50 



FOREST AND STREAM* 



[Fe euart 17, 1881. 



spell?, 

 6cv 



cd teal I 



•111 flock 



lie wild eeese seem to be as plenty 

 ng district, lies parellel with the 

 i at the junction of this river with 

 ontimmlly flying up and down the 

 Hie Plotte nights, and when ready 

 at this junction. The clucks and 

 it. the winter, when we have warm 

 in faota great number of the blue^ 



onvas hacks have been reported, but, this is 



'e have the poWa rabbit or cotton tail, and 

 the jack rabbit in very large numbers. The latter is a lint 

 animal Id front, and Affords a groat deal of sport. Just get 

 an inexperienced dog after one. and thev present a scene sim- 

 ilar to that described by Mark Twain on the Cayote. lttakes 

 a pretty good hound lo calch one, and then it is rarely done. 

 Ant' lope swarm on the plains all around us, and they often 

 approach Very near the city. The mink and muskral are 

 found in large quantities in the small streams and sleus, and 

 a-c very easily trapped. I have observed several woodcock 

 in some parts of the county, and I hope they mnv increase. 

 Prairie chickens atb very"scarce; no quail "at all, but some 

 [3 ' i r : 'i aialsaue hens. Wild pigeons breed here in large 

 iiuantitii s. Besides all these we have badgers, foxes, wolves, 

 eayotes. skunks, prairie dogs, etc., in large numbers. On 

 hawks there is a bounty of Uwenty-five cents per head, also 

 fifty cents per scalp on wolves, f have observed that east of 

 town in some running sleus a few beavers have made their 

 dam. There are several houses standing quite near, yet the 

 beaver seem not alarmed. I shot a full grown one by 

 watching nearly all night for it, and a few days later I shot 

 another one, a kitten, or one about half grown. There are sev- 

 eral beaver darns up the river a few miles. Ptak.miuan. 



"BAGGING" ROBINS. 



A Franklin, Tennessee, correspondent writes under date of 

 Jan. 31 : 



The present winter has been an unusually severe one here 

 as elsewhere. Although the mercury has not yet touched 

 •zero at any time yet, snow storms have been rather frequent, 

 though the snow has not been deep nor continued long, so 

 that tllO birds are not materially diminished in number 

 nor showing a waste of flesh. During the worst weather the 

 quail deserted the cover of the cleared lands, and betook them- 

 selves to the neighboring woods where beech mast was plen- 

 tiful. 



About ten days since the red breast (Turdiu migmlorms), 

 made their appearance here in incredible numbers feeding 

 during the day on beech-mast and various kinds of seeds, and 

 III night roosting iu a corn brake two miles from town. Here 

 the mighty hunters of all sizes, colors and condition went 

 nightly, each armed with a short candle and a small stick, the 

 glare of the light confusing the bird so as to make it an easy 

 matter to tap him with the stick or even take him with the 

 hand. I went one night last week as a spectator, ami on 

 reaching the hill overlooking the corn brake it had the ap- 

 nea of an irregular torch light procession, there being 

 than a hundred lights within an area of less than six 

 acres. Many of the parties killed over a hundred birds each. 

 Despite this wholesale slaughter themuuhers of the birds were 

 not apparently diminished. Of course the hunters were not 

 so much a Tier sport as after meat, and as the birds areextreme- 

 resume that the}- were placed where they 

 good. Whether from diminution of their 

 slant pursuit of their enemies, the robin 

 ly a - he came. 



pet 



lv fat it is f 



would dot) 

 food or &i 

 departed as 



Blue Guass Cltjb. — This club was organized at Winches- 

 ter, Ivy., about four years ago, for the purpose of fishing and 

 binning, but last year the club engaged in ball shooting, and 

 became somewhat noted in that role. There are eighteen 

 members of the club and sixteen of them pull a fatal trigger. 

 A local paper says : "Fifteen of the number have broken 

 HO out of 100 balls from a rotary trap. Seven have broken 

 over 90 mil of 100. J. E. Garner has broken 105 consecutive 

 balls. C. B. Fox, ex-Sheriff, has broken more than 125 balls 

 from a rotary trap without missing a single shot. In a match 

 with the Georgetown Club at Donerail last summer the latter 

 chili was victorious, but in a subsequent match with the same 

 club at Winchester the victory was reversed, when fifteen 

 members of IfrO Blue Grass Club made an aggregate seme of 

 4 1 7 out of 450 balls. The following is a list of the officers 

 and members; Dr Wash Miller, President ; Charley Swift, 

 Vice-President; J, W. Poynter, Treasurer; Win." Miller, 

 Secretary! G. IS. Nelson, A, 1?. Sphar, W. I). Rash, S. H. 

