130 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Maboh 17, 1881. 



Notes from Virgtota— New Kent Co., Va., March 7- 

 From what I see aud hear there is enough of the partridges 

 surviving in this portion Of the State to insure a crop the ensu- 

 ing season. The coveys I have seen were large— in one case 

 exceeding thirty. This is said to be a bad sign, as arguing all 

 of one sex. I don't know that there is any truth in this 

 supposition. Nearer the mountains I fear the destruc- 

 tion has been greater, and in the valley I hear that birds are 

 being bought in South Carolina for re-stocking. The Caro- 

 lina birds are much smaller than ours, but it is to be hoped 

 they will acquire larger proportions by the transplanting. 



You are right in supposing that we cannot surrender the 

 name of partridge for quail or colin or any other however 

 scientific or outlandish. The same as to pheasant. We 

 know nothing of your ruffed grouse. 



The terrible tenacity of winter has prevented any angling 

 operations, and we are waiting impatiently for a few days of 

 warm sun and soft breezes. 



" Habo Fabdxa Dooet"— Boston, Feb. 28.— I was greatly 

 amused by an article in 3'our last issue which described the 

 final ejection of a swab from a rifle barrel by "heating the 

 barrel some four hours till it was red hot in the Are aud burn- 

 ing the imprisoned swab to a cinder." It reminded me of 

 one of La Fontaine's fables of " The Bear, the Man and the 

 Fly," in which the playful, tame and loving Bear smashes in 

 his master's skull with a huge stone to kill a fly upon his nose, 

 which he, the bear, fears may trouble his master's slumbers. 

 In the recital referred to above, it is stated that the operators 

 tried to eject the swab by using an "iron rod" but were un- 

 successful. Now, it seems to me, if they had repeatedly 

 heated this rod red hot and inserted it into the rifle barrel they 

 would have obtained the same results without doing any in- 

 jury to the rifle. The savoir faire of some of our hunters is 

 wonderful. — Fusil. 



AtmrmoN Grw Club.— The semi-annual election of officers 

 of the Audubon Gun Club took place last evening at their 

 club room, 1226 Broadway, Brooklyn. liobt. T. Sabine was 

 elected President; C. W. Field. Vice-President; James 

 Herniug, Secretary, and 0. W. Twing, Treasurer. The club 

 elected as members of the Executive Commi tee : L. B. 

 Field, P. Post and J. F. Soharfenberg. They will hold their 

 next contest for the club badge on Thursday, the 10th inst. 

 This association has only been in existence smce last Septem- 

 ber and KOW has a membership of twenty and bids fair before 

 the next election to double its present number. Its finances 

 are on the credit side of the account, and the club is in a very 

 happy state of affairs ereuerally. 



Brooklyn. JS. X>., March 8, 1881. 



Air Guns are a tine gtui non in a cat infested city. Un- 

 fortunately the use of the air gun is for the most part con- 

 fined to the shooting gallery when it should be used in the 

 back yard to bring Grimalkin down from his discordant perch 

 on the garden fence. If there were half a dozen of Mr. H. 

 M. Quackenbush's air guns to every block in New York the 

 cat problem would be settled without Mr. Bergh's proposed 

 home for vagrant, aged and orphan tommies. If Ms. Quack- 

 enbush's notice elsewhere shall be the means of decreasing 

 the feline population of the world that gentleman should be 

 rewarded as a public benefactor. 



Poachers Punished— Williamsport, Pa., March 5.— I 



send you by this mail one of our local papers with a marked 

 article referring to the arrest, by the Lycoming Sportsmen's 

 Club of three individuals for killing a deer out of season. 

 One of the parties arrested and fined is a notorious poacher, 

 who has, perhaps, done more to exterminate the game (es- 

 pecially feathered) in this vicinity than any other ten men 

 combined ; let us hope the lesson* given him by our club will 

 have the desired effect, for if lie is again caught tripping he 

 will fare worse than on this occasion. — Lycoming. 



Deer in Michigan— Escanaba.— I frequently receive letters 



from sportsmen asking about the deer supply. Parties out- 

 side, it seems, thiuk we are killing so many deer here that 

 it must affect the shooting. We have very fine deer hunting. 

