Forest and Stream 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 8, 18 8 3. 



\ Nos. 8 



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CONTENTS. 



Editorial. 



The Kennel. 



New York Game Law, 



Washington Bench Show. 

 National Club. Fourth Derby. 







Th.- English Kennel Dispute. 





, '.■■: .o V;: j j ■,■ J ■ ■ " . 





Tin- Kt Bernard. 



Winter Talks on Summer Pas- 



i:,' ■.. B.-i ,;\ SI, , 





Kennel Notes. 



Nimroitin the Noi-t.h.-iii. 



Kennel Management, 



B Around the Coast of Florida.-tn. 



Rifle anu Trap Shooting. 



Natural History. 



Carver and liogardus. 



The Birds ol Main 





Game Bag and Son. 



The Principle of Express Rifles. 



The New 'l o-.-i: o-, , L j Vl ;, 



The Wimbledon Report. 



IheQuel i Association 



Kange and Gallery. 



'•Hunting YVif--.::i a liun." 



The Trap. 



The Worcester Fox Hunters 



Matches and Meetings. 



Grouse Shooting Par Excellence 





Bell-Ringing Frogs. 

 New Hampshire Notes. 



"LetHergoin-Basy," 



A Metallic Splice. 



Camp Fire FMcKBBINGS. 



Is this the -Coming Boat}" 



Sea akd River Fishing. 



Hull Y. C. 



Position of Reel -Weight ef Rinds 

 Jugging on the Big Muddy, 

 Fisli Protection in Ohio. 



The Value of Size. 



Interesting Experiments with 

 Loaded Boards. 



■ . i. 



Traps. 



Carp— Culture & Food Qualities 



Answers to Correspondents. 



THE NSW YORK GAME LAW. 

 E print elsewhere the views of several correspondents 

 on the proposed amendments of the New York game 



w 



law. 



Wc agree with Mr. Zerega in thinking the provisions of 

 the bill- relating lo the collection of specimens by natural- 

 ists somewhat oppressive to the ornithologist, but it will at 

 least, if enfrced, stop the present wholesale destruction of 

 small birds. It will be a difficult matter to make such pro- 

 tection effective, and at the same time to cut the ground 

 from under the feet of the man who makes merchandise of 

 bird skins. 



It was to have been expected that there would be a differ- 

 ence of opinion on the provision relating to the bounty on 

 hawks. Our correspoadent is quite right in stating that, 

 " Nature if left to herself will absolutely balance all things;" 

 but he must remember that, at the present; day and in this 

 country, nature is by no means left, to herself. On the con- 

 trary, she is interfered with in every pofsible manner. The 

 game birds have a host of enemies and but few friends. 

 The rapacious birds, on the other hand, most of them die of 

 old age. They are terribly destructive to the quail, lu or- 

 der that the balance of natme may be preserved, there 

 should be meted out to them some of the measure that they 

 give to the game, We do not underestimate the havoc 

 which these Rapucm cause among noxious rodents and in- 

 sects, but that they cause a great amount of destruction 

 to game, we. know very well. Even the marsh hawk, 

 which most people regard as no better than a mouse, we 

 have known to catch quail, teal aud meadow larks, besides 

 other smaller birds. We have examined the stomachs 

 of too many hawks and owls not to have a pretty clear idea 

 of the food which they eat. 



There are, of course, a number of species of Falconidce 

 and Striyidm, which are of the greatest benefit to the farmer; 

 but iu framing a general law, it is hardly possible to deal 

 with the individual species. The good must suffer with 

 the bad. 



We expected when we penned the paragraph relating to 

 bay bird shooting, to which exception is taken by another 

 correspondent, that it would by no means meet the views of 



a considerable number of our readers. Still, we are obliged 

 to hold to our original view, that a postponement of the 

 open season to August 1 would result in better shooting — 

 more shots and more birds— than if it opens July 1. 



