THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL. 



[Entered According to Act or Congress, In the year ISSt, by the Forest and Stream publishing company, In the office of ttie Librarian ol Congress, :it Washington.! 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1881. 



CONTENTS. 



Editorial :— 

 Avian Eiders ; Care of Quail in Confinement ; Frog Cnl- 



ture ; Going a-Fishing ; Notes 20S 



The Sportsmax Todbist :— 

 Getting Lost ; Another Tour in the Provinces ; Brant Book ; 



Our Last Match 204 



Natubal Histoby:— 

 A Hawk New to the United States ; Migratory Quail and 

 House Sparrows j The Pine Grosbeak ; The Kattlesnake as 



a Tree-Climber 20(j 



Game Bao and Gun s— 

 Catching Babbits in Siberia ; A Woodchuck Gun ; Noted 

 from Never Sink ; Massachusetts Game : Suicide vs. Aeoi- 

 dent ; Notes from Detroit : Silver Lake Staudb ; An Otter 

 Trapped ; Flight of Bine Balls ; An Ohio Decision ; Notes 207 



Sea and Biver Fishing:— 



The Green Biver Trout Preserves ; Samion Fishing in the 

 Penobaeot ; Penobscot Salmon ; New Jersey Fish Law ; 

 Black Bass out of Water ; Blue Mountain House ; Salmon 

 Fishing in Ireland ; Canned Meats 210 



Fish Cultbm :— 

 American Fishcultural Association j On Hybridizing FiBhes ; 

 Beport of Connecticut Commission 21j 



The Kennel :— 

 National American Kennel Club Derby ; Bench-Legged 

 Beagle Questiou ; Woodchuck Dog Chat ; Notes from 

 Abroad ; Mr. Mason's Dogs ; Notes ; Kennel Management ; 

 Kennel Notes. t 218 



Biele and Trap Shooting :— 



Bange and Gallery ; The Trap 215 



Yachting and Canoeing : — 



Aground at Brigantine ; Yachting in Lake Superior ; Tent 

 for Small BoatB j Yachting News 216 



Answers to Correspondents 217 



"An intelligent, truthful and educated Indian named 

 George Rivers, who was very frequently my shooting com- 

 panion for some years, assured me that he had witnessed 

 this, and I believe lonce saw it occur." 



It is said that these Uttle birds only make use of the Cana- 

 da goose as their conveyance, aud it is certain that both ar- 

 rive at the same time — about a week earlier than the white 

 fronted and snow geese (Anse* aibifromi gimbeUi&aA A. hy- 

 perboreus). A similar story is uj]d by the Indians on the 

 shores of the Athabasca and Great RUive lakes, both of which 

 are great resorts of wild geese, and M, the story is purely a 

 fabrication it is difficult to see why it thould be I old only 

 about the Canada geese aud not about any otW>r species. 



Unfortunately the bird which is said to employ this labor- 

 saving method of performing its migrations has not been 

 identified, although the writer, an abstract of whose vj eW s 

 we have given, stated that he knew it well, and had preserved 

 specimens of it, but it is so long ago that he has forgotten 

 the name. 



We trust that further information on this most interesling 

 point will be forthcoming before long. 



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 of the country. 



Anonymous communications will not be regarded. Ho correspond- 

 ent's name will be published except with his consent 



The Editors cannot be held responsible for the views of correspond- 

 ents. 



All communications of whatever nature should be addressed to the 

 Forest and Stream Publishing Company, Xos. 39 and 40 Park Eow, 

 New York. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Thursday, April 14. 



AVIAN RIDERS. 



DR. MERRILL'S interesting account of the belief of the 

 Crow Indians that a small bird, probably a grebe, per- 

 forms its migration on the back of the sand hill crane, was no 

 doubt new to our readers. It appears, however, that a simi- 

 lar belief is widely spread among various tribes of North 

 American Indians. Dr. Merrill's account referred to the 

 Crows, but he mentioned also that the Crees entertained Ihe 

 same belief in reference to the white, or whooping, crane. 

