FOREST AND STREAM 
11 
wad, and ox. of.No. G chilled shot with a common card wad over 
shot. I had an equal number of sheila loaded same as the above, except 
No, 7 Tathara shot was used instead of the chilled shot.* 
♦The Newcastle chilled shot, No, 6, have 270 pellets to the ounce, apd 
Tat ham. No. 7-291. 
The target was 30-inches in diameter, and the distance 40 yards. The 
eheel for the pattern w&a 3Q,k4ff inches, and the pads for the penetration 
were 18 k 24, heavy brown rag paper, placed against an inch board 36 # 50 
inches. 
In order to teat the new guns relatively as well as ab*'inieh/ t I invited 
several gentlemen, who in their own estimation, each had the best 
gun, to join in the trial. 1 will give the results in the order in which 
the guns were shot, giving the names of the manufacturer:— 
NO. 1—GREENER—CHILLED SHOT. 
Fie. of I Fig. or 
merit. Right barrel. merit. 
I I Pattern.191 
t 1521Penetration...,.. 4y 230 
Right barrol. 
Pattern.. 
Penetration. 
..IBS 
.. 4il 
..189 
5vl 
239 
NO. 1—'TAT1IA1 
Pal tern..187 Pattern...190 
Penetration.41* 238 (Pcm*. trillion..44 234 
The figure of merit was reached by adding to the number of pelklf 
within the 30-inch circle the number of sheets penetrated by three pel¬ 
lets. 
No. $ 
-‘O'RISBNER— Gt 
...109 Pattern . 
... Jo 215 1 Penetration.-- 
i. 2-GREENER— 1 TATllAM SHOT. 
....187 Pattern_ 
... 'ill 22c Penetunion., 
), 3— DD17GAL*—CRMLKD SHC 
Pallcrn .... 
Petielratloi 
"■Tints wa 
among ilm Rn4 gnns that. Mr. Dougal bored n 
. 3ti 
>271 Pen I r; 
. DO 
252 
Pattern. 219 Pattern--,- 232 
Penetration . 50 ' 269 1 Penetration . 38 27 
*Thiw gnn is a new one and is bored on Mr, Dongal’s modified plan. 
The foiegoing trials brought several new guns into the Held on Jan. 8 
and to secure uniformity of results, the shells were all loaded by, and 
the contest conducted directly Under the supervision of 18. Beck. Jr. 
Esq., the leading gunsmith of i his city. The No. 10 shells were loaded 
with 4J drachma No. 2 Dupont dheking powder and oz. No. 7 Tatbatn 
shot. The No. 12 shells with Si drachms Dupont and 1 oz. Tmliaht— 
distance and target, same as on proceeding (lays, except that In the for¬ 
mer the 30-lnchcircle embracing,the central group of shoe, was described 
after the shot was made, and In the latter, the ctrtle was made before 
the gun was fir. d, and ihe'number of pellets pnly counted that siri 
within the circle f 
- Right u 
Pattern_ 
Pencil’ ailon.. 
Fig. Of; . 
merit. Right barrel 
i» Pattern... 
2 251' Pent: t rati on. 
r. of 
Pattern.142 (Pattern...151 
Penetration.. 4ti 188'Peneiraion. 48 
♦This gun was originally of the English pattern of boring, but was 
cently re bored on the wodifitd choke plan by rf. Beck «fc Son's of i 
city. 
NO. 2—DOtlGAL*. • 
Pattern..129 
Pattejn.1*7 
iVuerratieu. 52 
*T'hl8 is No. 3 of January 1st. 
Pattern . .125 
Penetration . 59 If 
♦♦This is No. 2 of January let. 
Pal tern.i 
Pattern. .1 
♦Only shot for pattern. 
♦Only shot for pattern. 
Pattern'. *!.....132 
Penetration.35 
Pattern*. 
♦For pattern only. 
no. 7—gFeeni 
Pattern* n .. ..101 
Pattern, /.a.. 
167 Penetration.. 
1'.ii.i | Pa Hern*. 
PaTtern. 
Penetration- 
Pat,reni*_ 
♦For patte 
. .113 Pattern. 
.44 157 Penotraiipii . 
NO. 8 —GREENER— ENGLISH BORE, 
. .149 Pattern. 
