2 28 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 19, 1883. 



ally, lie should observe, also, that in making the horn he 

 does not, gel it loo thin. It ought to lie nearly", if not quite, 

 an eighth of an inch thick. If so. it is less likely to got 

 era, -l-.i'd. and besides, can be heard further. 



Now. if I have succeeded in giving your correspondent, 

 or any of your readers, a point of information tombing 

 the subject of which 1 have written, I shall esteem myself 

 .■is fortunate. Wf.i.i/s. 



INCIDENTS OF A FRONTIER MARCH. 



TN August, 1879, 1 was with a small detachment of men- 

 eight men and ten horses— in Long Valley, on the Pay- 

 ette Kiver, Idaho, when we suddenly came upon an old fe- 

 male grizzly bear with two cubs. One of the party— an old 

 bear hunter— dismounted and another, mounted, started af- 

 ter the bears. The old one would rise up— she seemed as 

 tall as a man — look at the advaueiug man and horseman, 

 then get down and Irving to keep liCT cubs in front made 

 for the woods, -Job to HOD yanls away. As soon as the men 

 began liring she ran oil' leaving her'oubs, which were soon 

 dispatched. 



The ofght before tltfs OOOtlrretl- -just as we were going to 

 large cinnamon bear and a cougar (mountain lion, 

 panther. Feus coneohrX jumped from the banks of the 

 little stream We had selected for a bivouac. The eougar 

 reached co\cr before we could shoot and made the forest 

 resound with the most terrific veils 1 ever heard. This 

 notwithstanding a recent writer i'n the X<it>n;tH*t states that 

 panthers do not yell. The cinnamon also escaped. 



These animals were not twenty yards apart when we first 

 saw them, and we. were not more'than twice that distance 

 when they jumped, as our horses did too. 



The horseman in the chase after the eubs.rode two or three 

 times almost over a tine buck, which was lving in the tall 

 grass. The buck bent his head down close," but did notstir. 

 After the cubs were secured, a man walked up to within a 

 few yards of (he deer and tired; he jumped up and ran off, 

 but was brought down very prettily by the next Bbol bcfi ire he' 

 got out of range. We left the deer and bear, to push on to 

 camp, intending to return in Ihe morning, Returning we 

 found only a portion of the deer left— the rest having "been 

 eaten by our old bear or a cougar. Beiug short of rations we 

 skinned the cutis, but found their flesh so stroneas tube un- 

 eatable. Black and cinnamon bear meat is not unpalatable, 

 but from grizzly, young or old— spare me. How we worried 

 on over mountains, Birough burning forests, for eight 

 days, with only a fool-hen and a salmon to stretch OUI 

 the three days' rations we started with, is ail too persona] to 

 be of general interest. We found that coffee grounds eaten 

 idler drinking the decoction were of con.sideral.ile service in 

 keeping up the strength. 



The railroad has now almost reached Boise, and made ac- 

 cessible the Payette (upper) and Salmon River mountains, 

 wh re can be found as tine spoiling ground as America, a.f- 

 - r "i'ds. T. E. W., U. S. A. 



Vakcocver Baiuiacks, Washington Territory. 



In a recent issue "P. E. B.." of Weld, Maine, savs some 

 true things of the bear's nature. He says, "the mothers of 

 all animals stand bv their young and fight for them as a 

 general rule. especially if the "infant is in trouble and giveslhe 

 alarm of distress." This latter clause is one of the principal 

 iucenlives of the bear's anger toward mankind, as I may par- 

 tially illustrate by the following incident: 



In the winter of IS' & J. while Stepping at Crystal River 

 Fla.. some timber cutleis came up irom the islands on the 

 coast, and reported a bear's nest with young, and waute I 

 Kick Barco and myself to return with "them and get the 

 young ones. We started the next day, arriving "on the 

 ground just before sunset. All hands being anxious to see 

 the bear'aud hear the cubs playing among themselves, as 

 had been reported, we determined to go 'to Ihe nest that 

 day. We accordingly went within twenty-live or thirty 

 feet of Ihe nest, ami could easily hear the "cubs, but could 

 not see them, and we decided thai Ihe wisest course would 

 be not to disturb them until we were sure that the mother 

 was disposed of, as, if we set them to crying beforehand, 

 the mother would realize their danger and light more than 

 we desired, This theory proved correct in this instance. 

 After about a half hour'of searching, and wishing for the 

 bear to show herself, Nick discovered her through the brush, 

 walking toward the nest, and when within about two feet 

 of it he tired a charge of buckshot into her side, when she 

 immediately returned into the thick brush the same way 

 she came, growling and snarling all the way. About one 

 hundred yams from the nest she lay down, aiid never got 

 up. After satisfying ourselves that she would not conic 

 back, we took the young— three altogether— one having a 

 few white hairs on his breast. The young were quite small 

 — could be held on the hand or put into an ordinary ousi- 

 ness-coal pocket. Their eves were open and blue, but they 

 hnl no teeth when taken. They began lo cut their teeth 

 about I wo weeks after. A. B. D. 



New Uaven, Conn. 



