-^sS^ 



THE 



AM E~Ri CAN 



SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL. 



(Entered According to Act of Congress, to the year 1831, by the Forest and Stream Publishing Company, to the Office ot the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 



Terms, *4 a Year. 10 Cts. a Copy.l 

 Six Mo's, »«. Three Mo's, 81. j 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1881. 



CONTENTS. 



Editoriat.:— . 



The Last of the Aquarium : Special Prizes for Beagles ; Hound- 

 ing and Still-Hunting 63 



The Sportsman Tourist : — . 



Hunting the Mountain Goal in British Columbia , " A Trip 

 Through the Provinces " *>4 



Natural History:— . „, 



Nesting Habits of the Buffed Grouse ; A True Snake Story ; 

 Habits of Snakes ; Do Crows Reason? Albino Hail (?) ; 

 Intelligent Crane ; Large Panther : Notes 6G 



Game Bag and (ixrs :— ^ 



What to do When Lost : Quail-Skootingu) Tennessee ; Hound- 

 ing ts. Still Hunting ■ tteynard's Habits and Stratagems; 

 Game and Fish in Indiana : Was it a Witch ? A South 

 Carolina Resort : A Test Game Law Decision ; Experience 

 With a Swab : Pinnated Grouse Propagation ; Trapping 

 Hawks: Notes 67 



Sea and River FisrnNCt :— . 



The Gamy Bainbow Trout ; Fly-Casting Tournament ; Maine 

 Kott-s , Fish H::zcli,,r: o\ ii tj Aii^iiuui : 11 ",'. l.arye is » 

 Quarter-Pound Trout V Range of the Catfish ; Notes (1 



Fish Culture :— ,, 



Central Fishcultnral Society ; Report ot the Massachusetts 

 Commission; Fish Culture in Illinois; Growth of Carp; 

 Notes 71 



The Kexnel :— ,,,,.„ .,. 



Have Dogs an E^tra Sense ; Hvdroplwbr.i ; Breeding and 

 Care of Beagles ; New l'ork Bench Show ; Sterling Dog 

 Show; Correspondents' Comments ; Gn-'sie ; Notes, Iven- 

 nel Management ; Kennel Notes ; The English Pointer. . . 72 



Yachting and Canoeing :— ,,„■,,„, 



The Two-Tonner ; Measurement; Hamersly's Naval Encyclo- 

 pedia: Nonpareils and Sharpies; Sharpies and Keels; 



Challange to Flat Bottoms ; Yachting News 75 



Rifle and Trap Shooting :— 



Range and Gallery ; The Trap r6 



Answers to Correspondents ■ 7S 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



The Forest and Stream is the recognized medium of entertainment, 

 Instruction and information between American sportsmen. 



communications upon the subjects to which Its pages are devoted 

 are invited from every part, o£ the country. 



Anonymous communications will not be regarded. 1S T o correspond- 

 ent's name will be published except with his consent. 

 TUe Editors cannot he held responsible for the views of correspond- 

 All communications of whatever nature should be addressed to the 

 Forest and Stream Publishing Company, Nos. !» and 40 Park Row, 

 New York. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Thursday, February 24. 



THB LAST OP THE AQUARIUM. 



THE New York Aquarium is approaching its dissolution. 

 With the expiration of its lease, in May next,, it -will be 

 no more. The proprietor claims that the American people 

 do not appreciate an aquarium ; but if he had said that they 

 do not appreciate his aquarium it would be nearer the truth. 



When it was opened in 1876 it was thronged for months, 

 and had a brilliant and valuable collection of fishes. It paid 

 for itself in a year, no- withstanding the fact that it was run 

 at an enormously extravagant expense. The first manage- 

 ment erred in this, and in exaggerated advertisements of 

 "sea serpents" when a " maray," a species of sea eel, was 

 caught, etc. At the same time, the collection was kept up 

 to replace the frequent deaths caused by bad management in 

 placing fish in the show tanks before they became acclimated 

 to the temperature and the light. 



