FOREST AND STREAM. 



331 



flnti plenty of old sports who loaf about the woods every 

 Winter in portions of our .Slate in preference to making a 

 respectable living around the settlements. It will not be 



necessary to go to Alaska to find lonfinu spots. 



I noticed » notice of 'lie Wtftqjiester' rifle in a late copy 

 of the Fohest and Stream, and I've no doubt it is a great 

 gun for slaying purposes, and will shoot out straight from 

 the shoulder, provided the marksman holds it right, etc. ; 

 but according 10 a late Henderson paper a noble buck 

 waited Until sixteen shots were tired, and then trotted off 

 in apparent disgust while the seventeenth deadly shot was 

 being rammed home. But this was probably the old style 

 Henry. 



Away out on our newly settled prairie frontier— in Cot- 

 tonwoodj Nobles, Martin, and Hock counties — such for- 

 bearing animals as mink, intiskrat, and, [ understand, some 

 beaver, are to be found, and from what 1 have been lately 

 told by parties traveling through that section, trapping lias 

 been engaged in to a considerable extent by the impover- 

 ished settlers. The Maukato Review of this week says:— 



"Now that fur taking has commenced, many families on 

 the frontier, without oilier means of support, are sustain 

 ing themselves by trapping. The loss of crops will have 

 the effect to cause many to engage in this business, and 

 inconsequence the furs' taken promise to be more than 

 usual." 



That the section of country referred to was, before its 

 settlement by the whites, one of i he very best for hunting 

 and trapping purposes there is no doubt, and even now, at 

 this advanced day, elk are frequently seen in the distance, 

 while myriads of skulls, etc., pertaining to the buffalo are 

 scattered' promiscuously about over the yet unbroken prai- 

 rie. As for wild fowl— ducks, geese, brant, crane, and 

 swan— their numbers in the Spring and Fall are legion, 

 while the prairie chickens in some seasons are more than 

 plenty, which, also, is the case with the hunters and 

 their'all sorts of canine assistants. 



All of which is respectfully submitted. S. S. 



Georgia — Atlanta, December 20th. — No news here. Birds 

 are plenty, but one has to go some rive or six miles Ironi 

 town to get at them, as the "darks" kill all within easy 

 reach. This is the case about all the large towns South"; 

 but as a general thing birds are more plentiful than usual 

 throughout the country, and especially turkeys, the unusu- 

 ally dry Summer enabling the broods to he raised without 

 accident. The same is true of deer, ami along the river 

 bottoms there is a "right smart sprinkling" of "painters 

 and bar." A. K. E. 



Mississrpri— Corinth, I)rrcmb:v 22(7. — The weather has 

 been unusually mild this Winter. No snow up to date, and 

 I have seen no icethicker than the fourth of an inch You 

 may recollect that I predicted early in the Fall that we 

 would have no ducks on account of the total failure of the 

 pin oak acorn crop, and we have had none. Two members 

 of our club went to the "lake" at Big Hill last week, and 

 only killed five. The scarcity cannot be accounted for on 

 account of the extreme mildness of the weather, for I saw- 

 ducks by the thousands three weeks since in the Gulf of 

 Mexico. Deer are reported in unusual numbers in Blount 

 and Winston counties, in Alabama, by gent lemon just 

 home from there. Quail very scarce, and when found do 

 not lie well. Capt, Duncan "and myself were out yester- 

 day, and bagged thirty -one in five hours. Wc saw a great 

 many hares, but we never thought of shooting at them 

 when in the field after bob white. Mercury to-day, I wo 

 P. M., 64°, and "Hie sky as bright as if washed by the 

 angels." The weather wise shake their heads, and say we 

 will catch it after awhile. Yours, Guyon. 



