FOREST AND STREAM, 



223 : 



lo sec ii.i if n. doze ittg ij from Smith 



and pushing into th nil . ! on ii dpi " i i IliDj having 



■ , noon found out by no 



coming in of iiny account, our pile being throe black 



ducks, two wood duekk o,. one Leal, n i ingfiv. dtogcther. 



sen tin Whole party. We then pro- 



. . . , i . . i back to camp, very much discouraged with our first 



! i nut. 

 Nexl morning we draw slakes and started further down 

 lieiivBi loo i ross the floating bridge, and 



after an lionv'ssteadj paddling pulled up at theTwis [glands, 

 ii in on Lake, pitched our lentB and were 



tg a quiet Obit irith our old friend Bill 'ikylor, the 

 Indian, whom we olianced to meet there, when Bill's hawk 



pied lot i " ducks coining up the lake directly 

 toward us; We watched them until they got opposite our 

 Island, when they sailed into a, little hay ami all came down 

 with a splash, Without any fear whatever; a very unusual 

 circumstance, as Bill said, for black ducks, as lie y generally 

 take a circle, or two around before alighting. Bill then vol- 

 unteered to examine the marsh I'm- our benefit, ami noon re- 

 turned with the information that lots of ducks had too ted 

 then the. night, before, and aa we scarcely ever knew huu to 



make p aoisl iki i concluded toshoot there in the evening. 



; b iw U-iug ntiout two i', m. we Btarted down the lake, 

 one on each side, paddling in and out of the little bays, 

 killing a duck now and again to pass the time until the even- 

 ing flight. Having paddled down about three miles we 

 concluded to return, and paddled back to our shooting 

 ground for the evening, which we reached about five o'clock. 

 Selecting out }• ,.,-■.■ ■.■, • bed patiently for half an hour, 

 ■■■. h ii we were rewarded by seeing seven wtfod ducks sailing 

 in, but as they were rather seal i r ' .i,u- got rive With 

 four barrels, ami as the ducks were flying in flocks from two 

 to about live rind rather scattered, it was necessary to single 

 i nl em, bird at a time 01 gel D aie at all. The birds then 

 'i acedfl ■.■ haven jeanee I too as I our time 



in.; i.i 1 1 ridges iu our guns, and it was a continual "bang, 



bang," until too dark to see, although we could still hear 

 yhizzing around us. 1 I you we had enough 



hooting for one evening, for shooting lour drachms of pow- 

 ili ■ i iutof a seven-pound gun for two and half hours steady, 

 shakes a mnn'np pr b! I weU 



. up the rest of our ducks we pushed hack to camp 

 and found to our satisfaction that we had forty -three black 

 ducks, twenty-six wood ducks, eight pin-tails and live teal 

 — eighty-two in all. besides losing a good many wounded 



unt of the rioe being 80 tall — all single shots 



after the first live killed. 



After a few hours' rest we again drew stakes ami nil .,i , ,n 

 our fifteen-mile paddle back to Omemee, which we v ■■ I ■ ■ 

 liy daylight next morning, just in Lime for an early train. 

 home, well worn. out, but oii the whole very well satisfied 

 with our two days on Pigeon Creek, 



For Forest and Kln-am. 

 A GOOD BEA.R STORY. 



i M i stepa av, liv. if ii nl i nl ia rie.d il'tei 



but the snow was so soft she almost burio.l herself at eveiv 

 Step, while Jack walked on the surface and escaped. Solus 

 snow-shoes, which rendered him a clumsy lighter, dually 

 saved his In Best bus, 



■»♦*■ 



LETTER FROM GUYON. 



FOB tinny years there lived in the town of Brighton, Vt„ 

 a man by the name of Beiieco foster. Although a 

 man of no more than medium size, he possessed the most 



wonderful physical vigor and endurance. No exertion or ex- 

 posure seemed to impair bis health. Mr. Foster's son Jack 

 inherited ranch of his father's strong constitution and elastic 

 frame. One summer dav .la. k Was out hunting iu the vi- 

 cinity of Islam I Pond, lie tramped long and fur, hut-with.- 

 out success. The woods seemed destitute of game. Finally 

 he became discouraged and Btarted homeward, Oa his way, 

 as he. was passing a dense thiekcb he saw two bear cutis 

 asleep, TUey lay partially on theiftides with nose to nose. 

