FOREST AND STREAM. 



25 



tions of our country. The first cargo ordered is now being 

 shipped for English manufactures. The recent iwegtilsri, 



ties in Spain having been the means- of almost a complete 

 failure of the Esparto grass, the English manufacturers 

 hare deemed thtj grass well worthy of an experiment wWl 

 them. We hope they will SuOCe^d better in the manufac- 

 ture of paper from this grass than Our experimenters in 

 the paper line have done with straw. This is a fair ex. 

 change, as a very large supply of our paper stuck eomes 

 from England sp.fi southern Europe. Why should not. the 

 eeeenticities of commerce give them grass for lineu rags? 

 We asvail with much interest; the result of this experiment'. 



Pkaibie Fowl is England.— From all account? every 



experiment thus far to establish pinnate. t grouse in Eng- 

 land by importing the eggs and hatching 'hern there, 

 has signally failed. Our readers have heard of I lie result. 

 of the efforts at. BaufiringUam. Only one bird hat" hed i . ' 

 from two dozen eggs, which were sent to us by 'Richard 

 Valentine, Esq., of Wisconsin, and shipped "iider our own 

 eye, and forwarded with special care to the Prince of 

 Wales. Sergeant Bates' experiment, was even a more sig- 

 nal failure, as 'the following letter will show — 



ElitTOll FoiiKST iSil SfKtAi:- 



7 have to report, that the attempt of batching fhr n ■■ i. i 



Bates has turned out a complete failure with me. and I boiiSYB W With 

 others thai, I gttVo some to. Having rend in your paper Hint some Bggs 

 iu America had hatched out after 2fi days, T hod p I . I 1 1 ■ 1 1 1 ■ ; ■ oj iihoat 

 half a dozen, which seemed henier than the teal aptp the end of three 

 weeks, and to gave them a lull month, whet ! ill turned light ana - 

 bad like the rest. It is only right to a r. t ' «eu 



quito good and fresh v. ben gathered Tii rai Bmany reason * y QUI 

 lot should Tad. They were sent off from America a month In. than the 

 usnal laying season . They were a mouth or more on the road. When 

 they rat to Liverpool it was three days before Mr. Oman ColtlCl ] 

 session of them. There is a delightful book— "(lleaniaata in Sfttural 

 H& ' , ' try Ed, Jesse, better known as -Jesse's Gleanines"— in which 

 I find the following, which, 1 think, hears npou tile point, and Id 

 quoteas follows-. "The parsons who I. reed very early poultry for the 



.,, •. e-ket. have a seerei feat pi est living I he \ ii.nl property in egg i 

 laid in (lie spring and summer tilHOfe In the tlutiimu, when they are put 

 under turkeys who have be( ; | Si tog and hatched early iu the win- 

 ter. These pewtpiachieflj HsirMii Sni-cej and these- ■■■■ of pi --■ ..■■. 

 eggs -o as to iia'.eh. is Istrifttly* preserved among ihem." 1 know the 

 above to be perfc :lv i arrecl Jack-on GruLBASKfi, 



Texas — The Lone Star State is unprecedentediy pros- 

 perous, if wo may judge from the following letter. We 

 are gratified that there is one Southern State not groaning 

 under an incubus of taxation and unjust exactions. The 

 information herein conveyed is in part new to us, and, so 

 far as relates to the inflow of immigrati >n and money, 

 quite beyond our ideas. The picture which our correspon- 

 dent gives glows with warm colors, and, uot withstanding 

 the midsummer hour, is so refreshing as to make us almost 

 desire to go to Texas for supreme enjoyment-.— 



Galveston, Tlxas, August, 10th, ISM. 

 Editor Fokest ask Stream:— 



We have reached that period of ik- yeu wh a ti [hi 



warmest influence, when tl-j'Jet- ar- actieipuling a pro-pen," i : :lo.y 



n of all strangers. The fruit crop has been 

 is been put down with luscious peaches 



.urn bi- satellites lmve § 

 Baden Baden. Then;. 

 balmy smith breeze of 

 ndy healing 

 cool. The period has 

 the crops arc reported 

 those at home an I 

 with delight at the git 

 loyed ajiteethe dose c 

 jects of inters I ttoo 

 mornliiL', delightful firf-i 

 private parties of pleas 



.-,.-■;,,- With the ba 

 of twenty-six rajlea are 

 continent, and is the tt. 