Fi.oirda — St. Augustine, December lith, 1874. — The season 

 for hunting- and fishing here never was better, and the 

 game in the vicinity of this "ancient city" has become 

 awakened to a sense of apprehension and discontent, owing 

 to the appearance and vigilance of our many Northern 

 sportsmen, who are Hocking to Florida unusually early this 

 season, and who do not hesitate to shoot into a gathering 

 of fifty or more large brown wing curlew, or English 

 snipe, and apparently delight in hurling lead into a quiet 

 congregation or both English duck— a mallard— or the 

 teal, blue and green wing, which at this season of the year 

 are fat. and fine eating. Besides these species of wild 

 ducks, we find numerous others— the summer duck, spoon- 

 bill, widgeon, shag pole, sprig tail, black head, blue head, 

 English diver, canvas back, and the raft duck, which is 

 found only in salt water. These ducks infest the rivers in 

 thousands, and are considerably hunted. The spoilsmen 

 do not exhibit a great amount of desire to fish, although 

 fish arc plentiful and large. Not long since a number of 

 boys, while casting their tishing lines from off the old fort 

 battery here, hooked several large channel bass, the largest 

 one weighing as high as thirty-four pounds. Trout also 

 are freely caught. Then there is the mullet, whiting, 

 black fish, sheepshead, and other varieties, all in season. 

 The oysters which line the river banks are delicious, and 

 are gathered without any difficulty and to any amount. 

 We recently gathered a good mess just along the city sea 

 wall, not fifty yards from the streets. Tli3 deer, wdld tur- 

 key, and bear are successfully hunted in close proximity to 

 St. Augustine. The hotels are kept in bountiful supply with 

 venison and wild turkey, killed by our old hunters. One 

 of them, and undoubtedly the most experienced in the 

 neighborhood, is John Canova. He tells us the game is 

 handy, especially the deer. The bear is hunted but little, 

 as few or no good bear dogs are to be brought into requi- 

 sition. When they are available the bear is then molested, 

 and very often old bruin succumbs. Mr. Canova, while in 

 the woods alone one day this putt Summer, encountered a 

 monster black bear. His "old reliable" double barrel gun 

 was convenient, and Mr. Bear quietly expired. Its Weight 

 was 400 pounds. Sportsmen hunt considerably some few- 

 miles south of here, on the Halifax Kiver, as they like the 

 idea of spending a few weeks of camp life. They gener- 

 ally go by way of theJIetanzas Kiver, running South about 

 twenty-five miles; thence they are hauled over — boat and 

 all — a strip of land nine roilesin width to the Halifax River. 

 Last Monday a party of three young sportsmen — Messrs. D, 

 Edgar, N. Edgar, and Chas. F. Crury, all of New York- 

 left here for that locality for a hunt, and to be absent a 

 month. They left in the yacht Belle of the Bay. After 

 an absence of a few days, we received intelligence of the 

 killing of three fine deer by the above parly. ' O. A. K. 



— An old hunter who writes about wolves, in the German- 

 town Telegrapli, says that the smell of burning assaliclida 

 is said to have a remarkable effect, upon this animal. If a 

 lire is made in a forest, and a quantity of this repulsive 

 ■J rug thrown in, so as lo pcnneaie the surrounding atmos- 



phere, as many as inhale the odor will assemble in the 

 vicinity, howling in l he most dismal manner; and such, it 

 is asserted, is the remnrkabie fascination which conlrols 

 them for a time that they will often allow themselves to be 

 shot rather than quit the locality. 



'—Elizabeth, New Jersey, boasts of an excellent rifle 

 club. Keep this movement going, and we shall soon have 



he best riflemen in the world. 



— The admirers of trap shooting resident in Brooklyn and 

 its vicinity had a very enjoyable day's sport at Bexter's 

 Park last 'Friday. Tie- first Bttool was under English rules, 

 from live traps, at fifty birds each, bet ween Warren E. 

 Birdseye and .lames M. Ilickox, for a "century" a side. 