 Zinn. W. II. Garner, James Evans, C. B. Fox, Dr. Burgin, 

 B. F. Phillips. W. B, Ford, Dr. J. A. Mills, S. D. Griff, .1. 

 ]•:. Garner and P. 11 Dudley. It is believed that seven mem- 

 bers can be selected from this club that will break an ftggn-. 

 giileof 137 out of 140 balls. 



IIoundixc. DEEK-Pirspect, N. T., Feb. 13.— The very 

 excellent letter Of "Wollat "in your issue of this week at- 

 tracted my attention, as ho referred to my letter published 

 some weeks ago. I would say that I am as strongly in favor 

 of the protection of the deer, or any other game, as I am for 

 the protection Of trout. In my reference to deer in that let- 

 ter I did not intend to encourage in auy manner the hound- 

 ing of deer out of senson. I mentioned the fact that the 

 snow was so light that the deer had the advantage over the 

 dogs in case they undertook to hound them out of season, it 



,ii TV different from many winters, when we have deep 

 snows, with occasional thaws, which make a crust. Then 

 thev are helpless, and the penalty in my judgment is not half 

 enough for killing deer out of season. '"Wollat " expresses 

 my own feelings so completely in his letter, and in so much 

 beater shape than I am able to, that I hope we shall hear 

 from him often. W. P. Dodok. 



Maksiiai.ltown Shooting Clfb— Marshalltown, Iowa, 

 dun. 27.— The club has elected; President, George Stick ; 

 Vice-President. J. H. Brunner ; Treasurer. Geo. Will; Sec- 

 retary, Geo. Neil ; Executive Committee, F. II. Griswold 

 and Dr. Thornton, Our club is comprised of genuine sports- 

 men with both rod and gun and we propose to see that our 

 gillie law is enforced, and woe be unto him that, violates it 

 ill this section of the country. We have our regular monthly 

 (hoots (or the club tropliv, which is a silver cup in vase 

 ahapn, with four guns crossed under the fowl. On the base 

 are two dogs in bronze and a vine It is a perfect ornament 

 Slid a. rare, 'token to the man winning it, which be. will bo 

 e.mpelled to flo three times iu succession to call it, his prop. 



J. 11. B, 



Chas, 



I ops) 

 Chas. 

 Brum 



Fulk 

 Bath 

 ham, 



ues II. Mil 

 at, of Bat 



of Bi 



111, of 

 •utary, 



II. Greenleat, of Bath"; Treasurer, Ira P. Book 

 iwiek; Ex. cutivc Committee, S. \V. Carr, liowdoin- 



K. W. Johnson, C. L. York, Brunswick; A. Q. Goud, 

 lam; Geo. II. Nichols, Bath. The following gentlemen 

 admitted as members: Thomas A. H'me, Dr. E. M. 

 •, Frank M. Reed, Bradford Matson, Augustus Hatch, 



Alfred E. Hall, Melville C. Hall, C. H. Small, Tops- 

 and Capt. F. C. Jordan, Brunswick. 



North CaeOMNA Quail Shooting. — From Nov. 4 lo Dec. 

 12 I was hunting in Rockingham County, N. C. Found 

 quail very abundant, could start from twelve to twain ty-five 

 coveys in a day's tramp. I returned there Jau. 15 after the. 

 deep snows and very cold weather. The snow was about 

 gone except on the north sides of hills and fences , We found 

 but few birds, and but from three to seven in a covey and 

 very poor. Hawks more plenty than quail. Wo made up 

 our minds that the snow and cold weather had killed the 

 quail. I fear the hawks will not leave enough iu that sec- 

 tion lo stock up for next season's hunting. 1 hope some of 

 your correspondents will inform us how the quail have win- 

 tered further South and the prospect for next fall's hunting. 



D. 



The Massachusetts Gasie Law— Boston, Feb. 7.— This 

 State has the best, game law that it orany other State ever had, 



as it, protects all our game birds during the summer months 

 from indiscriminate slaughter before the young birds arc fully 

 developed or able lo take care of themselves. If other States 

 would make laws to conform to this as nearly as possible and 

 thus have a uniform law throughout the States, as has often 

 been suggested in your valuable paper, it would be a great 

 blessing not only to this but to future generations ; for the 

 men who frame laws to protect our game birds are like those 

 who plant fruit trees for the benefit of those who come after 

 them. Many of our best sportsmen helped to frame this law, 

 and also help to sustain it, Eeeing the vital importance of tak- 

 ing steps to prevent, the examination of what few birds we 

 have left. Let sportsmen in other States go and do likewise. 



Don Caki.os. 



