competitive trial at Spring- 

 field, and of which the government recently ordered 20,000. 

 Mr. Hotchkiss commenced work on a revolving field piece in 

 1870 while in Vienna, and only perfected it after seven years 

 of hard work. The superiority of the gun over all guns of 

 that class brought it into speedy favor with the military repre- 

 sentatives of the European governments, and about a year ago 

 Mr. Hotchkiss established extensive works at St. Denis, near 

 Paris, for their manufacture. This establishment employs 

 600 workmen and turns out about 40 guns per month. The 

 French government adopted and has already ordered 325 • 

 Denmark has adopted them and taken about 100 ; they have 

 also been adopted by Italy; the United States have taken 13. 

 and numbers have gone to England, Turkey, China. Brazil 

 and other countries. In fact the arm has practically superseded 

 all others of its kind.— New Haven Register. 



1 .The open season for quail shooting in Massachusetts 

 begins to-morrow, November 1. It was changed two years 

 ago from October 15 to that date. 



To Presebve Game.— The Pacijio Rural Press says: "New- 

 ly ground coffee, sprinkled over game, will keep it sweet and 

 fresh for several days. Cloan the game, that is, wipe off the 

 blood, cover the wounded parts with absorbent paper wrap 

 up the heads, and then sprinkle ground coffee over and'among 

 the feathers or fur as the ease may be, pack up carefully, and 

 the game will be preserved fresh and sweet in the most un- 

 favorable weatber. Game sent open and loose cannot of 

 course, be treated in this manner, but all game packed in 

 boxes or hampers may be deodorized as prescribed A tea- 

 spoonful of coffee is enough for a brace of birds, and in this 

 proportion for more or for larger game. " A lump of charcoal, 

 inserted in the cavity of a drawn bird, is very serviceable. 



ANbw Shot. — The LeEoy Shot and Lead Manufacturing 



Co., of this city, have perfected and are now introducing a 

 new description of shot, which, if it performs even half tha 

 is claimed for it, will be a great boon to sportsmen. The ghott 

 in question is covered with a bright tin coating, which, it is 

 claimed, enables the manufacturers to dispense entirely with 

 the use of the black lead polish, which corrodes or "leads" in 

 the gun. It is also claimed that the tin coating, being unaf- 

 fected by moisture and in every way pure and healthy, pre- 

 vents the tainting or premature decay of game. We 'shall 

 take an early opportunity of making experiments with this 

 shot, and will lay the result before our readers. 



QUIET SPORT ON WOODBURY FLATS. 



PnttADEUHIA, Oot., IT, 197S. 

 Editok Forest and Stream : 

 We all thought rail snooting was pretty well over when October set 

 I, but a new night of that singular bird appeared on our marshes abou 

 two weeks ago, and afforded considerable sport for some days, My 

 || i tner . n ateted on the tutu to got tlio tide on Woodbury nats, and 

 le river we observed several bunches ot dues?, 

 familiarly known as star talis, Hying along through Howell's Cove. 



I familiar expression of my partner) them's steel- 

 beads,' Saw He, "Have you any blgthot In your cartridges?" 



"I uaveeightnmaenpwtthNo.2,' l replied, « and about a dozen of 

 No . 8 j the balance are ail ho. 10." 

 " 0&ve you any of mat chilled shot of Sparks V ha asked. 

 "They are all chiliad. » 



"All right," said he , " put is a couple of No. 2 oartrldgeB la yonrgun, 

 and I'll pntyouort that little bruieh that. I see feeding about two huu- 

 i utiead." 



I looked In the direction Indicated and saw abonta floaen gnoks 

 quietly feeding and floating down with the current. In a few minutes 

 he tapped me on the foot, and as I raised I saw the ducks swtm together 

 and delivered my drst barrel, which knocked over four, and I cut down 

 two with the second. Four of the ducks were dead, and the other two 

 I shot over with No lo shot. 



We had several shots before wo reached Ited Bank wharf, aud boated 

 nineteen ducks, and all my large shot were expended, when my part- 

 ner's sharp eyes espied a large bunch swimming down the channel 

 about midway between the Monument wharf and the bar. 



" My oh I" said he ; " have you no more big shot ?" 



" Nothing larger than No. S," I replied. 



•' Well, we'll hara to try them, then ; but I'd give anything for a few 

 more cartridges with No. •>. However, these ducks are as tame us mice 

 now, and I can put you pretty close on them. Get down, now, and I'll 

 paddle." 



In about ten minutes, which Beemed to me lite an hour, he tanned 

 me, and 1 raised to shoot. The nearest ducks were not more than a (teen 

 yards distant, and the balance of the flock were spread out and covered 

 nearly half an acre. What a sight! And I had No. S shot in my gun 

 I knew that our only chance of getting a big shot was to get the 'ducks 

 bunched closely together, so I whispered, " Let her drift," We were 

 right in the midst of them, and yet they had not seen us. I watched 

 them carefully, and at last got about a dozen close together and fired 

 the right barrel. What a rash of wings was hoard when they took aiglit 

 I fired at four about twenty yards distant, with the left barrel, and 

 knocked down three, one of which was merely stunned and recovered 

 himself uud flew off, but the others I dispatched with a couple of loads 

 of No. 10, and returned to where I had made the first shot. We found 

 four dncks dead on the water and three more crippled, which I shot 

 over with No. to shot. I examined those that were dead and found 

 Borne of the shot drlvan .lear through them. I believed this ehMej of 

 Sparks la the best ever made. It dooB not flatten, and if there is plenty 

 of strong powder behind it, there is scarcely any limit to its penetratm* 

 qualities. " 



