FOREST AND STREAM. 



361 



cms in its tri 

 God*;" thei 

 to the. Toser 

 cent scenery 



b I'ike's Peak, or bivouac in the "Garden of the 



i '.,,1-r, Cheyenne, Oitden, nnd Salt Lake City 



d the Big Trees. After enjoying the marrnlfl- 



i and fishing to out hearts' content, \v< 



will take a Steumcr at San Francisco tor Oregon, and tackle the noblest 

 of all Osh, the Balmou, In its favorite haunts among the rapidn of the 

 noble Columbia After Ibis the weather will not permit of much more 

 fishing, t-o vre accordingly relftm to San Francisco, thence move east of 

 the. K-x'ky HootHUltW, arid spend a portiou of our timcin Kimsas to en- 

 joy Full Bbootldg among ihe grouse, deer, antel..pe, bear, and elk. We 

 then ptu..v>i! i i si. I.i i-.i-. i. mnlning there a few days, thence to Chicago 

 n enjoy Fall duck shooting for a brief period, and then return to New 

 York via Washington, where we will stop a Tew d.iys, reaching England 

 it) lime for the holidays. 



I hope thai, wilh Ibis explanation and programme your renders will be 

 satisfied. I know every inch of Hie ground over which we propose. to 

 hunt and fish, and feel no hesitation in saying that we will bag all the 

 game 1VG wish, while (be attists and scientists who accompany the i-arty 

 wl'l find constant work for brush and camera and geological bummer. I 

 »U1 yoms, very respectfully, Ww. C. MuC'ahtv, 



We append several letters on this subject: — 



New Yoiik, December 30, 1K4. 

 Editor FoiiBi'T ami STUB AMI— 



Allow me a word on the subject of the great hunt, proposed by Colonel 

 McCarty. On most, subjects there are honest differences of opinion, 

 which have for their foundation seeming truths, as they appear such to 

 one side or the othet; but upon Ibis subject 1 cannot see whereon a single 

 respectable argument can be based in the defense of Ihe proposed hunt, 

 or, more properly speaking, slaughter. 