 The two gentlemen were so evenly matched that their 

 score was a lie, each killing twenty six birds, when they 

 agreed to increase Hie number to eighty birds— lliirly in ad- 

 dition lo i he fifty already shot at— and to continue the con- 

 test some day next week. Both gentlemen used "twelve" 

 nore breechloaders, Mr. Bndseye's being an Abbey, of 

 Chicago; and Mr. lliekox's a Scott, from London. 



The second shoot was a ijuaitet affair, or rather a double 

 match between Mr. Birdseye and 0. W. Wingite on one 

 side, against Mr. Moses Ba'ylis and Mr. Walter Ireland on 

 the other, each shooting at' twenty-five birds, twenty-one 

 yards rise, under Long Island Gun Club rules. Mr. Ireland 

 and .Mr. Wingate were the first to shoot, the former killing 

 twenty one 10 the hitter's seventeen, after which Mr. Baylis 

 and .Air. Birdseye set lo work, when, singular as it may 

 seem. Baylis killed just the same number— twenty-one— as 

 his partner did. Mr, Wingaic, however, fell behind Birds- 

 eye, as the latter killed nineteen ; so thai the total score 

 was fortv-two killed by Baylis and Ireland lo thirty -six by 

 Birdseyi and Wingate. The gu us used were "ten" bore, 

 Birdseye, Wingale and Ireland using breech-loaders by 

 Scott, ilr. Baylis using a Greener muzzle-loader. In this 

 match so well were the birds handled and trapped, that the 

 match was shot in one hour and ten uiiuules. Mr. Parks 

 acted as referee. The following are the scores of both 



Shoots : 

 Hester shooting Grounds. I.on- tslaiut. Fnduv. December gStb, 18:4.- 



V ■ -■:,' . -,t no. -m-!,. lard:,, from live (rap-; thirty yards rise, eighty 

 yards boundnn. w'itli one and ..nc fourth ounces shut; bullish mice. 

 Warren B. 'Birdseve— 1 1 1. 1 I 1, 1 1 0, 1 1 0, 



oi, i o o o o, i i i o l. i t o ii o, t t i i i, o l l l 0. Total, 60; 

 killed, !»; missed, M. 



James M. Hickox— i Old, 1J10 1, lonii, oiipo, oioo 

 0. 1 I 1 1. 1 I 0. 1 I 0, 1 1 1 1, 1 1 0. Total, SQj killed, 

 :'.,; missed, 24. 



The lie is lo lie allot off on a day lo be fixed at thirty additional birds. 



Same Dav.-Sv.eep-iskes. 5 W0. *100 each, at twenty-flve siuglo birds, 

 from II and T traps. Uveal v-onc yards rise, eighty yard* boundary, with 

 one and one quarier ounces of -tint; lam; Ii-liiiid 1. an club rules. 



Waller lrelaiid-1 110 0, 1 1 1 1 0, 1 1 1 1 1, 11011, 11111. 

 Killed, gl. 



Moses Da'-lis- tilt, 11101, 01111, 11111, 10111. 

 Total, 50; killed, 42; missed. 8. 



C. W. Wiimate— 110 1. 1 1 1, 1 t 1 1 1, I 1 1 1 0, 1 1. 

 Killed, 17. 



W, li. Birdsi-ve— I 10 11, 1110 1, 1 1 1 0, 1 1 1 1, 1 1 1 1 0. 

 Total, 50; killed. Sf.; missed, 14. 



Itefeiee-Slr. Parks lor l.otll shoots. 

 - Iii,h.<. 



—Ira Paine has finally agreed to shoot C'apt. Bogardus a 

 match at pigeons on the terms proposed, viz., at 100 birds 

 each, single rises, 30 yards rise, 80 yards boundary, five 

 traps, and English rules, for $1,000 a side; Paine to turnish 

 all ihe birds free. Saturday, Jan. 9, is named as the day, 

 and in or near New York as the place for the decision bf 

 the match. Paine has staked $350 forfeit and $50 addi- 

 tional for defraying Bogardus' expenses. 



