188 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[AfBlt 6, 188S. 



sorted mii [von? block with an inked groove down the center 

 of the -'back edge, to guide his eye, and en sight nt all on 

 I In- fop. As formyselfj after losing a good many deer from 

 nn impulse whieh I tried in vain to control, 1 adopted n 

 front sight, which I consider bolter adapted tor coversboot- 

 tug -will, (he rifle than any 1 have ever seen. The follow- 

 ing direction will enable anyone possessed of requisite skill 

 in the use of tools 10 make one: 



in iron or cooper block should be fitted into the dove 



tailed slut in the front end of the rifle barrel, of Sufficient 

 height, SO that when a tine sight is drawn over the lop of it, 



the gnu will not overshoot at any distance The target 

 should be simply a horizontal line lialf an inch w idG draw n 

 across a board or other material, say a foot in width. This 

 should be placed at the distance from the shooter that, he 

 wishes his point blank to lie — whieh tor me is thirty paees. 

 Then taking u careful rest and holding the top of the block 

 even with ihe top of the line, and drawing a very line sight, 

 fire at the Hue. If the block is as high as it should be the 

 rifle will shoot und r. Now. without removing the sight, 

 (iircfully file down the top, trying it occasionally till the 

 gun shoots into the line. Now remove the block, and with 

 a rat-tail, or half-round file, cut a semi-circular groove in the 



top of the block, say y'inoh in dephth; in the bottom of 

 This groove saw Hie slot for the insertion of the sight; after 

 carefully entering the saw. by slanting it to the right, and left, 

 the Slot can be cut dove tailing. Each y"<\ should then be 

 lightly reamed with a drill. Apiece of coin silver should 

 be used for the sight; this can be upset so as to fit, the dove- 

 tailed slot ; driven iu from one end, and both ends rivctied 

 so that it is perfectly solid without the intervention of heat 

 or solder. This sight should then be tiled down till the 

 straightedge shows \i. to be just as high as the top of the 

 block. Now insert the block, and drawing a vertical line 

 across the horizontal one on the target, forming a cross, aim 

 at that, and drive ihe block carefully home till the bullet 

 cuts the intersection of the cross. This sight will be found 

 satisfactory al all times, except when the bushes are cov 

 • •red with snow, and then it is rather difficult to keep clear. 



Penobscot, 

 TUrsE. 



THE GREAT DEER DESTROYER. 



I NOTICE the following paragraph going the rounds of 

 the sporting press: ■When the far famed Oxford Gun 

 (bib take dowu their little rifles and start forth with blood 

 in their eye, the foxes turn pale in the woodlands, and the 

 deer tremble upon B thousand hills." 



I wanted to be a deer destroyer, and with the deer 

 destroyers go. but they would nol'take me in. They said 

 '•I could n't shoot, a deer, any more than a hog could catch a 

 ■ dam." 



When the great Gun t'Inb came back from Rautrcley, 

 bringing home no pile of deer skins, no scalp of cunning 

 [OS, my soul was filled with gladness as the waters fill the 

 sea. A little bird from the north land has whispered in my 

 ear this true story which I tell: 



The dying leaves, like wounded birds, 

 dow n from oil the autumn trees, when first 

 Club pitched their teats by Kaugeley's fame 

 morn as the first, faint flush of coming ( 

 eastern skies, a man, with the matchless for 

 crept softly from under hi- blanket, ami t\'h 

 less as an Indian's when he walks the trail 

 out into the darksome woods. In his hands he 

 rifle, iu his belt a little black bottle could be seen. 



is it '"came from every side. "A— man— eating— tiger," land, and I take a most, delightful sun-bath under the lee of 

 he panted in gasps, "his— jaws— all— red— and— dripping— an old lish-housc for at least tin hoar. Finally the wind 



dies away, we get iu our boat and row for the channel. We 



with the— life blood— of Victims slain— is hot— upou— my 

 trail. Have me — save me— what shall I do— o dear— o dea'r 



-what ..hall I do— Fro " 



They didn't stop to hear any more. They just dropped 

 dishes, preparing breakfast, rifies, everything, and climbed 

 the nearest trees, asnever squirrel climbed them since first the 

 world began. 