For cool effrontry and Impudent assurance, it certainly excels any 

 propoBitleni ever heard of. Eilher Col. McCarty has misnuderstood 

 the character of the better class of Kuglish men of Wealth and leisure (for 

 none other have the lirac and means to devote lo u bunting trip m this 

 country), or else T do. For I would be, ebtty to be forced to believe thai 

 any party of English sportsmen, who are so tenacious of their hunting 

 pleasures and privileges, and so careful in their protection of game at 

 home as to make it a criminal offense to shoot cither fur or feather, even 

 when in reason, excepting by the owner of the land and those whom he 

 invites, should deliberately come to this country and recklessly slaughter 

 onr choicest game, for the barren pleasnre of telling of great deeds und 

 wonderful prowess. If marksmanship is to be lested, let it be upon the 

 in^cn-obie targets at Creedmoor, rather than npou the poor, thin animals 

 of early Summer. No true sponsman ever shoots game that from neces- 

 sity cannot be utilized when killed, while it is notorious that not one- 

 tenth of the game killed upon those hunting excursions is ever put to 

 any better use than as manure to the little spot of ground upon which 

 the unfortunate creatures may fall. True sportsmen, like true soldiers, 

 tight only while the battle lusts. After the strife is over, I lie soldier is 

 changed to the good Samaritan, nnd humanely binds up the wounds of 

 his adversary. So should the I rue sportsman cease from Strife during 

 that reproductive and recuperative season which nature intends for the 

 multiplication of game. We have enough of game murderers already 

 upon our Western plains, without socking the immigration of more. At 

 the same time <vc have a hearty welcome for all who care to «hoot at ihe 

 right time, and in a proper manner. The moral sense of the community 

 should be aroused to stop what already exists in Ihe shape of indiscriuv 

 mate slaughter of game. Are there, oi should there be, „ne code of laws 

 for the protection of game cast of the Mississippi River, and perfect uu 

 restrained license west Of that river? Either B.-rgh's humanity is il- 

 legal interfereiic, with man's perogatlves, or else the field of his labors 

 is confined within too narrow geographical limits. Either restraint is 

 wrong here, or license is wront: ihere. I fancy no true sporlsiuan u ill 

 hesitate long to decide as to which Is truly wrong. Like the prodigal, 

 we have been recklessly extravugant wilh our game, but it is inevitable 

 that lolal annihilation must ensue, if Ihe influx of young game is not 

 protected to replace that which Is killed during the proper shooting sea- 

 son; nor will it do to ignore the value of our game, and silently retire- 

 bend Ihe murderous practices, while such outspoken enterprises for its 

 slaughter are afoot. Si euro becomes criminal in the face of such un- 

 warrantable acts. The Government has a pecuniary, as it should have, 

 a moral interest in Ihis question. Already the Indians are com- 

 plaining of a scarcity of game for lheir sustenance, and if their food is 

 suffered to be destroyed by reckless hunters, it will have to be compen- 

 sated for by provisions of the Government. Every buffalo killed means 

 a barrel of flour or an ox to the Government. Let us hear, then, from all 

 true sportsmen in condemnation of the proposed huot. There is wide 

 spread intelligence enough iu this country to understand this question iu 

 all its bearings, if brought before thera. Arouse the moral sense of the 

 community, and all such proposed slaughters will sink into as much dis- 

 grace as poaching or stealing. W«i. C. Mead. 



New Yobk, December 33, 1874, 

 Editor Forest akd Stream:— 



In your paper of 17th inst. your correspondent, relative to the "Big 

 Hunt," has my ideas exactly, only he has fired off his gnu-while I was 

 taking aim, I think ho has hittbe critter jnst where the fur ought to fly. 

 It is simply a big humbug, and should properly be called a "big drunk," 

 only equalled by Haintim's famous Buffalo Hunt, which collapsed over 

 at Hoboken some years ago, as you will probably remember. Bergh 

 ought to take hold of this matter, and prevent such wanton cruelty to 

 the beasts and birds. 



I don't want lo be personal, but I must say that I thiuk the Colonel is 

 "looncy" on Ihis matter. Why, the programme is tinsellyas Barnum's 

 "Blue Beard, 1 ' and is an atrocity which should make every genuine 

 sportsman go on guard to protect their game from such wanton desecra- 

 tion. I was somewhat surprised to find that you could even treat the 

 matter with forbearance. I expected you would go off like a rifled can- 

 non, and rip the project to tatters. Yon certainly cannot, on reflection, 

 think it oluerwise than an atrocious humbug. 1 say atrocious, because 

 snch wholesale, purposeless slaughter certainly entitles it lo that epithet. 

 A man who would advocate such "murder of the innocents" should never 

 bo permitted to handle anything worse than a "putty blower," aod 

 kicked if he hit anything with that. Indignantly yours, Clio. 



Per contra, we have several letters of endorsement, among 

 which is the following from Old Scout, a correspondent 

 witli whom our readers are familiar: — 



New Kochelle, N. Y., January nth, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



A gentleman sport of Texas writes me as follows:— 



"I wish you would tell the sports to the Big Hunt that they have license 

 to kill as much game in Texas- as thev can. and lam almost induced to 

 offer a premium for every antelope they kill, but am too poor. But It 

 will not bo well for Texas to have those Englishmen see our enod lands 

 and lowing herds. You know they eo heavy on beef, aud we have nlc.ntv 

 for all. Come on! Suppose yon come down v, itl, iiu-m. I am not afraid 

 but what Texas will hold her own with any country they see, California 

 not excepted." 



A Dallas paper also says welcome. 



I guarantee the sports a hearty welcome in Texas, and may join thorn 

 in ihis "promised land." Old Scoct. 



THE BREECH LOADER. 