The Amf.kican Biple Association.— The American 

 llifle Association on Christmas Day opened their short 

 range, which is situated r.t Mount Vernon, Westchester 

 county, H". V. A large attendance of National Guardsmen 

 and crack shots from Creedmoor made the affair a great 

 success, several remarkable scores beiug made. Four 

 matches, at 200 yards, position stauding, took place; the 

 targets were of the new Wimbledon style, wdiich is certain- 

 ly an improvement over the old square targets. We give 

 some of the scores below, the highest possible score in each 

 match was 25. 



First prize, the "J. II. Johnston Cup," of solid eilvcr; second prize, 

 pair of nperu glasses; third piize, silver pickle jar. 



Lady's Xaine. Champion's .Name. Score. To'l. 



Mia.. Ita.lbeneslel Sergt Haubeiiestel 4 3 4 3 4 IS 



Mrs. IV JH. Henderson T. M. Henderson.. 44325 18 



Miss Henderson B. Burton 5 4 3 S 3 17 



Mrs. Barker Capt. Barker 33343 16 



Mrs. Murphy Sergt. T. Murphy 33433 IB 



Mre. Capt. . J.J. O'Kellv. .Capi. ,1. J. U'lielly 34 530 lu 



Mrs. II. Huss '....tot. .1. T. Underbill 6 -J S i 2 11 



Mrs. George O.Starr Hon. C. M. Sehietlcllin. . .. 5 5 2 2 14 



Miss Emma Rueger Lt. Col. Kueger 3 2 4 2 2 13 



First prize, value §25; second prize, value $15; lliird prize, value, $10. 



Name. Regiment. Rillc. Total 

 C'apt. Barker, Bth Infant r.' X. G. S. X. Y. ...Remington. . .. J i 3 4 4 — 1H 



Col. C. II. Scoil.sih Inf'v ■' .. Remington. .24 5 5 3-19 



Capt. Chris. Cut/.. 32d Inly - . . . .Remington. .. .4 5 4 4 8-1!) 



Sergt. T. Murphy, Stli Inry " ....Remington. ...4 4 3 5 2-18 



Lieut, Douglass, Klhluf'y " .. Remington.... 4 3 4 2 2-15 



Capt. J. J. u'lielly. ijOiii inf'y '• ...Ward Burton.. 3 2 4 3 3—1 



ALL COMERS' MATCH. 



First prize, $75; second pri/.e, $50; third prize, $25; fourl.li prize, $10. 



Mm 



Rule. 



Scoi 



To'l. 



..Remington... 

 ..Ward Barton. 

 ..Ward Burton 



3 4 5 13 



4 -I 3 -1 3 

 4 4 2 5 3 



Score. 

 2 2 15 5 

 5 5 4 3 



Serct. T. Murpliv.. 

 Col. Ceo. 1). Scolt 

 T. M. Henderson... 



B, Raton 



Joseph Manet Remington . . . 



Capt Barker Remington.. 



lion. C. M. Sehiellcllin Rtfmingtoli.. 



Fred. N'. DoWitC- Kejuingmn. . . 



Sergt. W. (I. Burton Want Burton 



simsccrr-TioN 

 Name. Rifle, 



Sergt. \V. C. Curton Ward Burton 



U. Burton Ward Burton . 



lion I M-St1.l1 iKUm. .. 10 ujiuL-n.iu.. 



Fred. N. DeWUt Remington 3 o 3 3 14 



ii. Connell Remington 4 5 3 2 1) 



E Cardoze... Remington 04 833 12 



The directors are negotiating for a range at least 1,500 

 yards long. The officers are as follows ; President, John 

 T. Underhill, Colonel 27th regiment, N. G. S. N. Y. ; Vice 

 President, Brevet Captain Frederick Whittaker ; Treasurer, 

 Dr. Alfred Starr, late of 71st, N. G. S. N. Y.; (Secretary, 

 Major George O. Starr, &, D., late of the 1st Brigade Staff. 