Long they waited; long they listened, bill no blood-drip- 

 ping tiger came. All was still. Gathering courage from 

 ihe silence they came down from Ihe trees. Packing up their 

 rides they began to trace back again the late flying Destroy- 

 er's trail. 



Their faces were pule; their hearts beat quick; they car- 

 ried their ritles at full cock, but they saw nothing, heard 

 nothi.ig, save the song of the autumn birds, and the chipper 

 of the happy squirrels as they leaped from tree to tree. 

 Soon they came to the deep, dark dell, where, gleaming in 

 the dim light, the rifle of the Destroyer lay. They must be 

 close upon the man-eating liger now! Down flat upon their 

 bellies they crept, like snakes up the hillside, keeping their 

 eves upon the best tree to climb. Thev reached the top; 

 they crawled down the other side. 

 They found the demon Tiger's track. 



They rose to their feet and stood looking upon those 

 dreadful tracks in a dazed and bewildered way. The Great 

 Destroyer, his brain in a. wild whirl, had" followed in 

 the rear, stumbling along over root and brier like one 

 walking in a dream. He now came up. He looked upon 

 those awful tracks, and if possible became paler than before. 

 There, right before them, in the full glare of the morniug 

 sun, lay the tracks of that dreadful beast that had almost 

 seared their lives away. 



T/if tracks wire the tracks of &eer. The dread tiger, the 

 awful demon of the woods, was a herd of deer going down 

 to the river to drink. 



For about five minutes the Great Destroyer stood as 

 motionless and speechless as any stick or stone. Then, 

 stretching his brcvu hands toward the sun, he cried aloud, 

 like a man in more than mortal anguish: "Rise ye great 

 lake anil cover me; fall ye hills and crush me; open earth 

 and hide me forcvermore from mortal eyes I" 



O, how T I would like to be a great deer-destroyer and with 

 the deer-destroyers stand, and have a pl'etty. harmless, dar- 

 ling little rifle, and hold it in my hand. A. Wuin, Jr, 

 Oxford, Maine. 



DUCK SHOOTING ON THE HUDSON. 



LIVING a-. 1 do. on the banks of this beautiful river, I 

 have an occasional chance to get, a rap at the ducks 

 on their flight north in the spring, of which I always take 

 advantage; sot that I make any particularly large bags, 

 but there is something very charming to me to drift about 

 among the cakes of floating ice on a calm spring day, get- 

 ting an occasional shot and an immense amount of enjoy - 



Stc a flock of black ducks all asleep, and just as I am count- 

 ing On a telling shot one Veteran pokes up his head, sees us. 

 and away they go. I let drive and cut down a pair, which 

 is a sheer piece of luck, as they were loo far awav; but to 

 day is one of my lucky days. 



This last shot, winds us up, and we return home tired out, 

 Hut with fifteen tine Mrda. I seldom have this success, but 

 always have a thoroughly' enjoyable day. 



F. BltANPIiETU. 

 Srso Sn»e, March 3». 1883. 



THE OTTAWA CONVENTION. 



A S it was evident that such an important event as the 

 Cjl dog show would call together large nun 



-c. fluttering 

 i great Gun 

 raters. One 



I tinted the 



a Hercules, 

 tap as noise- 



f death, passed 

 rried a 

 It was 

 the Great. Deer Destroyer going foith to slay all the deer in 

 Rangeley before his comrades should awake. As he strode 

 swiftly along the dim forest pathway he chuckled and talked 

 unto himself 



Now, bis eye fell upon the surrounding hillsides, faintly 

 seen in the early light. ''Aha!'' he cried, "ye hills eternal, 

 your ^ides shall be dved in deepest crimson with the life 

 blood of the many deer my strong righl arm shall slay." 

 Now he stood upon the breeze-swept hilltops, looking down 

 upon the early glorj of the hike, stretching afar before him, 

 lovely as an artist's dream of paradise. Aha !" he cried 

 again, "ye matchless inland ocean, your waters shall be 

 dark, your waves shall be heavy with "the dead bodies of the 

 deer my never-failing rifle shall lay low in the throes of 

 death. Aha! aha!" And he danced in wild joy upon the 

 hilltop. "Aha! Behold me, great Sun ! Look down upon me, 

 ye god of the morning. I'm the Great Deer Destroyer, just 

 COme up from the city Of Death !" 