The Aquarium was not constructed on the best models, as 

 at that time no one in America knew much about aquaria; 

 and it cost more than twice what it should have cost. The 

 second management has catered to a class who do not care 

 for the legitimate features of an aquarium, and there have 

 ■ been all sorts of shows introduced, from Punch and Judy to 

 circus and opera. That an aquarium built by a stock com- 

 pany, which would be coutent with a fair interest on their 

 investment will pay in New York, if properly built and man- 

 aged, we do not for a moment doubt ; but it should be 

 placed where the ground rent would not eat it, up, and it 

 should not attempt to do the sensational and to draw crowds, 

 ra'her contenting itself with a steady moderate patronage all 

 the year round. 



At first, the attendance of children in charge of nurses 

 was an important factor in the morning receipts, and it was 

 a favorite resort for scientists and the clergy, who latterly 



have eye d it askance ; and its patrons have been drawn from 

 rural visitors mainly. An aquarium will pay in New York 

 if the right persons are at the head of it, who have brains 

 enough to employ competent managers and who will not let 

 it degenerate into a variety show. The public started in 

 right and received the Aquarium as the correct place of re- 

 sort for themselves and their children for the firstyear; then 

 it chauged its character and the public changed also. Of late 

 its attractions have been a few carp and perch in the fresh- 

 water tanks and about fifty salty- water flsh of four species ; 

 two hippopotami, two monkeys, one bird (toucan) and a 

 circus. 



SPECIAL PRIZES FOR BEAGLES. 



IN our kennel columns last week we very briefly announced 

 our intention of offering at the coming bench show of 

 the Westminster Kennel Club two special prizes for Beagles, 

 one to be offered in the bench-legged and the other in the 

 straight-legged class. The attention of sportsmen at bench 

 shows in this country has been given in such a great degree 

 to setters and pointers that other and excellent strains of 

 dogs have been passed over. Recently the admirers of the 

 spaniel have spoken for him in no uncertain tones and it is 

 high time that something be done for the interest of the use- 

 ful little beagle. 



We believe that the announcement of these prizes will in- 

 duce keen competition among breeders and will encourage 

 the improvement of the strain. We were especially desirous 

 that the entries for these specials might bo free. In order that 

 no one entering a dog at the show should be debarred from 

 entering for them, we therefore sent to the Secretary of the 

 W. K. C. the following letter : 



Office of Forest and Stream, ) 

 3!) Park Bow, New York. February 16. J 

 E. 0. Cornem., Esq., Secretary Westminster Kennel Club, 206 

 Broadway: 



Dear Sir— The Forest and Stream desires to offer to the West- 

 minster Kennel Club, at its boueh show to be held this spring, two 

 handsome, silver-mouuted hunting-horns as special prises for 

 Beagles. One of the hornB to go to the best bench-leggod beagle 

 of any age or sex in the show, the other to the best straight-legged 

 beagle. 



The Forest and Stream jb especially anxious that the entries 

 for those special prizes shall be free, but is of corn-so unable to an- 

 nounce the conditions under which the prizes will be competed for 

 without first consulting tho W. K. C. 



Can you inform us at an early day whether it will be possible for 

 us, in announcing the conditions for theBe prizes in our next 

 week's issue, to say that the entries will be free ? 



The same individual who judged the open class could act as 

 judge for the specials. 



The beagle has not, to our mind, received in the past its fail- 

 share of attention, and we feel anxiouB to do what we can to en- 

 courage the improvement of the breed. 



The Editors Forest and Stream. 



To this Mr. Cornell replied that the only conditions that 

 the club had to make in the matter were that the dogs com- 

 peting should be regularly entered in the regular classes. 

 We are therefore enabled to announce the conditions under 

 which the Forest and Stream trophies will be competed 

 for, in our kennel columns this week. 



The entries will be free, but those desiring to compete 

 must forward their names and entries to the Forest and 

 Stream, and such entries will be published from time to 

 time as received. As it is probable that the number of en- 

 tries will he large, the earlier these are sent in the better. 



The value of the beagle is slowly coming to be appreciated. 

 As the birds on which we have been accustomed to rely for 

 sport become, owing to hard winters, excessive shooting and 

 the unfortunate passion which seems to possess our legisla- 

 tors for continually tinkering with the game laws, more and 

 more scarce, lovers of the gun must seek some other diver- 

 sion than that in which setters and pointers are employed. 

