^FOREST />0 STREAM. 



15 



one, and as we cnme down, Cnpt. Stevens, of the Vicks- 

 burg, got ashore with us, ordered his pilot, to stop and 

 whistle at a certain point, while we took a near cut through 

 the woods and jumped a couple of deer. The Bookout 

 brothers, one captain the other pilot of the Sunflower Belle, 

 are known throughout this region as about the best shots 

 in it, aud whenever it is possible for them to get off duty, 

 one or the other of them glad ly makes one of a party of 

 hunters. They are comps rati vcly young men, but I think 

 HB line woodsmen aud hunters as I have ever seen. Their 

 boat is a comfortable one, aud sportsmen are at home on 

 it. Tel few sportsmen ever come here. The region is 

 comparatively unknown. The people, even in Vicksburg, 

 are just learning of it. But the men of sufficient means 

 and leisure to devote much time to fishing and hunting, 

 combined with a desire for engaging in those sports, are 

 scarce in this country; and for that reason the chances are 

 that the attractions of this country, in that respect, will 

 last for many years to come. B. H. P. 



Sunflower, Mim., Dee. Bint. 



-*♦«• 



For Forest and stream. 

 TROUT FISHING ON THE AAR. 



A SHORT time ago, spending the summer in the beau- 

 tiful Village of Laugeu Sell wal bach, Nassau, Prussia, 

 I found that a friend of mine had leased the trout fishing 

 for the moderate term of one hundred years, on a beautiful 

 ]iu ic si ream called the "Aar." There is alegion of "Aars" 

 of all sizes iu Germany, but this "Aar" is about a yard 

 wide aud two or Ihree feet deep. 



The stream winds for miles through beautiful daisy- 

 spangled meadows, with here aud there a dilapidated mill 

 or moss grown cottage, and beneath the towering crag, on 

 which is perched the ruins of Hohenstein Castle. The 

 silence and solitude are perfect, for, although there is a 

 main route following the valley about an eighth to a 

 quarter of a mile distant, it is quite concealed by hedges 

 and thickets. The season was the last of June, aud Hie 

 weather iuUnsely hot. and dry, go that it was out of the 

 question to look for trout much after sunrise or long before 

 sunset. I waited, Iherefore, on the day I had fixed upon, 

 until about live m Ihe afternoon, aud then, accompanied 

 by the game-keeper or fisherman (without whom no fishing 

 is allowed) drove about half an hour to an old mill with 

 waterfall and pool below, aud after "setting up," tried 

 half a dozen flies of all colors and sizes without a rise. 

 After au hour spent iu this way trying different pools in 

 the meadows, I took off my flies, put on a small N. Y. 

 trout hook aud a dew-worm, so long that I was afraid of 

 it, and let it run down a dozen yards under the long grass 

 overhanging the brook. Suddenly there was a great splash- 

 ing and commotion, and I had struck something very 

 heavy. Of course there was nothing to do but to reel up, 

 and as the fish dashed up stream the fisherman gently 

 seized the leader, aud with his landing net quickly had 

 out, upon the grassy bank, a three-quarter pound trout, the 

 handsomest one I ever saw. The German trout is a little 

 thicker than our?, but golden, where ours is silvery, and with 

 equally beautiful spots. My delight was enhanced by sur- 

 prise, as 1 had fully expected to be confronted by the ugly 

 features of a gasping chub, which so often rouses the 

 angler's ire. Following ihe windings of the beautiful 

 stream until drenched with dew and chilled with the night 

 air, I took up my little carriage, about half-past eight, having 

 nine trout weighing from half a pound to a pound, aud re- 

 turned wet, cold and happy, to the "Villa Eugenie." 