 Recently in the London Mature, Mr. John Rae gives an ac- 

 count of the supposed passage of certain small birds on the 

 backs of the Canada geese as related by the Northern Indians 

 which he apparently believes in. It is generally asserted by 

 the Maskegon Crce Indians who dwell about the southwest- 

 ern part of the Hudsoos Bay, that a small bird, one of the 

 Fringillidai, performs its northward migration in spring on 

 the back of the Canada goose (Bernwla canadensis). 



This species reaches Hudson's Bay about the last of April, 

 and the Indians state that often when the geese are fired at 

 the little birds are seen to fly away from them. The Indians 

 of this region devote considerable time each spring — a month 

 or more— wholly to goose shooting, and their method of do- 

 ing this is to set out decoys near a blind and to call down the 

 geese which are passing over. It is said that the small birds 

 are only found to accompany those flocks which are called 

 down from a considerable height, the low flying flocks never 

 appearing to have the small birds with them. It is inferred 

 from this that such geese having rented on the ground or hav- 

 ing passed near it have been destrted by their little passen- 

 gers, Mr. Bae says of this belief of the Indians ; 



CARE OF QUAIL IN CONFINEMENT. 



PERHAPS there have never been at any time in the his- 

 tory of American shooting so many live quail in con- 

 finement as there are at the present time. This fact is the 

 result, on the one hand, of the growth of a healthy sentiment 

 in favor of game protection throughout the length and breadth 

 of the land, and on the other, lo the severe weather of the 

 past winter which has led the sportsmen generally to believe 

 that quail have suffered severely throughout the East and 

 South, and in mauy sections have been so nearly esterminat- 

 ed that without a restocking of the covers little or no shoot- 

 ing can be looked for for several years. It is exceedingly 

 satisfactory to see the interest in this matter so general and 

 widespread, and it may be regarded as one of the signs of 

 the times most encouraging to those interested in the protec- 

 tion and propagation of our game and fish. 



Those earnest workers who have for years been laboring 

 for the cause against almost constant discouragement aud de- 

 feat may now take heart of grace and renew their efforts 

 with fresh vigor. The people are really becoming interested 

 and are taking hold of the matter on all sides. And if the 

 sportsmen as a body and individually shall lead the move- 

 ment it will unquestionably be a success. 



The example of the Springfield sportsmen, already alluded 

 to in Forest aud Stream, will, we trust, find many imita- 

 tors. An enterprise of this kind, when it is once started and 

 has gathered a little way, acquires constantly more momen- 

 tum. It is cumulative. In winter we have all seen the 

 children when the damp snow lies thick upon the ground make 

 a little ball at the top of a hill and after it has attained re- 

 spectable proportions roll it to the brow, and start it on its 

 way to the bottom. At first it moves slowly, aud sometimes 

 stops two or three times before finally moving off, but when 

 it does at last get started it increases constantly in size and 

 power until at last it is a force that nothing living could 

 withstand. So we trust to see it with game protection in this 

 country, and we believe that the day is not very distant 

 when almost every one will be deeply interested in this most 

 important subject. 



fish and larger frogs ate them, and that there was no way of 

 feeding frogs, which was satisfactory and profitable. Large 

 frogs will eat small ones, and unless each individual had a 

 wire covering to protect him and an attendant to feed him, 

 he either ate up his smaller kindred or was engulfed in the 

 capacious maw of his grandfather. From time to time mar- 

 velous stories appear in the rural press of some enthusiastic 

 lover of the tailless batracian who has accomplished wonders 

 in rearing frogs. Tadpoles rejoice at his coming, the pipers 

 cry "knee deep " and the bassos greet him with a "bollunk" 

 from the lowest register as he approaches. We have hives- 

 tigated these frog farms, at the cost of much postage, and 

 have invariably found that they were located in the brain-pan 

 of the " funny man " of some rural journal. 