. 31 180 Penetration.. 
.. 15l|Paitern*..... 
rn only. 
NO. 9—DOFGAL—ENGLISH BORE, * 
.141 | Pattern_. 
. 42 183|Penetration.. 
... 831 Pattern * . 
. 124| Pattern*. 
Pattern.,.. 
Penetration . . 
Pattern*. 
♦Pattern ouly. 
SUMMARY. 
,\p. 1—GREENER—CHII LED SHOT 
Average pattern of <1 shots. . 
Avevemue penetration of '4 shots .. 
Figure of merit. 
NO. 1 — GREENER—TATHAM SUOl 
Average pattern of 2 shots. 
Average penetnitiort of 2 shots..... 
Figure of merit . '. 
NO, 2 —GREENER—CHILLED SHOT 
Average pattern of 8 shots . . 
Average fienetraiion of 8 shots.*... 
Figure of merit..•.,' tT 
NO. 2-GREENER—TATHAM Slim 
Average pattern of 12 shots. .. 
Average penetration of 12 shots...*.. 
Figure of merit. 
NO. 3- —DOTTGAL—CHILLED SHOT, 
Average pattern of 3 shots. 
Average penetration of 3 shots... . 
Figure of met it . 
NO. 3—DOUG AIi- TATHAM SHOT. 
Average pattern of 2 shots . 
Averauapenetration of 2 shots. 
Future of merit.. : .... 
.162 
47 
,207 
.188 
. 42 
.231 
146 
188 
,155 
3b 
194 
Axeroco pattern of 2 shots....187 
Average penetration of 2 shot*.. 49 
Figure of meric......236 
NO. 4—DOUC.BL—TATHAM SHOT* 
Average pattern of 4 shots...211 
A vefiigd pattern of 4 shots.... 43 
Figure of merit.254 
*Ir, is ton just, to state that this gun was shot first in the morning of 
the 5th with soft *diot, when the weather was calm, and during tnefore¬ 
noon a swiit breeze sprung up, which afflicted * the shooting of all the 
guns. This in common with tt\e rest aaia indicated by the c/UUtci ohot 
watch were made la-t. • 
COMMENTS. 
From the foregoing tests it will be seen that the results reached with 
ckVUd shot do not correspond with those ginerally attributed to them os 
compared with wft shot,. The facts are these: Every gun made better 
patterns with soft than with chilled shot; and m No. 1, 2,.and 4, which 
are of approved modified choke-patterns, the results are remarkably uni¬ 
form. The same is true of the figure of merit. Jn■every case it was 
beRvr with the soft than with the chilled shot. On the other hand, the 
penetration was better in every instance with the chilled shot. 
It would be a mat ter of interest to known how Tatlmin shot compares 
in solidity with the soft shot used in the /field Gun Trial last. Summer. 
Buckshot were fired from the choke-bored guns with varied results. 
At 60 yards from four to ten balls could be put into a target 30 k 40 inches 
with a charre of 4J drachms of posvder and 12 shot; and at 100 yards 
from 3 to 6 would uo lodged Iri the same sized target. 
Quite a number of shots were tired, of cartridges cut between the two 
wads separating the powder and shot, so as to leave on one side just 
enough of the shell undivided to hold the ends together, and inferring 
them thus into the gun. The bhella were loaded with the usual charge 
or Mo. 7 shot, at 40 yards; when tired the charge of shot was expelled 
from the gun with the forward end of the shell conlalnining them, and 
in this manner would pierce the target consisting of two thicknesses of 
meh board, making a cle^n cut orifice the size of the shell . At 110 yards 
t he shells usually bursted before reaching rhe target. 3 his practice 
might be useful in oases of emergency when it was deferrable to impro¬ 
vise killing charge out of smull shot lor large game. H. G. Oasky. 
A. DECEMBER HUNT IN THE SOUTH¬ 
WEST. 
December, 1875, 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
We (two) left, Philadelphia 'qh the morning of 20th of November for a 
month’s shooting in the Southwest. The "limited mail” by the V.anda- 
lia route makes St. Louis in thirty liours --an improvement over previous 
seasons and trains of six hours. We took three dogs tsetters)—Dash, 
an old stager, and two pups that, had not been shot over; Cora, n Gilder* 
sieeve bitch coming a year old, and Don. eight months' old, son of David 
Brooks’Bismarck, recently smothered in aii express car. Don is the 
image of ola “Biz.” 
