410 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



Some purple sandpipers and snow buntings, with shore larks, 

 about Scaguis Hill quail grounds have been much cut off. 



R. L. N. 



Neva Bedford, Bee. 14.— The quail and partridge shooting 

 has. been superb the past month. The mild weather so far 

 has brought large numbers of ducks into the large ponds both 

 in the western part of the county aui also in the Middleboro 

 or Lakeville ponds to the north of us. Thanksgiving day a 

 friend secured three specimens of the duck called by Audubon 

 the "gadwell" or gray duck, a rare visitor in our waters. 



CONUIIA, 



Oossboiiodt— Centre Brook, Bee. 14.— Shooting ha3 been 

 fair this season ; over 200 woodcock shot in one locality here, 

 Partridge scarce ; more bo than ever known. Quail shooting 

 fair ; three to four bevies an average day's find. G. H. C. 



—Frank Farley, a young man of the Thimble Islands, while 

 in a boat gunning the other day drew his gun toward him, 

 muzzle foremost, and was fatally injured by its discharge. 



Nsw Yobk— Jamaica Bap, L. L, Dec. 7.— The shooting 

 this season has not been as good as usual. Some nice bunches 

 of shell-drakes came in, but they did not stop long. The sea- 

 son has been so mild that sailing parties and clammers have 

 been so plenty, and, in fact, poking around through the creeks 

 anJ bay, that the birds did not have a chance to settle for any 

 time. Black ducks have been quite numerous, but at the 

 break of day they fly across the beach and go to sea, and stay 

 there till dusk, when they come in again to feed during the 

 night. So there is not much chance to get a shot at them. 

 There have been very few of them killed this fall. Geese, brant 

 and broadbill so far have given us the slip, as very few of them 

 have been seen in their usual haunts. There was quite exten- 

 sive preparation made for bay shooting at Canarsie Landing, 

 the terminus of the Canarsie Railroad from East Now York. 

 There are several gentlemen from Brooklyn who own boat- 

 houses, boats and decoys ; also the the Rod and Gun Club, of 

 Brooklyn, who have a neat little club-house, and three single 

 and one double ducking boat, and some two hundred decoys, 

 which they had all ready for the birds, but the birds gave them 

 the slip this season. Bob Clark, of " Clark's " House, had 

 two duck boats built by Sellers, of the celebrated Stafford 

 pattern, and purchased a good supply of decoys, for the ac- 

 commodation of parties who would like to take a day's shoot- 

 ing near home, and easy of access to the city. 



Eldred, Dec. 11 .—Deer are more plenty here than for the 

 last five years. Parties who have come here and put up at 

 Bradley's have had trom one to three deer per week. There 

 have been ten deer killed within.one and a half mile of my 

 house this season that 1 know of. Partridges are in fair num- 

 bers, and on open grounds now; rabbits very plenty. Foxes are 

 very plenty, and if some sportsmen would come up here and 

 help kill them it would greatly increase the small game next 

 year. I have built a good house on purpose for the accommo- 

 dation of sportsmen, and game from a quail to a deer can be 

 found any time within a mile of the door ; partridges, wood- 

 cock and rabbits are frequently killed within a stone's throw 

 of the door. Daniel Hallock, of Eldred, killed two tine deer 

 in one clay last month, and six partridges. Daniel hunts for 

 the market and profit. J. M. Bbaplet. 



Pesnstlvania— Uniontown, Bee. 17.— Quail, ruffed grouse 

 and rabbits are in quantities sufficient for fair sport. Two 

 men recently in one week's shooting bagged U20 quail, 17 

 grouse and 12 rabbits. 



West ViaGratA— Bridgeport, Bee. 12.— Though Btrangely 

 overlooked by sportsmen,* this is one of the finest hunting- 

 grounds on the continent. All the land is full of grouse and 

 quail, and the mountains abound in deer and bear. The pigs 

 «e fattened on trout in the wild, remote districts, where game 

 laws are unheard or unknown. The valley of Caunan is filled 

 with puma and bear ; boarding in the mountain cabins is free 

 of cost, and the wild, beautiful land is the hunter's paradise. 