 excellent, and many a q 

 andenormoii Jge 



Since my last little epistle the llsb have again returned to greet us, and 

 many have gone i r, -.•. eere lj....ju ti.-ii till go, never to return. Pompano 

 and Spanish mackerel, with a considerable sprinkling of good sized trout, 

 have been taken in Quantity. Angel llsh have also put in an appearance, 

 say sis inches long by eight inches in width, along with a tittle rascally 

 pig fish, that, on being landed, squeals like a young pig. it is a great an- 

 noyance lo amateurs, and mil much eaten after all. Some few sports are 

 fitting themselves out with long bamboos and reels, perhaps costing two 

 or three dollars, and not jointed. The inner is an article they don't be- 

 lieve in, and somewhat hard to start them on. Sometime since, while 

 fishing for front at. the railroad bridge which connects Halve -ton with the 

 main laud, I was somewhat surprised to hook a large red fish, some four 

 feet in length, with a light jointed rod and a plaited linen line. Four 

 times the monster was brought back, after taking sixty yards of line every 

 time; but on the fifth, with the energy of not-to-be-taken and never-give- 

 up, the monster took the last foot, and with one big jerk was again free. 



This is truly an age of pleasure, when people have so man. pa inl- 

 and so much money to give to amusements— picnics by rail to the woods, 

 and picnics by steamer over the bay, excursions for hunting ttntl ristimg, 

 balls, soirees, target shooting, fairs, base ball matches by the score, boat 

 races and boating, the latter a new source of amusement here. Money 

 pours into the State with a vast immi gration, and living here being cheap, 

 with everybody making money, herein no doubt lies the secret of this age 

 of pleasure. ^ J- S- 



' t\f As to Sharks.— From the Richmond Dispatdi we take 

 the following: — 

 "The Fokest astj Stkeam of Sew York, which by the way is the most 



pleasing and instructive of sporting papers ever published in this country, 

 gives us u piece of Intelligence rein ling to fish which we had not before 

 known. We are very much Interested in it, and take pleasure. In commu- 

 nicating it to our friends. 



The Fokest a>-d Stream slates that Mr. Baird, Fish Commissioner of 

 the United States, says that the moot oxccllout fish he ever tasted was a 

 blue shark about seven feet long. 



We are glad to know the fact, l-'or fifty years we have entertained to- 

 wards the shark a vindictive feeling, and now, tiuce he is good food, we 

 can gralify our animosity to the fullest extent. We have read ot his eat- 

 ing.! ieat many sailors, and we lnive urdeirtly toiled to catch htm and 

 cook him; hut why cook him! We thought he was uol lit lo eul: but now 

 we leant' that he is good food, we shall unquestionably put him over the 

 coals. 



When at Cobb's Island we caught a blue shark about seven feet long 

 i the exact Baird dimensions), and being disembowded she was found to 

 carry eleven young sharks each eighteen inches long, attached by the um- 



bilical cord lo the mother. Now, had We known that the mother shark 

 was the best of fish to eat, und the young, according to Zetelle, would 

 have conic to a grand fricassee, or broil or stew or showder. what a feast 

 we should have had! Whnr an opportunity lost! 



Whith this information we shall now see who goes fishing for Bhark." 

 ■ We beg to state to our friend of the Dispatch, that in ti 

 week from now, we trust to revel in blue shark, and hope 

 to eat some in company with Professor Baird. 



fyortitiQ <glms from Jffyna//. 



UV FAItRAN WTTJE. 



THE prorogation of Parliament is the signal for that 

 stampede of the upper ten, which takes place in Eng- 

 land on the eve of the Twelfth of August, which is said, in 

 metaphorical parlance, to "empty" London; and which 

 certainly, for a few weeks in autumn, introduces gayety 

 and life iuto the rural solitudes of the land. This annual 

 migration of British pleasure-seekers takes place somewhat 

 iu the manner of a migration of birds. In Mississippi I 

 have noticed how suddenly the palmipeds, which come 

 down from frozen latitudes in search of open water, put in 

 an appearance on the scene. With what mystery they 

 make their advent on the bayous and lagoons ! With what 

 resignation they seem to view their change of circumstances, 

 and lo settle down in their new quarters ! One may hap- 

 pen lo be crossing a corn-field in early winter, or skirting 

 the edge of a wood, when suddenly he hears the bass warn- 

 ing note of some pioneer goose overhead, or the welcome 

 quack ! quack ! of a mallard, which veers out. of harm's 

 way, followed by bis bifurcate train. Yet, iu a very few 

 every pool of water will be covered by these far- 

 travelled visitors. Very much the same thing may be said 

 of the fortunate few unfeathered bipeds who, in England, 

 possess country seats as well as town-residences; and who, 

 taking the wings of the morning, find themselves, ere night, 

 amid the stillness of nature, and enveloped in the aroma of 

 the woods and valleys. The mansions in Park Lane are 

 deserted, the doors are padlocked, and the windows dark- 

 ened with sheets of brown paper to proclaim the tenantless 

 condition of the domicile. An air of desolation falls on 

 Hyde Park; the Row is forsaken; and many would rather 

 forfeit a year's income than be seen iu Pall Mall or Pica- 

 dilly. Xo one would suspect such a migration was taking 

 place, did it not manifest itself at the railroad depots, and 

 at the way-stations aud junctions, by signs too demonstra- 

 tive to be overlooked. The confusion which prevails at. 