He came to a deep, dark, wood-crowned dell, through 

 whose intermingling branches the sunlight never shone. As 

 he stood in its lowest depths, in ihe shadow and in the 

 gloom, n great rushing and crashing fell upon his startled 

 ear, like the rushing and the crashing of some, mighty beast 

 or prey, bursting through the scattering underbrush as a 

 whirlwind in her rage. Nearer, yet nearer, that dread rush- 

 ing and crashing came; it seemed to fill all the wide- 

 extended forest, and the distant mountains caught, and 

 echoed back the direful sound. The Great Destroyers face 

 turned pale, his heart stood sti'l with terror, hts legs trembled 

 and shook like trees in a gde of wind. Nearer, yet nearer, 

 louder, still louder, the rushing and crashing came. It 

 burst upon the affrighted Destroyer's ear like the crack of 

 coming doom. 



What was i t V What mean those direful Bounds! 



Was it some terrible lion, snared on Afric's sands, who 

 had broken its confining chains, rushed to the woods, and 

 become Ihe terror of the hills'? Was it some still more ter- 

 rible man-eating Bengal tiger, from India's jungle fell, 

 which had burst asunder the mighty bars of iron which 

 caged it, eaten up the circus of whieh it was the glory and 

 the pride, and gone firth into the wilds of Rangeley to de- 

 vour the sons of men? 



Crash! crash! crash' It is almost on him now. The Great. 

 Destroyer became wild with terror. He ran to the east; he 

 ran to the west; he ran to the north; he ran to the south; he 

 ran in circles, in angles, here, there, everywhere, so wild 

 with terror be knew not what he did. And ever as he ran 

 he died: "Help I Help! Save me I Save me' What shall 

 I do! What shall I do! I'm killed! I'm killed!" 



Crash! crash! cr-t-h! on the very hills above bim now. 

 With a wild, despairing shriek, like the awful cry of a lost 

 soul, he flung down his rifle and fled as never mortal fled 

 before. Over fallen trees he, leaped, over oozy pools he 

 bounded, down the forest path he flew, swifter* than ever 

 fled despairing deer before tbe following hounds. 



Into the just-awakened camp the terror-struck Destroyer 

 leaped. ".Save me! Save me! Save me!" he shrieked; 

 and then fell upon the ground and rolled over and over in 

 an abandon of utter terror. 



"What's up? What's the matter? Who's killed? What 



meat. Think 



give adescriptii 

 Croton Point on Ma 

 The boat I used i 

 sneak, only longer 



Dngth bv 111 .,- i si 

 is painted white, in; 



of your readers' 1 

 of a day's shooting T bad inthe vicinity of 



eh 19 



ithiug on the style of a Barnegat 

 ml narrower, being sixteen feet in 

 i! null extreme beam. Every thing 

 dim: a canvas screen tilted on the for- 

 tlng about eight inches on each side to 

 hide the short paddles « llich are used when after the birds. 

 White jackets and caps, a fifteen-pound eight-bore hammer- 

 less Greener, and we are ready to start. 



At six o'clock in the mornmg, on the day iu question, I 

 found ray man and boat all ready. I had hoped to get off 

 lief ore anyone else, but was informed that two boats' w-ere 

 already out. However, "better late than never," and soon 

 we were among the drifl ice Unfortunately the wind 

 began to blow, and we were obliged to keep under the lee 

 of Croton Point. We made fast to a large cake of ice, and 

 drifted along, keeping a sharp lookout. Fina 



of sports- 

 union. advantage was taken of 

 to consider several of the very 

 at of the violation of the game 

 mting. The meeting was held 

 T. which was placed tit the 

 for the occasion. There 

 r those present being many who 

 tend to represent ."either some 

 of country. The following 

 Mr. O'Brien. M.P.. Muskoka, 

 at Gravenhurst W P 

 gj Robt, P, Jillet, Pie 

 Geo. H. Weagant, dele^ 



little 



temp 



l.obbi 

 it be 



eU 



vithiu gu 

 ?vail. and 1 BJ 



out five hundred J 



to I hem 



ih. 