We continued down toward Mantua Creek, and I made several more 

 shots and boated thirty-three docks, the greater number of them being 

 killed with Sparks' No. S chilled shot. We killed twenty-otto rail on 

 Mantua Creek aata and nineteen on Woodbury flats, and reached our 

 boat-house a little after eleven o'clock, having enjoyed a pretty good 

 halt day's Bport, 0l q 



New Hampshire— Woodsvilte, Oct. 10.— For gray squirrels 

 and ruffed grouse take cars on B. C. & M. R. E., and in 

 seven hours you can be Bhooting over the finest country 

 Chum and I, in four hours and thirty-six minutes after leav- 

 ing the depot, shot each respectively 31 and 93, all told 59 

 There is but little shooting done here. MEjiont. 



Connbotictjt— New London, Oct. 28.— Game is plenty es- 

 pecially in Lyme and Colchester. Saw party to-day who 'in a 

 day's hunt had 42 squirrels. Misau 



Massachusetts— Worcester, Oct. 18.— The Worcester 

 Sportsmen's Club had their second annual field day Wed- 

 nesday, and last night their annual supper ' The 

 points agreed upon were as follows : Rabbits, 10 points each • 

 squirrel, 15; woodcock, 20; quail, 20; partridge, 25 • owl' 

 50; coon 100. The two sides reported as follows : Mr 'Hud- 

 son's side scored 1,705 points, and Mr. Holden's side 940 The 

 aggregate of the game was as follows : 45 woodcock 30 nart- 

 ridges, 10 quail, 20 rabbits, 19 squirrels, 1 coon, 1 owl—total 

 i 38 ' -, La , s i y e K - he a S£ re sate was 03 partridges, 8 woodcock 

 B quail, 10 rabbits, 3 squirrels, 1 snipe, 1 weasel— total 98' 

 Mr. Knowles' side being accredited with 1,145 points and 

 Mr. Perry's with 070. During the count the party were sren 

 erously entertained with refreshments and cigars by Messrs 

 Pond and Shepard, of the Bay State House, Mr. Pond bein "■ 

 a member of the winning side. The tables were loaded down 

 with the result of the hunt of Wednesday, and it was a stent 

 that would tempt any epicure. The various kinds of game 

 were cooked in a style that brought much praise for Messrs 

 Pond & Shcpard. The " Coon and the Owl," both nteht 

 birds, wore cooked whole and placed at the head of the table. 



Spencer, Oct. 18. -The Spencer Sportsmen's Club hav* 

 elected the following officers for the ensuing year • Pr P <.iYl»„t 

 E.M. Bliss; Vice-President, F. N. Proufy; Secretary an i 

 Treasurer, A. W. Curtis; Executive Committee— C A Chan 

 man,H. Brewer, and D. C. Luther. The sportsmen have 

 been hunting Texas steers in Oakham, and have killed three? 



Mb. Editor.— Oa receiving my paoer from the newsdealer tliismorr- 

 lng I turned to the Game Bag and Gun column, as that is the sum b i 

 which Interests me most, and the first thing I «ea Is the following 

 from your correspondent S. K., Jr. : " The law being off, quail were 

 about all killed this week about here." Now, Mr. Editor, it seems to 

 me a little strange that the gentleman above named should not have 

 known that the law on quail ia not off until November 1 (woodcock 

 and ruffed grouso Sept. 1). See Chap. 95 of the Acts of 1S77 I have 

 been tn the habit of going to Cohasset myself, when the laWB were off 

 and have found of late years that the birds were nearly all shot off ai' 

 thought had received information from my friends there that i'upJ 

 were plenty in the summer season. The cause, however, is made ap- 

 parent by S. K., Jr's. item ; for if aU the people in OonaSsel are as u, 

 noramof the game laws as he appears to bet am not surprise that 

 the birds are all killed, ZS °r ' ™ at 



Jloatcm, Oot. 25, 1878. Y ' 



New Yo&K-Mdred, Sullivan, Co., Oct. 28. -Partridge 

 Shooting is good here now. Daniel Hallock bagged elevfn 

 one day last week, and I shot four in two hours Sst Friday 

 Peter Sullivan shot a fine deer list week. There ate , ■ «■ 

 woodcock. Rabbits plenty. Squirrels are getting scarce. 

 J. M. Bbabibt, 



mnton, St. Lawrence Oo. — Gray squirrels and oar 

 tnges quite plenty. A very few woodcock seen. Three nr 

 four bears killed in the towns bordering on the "Snnth 

 Woods," and quite a number of Rear Stories in circular!™ 

 worth less than " Trado Dollars." urcuiation 



Exoblsiob Shootins Olub — MonleverdJi Grand R*».«i 

 Slwoting Park, WMtemsburg, Oct. 12.-R egll laf mon h 

 shoot for the club badge. OttoHubor is Presiden fnf rl,i? i / y 

 P. McGill, 7; O. Obrig, 5; H. Hedeman 9 w Kamnt^V 

 kr, 7; J. Hufgemey, 5; J. Heiser, 6; OttoHuber; 7; P C ^ 



New Jebsey— Kinsey's Ashley House- Oct 2S — Rrwi 

 bills, black ducks and sprig tails are plenty. Several' bunches 

 of geese came on the past week. No brant yet Tom cof 

 respondent baged twenty head in parts of two tnornings Zl 



^3S£3583»SP make the featheJ ^ 



□ortn-wcEit* •» 



15, 