 From one direction it Was easy to reach them. He knew he 

 could kill them with his gun, but lie would like to capture 

 them alive. The cubs were large enough to show tight, and 

 perhaps their dam was within call ready to interfere. Jack 

 (icered cautiously about, and not seeing the mother bear, de- 

 cided to risk the attempt. Placing his gun in a position 

 where he could swing it under his arm after he bad secured 

 his prey, he crept, softly to tie- sleeping animals, and sud- 

 denly grasped each by the ia.se. He. expected iu this manner 

 to hold them so li.ghlbj thai t h, v could not squeal. One of 

 1 hem he succeeded in holding hi that maimer, but the other 

 slipped from his grasp. Nothing daunted, Jack caught him 

 by the hind leg, secured his gun]" and started ou the run for 

 home. But the end was not yet. 



The cub, not liking to be carried by the hind leg, set up a 

 loud complaint, and the old bear immediately replied — she 

 lose at hand. Jack heard her crushing through the 

 bmsh otter him. and lie knew now that success depended on 

 ins speed and muscle. it. was fifty rods to the clearing, and 

 he had not more than ten rods the start. It was a case of life 

 ir ,l, alh, uulefw he reliuqiriBhed the cub.s, and he was not the 



man i i do that. Encumbered as lie was he ran likea hound; 



I nit the bear gained on him, and when he approached the 

 edge of'the woo, is Mrs. Bruin was just at bis heels. Jack un- 

 derstood his peril. There was a high log G ice [usl at the 

 edge of the clearing: fortunately a large h.,g lay aside the 

 fence. With one U'ememlons bound Jack leaped on th< log; 

 another muscular bound carried him over the fence into the 

 field. The bear was on the fence as soon as Jack struck the 

 ground. Bui she hesitated a moment about following him in 

 the open field, and he sped away so ths u] . finally 



turned b.tek into the woods, ami Jack escaped to relate bis 

 exploit, and verily it by the exhibition oi bis captive cubs. 



On another occasion Jack was in tl.e woods, ou his way 

 Lean- hnai -,ap ia , where lie had been boiling maple su- 

 gar. It was a mild day in March. The snow was mx feet 

 deep, and I ho warm spring air hud softened the surface so that 

 no one could walk on it without snow-shoes, a pair of wlrieh 

 Jack had on his feet. He was Unarmed. As he walked on he 

 came to a fallen tree directly in his way. He stepped Upon 

 it, but just as he did so a large bear ro.-.e up liehiud it, and 

 in led 'at him with open jaws. The warm air had roused 

 thi ' re ituie from her winter sleep, ain't she was furious with 

 hunger. Taken Wholly by BUI prise Jack gave a tremendous 

 1, ■ 1. 1 ., ' ,.■! j i el. carried Ivi .1 mUsI nice of ten feet from the truuk 

 of the tree. But he sank deeply into the snow, and the hear 

 was upon him before he could extricate himself. Then the 

 battle began, man and beast rolling over ami over each other 

 in a desperate straggle. As often us the bear tried to seize 

 him with hi., teeth, "or overpower him with the fatal hug, Jack 

 would stive himself by kicking heron the nose with his 

 a, '.v-.dn.ies. Finally, "with one fierce plunge of claws and 

 teeth, to i ■ . ■ i e ... ,i .e ,, ,',i i . and failiugto hold him, 

 lore off almost all his clothing at a single swuop. Fortu- 

 nately just at that moment he hit the tip of her nose wilh a 

 mo /powerful kick. A blow on the end of the nose ■: i ;. 



a i ii 1. 1 ,. as to disable a bear for a time, and it had that 



, ■ . ease. The brute gave back a little, and while 



o was wincing under the pain, Jack regained his feet and 



OoBflrm, Miss., April 20, 1877. 

 EniTOJI Forest and Stbtsam. 



'• Lord, thntnhr us up to if plmighin' mulch; 

 Lord, peurten de hoein' fas': 



fee i.e. 1 1 lee .. . u | lc Baptis' patch— 



Day's mightily in ile gras?, grass, 



Dcy'a mightily hide gmss." 



—ftm&s Jim's Bai'ltet Rrnval TTyinn. 