 Not a house in thirty miles save, perhaps, the hut or cave of 

 the moonshiner. The valley is the bed of an ancient lake, 

 level and beautiful as any Texas prairie j the black water 

 -winds slowly among the tangled laurel, and the puma, the 

 bea* and the deer are seldom alarmed by the voice of a hunt- 

 er's gun. The scenery is grand and beautiful among those 

 mountains. The casteilated rocks are like the nuns of old 

 cathedrals, and the moss is deep and soft as Persian carpets. 

 Flocks of wild turkeys feed under the "green- wood tree," a 

 mass of emerald and gold. Sometimes in autumn the white 

 umbrella of the painter is seen by the waterfall or among the 

 hollies in the mountain gorge ; but the wild duck dreams on 

 the river and the deer among the laurel, and the hunter comes 

 not from the far North land. J- M. MoCann. 



South Caboijs a— Charleston, Dec. 14.— The weather up 

 to this time has not been favorable for hunting, as it has been 

 generally warm. Ducks are very scarce at present and will 

 Sot make their appearance before we have some severe 

 •weather. A few fine deer have been brought into market 

 during the past week, and a great many wild turkey. Part- 

 tridges and woodcock are coming in slowly, but are reported 

 in large numbers in some parts of the State. Preparations 

 are being made for considerable hunting during the Christ- 

 mas holidays, and I will no doubt be able to chronicle some 

 good bags. Yktotb. 



Tsnnbssek Notes— iVWiwife, Bee. 13.— After the field 

 trials were over Capt. A. B. Woodson, of the Fifth TJ. S. 

 Cavalry, accepted an invitation from Mr. McGarock to a fox 

 chase and a day's shooting on his farm, some few rnUes from 

 this city. The farm is situated on a narrow peninsula iortned 

 by the Cumberland River, which makes it a most charming 

 around for fox hunting ; the chase can be followed closely, 

 and the dogs kept in sight most of the time. Mr. McG. has a 

 noted pack of fox hounds, which rarely fail to find Reynard. 

 On the occasion of Captain Woodson's hunt they killed the 

 largest red fox the Captain had ever seen. The next day he 

 went out shooting on the same estate. He had his own dog, 

 which he had brought to the field trials, but which he did not 

 enter. In company with General Jackson, he had a good day's 

 sport, banging 40 quail. Quite a number of deer and wild 

 ducks are being brought to market. The deer are mostly 

 killed in west Tennessee. Quail are still very abundant and 

 very cheap. 2. 



Miohtg an— Betroit, Bee. 14.— Dec. 5, Jerome Cannata was 

 out for a few hours' sport und bagged five quail and four 

 partridges. Dec. 6, Albert Schroeder was out after rabbits 

 and brought six to bag. On the 9th inst. Wm. Bmith bagged 

 five quail. On the same date Charles Ohope and Jno. Hum- 

 phrey took a trip to Canada for a day's sport, and made a bag 

 of nine quail and five partridges. Game seems to be rather 

 scarce in our immediate vicinity, but must be considerable 



in the interior of your State, as our game depots and com- 

 mission houses are as full as they can very well be. 



Dnum. 



—They had a big ring hunt in Sunfleld, Eaton County, re- 

 cently. Four hundred hunters surrounded a territory about 

 four miles square, and closed in to the centre. E'tch man 

 made all the noise ho knew how, and they kept it up for four 

 hours. One turkey, a few rabbits and one fox was the result. 

 Four hundred men to one wish-bone may be the correct thing 

 in Sunfield, but it would not do anywhere else. 



Game in Nebraska. —A well-known Philadelphia corres- 

 pondent, who has recently returned from Nebraska, writes ua ; 

 " We had good shooting — ducks in Minnesota and geeae and 

 chickens in Nebraska. By the way, I see in your 'Close Sea- 

 son ' table in Forest and Stream that you say no shooting for 

 quail, chickens, etc., in Nebraska in November. There was 

 game enough for all the gunners in the county, and when I 

 asked for the interpretation of the existing game law of Ne- 

 braska 1 was told there was none. Perhaps there is one that 

 receives no attention. The one prt9=ed by the Grangers, for- 

 bidding chicken shooting on account of grasshoppers, has 

 been repealed now that the 'hoppers have left, as the birds 

 chew up the best part of the grain crop! In Piatt County 

 where we camped, in all my gunning I found but one man 

 who would shoot quail— and he was an immigrant from Illinois 

 — as the settlers preferred to see something bigger fall when 

 they shot. Game must be thick when such a state of affairs 

 exists. My cousin killed nine big Canada geese with one bar- 

 rel one day, and it wasn't anything of an extra day for geese, 

 either! L. Magoon ." 