 There is a large range north and east " of us that is not 

 hunted- I think (average seasons) there is as many deer 

 fawned as killed Deer are not as plentiful in sonic localities 

 as they were a few years ago, and some people think they 

 are decreasing rapidly; but the fact is, they are win taring fur- 

 ther north and east as the limber is cut away. This will be 

 a hard winter for deer— deep snow and more wolves than we 

 have had for years. People understand there is no bounty 

 on wolves, consequently do not hunt them. — R. 



Ducking on the Niagara Biter. — Lord George G. 

 Campbell, brother of his Excellency the Marquis of Lome, 

 and Lady Campbell, accompanied by Mr. D. Isaacs, of the 

 Prospect House, Niagara Falls, left on Monday evening ma 

 Canada Southern Railway for Niagara to enjoy a couple of 

 days' duck shooting. Lady Campbell always, as far as pos- 

 sible, accompanies her husband on his shooting expeditions, 

 as she is fond of the sport. Just now the duck are ver3' 

 plentiful on the Niagara River, and yesterday the gentlemen 

 bagged ninety-three. 



Ft.orida Quail— Tallahassee, Fla., Feb. 24.— Although we 

 have experienced the most severe winter known here for 

 twenty years not a quail has been frozen, so far as I can learn, 

 and the prospects for next fall's shooting is excellent. An 

 average shot with a good dog can bag forty to fifty birds in a 

 day's shooting. The shooting at this time of the year is es- 

 pecially good as the fields arc being plowed and the birds 

 are taking to the hedges, and with a good dog one can have 

 fine sport. The only trouble here we have is that the negroes 

 trap the quail in such large numbers. — Dixie. 



Tennessee Notkb— Koshoell, March, 7.— Snipe have al- 

 ready made their appearance in the marshes about the. city; 

 quite a number have been bagged, hut from some cause or 

 other they are very thin. The cold winter has been disastrous 

 to quail in many parts of the State, hundreds of them being 

 reported frozen. Venison in large quantities has been in our 

 market, though ducks and wild turkeys have been very 

 scarce— J. D. H. 



Wild Pigeons in Texas.— Last week two hunters, Arch. 

 Murphy aud W. C. 8cott ; went to a pigeon roost in Wood 

 County, N. E. Texas, and in less than eight hours' hunting 

 they killed and brought into camp one thousand and fifteen 

 pigeons. They are also reported roosting by the million in 

 the viciuity of Lime Stone Gap across Red River in the_ In- 

 dian Territory.— H. W. M. 



Quail fob New Jersey— Editor Forest and Stream : The 

 West Jersey Game Association is making efforts to secure 

 one thousand quail from North Carolina to liberate in the five 

 lower counties of the State. It is doubtful now that so many 

 birds can be obtained ; two hundred and fifty pair, however, 

 1 believe, have been assured the society. This association is 

 ever foremost in active work for the protection and preserva- 

 tion of game, and many of its most prominent members are 

 residents of Philadelphia, in fact, if seems that our city fur- 

 nishes the backbone of the society. — Homo. 



A Gamb Depleted Country— Tidioute, Pa.— Warren 

 County is one of the "played out" resorts. Formerly we 

 had grand deer hunting ground, but now sawmills are being 

 introduced all through the big woods, and those mills are 

 manned (for the most part) with lawless and soulless 

 marauders, who kill everything in season and out of season, 

 until now the best hunters will not average one deer per 

 week with constant hunting; whereas, ten years ago seven 

 to ten would fall before one gun in the same time. — E. A. B. 



Missouri, Parkviile, Platte Co., March 10.— A friend and 

 self have just returned from a hunting tour among the lakes 

 in this vicinity. Ducks and geese are plentiful but hard to 

 get at. Squirrels arc scarce ; a few can be f ound on the 

 bluffs Rabbits are quite numerous and afford good sport. 

 Ruffed grouse aud quail are rarely seen here ; they are not 

 protected, and hence are almost exterminated. — Printer. 



Acoomao Co., Va.— March 12. — There are plenty of geese 

 in the marsh ponds and the black ducks are beginning to re- 

 turn. The quail have fared badly, not being used to such 

 cold and snows. Found a dead night partridge (woodcock) 

 several days ago. 