 During that night we had heavy showers, followed by a 

 hot, bright day, and I longed for evening to come, as I 

 knew the stream would be in much better condition than 

 yesterday. As soon as the sun was low on the western 

 bills, and the lengthening tree shadows stretched out over 

 the heated buttercups and daisies, I started for my "point 

 of departure," the old mill of "Adolph-seck," hard by the 

 ruins of the castle of that name, placed, as all castles and 

 monasteries of the Eleventh and Twelfth centuries were 

 upon the most commanding height of the vicinity. I was 

 soon down upon the soft green sward below the mill, 

 eargerly arranging my tackle; but, when after getting in 

 perfect readiness, I looked up for the first time, 1 was 

 forced, by the surpassing beauty of the scene, to rest for a 

 time in silent, wrapt admiration: Before ine stretched the 

 broad green meadow for miles, without inclosure of any 

 sort, the clear, bright waters of the brook, occasionally 

 catching a flash of sunlight in the distance; the side of the 

 valley on the right, rising almost, precipitously, and stretch- 

 ing away into dense forest; on the left, great rounded 

 hills or mountains, dotted with groves of chestnutand oak, 

 or crowned with dark forests of spruce and lir, while, about 

 two miles distant, on a broad, bold bluff, stood out the 

 gray, weather-beaten walls of old "Hohenslein," softened 

 and gilded by the light of the setting sun. At my back 

 was the great rumbling old stone mill, black with age, and 

 green with moss and herbage. The last touch of sunlight 

 was quickly gone, and that beautiful moment h.id come, 

 so dear to all, who love nature and herworks— the "twilight 

 hour" of a summers day. 



The miller and his men were gazing out of their lofty 

 windows lo enjoy the fresh air of the evening after their 

 hard day's work, and to gratify that desire implanted in 

 every human heart to see what "luck" one has in shooting 

 or flslriDg. I confess to having had a strong wish to show 

 them my transatlantic skill and success; the former, I 

 nave no doubt t didj the latter, I certainly did not; for 

 although with my lightest "tackle" and choicest flies, then 

 grasshoppers, then worms, 1 whipped that pool from the 

 old stone dam to the tail of it, and two or three less prom- 



sing ones in the meadow, not a rise could I get while that 

 sardonic German miller and his grinning boys were in 

 sight. Surprised and mortified, I took a small flask of 

 Brantwein trom my pocket, took a disproportiouably large 

 drink from it, and beckoned my silent fisherman from his 

 seat iu the grass. After he had followed my example, I 

 put on a large grasshopper and dropped it about forty 

 feet away, iota a reach of swift but deep water; before it 

 touched the surface a trout leaped his length out and was 

 hooked, netted and landed iu less than a minute. lie was 

 fully a pound in weight. 



After that the sport was magnificent. The trout were 

 all in the swift water and very voracious. I took twenty- 

 two in all, the smallest weighing half a pound, and the 

 largest, a pound or thereabouts; nor did I ever see in that 

 stream a trout weighing less than about half a pound. I 

 had observed the same thing iu a summer's lishing iu 

 Cheshire, England. 1 never took or saw any small trout, 

 but they "ran" from one pound lo one and a half; on the 

 bent days I took two or three of these; at otLer times none 

 at all. 



I reached the "Villa Eugenie" (so-called for the Empress, 

 who occupied the whole of it one season in the palmy 

 days of the Empire) about ten o'clock, and great was the 

 excitement among my German and English friends at the 

 Hotel de la Poste, opposite, when I seut the fish over for 

 their inspection — it was a very beautiful sight by gaslight. 



My fri;md of the century lease (who, I believe, never 

 caught a trout iu his life, although he is a "mighty 

 hunter," and has a splendid collection of trophies, all his 

 own, of deer, bear, rebbock; wolves, foxes, eagles, hawks, 

 owls, etc., etc.), fired by my success, determined to ac- 

 company me the next day. He did so, but unhappily we 

 only took five of the smallest eight ounce fish possible, aud 

 he would not try them again. I went several times atter- 

 waids, taking from live to nine, or ten, and the following 

 August, left those pleasant sceues with great regret for the 

 rugged Alps, smiling vallies and blue lakelets of our little 

 "sister" Switzerland, our objective point being the beauti- 

 ful lake of Geneva. T. 



■*■»» 



for Forest and Stream . 



HUNTING IN THE BLUE GRASS 

 COUNTRY. 



DURING the month of November, 1876,1 had such 

 an enjoyable week of shooting in Kentucky, that I 

 cannot forbear giving to Forest and Stream a short ac- 

 count of this, my first experience, shooting over dogs, and in 

 a country where it is rare to go a hundred rods without 

 striking a bevy or getting a shot at a cotton tail. 



Directly after election, with wife and baby in tow, I left 

 my home in Western New York en route for Lexington, 

 Kentucky, via the Lake Shore and Cleveland, Columbus, 

 Cincinnati, and Indianapolis Railways, and by the way, 1 

 would recommend these roads to all south aud southwestern 

 bound sportsmen, as they are sure to be well treated and 

 their dogs and pi operty safely and properly cared for. 