The Destroyed Mails.— The mails destroyed on the 

 Baltimore & Potomac Railroad last week, included mails 

 of the followiug dates and cities: New Orleans, evening of 

 the 4th instant and morning of the 5th; Charleston, S. C, 

 5th; Willimington, N. C, 6lh; Nashville 5th; Richmond, 

 Va., 7th; Savannah 5th; Galveston 4th, and Memphis 

 5th. Such of our correspondents as may find ug geera.- 

 ingly derelict., can readily divine the cause if their favors 

 vers «ent by any of the malls named abpyc. 



i'T^HE breech louder is not bored in the same manner 

 1 as the muzzle loader. II Ihe hitler is bored true, 

 it is of little consequence what the bore is, as it dan be 

 made to shoot, well if the right charge of powder and shot 

 is so selected as to suit Ihe particular size of the bore. 



"In a breech loader the charge is started ill a eleven 

 liore cartridge case— l hat is. ihe exact size, of a twelve 

 cartridge case inside— aud com passed into a twelve bore 

 barrel. A certain amount of compression is necessary to 

 obtain strong and close Bhootlng. The penetration or pat- 

 tern can not be improved by increasing the amount of 

 powder and shot beyond a certain charge. 1 



"There is no efficacy whatever in the very long barrels 

 which once were used, and they are consequently dis- 

 carded. . 



"The material of which a barrel is composed is but one 

 branch of the question- Upon material depends safety, of 

 course, but that may be taken for granted in the barrels of 

 all reputable makers. When a barrel sold by one of these 

 happens to burst, inferiority of metal is the last cause to 

 which it, may be attributed, Upon the material and its 

 manner of being worked depends the pattern or figure of 

 the barrel. That is purely a mailer of fancy. 



"But, the important Question is, how well does the barrel 



" "The quality of the metal in Ihe barrels undoubtedly has 

 something to do with their shooting. For all we know— I 

 mean we are not in the trade— it may have a great deal to 

 do with it. But so long as the best barrel makers use 

 metals of precisely opposite qualities, without producing 

 any very marked difference in the shooting of either, we 

 may be* permitted to think that one sound metal, well 

 worked, is quite as good as another. 



"The- good shooting of barrels depends almost entirely 

 upon the borifig, and ihe art of boring is no longer a secret 

 confined to a few of the craft. The formula has become 

 the common properly of the trade in this as well as in all 

 other countries. 



" Therefore, there, is hardly any well-denned difference 

 in the shooting of anv of the guiis, English or American. 

 Certainly there is no one man, iu eilher England or Amer- 

 ica, who has such superiority in barrel boring as to make 

 him stand far above all the rest of his competitors, as Man- 

 ton did. 



"But the guns of one make? may be found to shoot bel- 

 ief, as a rule, than the guns of another maker. 



"When this is the ease, it is to be attributed, not to any 

 exclusive knowledge in boring, but to the fact that more 

 labor and skill are given to make the barrels shool belter; 

 and that they are targelted until they do shoot up to their 

 very beat, These barrels cost more 'because of this exlra 

 attention. And the maker who does this the most consci- 

 entiously, deserves the best price and most reputation. 



••I believe that the muzzle loader has been developed to 

 its utmost shooting; capacity. 'I think everything hits been 

 got out of it that 'there is in it; and the proof of it is, that 

 tor the leu or til teen years preceding the breech loader, 

 Ihe tuu/./.le loader was at a stand stiTl. It was a perfect 

 weapon— of its kind. There was no one maker indisput- 

 ably better than another. The shooting of all their best 

 guiis was pretty much the same. 



"This perfection and equality of shooting was transferred 

 to the breech loader, as soon as the gun was strong enough 

 to stand it. And the only problem now is, whether iu 

 future, owing to the structural differences in Ihe guns, the 

 breech loader may not be made to shoot better than the 

 muzzle, loader ever did. 1 think it will. It must — if there 

 is anything in the saving of windage, and the theory of 

 rifles', which puts a ball iu the larger breech to exit through 

 a smaller muzzle — gain power thereby. One seems as per- 

 tinent and as applicable as the other. 



THB SELECTION OF A RlttiECH LOADER. 