 Nor is this the burden alone of Uncle Jim's song at this 

 time. His white "bred ren" tire mightily in de grass on t„e 

 count. of the continued w.-t weather having stopped all work 

 in the ii. Ids. The weather is what ti young lady I once 

 knew would probably call "excessively moist." She was 

 walking home one evening, with her Adolphus by her side, 

 when they mistook a small pond of water for a smooth 

 stretch of sand, and iu they "plunged boldly, no matter how 



1 .i iiit knee— well, I wasn't there,' and don't know 

 exactly how deep. Catching her breath in little gasps, the 

 charming creature cried out. "Oh ! dearest, it is so 

 moist." 



Well, this weather is excessively, exceedingly and emi- 

 nently moist. The fishermen can't go a-fishing on aeeount 

 of the muchness of the waters. A pteiosaurtw, ieUu/osawus, 

 or any other kind of asam-us. might disport in the spring 

 brunches hereabouts at, this time. We can't go gobbler 

 hunting on account of the game law in this. State, and the 

 . i." , ■■ 7' ,o,essee„.;;,9 is some distance away. Some par- 

 ties— I want it distinctly understood that I was not along - 

 went to MoNairy a few days since, lo a plane where the 

 gobblers were so' thick— according t,c the report of a reliable. 

 gentleman — that you could stir them up with a stick. They 

 found one old gun-shy gobbler that the oldest turkey 

 hunter in North America could not have called up— "only 

 this, and nothing more." Yes, they did sec three deer, all 



little fclloWS. 



A friend, who lives in Tennessee, twelve miles from this 

 place, baa bagged nine fine gobblers this spring. He has 



ii : . o' :- eii miles from home after some old fellows, 



thai -.., e- e e .e. i buh shv and hard to call up, and generally 

 succeeded in getting them. I am not. one of those who be- 



t . e I hat spring hunting alter gobblers will ever materially 

 lessen the number of turkeys In ti country. It is only the 

 -.el v fewest number of sportsmen who can call up and kill a 

 gobbler. If the hens and young ones were not shot and 

 killed out of season, the finest of all game birds would never 

 be exterminated. 



Quails have not paired off yet. and there seems to be a fail- 

 supply, notwithstanding the hard winter. The day before 

 yesterday I drove out six miles into the country, and let my 

 dogs follow to get a good run. They found four full coveys 

 along the roadside, although I was driving at a good, slash- 

 ing rate, and they did not have much time to range. One of 

 the. bitches made one of the prettiest points imaginable. 

 She was going full speed, down wiml, when she got the hot 

 scent from a covey, about fifteen feet away, and nearly behind 

 her. The scent seemed to strike her just us her fore feet 

 came down, and she was whirled round — as the boy said 

 about the horse, when he was turned with his head from the 

 manger — with her head where her tail ought to have been. 

 Her front claws actually tore up the. dirt in the road, so 

 sudden was her headway 'checked, and she stood immovable, 

 pointing square back down the road in the direction from 

 whence she was running. 



ie a, turkey-call, made from the thigh bone of a puma, 

 with a small eaiie "inserted in one end through a wooden 

 plug. It was given me by my friend Doctor P. of this 

 place, who is perhaps the best turkey hunter in North 

 Mississippi He knows more about the "human nater" of 

 the turkey, as the darkey says, than any man I ever knew. 



OlJYO.N'. 



Fur Forest and Strtam. 

 THE OLD PORK BARREL, 



■VTO doubt many of the readers of Forest AMD Stream 

 l_N who were born in New England or Northern New- 

 York are calling to mind about " these days some oft- 

 visited brook or pond near their boyhood's home, where Sat- 

 urday afternoons and in vacations they spent many a happy 

 hour; and were nearly certain of securing a nice mess of 

 trout. How well I remember a favorite haunt of mine, 

 about a mile from the suburbs of our village, known .an- 

 onsly as the "Forge Fond" and "Old Salter's Pork Uairel. " 

 deriving iUs names in the one ease from the ruins of an old 

 Ebrgi ii u by, and in the other from the fact that from its 

 depths old S. was accustomed to procure supplies. It was 

 artificial being a mill-porld, but nevertheless beautiful, sur- 

 rounded' by heavy timber; the waters were clear and vary 

 cold from "innumerable springs boiling up at the bottom; 

 here and there an old stump reared itself from the surface, 

 the nooks and holes among their roots making innumerable. 

 hiding-places for the speckled beauties; and for means of 

 navigation there was an old log about four feet through, 

 witha few sprawling roots at one end to keep it. steady, which 

 Uncle EU who lived at the Mill House, kept fastened with 

 padlock and chain, and occasionally leased to the boys at 

 twenty-five cents per day. .Vuat happy hours have I spent 

 upon that old log, when there was just, wind enough to sing 

 through the pines and make a light ripple on the surface. 

 and the trout all mad because I hey could not get hold first ! 