The stories might be varied and an increased interest taken 

 in them if the alleged funny mau w r ould add that the froggery 

 was under the superintendence of a patriotic frog who nursed 

 the sick tadpoles and administered justice to young scape- 

 graces who took surreplitious rides on the backs of their aged 

 grandparents; also, that he sekcted mates tw maiden frogs 

 in the Bpnng and skinned the hind legs of uU confirmed 

 bachelors fot market. But, alas 1 the idea of linging a 

 change does not occur to him, and so the old paragraphs do 

 duty occasionally. 



Frogs for the New York market now mainly come from 

 Canada. The neighboring Statea have been skinned ; and as 

 frogs seem to be of slow growth — perhaps three or four years 

 — they do not get a chance to multiply in grout numbers. 

 We do not advise large investments in frog culture. 



Frog Culture. — We have had some inquiries regarding 

 frog culture of late. The subject attracted some attention 

 some years ago, when the success of the culture of certain 

 fishes caused people to look at certain other animals which 

 are of value to see what could be done with them. Frogs 

 and mink were among these, and Mr. Henry Ressigue 

 started a minkery in Central New York and raised afew, but 

 his profits came in from supplying other beginners with live 

 stock at $25 per pair, and not from the regular sales of skins 

 at three to seven dollars each, the average prices in those 

 days. The fact that mink fur went out of fashion as seal- 

 skin came in put an end to all trials in this line, and it is 

 a question whether a mink will eat what his skin is worth or 

 not i or if not, whether there is anything left after feeding 

 the parents all the year and building stockades for them. 



Frog culture never got as far as this. The few experi- 

 menters found that birds, by day and night, ate the tadpoles, 



GOING A-FISHING. 



EVERYTHING betokened an early start and very young 

 was the day when we started, for punctual as the 

 old-fashioned clock over the fireplace we are off, buoyant 

 with anticipations of pleasure and delight. 



We had talked over the trip during the winter weeks, when 

 Jack Frost held possession of the trout streams, and this 

 commenced to look like the realization of a-you might call 

 it an Utopian dream, and more, for the wildest and most ex- 

 travagant fancy could not picture half the charms of the 

 reality. This is true of angling. It is a solid pleasure lo 

 put the rod and reel in order, to inspect line aud leader, to 

 take an inventory of the fly-book, to build airy castles, but 

 this is not being among the green hills, nor on the rippling 

 streams, nor in the woods, where sunlight and shadow play 

 at hide aud seek. Hoping and wishing is not ft eling the 

 elctric thrill that tingles through one when some lord of the 

 pool makes his rush for the allurement you have placed be- 

 fore him ; but we are getting there fast as our Bucephalus 

 and Roziuante cau drag us. 



Snap! crack! goes the whip, aud the graceful horses, 

 moving easily along, .whirl us across the hump-bucked 

 bridge to the music of their hoofs, and we are well under 

 way. Not the least important ingredient of going a- fishing is 

 the day'srldewhenit leads through aplcasant country, and more 

 especially so if one has with him two or three anglers after 

 his own heart ; and the experienced angler cau rarely be im- 

 posed upon in the choice of his companions. It is a very 

 essential part of his piscatorial education lo measure men as 

 they are in camp, for he knows that is the place of all places 

 where a man shows more decidedly than anywhere else the 

 good or ihe bad that is in him. Attempt at disguising his 

 qualities and disposition will not succeed. He will show his 

 colors unconsciously perhaps, but show them he will. 



Away we go nodding good-morning to every one we meet, 

 except the pretty girls, speeding along the old road that 



winds 



" Wbere old roads will 



Here to a terry and there lo a mill;" 

 past meadows glowing with tender and dainty green; past or 

 chards where the "wind that shakes the barley " has strewu 

 the ground rosy white with the apple blossoms ; paBt daisy- 

 deckt d meadows by the brook that goes laughing and brawl- 

 ing over the stones, dreaming in the shade and playing in the 

 sunlight Cloud shadows glide over forest aud clearing, and 

 everything is one picture of delightful, blushing spring, the 

 time to go a-flshiug. 



The nooning at the wayside tavern, where we bait our 

 nags and gossip with the landlord, while hi3 good wife, flit- 

 ting about like a swallow on the wing, is superintending the 