 such junctions as Rugby, Carlisle and Carstairs, in the be- 

 ginning- of August, is scarcely to be described. It is Chaos 

 come again, and Babel revived, wilh a few novelties of 

 spuud thrown in, for which we are indebted to modern dis- 

 covery and invention; for, in'the steam-whistle, civilization 

 is possessed of an instrument capable of producing the 

 most wonderful effects, so long as sense of hearing Lists. 

 Amid the arrival and departure of trains, which are unusu- 

 ally heavy, and, of course, unusually late — amid the shriek- 

 ing of steam-pipes, the ringing of bells, the muttered im- 

 precations of railway officials, and the louder oaths of cab- 

 men, it needs great constitutional phlegm to remain out- 

 side the prevailing excitement. Everybody is seeking -md 

 shouting for somebody else, and in the search cruelly 

 abuses his shins against the travelling impedimenta scat- 

 tered around. This occasions strong language. Liveried 

 servants, overloaded with small parcels, fishing-rods, gun- 

 eases, my Lady's Scotch terrier, and my Lord's hat-box, 

 besides numerous nondescript encumbrances, run to and 

 fro seeking some one to relieve them of their burdens. 

 Gentlemen are shouting at the porters, ladies are shrieking 

 shrilly at the gentlemen, children are screaming with might 

 and main at both, and the din is made additionally perplex 

 ing by the prolonged howling of some unfortunate pointer 

 whose paws have been crushed under a careless hobnailed 

 boot. The whole scene seems to he enacted by batches of 

 frantic lunatics, let loose for a few minutes from one train 

 as it arrives, only again to be securely locked up and packed 

 off. by some other train as it departs. In that way, how- 

 ever, London society issues from Mayfair and Belgravia, 

 and scatters itself over the British Isles. 



The sport of grouse-shooting is necessarily reserved to a 

 very few members, comparatively speaking, of the upper 

 classes. If one has no game preserves of his own, his only 

 prospect of sport is to receive an invitation from some 

 friend who has, or to lease a moor for himself. The last 

 mentioned alternative is rarely a satisfactory one for the 

 lessee, who, on some of the smaller moors, is allowed to 

 bag only a stipulated number of birds during the season; 

 while on the larger moors he has to pay very dearly for his 

 sport. Nevertheless, on some of the small and under- 

 stocked moors a very fair return for Iris money may be had 

 by any sportsman who, like Mr. Fronde, does uot object to 

 a mountain walk wlien he must work hard for his five 

 brace of grouse. "I see no amusement," says the historian, ' 

 "in dawdling over a lowland moor where the packs are as 

 thick as chickens in a, poultry yard. I like better than 

 most things a day with my own dogs -in scattered covers, 

 when I know uot what may rise, a woodcock, an odd 



ii : in . a snipe iu the outlying willow-bed, and perhaps 

 a mallard or a teal. A hare or two falls in agreeably when 

 the mistress of the house takes an interest in the bag. I 

 detest battues and hot corners, and slaughter for slaughter's 

 sake." In his detestation of battues Mr. Froude shows 

 himself to be a true sportsman; and, indeed, it must be 

 confessed that the murderous work that is carried on on the 

 Twelfth is falling into contempt among his countrymen. 



The few lowland moors, that are to all intents and purposes 

 mere oor.liry .yards, are in disrepute; and there begins to 

 be a healthy opinion that no man deserves the name of 

 "sportsman," who prefers a station in a hot corner to a 

 tramp on the hill. Healthy activity resorts to the one; in- 

 dolence prefers the other. Nearly all grouse moors are 

 marked by the same general features. All are more or less 

 hilly, aud all more or less broken into minor inequalities 

 by the action of rain-torrents, or by the granite rocks which 

 force their grey heads through the heath, or lie in frag- 

 ments on its surface. A dtiy's shooting on such territory 

 means work, both of the lunss aud of the limbs. 