Our ground was tiresome as that shot over last Winter, viz.: Jasper 
Oouniy, Mo., rhe adjoining counties vn Kansas, the Jnd an Territory 
about Vtnita, \yith the addition of some pnmfrn in the Ne.vsho Vnhcy. 
Joplin was our headquarters in Missouri, t. u iiiv c. a, re uj (lie icoent 
Hen lead and zinc developments, and is a mining town of mushroom 
growth--four years, atid 7,000 population. 8 000 tons of pig lead were 
shipped in 1874, and the estimate for 1875 is 12,000 tons, and this is the 
return from scarcely more than surface scratching. Bo the locality af¬ 
fords mineral ns well as game attraction to those disposed for both. The 
Messrs. Do vis—father and sob—of Murphy & Davis, on* of the leading 
mining firms, do a great deal of qnail and grouse shooting, and do not 
consiuer a bag of seventy -five or a hundred qnail an extra day’s sport. 
Joplin is reached from St. Lonis by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad to 
Pierce Oily, ancl the Memphis, and Carthage Railroad front there to Oron- 
nro, from which there are d'htimles to be traveled by stage. The Jop¬ 
lin Hotel, kept by Heath wood &■ McCoy, i® among the few good opos 
west of St. Louis. Mr. Heath wood was our host last year, and then re¬ 
sided on Ills farm— the Spring River Stock Farm—nine miles from Jop* 
Ihi,- It lias t,000 acres under fence and cultivation, and is probably the 
finest farm in Southwest Missouri. Ilis stock of game chickens, some 
5Q0, is said to be, in point'of thoroughbred qualities and purity, the best 
in the country. The Spring River skirts the farm, and us vicinity 
abounds with quail It is also the boundary line of Kansas, whero, ou 
the Shawnee Prairie, the grouse are as abundant as in any part of the 
State. The M. C. &N. W. Railroad terminates at Brownsville within 
the State line, but there is no accommodation for sportsmen. Board 
can he had at SmrthvlHe, a village two miles this tide. 
We did not find quail so plenty in the valley this, as la c t year. The 
heavy floods that visited, tuts section last August probaHy destroyed the 
birds in the low land. In the upland wc found from thieo to six coveys 
in each favorable field. • “Bis 1 " Don had an invincible spirit,, and at first 
thought It his mission to catch the birds, and made liberal efforts to run 
them down, but, as your Esquire Smith says, a rwo-foot rawhido is a 
prime in-»trnctor, and it was the rod presented by the Squire that educa¬ 
ted him to hunt with his nose, insteauol' bis legs and eyes. Com was 
gentler, and did not require rod tuition. Three month’s practice mude 
dogs of them hard to beat * They did not lose a day’s hunt, and wore in 
betler condition at the end than when they began, showing the trail8'of 
endurance for which their slock is remarkable. N6t caring to take them 
to the buffalo and antelope country, wc expressed them in a case from 
Chetopa, Kan., and they reached home in five days, in. good.cohdition, 
arid had evidently been well cared for by the company. 
After having ten days’ satisfactory shooting about Joplin, we left for 
Vinita, Cherokee Nation, but did not tarry there, because our old hu nt- 
ibg friends had left the locality. Charley Peach, a keen sportsman, had 
removed to Neosho, A. & P. Railroad, a good point for deer and tur¬ 
keys. as well as grouse aud quail, and Chief Rufus Ross being in Wash¬ 
ington on Indian ma ters; so we traveled up the Neosho valley (Missou¬ 
ri, Kansas & Pacific Railroad) to Chetopa, the-point where the Irish 
team pitched their tents last year. The contrast between this volley and 
the Indian Territory which is still not open to wttite settlement is 
very striking, one third of it, at least, being under fine cultivation. I 
am satisfied that this Neosho valley, from Chetopa to Parsons, and from 
Parsons to Emporia, and to Jnnciion City on the two branches of the M. 