We do not regard the matter as an especially important 

 one; the birds have bred, and may well be shot dur- 

 ing the late summer and early autumn by those who en- 

 joy the sport. There is usually a flight late in July, but it 

 consists only of a few birds, chiefly dowitchers, with an 

 occasional plover, which from the moment they sight Mon- 

 tauk Point, are banged at unceasingly. A few of them are 

 killed, but the majority hurry on in the hope of finding 

 some resting-place, where they will be free from 

 constant molestation, until they reach the quiet snores 

 and marshes of Virginia. If the shooting of these 

 birds was postponed to August 1, a very different state 

 of things would ensue. The birds would not hurry onward 

 ill the wild rush for safety that now takes place. They 

 would loiter along the Long Island and Jersey coasts, feed- 

 ing and fattening. Their presence on the beaches and 

 marshes would call down others of their kind. This would 

 continue for a week or two, aud by August. 1 there would 

 be birds enough to afford good sport until the August flight 

 came on. As it is at present, the appearance iu July of a 

 little flock of dowitchers is the signal for every man in the 

 neighborhood to run for his gun, and the birds have hardly 

 time to alight before they are being chased away again. The 

 result of all this is very naturally the shooters in July get 

 few or no large birds, and devote themselves to the tiny peeps. 

 sitnderlings, ring plover, potato snipe and other little birds 

 about as big as one's thumb which breed on Long Island, many 

 of which in July are still occupied in raising their young. 



Prom the facts presented by Mr. Collins it will be learned 

 that the provision forbidding the transplanting of trout is 

 designed to remedy a most flagrant abuse, and in view of 

 these facts it is desirable that such a clause should be in- 

 eorporated iu the law. 



The report of the meeting of the Game Law Committe at 

 Albany in another column, gives the views of some sports- 

 men on the various points brought up in the Townsend 

 bill. It will be observed that there is a tendency on the 

 part of a great many gentlemen to ask for special provisions 

 excepting the regions where they shoot and fish from the 

 provisions of a general protective law. All special legisla- 

 tion of this kind is wrong, and tends to render inoperative 

 a law otherwise good. If one county is to be excepted from 

 the provisions of the act, its next door neighbor may ask 

 the same privilege, and so for the whole State, county by 

 county. We shall regret to see the bill materially changed 

 except as to section 4. 



The Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Game 

 Laws, in his closing remarks on Tuesday, touched, as with 

 a needle, the root of the greatest bar to successful game 

 protection by law. He said that the Committee was anx- 

 ious to give sportsmen the necessary protection, but they 

 did not seem to be able to agree on what this was. Of 

 course he did not put it quite so bluntly as we have, but 

 that was about what it amounted to. Until the angling and 

 shooting public come to be practically of one mind as to 

 what is the best course to be pursued to preserve our 

 game and fish, each step toward such protection can only 

 be made after a hard fight. 



Our laws at present are absurd in the number of exceptions, 

 which they make to the general provisions of the act. Who 

 can tell, for example, why it is, that "in the waters of the 

 Walkill Eiver, within the county of Ulster," it is "lawful for 

 any person or persons of the same family or household to 

 possess and fish for suckers and eels in the waters of said 

 river during the months of March, April, October and Nov- 

 ember with a single fyke, the meshes of which shall not be 

 less than one inch" when for the greater portion of the 

 waters of the State, any such fishery at such times and with 

 such a net is unlawful. Of course we all know well enough 

 how such provisions come to be inserted. 



The worshipful member from Ulster, whoever he may 

 have been at the time when this law was passed, no doubt 

 arose in the Assembly chamber or committee and stated that 

 to forbid his constituents to catch suckers and eels was out- 

 rageous, and bis legislative brothers who knew nothing about 

 the subject and cared rather less agreed that an exception 

 should be made in favor of the gentleman's constituents. 

 Andjso it goes all through the bill. The mexibers of the 

 present committee on game laws, it must be said, gave the 

 fullest and most courteous hearing to those who appeared 

 before them on Tuesday, and showed that so far as they 

 were concerned this important subject will have intelligent 

 and careful attention. 



OUR RIFLE FUTURE. 