 A worthy doet or from our village leased the pond and 

 privileges 'for two years once, and had exclusive control oi 

 the fishing for that period; and how George F.. my fishing 

 chum, and 1 hated him during that time. He moved away 

 from town m the winter of the second year, and George and 

 I took possession of our obi "(Stamping ground." During 

 the spring the Doctor eaine back on a visit, and the next. 

 Saturday after his arrival, early morn found me tramping 

 n lie .veil-known road to the pond, with a heart hm light 

 as the birds among the trees, prepared to spend the day. 

 After interviewing Uncle Hli and securing the key, I soon 

 overcame the res- "inertia- of the old log by means of a long 

 pole, and fastening it to the top of a projecting stump, com- 



,i casting, The air was so still that tiny bit slowly at 



first, but soon alight breeze sprang up, and a ripple camo 

 diamine' over the pond and the fun began. Alt rafted by a 

 noise, I looked up and saw a light carriage drive up. The 

 horse was fastened, and three persons with rods in their 

 nc hurrying down toward the pond, and who 



should it be butthe Doctor with a friend, come to try his 

 former preserve. Nov Ebt ret, iati..n! 1 watched them as 

 they came down to the spot where the log is usually fastened, 

 and can imagine their look of disappointment as they dis- 

 cover the log up the pond witha long-legged urchin bal- 

 anced thereon. "Ah!" Doctor. I think lo myself, "how 

 many times within the past two years have I traveled along 

 by on my way up the brook, and watch i d you on the log 

 with the' saino feeling that is now passing through your 

 mind." Soon the Doctor's voice, rings out: "Hello, bub, 

 ain't you coming in pretty soon ?" Just then I have a strike, 

 and alter playing him around the log a few times I hold up 

 a lovely half-ponnder, and halloo back: "No, I haven't but 

 just come," and prepare for another cast, when again the 

 Doctor's voice breaks the stillness: "Bub, what, will you take 

 to let us have the log?" "Couldn't think of it," goes back 

 from bub. Then from the Doctor: "We'll give you a. 

 quarter." No response. "Fifty cents." No reply. Then 

 the Doctor disappears, and presently his face slews itself 



: i oil. bo I ,,< on the shore just, opposite me, as with a 



whoop T land n beauty that will tip the scales at twelve 

 ounces. Then begins a confab in which the Doctor does 

 moBtof the talking, and is conducted something like an 

 auction, the bids for the log finally reaching three dollars: 

 "but mi; tooney can't hire that log to-day. Doctor." Then 



i I :-. and abuse, and finally discounigement, and 



i, :r and his friend are about to depart, I volun- 



teered the information that there is good fishing up the 

 brook. 



What a magnificent string I toted home that night, right 

 down through the main street — no cutting across lots, and 

 home over the badc-garden fence, for fear some one would 

 holler, "Fritz, when's your tish '." and when I told the 

 boys that night how I had beaten the Doctor, there was great 

 joy among us. 



But the dam by the old mill broke away long ago. and the 

 cattle now feed 'where the trout sported then, and one by 

 one we loose our old "stamping grounds," but we can re- 

 visit them in memory, which is one great comfort. Fbixz. 



Jjs// §nltop. 



A NEW FOE OF THE SHAD. 



t y West MeSTDBH, ft., May 1, 1877. 