K. AT. Railroad, will offer all the sport that any one could desire in the 
way of quail and grouse, or wild fowl either, in the Neosho River, if 
they be cared for, Ou the same, road, froni thirty to one hundred' miles 
south of Vinita, deer, tnrkeyB, and grouse are so abundant that a hunt¬ 
ing party is never disappoin‘ed in their quest. We found wing shooting 
so good within a Tange of fifteen miles of Chetopa, that we dirt not Shift 
our quarters, though it is probably better about Oswego, Neosho Falls, 
or Burlington, simply because ihe ground Is not so much shot over. 
Our companions were Bob Orrn and A. A. ICase, who led the Irish team, 
and who know the country thoroughly, and are the best shots, day in 
and day out, that we ever hunted with. We bagged from on c.to four 
dozen grouse a day from 9 A. M. to 3 P. M,, according as ihe day fa¬ 
vored, with always good qnail shooiing before and after those hours. 
1 prefer this December shooting to that of the three preceding months, 
though then much larger bags can he made. On account of the heavy 
crops of corn, chickens Were never finer than they are Mils year, i.lu ir 
average-weight running from lour to four and a half pounds ihe pair, 
The high priqes West —%i to $5 the dozen in St. Lonis, and $5 to $6 m 
Chicago—stimulated their shooiing by professional hunters. $4 was the 
cash price paid in Chetopa the dozen; but this wsb owing to rivalry of 
different houses, and vyas $! .75 above the Tilling price at many oilier 
country towns. From l.Oiu lo 2,000 grouse per week were shipped from 
Chetopa, chiefly to Chicago. 
lfellernian, who keeps the National ITbtCl, treated me very well. lie 
understands the care of hunting parties, particularly the measure of 
lunch requisite. His charges to hunters, too, arc reasonoble—$2 a day 
tf iboy stay four days, or $7 a week, if they stay longer. The prairie 
grass was never known to be more luxuriant than’ this year, and in the 
river bottoms it was so iank- five to ten leet growth—that it was useless 
to attempt to hunt in them. From Chetopa we went north to Emporia, 
Where we took the Atchinson and Sante Fe Railroad west, to the buffalo 
and antelope country. On this road, west of Fmporia, say for sevenlv- 
flve miles. I should not hesitate in stopping off for quail or grouse. It 
is well serried up, and has all rhe marks of go*>d ground. It was our pur¬ 
pose. to stop at Fort Dodge for buffalo,-but learning that they were mim¬ 
ing one hundred miles south of there, we went on to Fort Lyon, where 
moderate herds of ihem were grazing on Sand Creek, abonc forty miles 
aonih of the road, I shall not inflict details of a buffalo or antclopo 
hunt- upon you, as It is an old story in yotir columns. Barring the Inci¬ 
dents of the hnur and the exiicrnling life on the plains, the mere shoot¬ 
ing of buffalo is coarse work and unexciting, and beam no’ comparison 
to wing shooiing. Two years ago miUiitudos of buffalo were lo be seen 
on tint line of this road, but persecution l 511 * driven them a good three 
day’s ride away, and the day is not remote when they will be virtnajlv 
exterminated. But one buffalo has been seen from a train 1 Hits reason 
ou el.her this or the Kailstia Paelflc Road. This straggler was posted 
near Kit Carson, on the latter road. The Baron Rothschild party stopped 
off at Fort Dodge for a buffalo hunt while we were at Lyon. 1 have not 
yet. seen or beard the record of theif expedition, lmt should judge they 
had n Kpiure ta*te of horsebacking and plain life if they persevered ill 
reaching tbe bnffalorange. At Denver there wine three parties of Eng¬ 
lish noble“vn after tm untnin game. 'They had extravagant outfits of 
equipments and guides, but tueir Micects did not equal t.heir expectations. 
The Game Association of Denver, have introduced quail in their vicinity. 
The birds have thrived aud in<!rca.**ed, aud in a couple of years II is ex¬ 
pected they will afford first-rate shooting. 