if 



the 



id I am 

 the little 

 flock of 

 idst of the ice 

 eared we could not get 

 losely, but we discover 

 •d and fifty yards, when 

 c and up they all jump! 

 eedlesdy. for they alight- 

 ice. Now we are getting 

 •semlile ihe neighboring 

 heir heads. "Here goes 

 three together, kill two, 

 another pair when tliey 



a lead, and are within one huudi 

 bang! some one tires in the distant 

 Wicked words are. uttered, but i 

 again after flying but a short dista 

 very close, hut so much do we i 



for B pot shot." but 1 can only get 

 and am fortunate enough to get 

 jump. 



In picking up our birds we find that one has evidently 

 seen a hard winter, as a chip hat would certainly disgrace 

 him for weight. However, the oilier three were in vervfair 

 condition. After poking about in the ice for some time, I 

 discover to leeward a flock of thirty or forty. As they arc- 

 in open water, it is doubtful whether we can get to fhem. 

 but of course conclude to try. When within about three 

 hundred yards, pait of them fly and the rest appear to be 

 very uneasy. Another hundred yards and more take their 

 departure, leaving only the redheads and a few pintails. 

 Up get the latter, but we are going so fast before the. wind 

 thRfwe are within sixty yards of the redheads before they 

 rise. They swing to the 'left, and— bang, goes two ounces 

 of number four shot, backed up with eight drams of powder. 

 Down come four; bang again; hurrah, three more! Now 

 the fun begins. Some are crippled, but a few more shots 

 and they are all mine— seven beauties! 



i conclude after this, that we had better pull hack to the 

 point, as it was beginning to be pretty rough. My man 

 Andrew was of the" same opinion. We were almost ashore 

 when what should 1 see but an old drake whistler corning 

 straight for us. "Down!" whispered I, seizing my gun. 

 Andrew drops his oars and we crouch in the boat ; at a very 

 lively rate he comes straight ahead. As soon as he is in 

 range, 1 jump up — he sheers off and I put in ahead about 

 four feet and make a collender of him. He falls beautifully. 

 What nicer shot can a man have than a duck flying from 

 right to left at an angle of forty-five degrees, providing said 

 duck is within reasonable range. It gives one every chance 

 to put his gun in the right spot. 



"There is a pair of ducks over toward Craw-Buckey 

 Point," says Andrew, "shall we go for them?" Well, I 

 should say so; closer inspection shows us that they are 

 widgeon. We got up to them nicely, they jump, miss the 

 first, hy-kokey! but settle the second. 



After this we see nothing for a long time, conclude to 



Jr. 



men from all parts of the D. 



the occasion to call a meeting 



important questions arising c 



laws and prevalence of pot-h 



in the City Council chain! 



disposal of the sportsniei 



was a large attendance, anion 



were regularly delegated to a 



sporting club or some sectioi 



were among those present: 



representing a meeting of sportsir 

 Whitcher. Commissioner of Fish. 



ton, Out. : .las. F. Kirk, Toronto 



gated by the sportsmen of Cornwall; £. Friesiiy. Wcnl- 

 orth County! W. C. L. Gill, delegate from Loudon" District 

 Fish and Game Protection Society; G. Dill, delegated bv 

 the meeting at Braceblidge : Capt. (,'. Greville Harston, 

 Muck oka; Herbert C. Jones. Winncpeg; Lieut-Col. Camp- 

 bell. Kingston; Lieut. -Col. B. Van Strauhcnzie, Frontenac; 

 J. P. D. Mackenzie, Addington; .1. M. Forsvlh, Wolfe 

 Island; J. B Walkem, Portsmouth: Capt. Campbell, St. 