Editok Fokest and Stream", 



Perhaps you may remember my protest against the indis- 



criminate stocking of our waters with black bi 

 published in Forest axd Stream nbout one ye 

 which I stated that I believed, it, to be a g» 

 place black bass in ponds or streams which 

 well stocked with good and thriving fish. I 

 following article, taken from the Hartford Tin 

 be of interest to those who ilelight in the slice 

 cultu 



is, which was 

 r ago, and in 



U mi, lake to 



were already 

 send you the 

 is, which may 

 ss of our fish 



It is the belief of some persons who have given attention 



ubjeet that the introduetii: 



to lesson very materially the n 

 Some three .' .,. »go, if we re 

 stocked the river with black 1 

 game fish, whose capture afford 

 those .waters which Save beer 

 fish-as the beautiful Warane ii] 

 and other landlocked waters, 

 introduced, multiplies rapidly, 

 kinds of fish. The pickerel. 



bulldi 

 he has had time to g 

 in the Connecticut, th 

 effects either of the bh 

 shad 



the pc 



ad multiply 



the Connection 

 lack bass has had 

 t- of shad this year, and also 

 mber of the aslripe 1 bats. 

 iember, the Commissioners 

 ss. This is a well-known 

 sport to the fisherman in 

 Cked with this variety of 

 Luke, in Litchfield County. 

 here the black bass, once 

 ad exterminates most other 

 iclieve, he does not succeed 

 r fish suffer. Since 



, be 



hi. 



it v 



j hist, i 



in the 



ed, 



r the be 



of the 



lurve yet b. 



hundred, so abundant 

 the Connecticut, fanio 

 for some unknown car 

 year. Owing to the s 



spawn, above the Holyoice uam, aiew year 

 the building ofan apron on the dam— th 

 nectieut Kiver shad lust year greatly inert 

 were bigger and finer ; now there seems to be a sudden fall- 

 ing off, tie vend the usual run. The voracious black bass, 

 though very destructive, is not their only enemy ; the young 

 shad are exposed to wholesale d.-i miction even in the gertn- 

 th.ul, that return in April and May 

 irs of tins old river to spawn, are 

 devour all the spawn 



new quarters 

 to show the 

 •ourge, for the 

 alf at great as 

 io black bass 



/Ie g el |8 B 



.1 : .,. ,,., 

 1, the supply, 

 minished this 

 th new shad- 

 ice— and with 

 pplv of Con- 

 •d, find the fish 



way up. The 

 ailed by a number 

 ever seen and al- 

 The burbot is one of 

 geiier, the eel, is a great 



i . i ■■■::- 1 'i mother and 



as many as the ' pounds ' 

 , is certainly rather hard 

 the offender, he threatens 



form, for the up-eom 



to the favorite upper 



followed by a silent army of eels, who 



that is dropped along the river bottom 



young shad that are bom are promptly 



of deadly foes, some of whom are scare 



most unknown even by lie a.n e 1 



these ; and his more prolific ee.ng.n 



destroyer. To let loose upon the hunl 



still more destructive foe, who da; S ae i 



erected off the mouth of the rive 



upon him : and if the black bass i 



to exterminate the most delicious of all the fish thai ... 



One victim of the rapacity of the black bass is said to be the 



slriped bass. This is a very line table fish, which lee 



times been caught in the Connecticut llivi v near Hartford, 



weighing upward of 70 pounds, f lis ordinary weight, when 

 caught here in the river, ranges from about i'ight'to twenty 

 pounds Stuffed and halted, or simply boiled, he is a de- 

 licious fish ; and he is guile as good boiled, with pn h e 



I ompajlimouts, US lie is when baited. if. a- V. Ileal : ' K 



this line fish, like the shad, has been more decil .i 1 . 



the black bass, it; is time, lo do whatcanb I 

 the bass -for fle-y are not as good' a fish as th atjapedh isi 

 nor nearly so good as a nicely broiled shad." 



Now, if the black bass are so destructive to shad and 

 striped bass, is it not reasonable to suppose that the salmon 

 (with Which our river has been stocked) will also be de- 

 stroyed? Perhaps FomcsT \No Stream will give u aOHie 

 light on this matter, for should the above prove true, it will 

 ndeed. Vox G. 



exam-liiatinu of Ui<soi>iiiicin3 glvon ju tho United 

 . r,e iiegeiiH ten- 1872 o 3. wo find that the weight 

 ■aiBtain the t so '■! .■ i ■ --i I'liii black 



is, anna not i at . exclusively to a 



id siu'jti. Crustaceans 

 ood or ttio baaa. He 



be a scriou 



Note.— Aftora. 

 States n,ii Qomui 



01' .iaileneait itoiv- 



liasa. oluiougti w 



diet of nfiadroa and fingsrl I B, ml 



(orayaab, douaona aud tb.e like) ure the 