During our five Week's hunt we had but one stormy day, and the tem¬ 
perature was uniformly pleasant, raugiug from 40° to 60°. Next Decem¬ 
ber wc shall shoot for birds at different points in the Neosho Valley, aud 
camp for deer and turkey at some point south of Vinita, not vet deter¬ 
mined upon. The Territory I have indicated will afford to those in quest 
of good ground, all the Bport they desire. We did not strike any roads 
that had abolished dog tariffs, but we hove no reason to complain of 
them, and are satisfied with the charges and llie good care given tbe dogs 
by the baggage-masters. The Pa. Cen. K. R. charges $1 50 from Phila¬ 
delphia to Pittsburgh, and each of the three roads between Pittsburgh 
and St. Louis charge $i 50. or a cost of $6 a deg io St. Louis. West of 
S . Louis our dogs cost us about half a cent a mile. As 1 say the bag- 
age maid era cared for the dogs as well as they could, gave them corn- 
fortab'e quarters as were at their command, supplied them with water, 
&c., ana attended to their transfer in the night. 
W. W. Judy, 221 North-Third street* St. Louis is personally informed 
of the best hunting points west of the Mississippi, and knows spnHsmen 
in each locality. Col. Goss, Neosho Falls, Kan-as, likewise. 1 The Col, 
has a kennel of fine dogs, a handsome collection of We> tern birds and 
animals, and of eoufse a first-class sfnek of breech-loaders and equlpmoara. 
Mr. John L. Brown, of Sedalia, Wo., is also a kt-eu spou.-mun, and ha-* 
written a ptimphlet giving much valuable hunting data of several localities. 
I am sure either of these gentlemen would give brother sportsman in 
need of it os much information, aud as cheerfully as they give it to ns. 
Such a hunting trip is a wholesome relaxation, and will build flesh abo^t 
one whose life or business is of a sedentary character at ihe rate of two 
pounds the week as it did with onr little party of two. B. 
New York Yacht Club.— ^The election of officers for 
this club was held on Tlnirsrlp}- of last Week. There were 
two tickets in the IkUl, and under the new rcsrulatioos 
abolishing proxies j ;td allowing only yaclus owners to 
vote, a close vole was the natural result. The on (ululates 
for Commodore were Mr. G. L. Kingsiand, the 1875 Com¬ 
modore, and Mr. IVm. T. Garner. The other officers were, 
with (lie exception of Secretary, and one or two places on 
the regatta committee, almost identical. After lhe elec¬ 
tion there was some exilement, when it was .announced 
that Mr. lvingslaud had received twenty-live voles to 
twenty-four for Mr. Garner, but the latters friends cnn- 
fernled that (inly forty eight votes had been cast, and that 
it was a tie. Immediately after the vote had been de¬ 
clared, Mr. Lestev Will lack, one of Mr. Garner’s .support¬ 
ers, came in, and wanted to vote for him, but was not per¬ 
mitted' to do so, on the ground that the vote was closed. 
Some excitement ensued, and Mr. Garner’s friends claimed 
that a Garner ticket, which had been cast, with Garner's 
name torn off, as they claimed, accidentally, ought to 
have been allowed for him; Mr. Kiugsland was, however, 
duly elected. 
The other candidates elected were as follows: S. Nlehnl- 
son Kane, Vice-CommodOre, (regular;) Charles A. Minton, 
Secretary, (opposition;) Sheppard Homans, Treasurer; A. 
Cary Smith, Measurer; L. De Forest Woodruff, Fleet 
Surgeon; William Crabs, Henry Steers, and G. S. Winslon, 
Ilegatta Committee; Fietclier Westray, N. D. While, 
George L. Jordan, C. Alfred Grymes, n. N. AUlen, .J. O. 
Proudlit, and I). T. Worden. House Committee; S. 
NichoJson Kane, A. S. Hatch, Philip Schuyler, and 
William JEI, Thomas, Committee (jn Admission. 
After the election, the day of the June Regatta was 
fixed for the 8th of that month, and $8,500 was appropri¬ 
ated for prizes. The Treasurer’s report showed that, the 
receipts for 1875 had beeu $10,000 55, and the disburse¬ 
ments $10,044 13, and that the present indebtedness of the 
club amounts to $10,440. 
—The students of Amherst College have decided not to 
send ft crew to Saratoga the coming summer. The college 
cannot raise sufficient money to support both boating and 
base-bail, and has decided lo give its entire support t" 
■ bash-ball. 