"Formerly, wheu about to select a gun, the purchaser 

 had but few points to determine before making a choice. 

 Now he has many. For the time being, at least", he must 

 become a participant iu the "war of the breech loaders," 

 to the extent of choosing oue, and thereby being deemed 

 an antagonist of all the rest. 



" 'He who is not for us, is against us,' is the maxim of 

 the makers and the dealers; and, therefore, to select a gun, 

 and to advise how to select it, are embanassing under- 

 takings. 



"In selecting a breech loader, there are other things to be 

 considered beside the shooting of the gun. 



"The safety of it is first to be considered. There is more 

 machinery in it than in the muzzle loader, and to that ex- 

 tent, if not perfectly well-made upon touud principles, it 

 is more dangerous and must be less durable. 



"The principle is a prime consideration; for if a gun, no 

 matter how well-made or high priced, is built with a work- 

 ing movement which is all strain aud all friction, it must 

 speedily wear out, and the money paid for it is thrown 

 away. 



"The durability is another consideration. The best 

 breech loader, with the soundest action, will wear sooner 

 or later, because there must be some strain and some fric- 

 tion. Durability, therefore, will depend upon the excel- 

 lence of materials and the finish of the work. 



"The shooting of the gun is a consideration of course, 

 and has been already fully discussed. And, finally, the 

 price is a controlling consideration. It is a very serious 

 mistake — and oue which is made by the majority of pur- 

 chasers — to suppose that iu buying a breech loader there is 

 nothing to he considered but the price and the shooting. 

 And to this mistake we owe the controversies which fill 

 our sporting papers. 



"Each of these points will be noticed, that the purchaser 

 may see their importance, 



"That a man should consult his safety, first of all, when 

 selectiong a life-taking weapon, needs no argument. All 

 other matters of price or performance are subordinate to 

 this. 



"That the principle of the gun should be sound, and that 

 the durability will depend upon the principle, the material, 

 and the work, will not be denied. 



"It is no economy to buy alow-priced gun, with an un- 

 sound principle, or of inferior workmanship, because it will 

 soon become useless. 



"As to the shooting of the gun, the man misleads himself 

 who says that because a cheap gun will shoot as well as a 

 high priced gun, Ihe cheap gun may as we)l he taken. 



"The price of the gun, 1 have put last to devote most 

 space to it; bat \\v\ buv«r will ftlWAyt put It BwJ ' tl '"'f 

 eaf#ty- 



"When the question of the price of the gun is settled by 

 him, the question of the simplicity and durability of the 

 movement, between guns of the same price, will come 

 next to be settled. 



"On the question of price, I have some very decided 

 opinions. To my mind, there should be something more, 

 to a spoilsman in bis gun than a mere tool wherewith he 

 works. It should lie something higher to him than a mere 

 matter ol wood and iron. There s'hould;be an element of 

 fine art in it. A fine gun is the work of an artist. It is a 

 fine picture to him who can trace the lines of beauty in il3 

 graceful swell, aud apprecieate the delicate taste displayed 

 in its unostentatious ornament. 



"Sportsmen, and particularly American sportsmen, as a 

 class, should reflect that the" nearer to art (bey raise all 

 things connected wilh their spoit, the more they ennoble 

 themselves and enhance their pleasure. 



"Believing Ihis firmly, as I do, I have a work of earnest, 

 advice to the shooter starting on his career. Even as old 

 Polonius advised his sou, as to the purchase of his dress, 

 so do I. advise the sportsman as to the purchase of his gun; 

 'Let it be costly as thy purse can buy.' 



"1 do not say this to encourage a lavish waste of money, 

 but as I would to encourage any of the refinements of civil- 

 ized life. 



"The man of limited means, however, can not indulge 

 in high figures, lie must take an article within his reach. 

 Very" often the unavoidable expenses of bis sport make sad 

 havoc witli his small resources, and to hold him to a high 

 priced gun would be to debar him altogether from the 

 held. 



"The cheap guns only are within the reach of a majority 

 of buyers in America. But because they are cheap, that is 

 no reason why they should be worthless; and no reason 

 why the buyer should be cheated, as he constantly is." — 

 From "Gtoan's" work on Guns. 