A Big Score. — Salem, Mass. — I have just received a por- 

 trait of Mr. Cross, of the Winons Point Club, and now our 

 introduction is complete. He states his score for the season 

 at 1,028. Game ducks, 66 ; other game birds, of which five 

 were geese. This is the best bag I have ever heard of for one 

 gun, and that by a gentleman sixty-four years old. What a 

 glorious fall he must have had, but what on earth could ho 

 have done with so much game, when others of the club must 

 have done something. He stated in a former letter that the 

 club one season (two years ago) bagged over 5,001) ducks and 

 geese. There are thirty members ; if the rest did their duly as 

 well as he this season their aggregate must be something 

 enormous. • C. T, J. 



Trial or Gnus. — A correspondent writes from Dover, N. 

 H., under date of Dec. 8 : 



Last week a trial of guns was had at Great Falls, N. H., a 

 town some five miles from here. Two breech and several 

 muzzle-loaders contended for a prize. One of the breech- 

 loaders won, placing four shot in the target with the first 

 barrel, and two with the other. The winner was made by 

 Tipping & Lawden, of London. The other breech-loader 

 took the second prize and was a Fox gun. The target was a 

 ten inch ring and was placed at one hundred yards distance. 

 The muzzle-loaders did not touch the target. No. shot, 

 1£ oz. and 4 drachms powder was used. The winning guu 

 belongs in this city. W. A. G. 



Me. Paine at Glass Balls.— On December 11, at Suffolk 

 Park, Philadelphia, Mr. Ira A. Paine undertook, on a bet of 

 $200, to break SI glass balls out of 100, the balls to be thrown 

 in any and every direction by James Devlin, the swiftest base 

 ball pitcher in America. Mr. Paine won easily, breaking 57 

 balls out of 90, and it was a pleasure to see him do it. He 

 used a pair of beautiful 16-bore Parker's weighing 6 lb. 2 oz. 

 each, J oz. Tatham's chilled shot, and Dupont's No. 3 Eagle 

 Ducking powder. 



Bear Story a la Mods Parisip.nne.— It is barely possi- 

 ble that American genius is to be outdone in a field hitherto 

 regarded as peculiarly its own. We may some day go to 

 Paris for our bear stories as we do now for our dresses. 

 There is no accounting for the whims of the literary public ; 

 the plain, unvarnished tale indigenous to the American fron- 

 tier, may lie unread while that capricious public standB aghast 

 in appreciative horror of Le Figaro's depictions. That Paris 

 journal in a recent issue announces the tragic death of Mods. 

 W. Benton, an American newspaper reporter who fell a vic- 

 tim to Mb heroic devotion to duty. The lamented W. Bentou 

 scattered abroad the dollars of his journal with princely mu- 

 nificence, was on intimate terms with all the prili 

 military celebrities of Europe, spoke eight languages with per- 

 fect fluency, and assisted at all the wars of the Old World as 

 a most conscientious spectator. He had gaiued admission to 

 Prince Gertshakoff's presence as a tailor, to Bismarck's as a 

 dog merchant, to the Congress of Berlin us a photographer ; 

 he had gone to royal banquets disguised as a waiter and to 

 royal burials as a coffin-bearer. In 1867 he made the acquaint- 

 ance of Mile. Schneider in the role of a Brazilian diamond 

 miner, while during the Franco-Prussian war he figured as a 

 Turco (blacker than life), a Zouave or a Uhlan, according as 

 the exigencies of the situation demanded. This accomplished 

 journalist was about three weeks ago in a great German city, 

 where the sensation of the time was a troupe of trained bears. 