 Director, Hon. O. M. Schieffellin, late Lt. Colonel of the 

 fith Regt. X li. R. N. Y., and present member for West- 

 Chester; Hon. Theodore Pine, Register County of West- 



chester, Drs. Gill and Peck, of Mount Vernon, and Lt. Col. 



LTuss, Milj. DeWitt, Capt, Coburn, and Capt Chattield, of 



the 27th, N. G. S. N. Y. 



-»•• 



Tiif JIahtim Hknuv Kifle.— The Manchester (luar- 

 dian's London correspondent writes : "The selection of the 

 Martini-Henry rifle as the new service weapon of the army 

 .has linen a subject of newspaper and scientific dispute for 

 several years past. Everybody admitted its superior shoot- 

 ing power, but ils violent recoil was considered by many 

 critics to exclude it from all consideration as ti practical 

 weapon. We. know, however, that the authorities at the 

 War Office— both under the last and the present adminis- 

 tration— have adhered to the selection of this rifle, and 

 several large issues have recently been made lo sonic of 

 the principal regiments, including the Guards. The Six- 

 tieth Rilies have been served with the. Martini-Henry, and 

 I lie officers of that regiment determined to test the weapon 

 in all its phases. One of the means adopted was to organ- 

 ize a match among some twenty of the best reputed shots 

 in the regiment , each man to lire 100 rounds. When Ihe 

 match came off Ihe shooting was excellent, but then fol- 

 lowed the crucial test. The competitors underwent a med- 

 ical inspection by the doctor of the regiment, and he pro- 

 nounced that the recoil of the weapon bad been so terrible 

 that uot a single man who had taken part in the competi- 

 tion would be fit for shooting the next day. A report of 

 the proceedings had been sent lo headquarters, and the 

 matter is much tallied of in military circles. This experi- 

 ment is deemed lo have taught us a serious lesson, for if 

 the recoil is so bad that after a hundred rounds the soldier 

 is unnlit for shooting for the next twenty-four or thirty-six 

 hours, we may rest' "assured that Ihe precision of the rifle 

 will be destroyed in action by Ihe soldier's desire to avoid 

 Ihe punishment of such a weapon. If Hie experiment of 

 the Sixtieth Rilie be confirmed by other regiments, I see 

 no l-miedy but. a wilhdiawal of the weapon until the recoil 

 has been lessened." 



The Value of Game. — No small item of the British 

 revenue is derived from game, directly or indirectly. Li- 

 censes are required for carrying a gun, for killing game, 

 and Tor dealing in game. The following, we learn from 

 Land and Water, is a return of the number of gun licenses 

 issued in the year ended 31st March last for carrying guns: 

 lu England 110,386 Licenses, yielding £58,203 revenue; in 

 Scotland, 11,782, yielding £6.956, and in Ireland, 3,578', 

 yielding £1,789, a" total of lo"2,0;«i licenses, and a revenue 

 of £66,018. In the same period Ihe number of licenses to 

 kill game were 54,309 in England and Wales, 0,663 in Scot- 

 land, and 4,875 in Ireland, a total of 03,840, on which a 

 duty of £184,500 was received. The licenses to deal in 

 game were 2.40M in England, 30,1 in Scotland, and 121 in 

 Ireland, a total of 2,320, from which a revenue of £3,052 

 was derived. 



-♦»♦■ 



Hunting Permits.— The last number of La Gfume Ifim- 

 tree contains a table of the hunting permits granted in 

 France in 1873-4, and the amount they yielded lo the 

 State. From this we learn that in the ninety departments 

 5.030,4-1,, permits were granted in 1873, and -1,007,205 for 

 the first uine months of 1874. As each had to pay twenty- 

 five francs for the. privilege granted the State received for 

 1873 the handsome sum of"~140,!) 11,225 francs. Of this 

 amount, the Treasury retained 84,540,075 francs, and the 

 remainder was distributed for the benefit of public enter- 

 prises. This large amount is independent of guns and 

 their accessories; so it will be seen that the French people 

 expend a large sum on the pleasures of the chase. 