Variety of Targets. — "We have received a communi- 

 cation from a very valued correspondent, and an authority 

 on rifle practice, on the new system of targels adopted in 

 various portions of the country, but especially those nsed 

 by the American Rifle Club of Mount Vernon. We thor- 

 oughly agree wilh his premiss, that one general system of 

 targets should be used throughout the Union, in order that 

 we may have some means of determining the accuracy of 

 the shooting of the different clubs and noting their progress 

 when compared wilh the Creedmoor practice. If each 

 club has its own system of marking, we can make no satis- 

 factory deductions of its marksmanship; hence, under 

 present conditions, it would be best for all lo adopt the 

 Creedmoor style of targels, as they are cheap, simple, and 

 easily managed. 



The introduction of the Wimbledon targets into this 

 country is impolitic, owing to lheir cumbersome ami intri- 

 cate character, their expensiveness, aud our want of trained 

 markers. In England the latter are members of the regular 

 army, and are placed under the strictest discipline, so that 

 any wrong act or violation of duty can be promptly pun- 

 ished. These conditions being wanting here, every club 

 shp'uld adopt the Creedmoor rules, in order to avoid confu- 

 sion and to secure unity and simplicity. 

 ■ ->•*•- 



A Matter fob Emulation. — "We to day had the pleas- 

 ure of looking over a tine lot of live western quail (200) en 

 route per Adams Express for Towanda, Pa. They are in 

 auswer to a philanthropic order of A. E. Chamberlin. 

 The birds have been selected with unusual care in regard to 

 health and hardiness, and the proper proportion for breed- 

 ing purposes. Mr. C. proposes to turn them out in the 

 vicinity mentioned about the 10th of February, in time for 

 them to take advantage of St. Valentine's day. And he 

 hopes to have a numerous progeny as the result when his 

 friends come to see him in the Fall. 



How many sportsmen are there in that neighborhood 

 who will properly appreciate this generous effort of our 

 friend to advance the interest of the fralernity? 

 ■♦•♦> 



Podi.try Exhibition. — The last week has been devoted 

 to the second annual exhibition of the New York Poultry 

 Association, at Ulica. A good effort, was made to get up 

 a bench show of dogs. Wc acknowledge the receipt of a 

 complimentary ticket to attend the exhibition. 

 • ♦♦♦ 



The "Animal Kingdom." — This journal, which is doing 

 so much to foster a love of the animal world, and to sup- 

 press all species of crueltj r exercised toward our dumb 

 slaves of the brute creation, is, we are glad to know, re- 

 ceiving a liberal support from, all lovers of kindness and 

 humanity. Mr. Russell has retired from the paper, and all 

 the work is now done by the editor. 



-»••- 



— The following shows the number of visitors to Florida 

 during the Winter season for the years named extending 

 from December 1st to May 1st: 4,000 in 186ft: 7,000 in 1870; 

 14,000 in 1871; 20,000 in 1872; 25,000 in 1873. The season, 

 1874-5, the number is expected to reach 35,000. 



'' —Bat manure, obtained from caves in the West India 

 islands, Is on sale at Jacksonville, Fla. 



Wisconsin State Association. — We have received the 

 following notice with request to publish it:— 



TO THE Sl'OBTSMEN OF WISCONSIN:— 



The first meeting since its organization, (on the ISth day of August 

 last) of the "Wisconsin Club Association for the Protection of Fish and 

 Game," will be held at the city of Madison on the first Tuesday of Feb- 

 ruary next, being the 2d day of February, 1875. You are earnestly re- 

 quested to be present at said meeting, as representatives of club, or 

 otherwise, and aid in the perfection and dcvelpomeut of our organization. 

 It. U. StBONO, Prosiflant, 



At. T.B.ur.FT, 7?eo.?rdiug Secretary. 



— Tbe Ciimjsfl.m Inspector of fisheries capture' p, 

 filt&My, \m week. ' 