 There were six of them, and theywe.it, through their drills 

 and other performances with such Startling regularity that it 

 was very generally suspected that they were not bears, but 

 men disguised in bear-skins. W. Benton thought as much, 

 and offered to wager with the manager that he would enter 

 the den, but the manager declined to sanction the snl rpri 

 W. Benton thereupon invited all the journalists of the city to 

 dinner, assured them that the bears were frauds, and invited 

 them to be present at the afternoon performance next day, 

 when he intended to unmask the humbug. Having bribed an 

 employe of the menagerie, Benton, disguised as a bear, entered 

 the cage. His five companions seemed furiously >-• 

 he attributed this to their desire to fend off suspicion. 1 he 

 public applauded enthusiastically. It was then that the unhappy 

 being, desirous of carrying out his plan, tin-capped the cli- 

 max" by turning toward the press box, removing his bear's 

 head and bowing politely. A tremendous roai i 

 followed by an immense shriek of terror. The bears, on see- 

 ing this human face, precipitated themscl'. 

 tunale man. Before the tamer could take steps to nave Mm, 

 the reporter, frightfully mutilated, had breathed his last. 

 Thus perished the poor W. Benton, whose editor-in-clucf 

 seeks vainly a man fit to replace him. 



For Forest and Stream, and Sod and Qvm. 



THE BOGARDUS RULES. 



FOR shooting pigeons from traps, the rules latel 

 by A. H. Bogardus are to be especially recommended, 

 omiHin" as they do some objectionable features of various other 



rules, and making some marked improvements over even his 

 own previous rules. 



His letter published in Forest and Stbbam of November 

 2S, giving reasons for these rules, suggests a conversation on 

 the subject of trap rules that f bad with ita author and 

 "Baring Blot" (Hon. J. H. Aeklen) in New Orleans at the 

 time of the great tournament in the spring of 1876. 



It was generally conceded that it was essential to the popu- 

 larity of trap shooting, in this country at least, that " trap 

 shooting should be made as much like field ahootiug as possi- 

 ble." The tournament was shot under rules trained Icy "Bar- 

 ing Blot," and these rules were very comprehensive. 



Yet in one notable instance, at least, were they defective, ai 

 acknowledged by their author ; and I am glad that the defect, 

 also common to some other rules, has been remedied in the 

 new Bogardus rules, by that rule on double shooting, which 

 requires that "both birds shall be on the wing when the first 

 is shot at." And if in any case "no bird" is declared, "the 

 shooter shall have two more birds to shoot at." 



If I remember aright there are various club rules which re- 

 quire the shooter, in case one bird is killed and the other 

 alights, to shoot at a single bird, sprung from the trap at three 

 yards greater distance. To kill two birds thus is far from 

 being a double shot, and is most certainly " nothing but. single 

 bird shooting." As a pigeon match should be a trial of the 

 skill of the shooters, and not of the respective merits of guns, 

 the enlargement of the boundary from 80 yards to 100 yards is 

 a marked improvement, as also the rule requiring " ties to be 

 shot off at the same distance as when shooting the match." 

 Too often has a good shooter been defeated simply because 

 some of his rivals, no more skillful in the use of a gun, have 

 shot with guns that were superior to his for trap shooting. 



I remember an occasion of two gentlemen, shooting off ties, 

 when it was suggested that the distance should be increased at 

 once from 31 yards to Bl yards. As one gentleman was shoot- 

 ing with a 10A lb. " full choke" bore gun, and the other with 

 an 8J lb. cylinder bore, there was naturally some objection 

 made to such an arrangement, whereby the match was so very 

 likely to be decided by the comparative merits of the guns 

 used, rather than by the respective skill of the shooters. 



Another improvement to the credit of tho Bogardus rulo9 ia 

 in relation to birds shot on the ground. " If a bird is Bhot on 

 the ground before it takes wing, it shall be scored as a lost 

 bird;' but if shot on the ground after it has taken wing, it 

 shall be counted no bird." 



This is juBtice in cases where a slow or low-flying bird ia 

 covered by the aim of tho shooter, who cannot arrest the pull 

 on the trigger when the bird at the same instant unexpectedly 

 alights. 



Some of these new rules referred to are identical in both 

 form and principle with what I have often advocated and 

 urged upon the attention of sportsmen who shoot ul pigeons 

 from the trap. 