 Ililaire. Quebec; Dr. Hurlburt, F. J. Boswell, J. D, Pater- 

 son, G. Gotun, 0. Gouin, Ottawa. Sheriff Sweelland and 

 A. W. ThroOpe acted as secretaries. 



In opening the meeting the chairman called attention to 

 the thinning out of game by pot-hunters, many of whom 

 lived outside of the Dominion, and explained that it, was hoped 

 to reach some means of putting stop lo this slaughter, lb 

 felt, certain that the Government would give, great weight to 

 the opinions of such a large meeting of representative sports- 

 men. The next speaker was Wm. r, Lett. City Clerk of 

 Ottawa, and a prominent sportsman of many years standing, 

 who in the name of the sportsmen of Ottawa extended a 

 hearty welcome to their friends from a distance. He gloried 

 in being a sportsman, even though some might say sporting 

 instinct was a relic of barbarism. His words of welcome 

 were responded to by Herbert C. Jones, of Winnipeg, who 

 thanked the sportsmen of Ottawa for their reception, and 

 while on his feet took occasion to advocate the formation 

 of a Dominion Sportsmen's Society to promote the protection 

 of game. 



Dr. J. T. D. Mackenzie illustrated the importance of 

 systematic attempts to protect game by a reference to the 

 ease oL hie own county, Addington. Premising his remarks 

 by Stating that he hart hunted in the county for a number of 

 years, he stated that American '-'pot-hunters' 1 were killing 

 on 1 ihe ileer and partridge which used to abound in the 

 county. In a single train last fall he had seen thirty -one 

 deer carried out of Canada to be sold in (he States. "Four 

 years ago he traversed the county on foot and by the beaten 

 road shot five partridge. Now r traveling tbe same road no 

 partrtridge wen- to be met, but boy* armed with old grins 

 were, to be met at every turn, who would tell you that thej 

 wen- making men's wages in killing partridge, which 

 eventually found their way to the New York markets. The 

 remedy for all the destruction of game, he continued, was 

 to prevent the exportation of game. He hoped thai the 

 meeting would confine its attention wholly to the point that 

 night. Ontaria had a fairly good game law . Let them now 

 endeavor to get a short act' passed by the Dominion Govern 

 ment, to prevent ihe exportation of game. They should be 

 able to do this, and such an act, if passed, would do a great 

 deal toward saving the game of the country from "pot- 

 hunters." 



Judge Jillett advocated the stoppage of spring -hooting, 

 and a motion was carried to that effect as given below 



Mr. Lett Submitted a motion urging the Dominion Gov 

 eminent to pass an act stopping the exportation of game 

 from Canada. 



Mr. O'Brien, M. P., spoke very emphatically iu favor of 

 such an act, and advocated the necessity of officers being 

 appointee! bj the Sportsmen's Association to enforce the 



la\s . He <la"ted that over 1,300 carcasses of deer were taken 

 out of Muskoka bv the Northern railway during the season 

 just closed. However, he thought it might lie going too far 

 to stop exportation all through the seasou. He would sug- 

 gest that the exportation should be made illegal only after 

 some date iu November, so that American sportsmen, who 

 really Come for sport, could kill deer and send home one 

 occasionally. The comparative warmth of the season up to 

 November would, he held, prevent "pot-hunters" taking ad- 

 vauiage of such exception in the law to send deer to mar- 

 ket in large quantities. . 



Dr. Hurlburt opposed making any such exception in an 

 act such as that proposed. It would leave an opening 

 through which a coach and four might be driven. Other- 

 wise he would be heartily in favor of a preventive act. 



Mr. Gill, of London, spoke of the work of the Fish and 

 Game Protection Society of his district, ami slated that they 

 hoped shortly to effect something satsfactory, «s they had 

 arranged to co-operate with Ihe societies of Hamilton and 

 other places. He referred to the rapid decrease of game 

 throughout Ontario, and hoped that sack an act as that 

 under discussion would be secured. 



Mr. Shaw, of Perth, emphasized the destructive effect of 

 pot-hunting in Lanark and indorsed heartily a Dominion 

 act to stop the exportation of game. But the Ontario act 

 rendering illegal the exportation of dead deer was a dead 

 letter, because there, were rio officers to enforce it, and if a 

 Dominion act were passed, it, too.would be a dead letter, un- 

 less rangers were appointed by the Sportsmen's Association 

 to enforce it. 



Dr. McKenzie remarked that if the Dominion would pass 

 the act desired it might also provide to intrust its enforce- 

 ment to the customs revenue officers, which would settle 

 the matter. 



An amendment was here offered embodying the excep- 

 tion to the proposed act mentioned by Mr. O'Brien, but the 