 Upon arriving at Lexington, which is the center of Ken- 

 tucky aristocracy, thoroughbred horses, and best of all 

 that genial hospitality that exists no where on earth to the 

 extent that it does in the Blue grass region of Kentucky, 

 I visited with friends a few days, and then cousin Al and 

 I, one fine morniug left on the L. C. aud L. Railway with 

 a trunk full of Ely Brother's beBt brown shells, and other 

 paraphernalia in the way of top boots, breech-loaders, shoot- 

 ing clothes and extra loose ammunition bound for Warsaw, 

 a quiet little town on the Ohio rivor^siluated about midway 

 between Louisville and Cincinnati. 



Arriving here we were at once at home at the palatial 

 residence of our very dear friend Bob P. After partaking 

 of a spread, the like of which no other house within the 

 scope of my acquaintance produces, we went out to see 

 the dogs, Scott and Frank, a brace of thoroughbred 

 pointers, the former, lemon and white, and the latter liver 

 aud white. The sagacious animals seemed to know that 

 we were "on warlike deeds intent." and iu their enthusias- 

 tic struggles nearly broke their fastenings. 



Bright and early Monday morning we were, not afloat, 

 but horseback, and right here let me digress a little and 

 tell you how they beat the ground for quail in the Ken- 

 tucky bottoms. You must know in the first place that the 

 farms are large, aud hundreu acre lots are the rule, so three 

 or four huuters, horseback, can beat up the whole width 

 of a field, and a brace of good dogs working ahead will 

 quaiter every inch of ground, and the moment they come 

 to a point, the hunters being mounted, can gallop in, hand 

 their horses to the black boy (who always goes along to 

 open the gates, let down the fences, and carry the game, 

 grub and surplus ammunition) walk up the buds and get 

 in thrice as many shots as by the northern way of walking, 

 which the unequal face of the country and the numerous 

 fences necessitates. 



This is the way we hunted, and I, a town bred youth, 

 who never strode a horse before, soon vowed I'd rather 

 walk, but as the edge wore off I liked it better. Having 

 the largest horse, the black boy rode behind me as tender, 

 and after ricfiug a mile or two I found it was not so nice to 

 have a tender behind. the tricks of this same black boy. 

 Anon his spur-like heels would search out between the ribs 

 of my "Rosinanle's," tender spot, and while I was bracing 

 to resist that trot, and holding to the pommel for dear life, 

 this "bull dozed" African would exclaim, "Pull up on de 

 reins Massa H. aud make urn pace. Go jess like a rockin' 

 chair deuV" I tried it. Give me a camel, a dromedary, a 

 rliiuoceroB, anything, but please Bob when 1 come to Ken- 

 tucky again, don't mount me on old Jane, i 



Having ridden some distauce, old Scott came to a stand 

 beside a drain, on the hillside. Frank came up and backed 

 him beaulifully. So perfect, was the picture, so statue- 

 like the attitude of the dogs, that I almost feared to get 

 down and break the splendid point, but once on terra flrma 

 that true sportsmanlike feeling that 1 am so thankful I 

 possess took possession of me, and with my bran new Rem- 

 ington ready, 1 advanced towaid the staunch eager dogs. 

 When I got to that point where we pause, every second 

 expecting to be surrounded by whirring quails, aud wonder 

 which way they will fly, whether it. is a bevy or a siugle 

 bird, Sec., &c.., I got to quaking in a manner unaccounta- 

 ble lo me, and when the bevy arose, and Bob and Al each 

 cut down their bird, I am sorry to say that 1 never fired a 

 shot. Please bear with me here and take into considera- 

 tion that 1 never shot at a bird over a point before. Filled 

 with shame and disgust at this evidence of the "buck fever,' 

 it was with a savage joy that 1 saw Frank come to a dead 

 point, and heard Al say, "Take him H." and I took him, 

 giving him plenty of time and cutting him down clean at 

 thirty-five yards. 



Confidence restored, it was "hie on dogs," and at night 

 our well filled game bags, made me think of that delight- 

 ful book of Frank Forester's "Warwick Woodlands," aud 

 the pleasant and successful ending of "Day the first." 