 Hare hunting will in many localities take the place of bird 

 shooting, and the merry little beagle with his tuneful voice 

 will, before long, surely come into deserved prominence as a 

 sportsman's assistant. We hope that the offer of these 

 special prizes may have a good effect in inducing beagle 

 owners to exhibit their favorites and in bringing to the front 

 the best types of dogs of this strain. 



We should be pleased to hear from all beagle owners on 

 this subject. 



HOUNDING AND STILL-HUNTING. 



MORE than a year ago, with considerable trouble, we 

 gathered a large amount of correspondence respecting 

 tb« merits otthe two methods of hunting deer— still-hunting 

 and hounding. By a most unfortunate mischance the cor- 

 respondence, when prepared for publication, was destroyed, 

 and our own efforts and those of our friends who had prof- 

 fered the result of their experience, went for naught. This 

 subject is one deserving full discussion. Only by a compre- 

 hensive exhibit of the facts, as detailed by different observers 

 in different parts of the country, can a sufficient basis of 

 facts be established for proper legislation on the subject, and 

 it is believed that the importance of the question is such as 

 will induce all who are concerned to put forward their own 

 individual information. 



It will be conceded that the two methods, as practiced in 

 different localities, are attended with widely different results j 

 it is therefore often the case that a writer will adduce rules 

 from a limited experience, which, while being entirely right 

 for one section of the country, cannot be made to apply to 

 other localities. The best way to get at tho merits of the 

 question is first to have the facts. We therefore invite con- 

 cise statements respecting the following points, and we urge 

 all who can supply any such information as is here called 

 for to add it to the common fund: 



1st. What Is the character of the country referred to? 



2d. What 18 the prevailing meljiod of hunting deer ? 



M. Describe hounding deer, as practiced in the section referred to, 

 and its effects. Boos It drive deer out of the country '.' 



•Itu. Describe in like manner si ill-hunting ami Its effects. 



Mil. What class of men kill the iriosl deer? -marfcel hunters or par- 

 ties of sportsmen ?— residents or non-residents 1 



oth. Would resfcJem a temen tpprove ol a law prohibiting hound- 

 ing deer? Would the residents assist In enforcing its 



Hh. Would they approve of a law permitting hounding, but prohib- 

 iting the killing or capturing ot the deer after It ha.s been run Into the 

 water? Would such a taw ba practicable ? 



Sth. What Is the open season for deer? 



91h. What are the wlntor hablt3 of deer, so far as you have person- 

 ally observed them ? 



The International Match.— The new Board of Directors 

 of the National Rifle Association seems to have been smitten 

 with the lethargy which made the old Board little better than 

 a display of figure heads. It does not seem that any progress 

 is making toward the bringing on of an International match 

 with the riflemen of Great britain during the coming summer. 

 The match rests with the Board, despite the shuffling motion 

 made at the annual meeting that in the opinion of some of 

 the members it was "inexpedient" to have a match. Gen. 

 Hancock, who was chosen President with such a great hub- 

 bub, has not been near the rooms of the Association— does 

 not appear to have lifted a finger in any way on behalf of the 

 Association. The only sign of activity in the matter of an 

 international match is the mass of " private" correspondence 

 which is now going on between this side and the other. 

 What this can be about, we are at a loss to comprehend. It 

 has been due to these gossipy, busybody letters that so much 

 trouble and misunderstanding was brought about in previous 

 matches between the two countries, and if they do not result 

 in a final rupture at the present time it will be a result to be 

 wondered at. The Board of Directors have the letter of Presi- 

 dent Stanhope, of the British Rifle Association, before them. 

 It is an official communication and it has not as yet received 

 a courteous official answer. Until that is done the private 

 wire-pulling of the inside busybodies may be properly dis- 

 pensed with. 



Because "the Refrigerator Amendment" has been 

 modified, in consequence of the indignation of sportsmen 

 everywhere through the State, the fact imist not be over- 

 looked that as it n..w stands it calls for earnest and continued 

 opposition. The marketmen, who are at the bottom of it 

 all, and those who are seeking to aid them, now say that the 

 obnoxious " all-the-year-round " plan has been given up and 

 so they would have it understood that in its present shape the 

 bill is harmless. We pointed out last week the most patent 

 objections to the proposed law. These objections should not 

 be lost sight of. We are in receipt of communications from 

 the interior of the State which show that the true character 

 and object of the bill is understood. 