Last year I chanced to be present at the annual club match 

 for the championship of Maine, and was called upon to offi- 

 ciate as judge thereat. The match was shot under local rules, 

 the deficiencies of which were evident to the various gentle- 

 men whose attention I called to them at that time, and those 

 deficiencies and defects would be remedied by the adoption of 

 the rules whereof I write. 



The rule of using but one barrel for single birds, so generally 

 adopted in this country, has the merit claimed for it, that it 

 will insure care at every shot. And an element of chance is 

 excluded, which enters into the shooting with both barrels- 

 when the smoke may cauBe several losses to one shooter, and 

 perhaps none to another. 



Yet the privilege of using the second barrel, which obtains 

 in England and quite generally in Europe, has great merit in 

 at least one respect. It teaches tho ready and accurate use of 

 the second barrel, tho lack of which readiness is felt by many 

 sportsmen. Many sportsmen have I known who would be so 

 Hurried by a miss" as to be unable to use the second barrel, or 

 even attempt to. lean remembei /' n] 

 but by practice have long since 81 . • this sernin 



drawback. Very often in field Shooting the 

 well used renders more satisfaction to the sportsman thai 

 first. 



Believing, however, that the new rule3 are the most perfect 

 and desirable ones yet published, and that their own merits 

 will commend them to sportsmen, I would suggest for them 

 the name of " The Bogardus Rules," with the hope that they 

 will be adopted generally throughout the country 



Beeember 1, 1878. Bft KBETI SMITH. 



A THOUSAND WILD TURKEYS. 



San Antonio, Texas, Nov, sc, isis, 

 ESditqb Eobest and Stream . 



There are many who anticipate a few months, or week", 1 1 

 pleasure and recreation— I mean men living lo the cold Karl 

 Hjfe'.y say that probably there can lis found no place . 



■■ ■ ■ . .'. eatern Texas. I tiave resided in the city of San Antonio 

 . ad have enjoyed many pleasant IMoW IB allowing cour- 

 know how to appreciate, to rtalMftS from 

 vll! givcaahorc Sketch, of a ho at of IWidyT 

 others, have Jnst veiurued. 



testes, bucIi as aporismi 



many Northern States. 



ilaja. trom wnleh f. wit 



. : piled WtaaJ 



asary equipments for twelve flayB ill Die 

 no City 00 Tuesday, the l'2th ot the pres- 

 ent mouth, oar destination being the neighborhood of Frio ittiy. We 

 brongHJ op about fifteen tofJea beyond tnat place, navinfi baggeQ con- 

 siderable game along the way— ; uch aa turkeys, quail and flocks, Wo 

 llually brought up on the Yo-te-dlgo, fifteen miles from 

 There we settled down and went to work for fleer, and HI 

 three days, bat found the deer ralher scarce, only hilling aeveu. We 

 dually determined on a chauge of baae, and began 

 comiig ten miles northeast of Frio Oltl and camping ou the Skco, 

 m our attention to the turkey. I eat 

 me of, If not the most favorite, places fer turkey In Tesaa. 

 It 18 a small stream and rana only a little of the year, but it.has (rater 



it tj'. Bathe year, and ia timbered, an all BWc 

 are in W-:s eru Texas, with scattered Clomps of live oak aud other 

 atntnpa Ot trees, especially where yen cud a water hole, 

 arefavi ilieepotstOr IJie tin Key to roojit in, and here 1 



to snoot tnem, I am well aware that, many ooni 

 barbarous way of slaughtering turkey ; ballet them come to Western 

 Texas and I wlh stake my reputation as a sportsman they will do as 

 wo do. The idea of ealdngn turkey up to ahoot blur down wlih a ridel 

 Why, you her u.nes. But we onlj shoot tor camp 



use, ontll the night before we ararr lor home , then, vrehave Mean tur- 

 key's. I Wilt uaaert that 1 saw In one roost, tho uigt 

 uve hundred yards distance, over a thousand turkeys. I W 

 twenty-live turkeys In thirty minutes. Onr whole fcltl Ol to 

 tramp was over u hundred, seven deer, innumerable nnalt, bote ins 

 common and blue topknot, one wild boar, four nvaieuas, or wild lnuBE 

 hoe. This section is the wuutst l nave ever seen Id Texas. J conl4 

 wilte pagea upon many things, strange aud new, which J saw on JJU» 