The next morniug was dark and lowering, the fog hanging 

 in thick masses over the broad bosom of the Ohio; passing 

 steamers were whistling and ringing fog bells, and the 

 general aspect of the weather was threatening. Nothing 

 daunted, however, we started out, nod had got but few 

 birds when the rain came down; a trifle discouraged, we 

 turned our horses heads homeward. We had one field 

 to cross before reaching the highway, the dogs were work- 

 ing vigorously ahead, suddenly a point, Al jumped to the 

 ground, bang, bang, away they went, full twenty in the 

 bevy, over Bob and I. The excited dogs, contrary lo their 

 traiuing, rau into and flushed auother bevy. Both were 

 marked down on a clear grassy knoll, Now we are Sure 

 of them. They are packed forty-five strong and an open 

 field to work in. The rain was forgotten and iu spite of 

 its pelting, we stood almost iu our tracks and bagged 

 twenty six birds in forty minutes. 



The next day we rested and feasted on roast turkey, 

 broiled quail and rabbit. They have a tradition along the 

 river that the man is not living who can eat a quail a day 

 for thirty consecutive days, but 1 exploded this theory by 

 convincing them that I could eat thirty quail in six days. 

 (I guess it was about that many) which is a feat of gastro- 

 nomy worth recording. 



A day or two more, or rather parts of days, were enjoyed 

 by us shootiug. I can never forget those jolly limes, 

 the morning ride, the quick emptying of saddles when the 

 "game's afoot," the noonday lunch beside the spring, the 

 fragrant breath of "Vanity Fair," the after dinner shoot, 

 and then the cauter home, where dinner waits, and in the 

 evening the pleasant task of wiping out our guus, and te- 

 loading shells and then a reading of some pleasant story, 

 a song, a parting pipe, a pleasant healthy sleep, and to the 

 field again. 



After a year's confinement to business there is nothing 

 that so tends to enlarge a man's ideas and chest, as a free 

 roaming over hill and dale with dog and gun. Providence 

 permitting, another fall will find me on the old Kentucky 

 shore, ready for business, aud to the readers of Forest 

 aud Stream, who enjoy good quail and rabbit shooting, 1 

 would say that back of any of the river towns from Cov- 

 ington to Louisville they can find it in abundance, and the 

 contiguity of this region to towns, enable shooting parties 

 to find good board at reasonable prices, and all the Utile 

 indispeusibles of shooting, thereby saving the importation 

 of large quantities of ammunition, provisions, etc. The 

 people are hospitable and one experiences very little trouble 

 iu obtaining permission from the farmers to shoot on their 

 premises. I saw but two signs, "Posted" during my trip. 

 A few ducks cau be found on the rivers in November, but 

 February is the month for them. 



Our bag for pans of four day's shooting scored as fol- 

 lows: Eighty-six quails, twenty-lhree "cotton tails," three 

 pigeons and one teal. Not a pot-hunters bag, to be sure, 

 but enough to elicit plenty of sport, and an insatiable de- 

 sire to "do some more." II. W. DeL. 



AT HOMOSASSa, IN FLORIDA. 



<■) Fulladklphta, February 7th. 



Editor Forest and Stream.- — 



Failing health compelled me last fall, to seek a short 

 season of rest and out-door recreation. Of course, at mis 

 lime of year, Florida was the objective poini to whjch our 

 thoughts at once turned, aud as a dozen visits since Ihe 

 war had familiarized us with the St. John aud eastern coast, 

 regions, we decided to explore ibe Gulf const. Having 

 seen occasional reference in Forest and stiikam to Ho- 

 masassa, we determined to visit it, and accordingly left 

 New York on November 23d, on the "L'arondolel." We 

 made a pleasant run of three days lo Fernandiua, starting 

 the next morning by train, lor Cedar Keys, at five o'clock, 

 and were enabled by good luck lo make the entire Qia- 

 tance— one hundred and fifty-five miles— in thirteen hours! 

 At Ihe Keys we found very fair accommodations at the 

 Gulf House, and during the six days we were del. 

 by a severe norther, experienced the proverbial hospitality 

 of the inhabitants. We were as yet undecided as to wha't 

 place we should make headquarters, and had almost con- 

 cluded to accept the kind invitation of Capiain Wilhud 

 aud Major Roiix to visit Sara.-ota, when we came across 

 the ariicc of "Ai Fresco," entit.ea "A Sportsman's Para- 

 dise." in a copy of "Camp Lite in Florida, 1 ' loaned us by 

 the Editor of the journal. This settled the question at 

 ouce, and after waitiug five dava for the advent of the 