 ; •+*+• 



— "Speaking of shooting ducks," says Dr. F., "puts mo 

 in mind of the great storm that occurred when I lived on 

 the island. As you are till aware, our island was near 

 Casco Bay; au awful storm arose, ami was so fierce that it 

 drove all the ducks in the bay into a pond, covering about 

 an acre,, near my house. In fact, so many ducks crowded 

 into that pout! that 1 could not see a drop of water." 

 "Sho," says Smith., "did ye shutc any of 'cm?" "That's 

 what I wa's coming at. 1 wenl inlo (lie house and got my 

 double barrelled shot gun, aud discharged both "barrels 

 right in the midst of tlietn, but, to my asionisliineut, they 

 arose in the air, leaving not a solitary duck in the pondf 1 ' 

 ■'Good gracious! ye don't say so!" says Smith; "didn't ye 

 have any shot in your gun, or what in thunder was the 

 trouble?" "Well, "I was coming to ilia I," said Dr. F. ; "it 

 astonished me at first ; but as soon as the ducks rose a few 

 hundred yards in the air, aud commenced to separate a 

 little, the ducks began to drop, and, whether you believe it 

 or not, I picked up twenty-nine barrels of ducks, and it 

 was a poor season for ducks, too. Y'ou see the ducks were 

 wedged in so solid in the pond that when they rose they 

 carried the tlead ones into the air with them, and when 

 they separated down came the iweuty-niue barrels of deud 

 ones." 



A SPORTING RAILROAD COMPANY. 



You intimated, ineidentallv, in a pnvn 



to letter to me that our company 



seemed to tie a kind of '■sjpnrtsmens' Corporation, inasmuch as all the 



officers were ardently devoted to Held, d 



\ii and i;uu." i have never given 



itmucli thonghl, though your suurresnoi 



compels me [0 admit that our 



road has a decided ieiining toward the S 



porting Frateruitv. Every little 



while we have ellller a special coach or t 



rain assigned to luintiug parties, 



and all of our officers seem to take a groi 



t i nteiest 111 spru ting matters, es- 



peciallyshootim;. Bet 1 cane- say H 



t I um sum- lor in that thev are. 



all practical sportsmen. Mr. W. Et Wo 



.duard. our former General Su- 



periniondciit, was perhaps as euthusiasti 



e a sporismau as (here ever wai 



on any railroad. He always took espec 



11I pleasure in transporting hunt- 



ing parties over the road, arid invnria'ii 



s' wont with them « hen his du. 



lies would admitof it. He was a splend 



d shot, had tine dogs, and would 



out. wear four ordinary men. lie is u > 



v in Teias, and ttic.r 



himself amongst the game of that country. Mr, R. S. Stevens, our 

 General Manager, does not shoot, yet he generally accompanies distin- 

 guiehed hunting parties over the road, and takes a hand in it now and 

 'hen. Phil .Sheridan has been out two or three limes, and got away with 

 numerous birds aud large game. Jlr. C. II. C'happell, our Superintendent 

 of Transportation, has heeu with us but a short time, and has not had 

 much opportunity to show his hand wiih the shot gun, but he took good 

 care of General Singleton's party, and I judge appreciates the good old 

 upurt. Onr Division .Siip..riutendents, Sir. J. J. Prey, 1.. S. Hamilton, 

 S. G.lMdy, and ('. M. .Sheaf, all enjoy the sports or the lield, aud you 

 will ilnd Ihem out with dog and gun whenever their time will permit. 

 Mr. F. G. Gorman, our General Master Mechanic, is a lirst-eliiss shot, 

 and is deeply interested ill all spoiling matters pertaining to the dog and 

 gun. Mr. C, F. McElvauy. Division Master Mechanic at Sedalla, o.vua 

 one of Uu- best broken dogs in the State, :i .1 [alt 1 11 toura Oft the 