THE summary, elsewhere published, of the report of the 

 National Rifle Association of Great Britain, shows how 

 much of a fixture in the general life of the Kingdom the 

 practice before the targets has become. Notwithstanding 

 apparent set-backs there has been for nearly a quarter of a 

 century a steady growth of the interest in rifle shooting, 

 and with that interest may be traced great improvement in 

 the arms used. 



There are many good observers who find reason to think 

 that without rifle shooting and the rivalry which naturally 

 springs out of its pursuit the Volunteer movement in Great 

 Britain would have been a failure ere this. Instead of mak- 

 ing the enrollment and the drilling of bodies of men the one 

 great end and aim of the National Home Guard, the require- 

 ments of an efficient Volunteer embraced that of shooting 

 fairly well. Here came in an element which set the men 

 individually on a level, and while the metropolitan centers 

 gave large commands admirably drilled and fit to maKe a 

 brilliant showing on parade, it was the little squad of a 

 company far off in some scrubby hamlet which, likely as 

 not, carried off the shooting prizes, and so the honors were 

 distributed about in such fashion as to keep the whole force 

 a vigorous and healthy one. The city commands might 

 have fine chances for parade over broad thoroughfares and 

 with commodious drill-rooms, but the country guardsman 

 with a range at his back door burned powder, kept a clear 

 eye and a steady hand, and was very properly recognized 

 as a very important factor in the make-up of the whole 

 force. 



The National Rifle Association came iu as an important 

 adjunct in this direction. While structurally independent 

 of the Volunteer force it lived only for that force, and was 

 controlled by it. It was not a bureau of the regular estab- 

 lishment, yet without it the force would have lost an essen- 

 tial part of its life, and it is doubtful whether either could 

 have long survived the other. Shrewdly managed in a busi- 

 ness way it has prospered through liberality. Seemingly at 

 times over conservative, its record will show that there litis 

 been a steady encouragement of the best arms, and it is safe 

 to assert that without Wimbledon the world to-day would 

 not have several of the rifles which are now recognized as 

 the best. The rules of shooting have been changed and 

 altered from time to time, and though always against a cer- 

 tain amount of protest, yet always for the betterment of 

 rifle practice. There have been many reasons which have 

 helped the managers of the National Rifle Association. 

 They were enabled to draw a very large clientage from a 

 very small area of territory. The run up to London is but 

 a matter of a few hours from any part of the Kingdom. 

 The time of holding the meeting is well selected. There 

 is a widespread feeling of intense local patriotism or clan- 

 nishness which institutes sharp distinctions of section, and 

 upon this feeling it is easy to build up a rivalry such as been 

 seen at Wimbledon from its first establishment. Then, too, 

 special journals most admirably conducted, and generous 

 notice and encouragement in the ordinary press channels, 

 have helped the movement greatly, until we see it to-day 

 rich and as firmly established as it is possible for such an 

 agency to be. 



On this side the water there have been at times expressions 

 of surprise, that in ten years of existence, modern rifle shoot- 

 ing should be in such a backward state. The error which was 

 the foundation of this surprise, is in supposing that the 

 United States will ever in proportion to its population make 

 such a showing as that annually seen at Wimbledon, 



It will be noticed at once that many if not all of the condi- 

 tions which have made the broad common on the outskirts 

 of London such a popular resort are wanting in this country. 



Wc have no such Volunteer force or National Guard as 

 that which exists iu Great Britain, simply because we do 

 not need any such a cumbrous agency of defense. To 

 preach the danger of a foreign attack is to be laughed at 

 and with a few companies of reliable militia, ready to act 

 on call as a sheriff's posse in suppressing acy riotous demon- 

 stration, we have all the National Guard which is really 

 necessary. The regular army is little more than this and 

 both organizations deserve support, mainly beeause they 

 serve as schools for officers, and in this fact there is a 

 feeling of security for Americans and a quieting hint to 

 would-be meddlers with us as a nation. We have little of 

 that clannishness which is so marked abroad, and repeated 

 attempts to push inter-State matches show the absence of 

 that sentiment. In short, the conditions and environments 

 of position aud feeling, which go to make Wimbledon such 

 a busy center during a certain period each year are entirely 

 wanting on this side the ocean, and all steps in the encour- 