It hardly needs to be repeated, then, that an invitation lo 

 some hospitable country-house affords the sportsman the 

 best opportunity of enjoying a fortnight's shooting, free 

 from the responsibility of lessee-ship, and from apprehen- 

 sions of disappointment. The recipient, of such an invita- 

 tion need not tear being killed witl] ceremony, or bored to 

 death by the conventionalisms of society in the country 

 home of" Ms English host. Every guest enjoys a delightful 

 freedom, and may do, or go, whatever or wherever hisowu 

 sweel will points out. lie goes down by rail to bis friend's 

 residence, let, it be supposed, in time for dinner, Hie usual 

 hour for which is seven o'clock. This meal, followed bj 

 tea and a little music, possibly, in the drawing room, a 

 cigar out-doors iu the twilight, and perhaps D game or two 

 of billiards, will occupy the hours lill bed lime. About 

 eleven the guest seeks his room; ami while he is 'thinking 

 of turning in, a servant makes himself heard at cue door. 

 John Thomas desires to know at what hour you will be 

 called, and will prove a, very valuable aid before your visit 

 is over. There is nothing you may want which he c.-umo 

 procure; nothing which needs to he done which he cannot 

 do. He appears punctually iu the morning with your 

 shaving water, lays out your under-clothing, brushes your 

 coal aud pants, and makes himself generally useful. For 

 these services he expects to be "tipped'' to the extent of a 

 sovereign or two, and will be very thankful for less. The 

 hour for breakfast, is understood to lie eight, but late risers 

 are apt to keep the cloth on the table for two hours' after 

 that. If is best to appear punctually at the .family hours, 

 and very particularly if one is hound for Hie moor. Of 

 course the guest provides himself wiib a game U en e 

 without, which it would be an insult to the host, a- wi.-il as 

 an infringement of the law, to appear in the game preserves 

 with a gun; but, armed with that authoritative scrap of 

 revenue paper, you may shoot as many grouse as yon etui, 

 after the Twelfth, for by eight o'clock on the morning of 

 that day the birds are exposed for sale in all the game-shops 

 in London, Liverpool and other large cities, at seven shil- 

 lings aud sixpence, and ten shillings aud sixpence, a brace. 



The movements of a sporting party on the moors are to a 

 certain extent regulated by the number of guns, the nature 

 of the ground, the course of the wind, and often by the 

 dogs. Well-trained and obedient animals are indispensable 

 in shooting grouse. However abundantly stocked a moor 

 maybe, iuferior dogs will certainly mar sport. A first-class 

 game dog should be above all obedient to a gesture, and 

 even to a glance; he should be a diligent ranger, going over 

 his ground methodically from right lo left, aud from left to 

 right; he should be steady at, his "points," and steady 

 under fire: he should be careful never to rush through a 

 covey; and, lastly, he should be a good retriever One 

 sportsman may prefer a pointer, and another asetter, while 

 it may be no easy matter for either to give a reason for his 

 preference; but an animal such as lias been described, be it 

 pointer or setter, dog or slut, will rarely indeed make a 

 mistake, rarely flush up a covey, and rarely need a word of 

 command to be repeated. Errors are more rarely commit- 

 ted on the moors by dogs than by their masters. A novice 

 may frequently be seen to lose his nerve before a rising 

 covey, to fire into the "brown of 'em," or to take a shot at 

 a bird that belongs properly to his neighbor; but such mis- 

 takes soon wear off, and when a greenhorn has once ac- 

 quired the knack of covering one bird with his gun, it is 

 hard for him to lose it again. On extensive preserves a 

 party may walk from morn to dewy eve without going 

 twice over the same ground; hut on moors of ordinary ex- 

 tent, it is well to divide the day by a two hours' rest about 

 noon. By observing this rule the birds are not too much 

 hunted from cover to cover, and more game will be bagged 

 than if there was an incessant scramble after the dogs all 

 day. Besides, in this interval lunch occurs very accept- 

 ably, especially if a hamper be sent down from the house. 

 The dogs should not be fed at all till evening, or if fed, 

 they should be fed very lightly. .Many an afternoon's sport 

 has been spoiled by some greenhorn, in the absence of the 

 gamekeeper, throwing scraps to the dogs at lunch. Their 

 diet, therefore, should be left to the keeper, who, know- 

 ing the disposition of each animal under his care, may give 

 a morsel to one which he would withhold from another. 



The contents of the game-bag, however large it may be, 

 are soon disposed of . The birds tire roasted, stewed and 

 even made into a very excellent soup; ami a few brace are 

 consumed in this way at dinner. What remain after the 

 house-larder has been provided for, are packed off, each 

 with a pepper-corn in its throat, to the friends of the host. 

 In a very few weeks the birds become wild and hard to 

 shoot, the coveys gather into packs, and the sport becomes 

 more of a hunt, and less of a massacre. Bad seasons, .lis 

 ease and over-shooting have done mueh lo thin out the. 

 birds on the best moors, and game-preservers during the 

 past few years have begun to be somewhat more conserva- 

 tive in the manner of their sport, 



In the absence of our regular tetter from " Idstoue," we 

 print the foregoing. —Ed.] 