Worthtngton, Ind.— March 8 — The quail have been 

 almost desttoyed. It will be many years before birds are 

 plenty again ; where two years ago there were hundreds, one 

 cannot be found. The prairies are wet, but we expect snipe 

 shooting later on. 



Logan, Hooking Co., O.— March 12.— Last winter was a 

 "corker" on the quail. Many bevies have been found in the 

 bottoms frozen to death. 



Massachusetts. — The sportsmen of Springfield, Mass., and 

 vicinity have captured over one hundred foxes this season, 

 and the end is not yet. 



Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, March 12.— Two or three 

 snipe were killed on the meadows bor teriug Darby Creek, 

 near Philadelphia, last week. In some places, however, the 

 marshes have not entirely thawed out. To-day many 

 redheads reached Philadelphia per rail from Havre de Grace 

 and shooting there is reported very good. Our river ducks 

 being shipped by gunners to the city are in very poor condi- 

 tion yet, the ice on the flats this winter having carried off and 

 destroyed the usual vegetable matter which supplies them 

 with food. 



Newport— R. I., March 5.— John H. Chase, a fine rifle 

 shot of Portsmouth, was out shooting last week. As he fired 

 at a rnuskrat in the water another stuck his head out of water 

 in range and he killed them both. He says he never heard 

 of the like being done before with a rifle ball. — Shooter. 



Nkw Jeesey — Hightstown, March 12. — Woodcock were 

 heard here on the first of the. month.— P. 



N. Y. 8. ASSOCIATION. 



TPHE committee on literature are getting up an elaborate pro- 

 -*- gramme of between one and two hundred pages to be bound 

 in boards and printed on a delicate, cream-laid, tmted paper. For 

 the miter cover a design is being prepared by one of the finest 

 artists in the country under the supervision of Mr. S. S. Consul, of 

 Harper k Eros. Iu this book a complete history of the .Now York 

 State Association for the Protection of Fish and Game will be 

 printed. It is also desired to obtain tho accurate scores of prize win- 

 ners at the trap, and any one who can give -my information, either 

 in regard to seoresor to the history of the Association prior to lsos, 

 is respectfully asked to correspond with Mr. Abel Crook, liennett 

 Building, New York. Ae there is no authentic record, the Com- 

 mittee would like to obtain one as complete as possible 60 as to 

 make the programme a book of reference, and the earlier any in- 

 formation is furnished the better, as it will involve considerable 

 labor in the compilation of it. The committee propose to take a 

 limited number of advertisements at the rate of one hundred dol- 

 lars a page to help defray the expense of getting up the pro- 

 gramme. Donors of prizes will be allowed an advertisement free, 

 provided they will furnish a suitable cut for the same. 



Prizes are' being received very rapidly ; orders for about forty 

 having been received and placed on file, the aggregate value of 

 which is four thousand dollars. Among others which wo are 

 authorized to announce are the following : 



The Brooklyn Furniture Company are. manufacturing a parlor 

 suit oftenpiecos of furniture covered with satin damask and 

 elegantly carved, aud valued at one thousand dollars, the damask 

 alone costing two hundred aud aeveuty-five dollars. It is intended 

 that this prize shall be offered for individual competion, and is 

 the largest prize ever offered at a State tournament 



Tho Le Koy Shot and Lead Manufacturing Company have do- 

 nated -a bronze, representing an American hunter on horseback 

 shooting a bison. The design is by Honheur, brother of Rosa 

 Bonheur, and possesses that characteristic treatment of animals 

 for which that artist is so famed. It was prepared by Tiffany in 

 whose windows it is on exhibition. It is valued at three hundred 

 dollara. Mbsbts. Parker & Bros, aro manufacturing a gun expressly 

 for the occasion, which they assert will surpass anything their 

 factory ever turned out. It is to be specially built for trap par- 

 poses,' and of the finest Damascus steel, thirty-inch barrels, ten 

 gauge, between eight mid nine pouuds in weight, and is to be gold 

 mounted with a rib engraved as follows : " Prize N. Y. S. A. for 

 Protection of Game and Fish, 1881." 



The other prizes include articles both useful and ornamental, 

 descriptions of which we will give hereafter Irani time to time. 