At a meeting of the Long Island Sportsmen's Association 

 held last Friday evening, the proposed amendments to the 

 game law were adopted with the following Changes; Open 

 season for deer, Aug. 15 to Dec. 1 : sale of venison in market 

 to extend to Feb. 1. Open seasons for woodcock, July 1 to 

 Aug. 1, and Oct. 1 to Dec. 25. Sale in market to exiend to 

 Feb. 1. Squirrels and ruffed grouse, open season, Oct. f to 

 Dec. 25. Sale iu market to extend to Feb. 1. Quail, open 

 season, Oct. 2o to Dec. 25. Sale in market to extend lo 

 Feb. 1, It was also proposed to offer a bounty on hawks 

 and to prohibit the killing of birds ou Long Island, fomatural 

 Irstory purposes, out of season. The bill will be takeu to 

 Albany by Messrs. Ghappell, Fury and Steers. 



Tim Lkatiikb Stocking Ci.rn, of Oswego, N. Y., held a 

 meeting last week to consider the new- refrigerator amend- 

 ment, which had little sympathy here, and instructed our 

 Secretary to send a petition to our member, Mr. Culman, at 

 Albany, to help squash it. The club prizes were also deliv- 

 ered to the following gentlemen, being won by them the 

 greatest number of times at pigeon trap-shoots during 1880 i 

 Geo. P. Matteson, an elegant gold medal, first, won four 

 times; Di\ G. D. MeManus, fine silver-mounted revolver, 

 second, won twice. Lkatuek Stocking. 



FEEntNG the Quail — Peekskill. Feb 8. — Have driven out 

 through this section of the country the past week, making in- 

 quiries among my sportsmen friends and farmers as to the 

 fate of the quail." It is thought that many have perished, but 

 only one bevy have been found frozen thus far. Cortlandt 

 Foster, a farmer, while drawing wood iu the highlands, very 

 near Peekskill, found a bunch frozen hard. Several kind 

 farmers are feeding and otherwise protecting several bevies. 

 I am now feeding a tine, large bevy within the corporation 

 limits of Peekskill. Many were left over and we anticipate 

 good shooting next season. W. H. Piekcb. ' 



Killing a Deer wituNo. 9 Suor — Bryan County, Georgia, 

 Jan. 20.— While shooting woodcock here last, week a full 

 grown deer (an old doe; got up behind m\ r dog and ran within 

 a few feet of me, and I killed her with No. <) shot. Now, I 

 freipienl 1 y see deer while woodcock shooting and always carry 

 buckshot cartridges with me, but did not happen to have one 

 in my gun at the time. This is the only case 1 ever heard of 

 a deer being killed on the run with No. 9 shot. 



Geo. Lvjiun Ai'Plf.ton. 



Illinois Notes— Aurora, 111., Feb. !). — This winter has 

 been verv hard on all kinds of game. I have found a great, 

 many quail along hedge fences that, have been frozen to deal h. 

 I found a bevy of seven one day last week that had died in 

 that way. Pinnated grouse were unusually scarce last season. 

 I think "that the very wet spring drowned out a great many 

 nests. I have not seen many more than half a dozen old 

 birds this winter. Iu our timber ruffed grouse are very 

 scarce. I do not think they will ever be plenty again. 



Wolves and Panthers in the Adibondacks — Canton, 

 N. Y.. Feb. 5. — It may interest some of your readers who 

 visit the North Woods to learn that the Treasurer of St. Law- 

 rence County has paid bounties on five wolves and two pan- 

 thers since January, 1881. The wolves were a'l caught in 

 traps. The two panthers were followed on snow shoes and 

 treed with a dog. Both were killed by Hiram Hutohins 

 and son— Hiram, Jr., of this place, during the past, few 

 weeks. Mr. Hutchins is a veteran hunter and one of the 

 best, guides in this county. 



Quebec Association.— The headquarters of the Fish and 

 Game Protective Club of the Province of Quebec are at Mon- 

 treal. The officers are : Alderman J. C. Wilson, President; 

 E. G. Monk, Esq., Vice-President: W. H. Rinloul, Treasu- 

 rer; G. II. Matthew?, Secretary. Committee— Me-srs. R. II. 

 Kilbv, F. Bendy, H. B. Ives, I. H Stearns, R. A. Alloway, M. 

 I)., Geo. rj.AJUM, E. II. Goodaere, D. W. Goodwin, A. \. 

 Shewan, .(. Johnston, Jr., G. A, Bover, J, B, A MOpgenais, 

 I, 8, Hall, J, B. Robe. Off. 



itSno 



ing.— New Lond 



, Feb. 8.— In 



glasjscs, would say I have a pair of steel spectacles made with 

 round eyes, about, 1 $ inches in diameter. The nose piece put 

 on higher than usual, will bring the lens lower down on the 

 face. The nose piece must be short enough to bring the cen- 

 tre of lens to centre of eye. He can have them made at. 163 

 William street, Now York, for about §1 50. D. 