No cheap prizes have been accepted, tho Committee arguing 

 that it would be unfair to donors of valuable prizes to permit the 

 character of donations to be weakened by such a course. The 

 system which has been adopted, and is working admirably, is as 

 follows : No donations is entered on the books until all corres- 

 pondence is ended by the receipt and nlmg of an accredited order 

 for the prise. If any conditions are attached to a donation the 

 Committee reserve the right to return the same to the donor if it 

 should be found impracticable to comply with the conditions. No 

 donation will be accepted unless it is iu some way appropriate, 

 and snch as shall be acceptable to a winner. Also, the Committee 

 propose to place an honest oath valuation on each prize so that a 

 winner will Tsnow just what he haa won. Between the middle of 

 April and the first of May all prizes are to be delivered to the 

 Committee, and will be exhibited by the Brooklyn Furniture 

 Company at their warerooms on Fulton Street, opposite Hanover 



Place, Brooklyn. This company has prepared the most attractive 

 show window that could be found either m New York or Brooklyn. 

 It is entirely of plate glass, with a frontage of thirty feet and a 

 depth of sixteen feet. It is to bo carpeted iu Wilton and ar- 

 ranged in parlor form, lighted by a chandelier of many 



'-?-i ' '-"■<■ ■-■■■■■: '■■■■■ ii L.i ,- :--■,-: ;l.l •:.;:;- >■■■!.' ::,m ■ii-;,;i .;„- 



windows with Madras hangings, loaned especially for this oc- 

 casion, valued at eight hundred dollars a pair. Within this 

 crystal palace the suit of furniture donated by them will be 

 placed, and all the other prizes displayed in such order and 

 upon such arrangement as will please the eye and prove mOBt 

 advantageous In May a formal opening will be had, to which 

 the donors and members of the press are invited, and a suitable 

 collation will be f urniehed. Those who are contemplati ug entering 

 prizes should decide without delay, as it is estimated that the 

 preparation of the book that ia to contain the programme will re- 

 quire at least a month, and the Committee feel that iu justice to 

 the donors the book should be distributed as early as possible 

 We are informed that about one thousand dollars iu'eash has been 

 presented to the prize Committee to use as they see fit. The bird 

 problem appears in a fair way of solution several responsible 

 parties having solicited the contract. The number of Birds re- 

 quired is estimated at twenty-five thousand, aud any bids for the 

 contract should be forwarded at, once to Mr, Crook, who will place 

 them before tho Committee on Birds. 



LONG ISLAND GUN CLUBS. 



Wednesday evening, March 9, the Coney Island Hod and Gun 

 Club held its meeting at the clnh rooms, No, 451 Fla.tbush avenue 

 President W. L. B. Stears in the Chair and Secretary Geo l' 

 Ayers recording. There was a large attendance of members Mr' 

 C. W. Wingert, who had been appointed to procure a champion- 

 ship club badge, produced an elegantly designed gold badge and 

 reported that it was ready for presentation to the member who had 

 been BucceBsful at the last meeting. The conditions under which 

 the badge is to be won are that the member who wins it most 

 times at the twelve monthly eonipetit'ons is to have it as his por- 



1 of the . 



id pleasant address, presented the 

 who, at the first competition which 

 ~ ' ! rds straight. 



:ongratulated by his fellow 



sonal property at the ooneli 



The chairman, in an able 

 badge to Mr. Theodore Alston, .. 

 took place last month, killed seve 



Mr. Alston responded, and w 

 members on his succeaa. 



A case of stuffed birds was presented by Mr. J. Batty to be shot 

 for on the 16th inst. 



Mr. C. W. Wingert presented a handsome gold pin to be shot 

 for in April. 



Mr. Bobert Furey presented a teu dollar gold piece to be shot 

 for in May. The thanks of the club were tendered the doners. 



The following new members were elected : Daniel W. Nortbrup 

 Wallace W. Samuels, C. J. Glover, Harry Deghueo, T. Hiclebotham 

 Harry Brown, James O'Connor. Hairy I-Iasa, J. P.. Stearns. G c' 

 Maraters, Benjamin.!.;.' o--i-, P.. <"■:. t ; i>i- ivil.iaki j-;.:...il: llK fi it,',^, 

 tunnel. Tho names of thirteen applicants for membership were 

 received. The Secretary reported the number of members to be 

 143, which, considering that the club only started November 11 

 last, is a good showing. 



After the formal adjournment a fine collation and entertain- 

 ment, consisting of singing, etc., concluded the evening's pro- 

 ceedings. 



The Long Island Shooting Club baa filed 

 the County Clerk's office. The motuboivhip oi 

 eight, of whom sixty-one are in good standing, 

 vein- were $678.46 and the expenditures 3527 



"of ■-■151.2:1. The total amount of clui- :i>^r;. 



yeoty' 

 of the 



INFORMATION WANTED. 



Uiotokioax Query. — W. M. H., 712 Market street, Phila- 

 delphia, Pa., would be glad to get a letter from some one who 

 can tell him accurately in what organization of the Confed- 

 erate Army the lance was used. (This weapon is about nine 

 feet long, the Confederate States flag being attached to the 

 staff near the steel spear-point. The pike for infantry of 

 various shapes was usually heavier aud longer, as to its point 

 than the lance- Were many of the pikes'nsed?) This cor- 

 respondent was a soldier —then as now 7 a lover of historic 

 things, lie has two great boxes of these lances. The boxes 

 were addressed to " Capt. Getty, Lynchburgh, Va." He 

 would like to learn who this office- was and exactly where 

 these curious Weapons were abandoned or captured. A letter 

 or postal addressed as above would reach the historical student 

 aforesaid. 



Minnesota Srootino. — C. E. W., Troy, N. Y., asks (l; 

 where he can find best deer hunting within 150 mi es of St. 

 Paul, Minn. ; wants board, preferably with some one who 

 understands sport. (2) Resort for deer, ducks aud geese in 

 Otter Tail County, Minn., with board. (3j Sporting centre, 

 with board, on line of St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba 

 Railroad. 



Beatjfobt.— " Subscriber " asks; (1) What is the range of 

 the thermometer at Beaufort, N. C, in winter and summer ? 

 (2) Is the climate healthy, or subject to malaria aud fever 

 and ague? (3) Is wild fowl and general snooting good in 

 its vicinity? 



A M5A.DKB of Pittsburgh desires to know the nearest point 

 to Pittsburgh, Pa., where live quail for breeding purposes 

 can be purchased. 



*h and 



THE WICJIEHSHElMEfi FLUID. 



BOSEMJ 



WILL the "Fish Editor " of Forest a.np Stklaj 

 me as to best manner of preserving bear skh 

 they have been "pegged out" and cleaned of moHt o 

 fattv matter, what is the best preparation to apply? 

 ly used common salt, but am told that will always attract moisture. 

 alum aud salt. I have an objection bo using arsen- 

 ical soap or any of the salts of arsenic. I have supponod on read- 

 ing your article on the " Wickorsheimcr Fluid" thai it was a good 

 preparation, but that would be a very bully article to take into the 

 mountains in a pack outfit. At any rate I should like to get your 

 advice as to the best method, preferring, of course, it in a solid 

 form that coidd be easily " packed" and mixed up iu tho field. I 

 killed six large grizzlies in those mountains last season well tarred, 

 and fear the fur will slip for want of proper treatment, and don't 

 wish to be unprepared the next trip. p. 



[The " Wickershemier Fluid," the formula of whioh was given in 

 Forest and Stbeam of Nov. 4, 1880, has been misunderstood by 

 many correspondents. We do not consider it or the -ligheat value 

 for;' 



preserving birds, as objects preserved by it remain flexible. It 

 if great value in making skeletons which are hold together by 

 natural ligaments ; for preserving insects, spiders, crustacouns and 

 perhaps fishes for museums. It may be of use to the taxidermist 

 mease of skins, but we know nothing of its w,e in this manner. 

 The skin would remain flexible, and the moths would probably 

 avoid it, but whether it would retain the hair or not we cannot Bay. 

 There has been a great demand for copies of the paper which con- 

 tained the recipe, but we have no reports from those who have 

 used it in this country. In a week or two we will give our readers 

 another formula for a preserviug thud, which, like the other, cornea 

 from Germany. 



A mixture of one-third (by measure) alum to two-thirds salt is 

 us6d and recommended by taxidermists for preserving the skins of 

 mammals.] 