FokFlouida— New York, Feb. 9.— Mr. Jordan L. Molt, 

 Jr., departed for Florida last week. He has taken a small 

 arsenal With him, and as he is an .ardent sportsman and a 

 crack shot the slaughter of the game and alligator must there- 

 fore be great. s. 



That Bill ought to be refrigerated. 



remain stck wliei 



can get Hop Bitters 



!** md §iver fishing. 



FJSM »N SEASON US FEBBl'AKV. 



Pickerel, AW rct-inttatus. 

 I'tke or IMekeivl, » M i,iciu*. 

 1'lke-prirlL (wiOl-eyecl 



Stizdh-lhium amr.rimmim 



7mrio", ele. 

 Yellow IVre.li, I'emi ihin;,tlih 

 striped Bass, Hoecu.i itneutux. 



Chub, Sew 

 BAI.T WATER. 



Sea liass. IV»fr»/TiVwo!rarili, 

 Nl.ri|H'fl LiuKS, Ilnrcitn lincutlin. 



While rercli. Murone itmericani 



EF.L-SPEATUNU BY TORCHLIGHT. 



i plIE sktes are dark ; the moon Is till 

 1 



A bank ot driJt-log trow the surge 



HaDg-3 heavy ou the sea-:-uore height ; 

 No hovering breeze upliits its wing 



Aside me nibtv gloom to di-^. 



But, see ! a star along the wave 



Jlove-islow and devious, to and fro. 

 Now, like a blazll g camp-fire flares: 



Now, tliekerinLMreiiiblo, mini and a 

 Anon, it ttea lv t-lo-.vs and boms, 

 As hither tiro" the gloom it turns. 



! Tls the 



el-s 



s dimly la lili d lilting boat. 



Isaac .mci.i a <..w. 



There is probably n« 

 specimens and the conn 

 certain areas of water, sh 

 color and form than the sail 



THE SAIBLING OR BAVARLAN CHAR, 



BY G BKOWN GOODE. 



LIKE the red-spotted trout of northeastern North Amer- 

 ica, the saibling belongs to the division of the salmon 

 family usually known under the name " char ;" a group con- 

 fined, for the most part, to fresh- water lakes and streams and 

 distinguished from the true salmons by a peculiar arrange- 

 ment of teeth on the little triangular bone in the roor of the 

 mouth, known to anatomists as the "vomer." 



The chars are also distinguished from the salmon by their 

 eery small scales, and usually by numerous crimson or 

 orange-colored spots which are especially conspicuous in the 

 breeding season. The saibling resembles in its habits the 

 well-known blue-backed trout or oquassa trout of Rangeley 

 Lake, Maine, rather than our brook trout. The chars of 

 Europe, are, as a rule, lake fishes like the saibling, although 

 at least one species, the hucho salmon of the Danube, in- 

 habits a river. On the other hand, the chars of North 

 America are usually found iu streams and rivers. The 

 oquassa trout, just mentioned, and the lake or Mackinaw 

 trout, which, like the closely related form, the ■' siscowei," 

 is apparently nothing but a giant char, resemble in their 

 habits the chars of Europe. 



ip of fishes in which individual 

 litics of individuals inhabiting 

 more tendency to variation in 

 on family. 



Dr. Guuther bus very justly remarked : " We know of no 

 oilier group of fishes which offers so many difficulties to the 

 ichthyologist with regard to the distinction of the speeios as 

 well as to certain points in their life-history, although this 

 may be partly due to the unusual attention'whieh has been 

 given to their study, which has revealed rather a greater 

 amount of unexplained facts than a satisfactory solution of 

 the questions raised. The almost infinite varia 1 ions of these . 

 fishes are dependent upon the age, sex and sexual develop- 

 ment! food and the properties of the water." 



No one who has ever seen the remarkable display of brook 

 trout at the anuual trout opening at Blackford's, in New 

 York, can fail to have been impressed by the wonderful 

 differences which exist between individuals of the same 

 species from different localities— differences which might 

 lead an untrained observer, or even an icthyologisl, who has 

 had no experience in the study of this group, to deenh- at, 

 once that several species were represented among the hun- 

 dreds of specimens lying on the marble slabs. 



The tendency of modern ichthyology, with its more exact 

 methods and with the access to better and more comprehen- 

 sive material for research than was formerly available, has 

 been toward the rejection of many of the nominal species 

 formerly recognized. Out of the forty odd species of salmon 

 ten years ago believed to exist in North America, only thir- 

 teen' or fourteen are now recognized. In Dr. Gunther's cata- 

 logue of " The Fishes in the British Museum," published in 

 1H0C, thirty species of chars were mentioned, while in his 

 lately published " Study of Fishes" the same author ventures 

 to enumerate only tbWeen, all others la iug regarded as in- 