THE NEW YORK SOCIETY. 



r PHE last of the spring meetings of the New York Association 

 L fe.r the Protection of Game was held at Pinard's on tin 

 evening of Monday, the «th. The President, Hon. R, B, 

 Roosevelt, was in the chair. Mr. Thomas N. Cuthbcrt, See 

 rotary, read a communication from Mr. William .1. WeJdon 

 Rouse's Point, N.Y., eallinn attention to the large quantity of 

 fish caught by nets in Ihe waters of Lake Cbamplain and in 

 that vicinity during the spring and summer months. The 

 writer asks if there is no law in the State of New York 

 whereby fish caught by nets in the waters of other States 

 but sent to the former State for transhipment or sale can be 

 seized, or if there is no fish or game constable in thai vicinity 

 to look after that unlawful trauieV Surely, the writer adds, 

 something should be douc without delay to slop it. The 

 communication was referred to the Committee on (lame 

 Laws. 



The Townsend .and O'Connor lulls for the amendment, of 

 the existing laws for the protection of mime, now before the 

 Legislature, were discussed and referred to the Legislative 

 Committee on (lame Laws, with full power to act upon be- 

 half of the association in relation thereto. 



A communication in .m the State Association was received 

 asking for prizes to be donated lo the coming convention. 

 Alter some discussion it was decided not to oiler prizes for 

 pigeon shooting. Amotion was then made to encourage 

 fly-easting at the fall tournament of the Rod and Reel Asso- 

 ciation by offering a prize. This was also lost. 



The Chairman appointed Dr. John W. Greene, ex-Senator 

 Alfred Wagstaff and Mr, Wiener H. Townsend delegates to 



the annual convention of the State Association for the Pro- 

 teclion of Fish anil Game, at Niagara Falls. 



.Mr. Myers thought that trout should not be exposed for 

 stile early on ihe morning of April 1. as it was plain that 

 they had been caught the day before. The President re- 

 marked that the association had this question before Ihem 

 often before, and had declined to express auv opinion on it, 

 He then asked Mr. Blackford, who was the guest td the 

 evening, to give his views on the subject. Mr. Blackford 

 said that if was a question that had been put to him often. 

 He instructed his men to scrutinize all boxes of fish sent 

 and to receive none before April 1. The law allowed their 

 sale al tti.it time and he did not see why he should decline 

 to sell them as long as all other dealers had them. For him- 

 self he was a strict observer of the laws, and if it appeared 

 best to make the law so that trout could be caught on the 

 fust day but, not exposed for sale until the second he saw no 

 objection to it. AH dealers would then be on the same 

 footing. 



Mr. Blackford also said that the difficulties in the way of 

 enforcing the game laws were growing less year by year. 

 The public were beiug educated up to tin- mutter, anil mar- 

 ker-dealers appeared to be willing to do all in their power 

 for the protection of fish and game. He understood that a 

 bill before the Legislature proposed to increase the number 

 of State Game Constables by appointing eight additional 

 men, and suggested that the' association should use its in- 

 fluence to secure the appointment of two. to be located in 

 New York and Brooklyn. 



Al the close of Hie meeting the members of the association 

 enjoyed their customary supper, which wasscrved bvPinard. 

 After coffee and cigars'had been served. President Roosevelt 

 gave an interesting history of his fishing and shooting ex- 

 periences in Southern waters. 



Maine DbAh Butchers.— Oxford, Maine, April 10.— 

 EditW Foreai ami ,S(rcti>n: For several years a herd of deer 

 have been known to roam about the vicinity of North 

 Waterford, and have been allowed to go unmolested, though 

 at times their winter yards have been within a few rods Of 

 the highway. Ou the 37th of March some men came from 

 Loved, JTe, and gave chase and captured two deer, which 

 they took away in a hung. A few days after they captured 

 a third floe and two hueks, which latter, beiug unruly, were 

 hitched up to a tree and very conveniently strangled them- 

 selves while the men were taking the doe away. Another 

 deer was run down with dogs, and was said to have been so 

 mangled that it was necessary lo kill it, and was dispatched 

 h\ Sioncham. Me., parties. There is considerable indigna- 

 tion expressed by the North \Vaterford people, and without 

 doubt Hie matter will be thoroughly investigated. The law 

 prohibits hunting for or destroying in any manner any deer 

 between January land October" 1: and, it would" seem 

 that this properly came under its provisions, to say nothing 

 of the premature birth and death of a pair of young fawns 

 after the capture of one of the docs. This style of "hunting 

 is getting to be a little too common. Only a few days before 

 a similar case was reported from one of' the towns further 

 north, and I have been told that parties in Newry have been 

 indicted and fined for a similar olfense. The law'is evidently 

 intended to protect the deer through close time, and I fail to 

 find any provision for taking them, even alive. during that time. 

 These cases will probably settle Ihe question. Any person 

 may lawfully kill any dog found hunting deer. If people 

 will generally follow the' example of our North Waterford 

 neighbors, there will be less difficulty in enforcing our 

 game laws, and there will be more game. — Sylvan Dale, 



Dakota Wildfowl Notes, — Crow Creek Agency, D, 

 T., April 4.— We have just had a second edition of winter 

 he-re. About three weeks ago the ducks and geese began to 

 show themselves, As we were having some line warm 

 Weather the Indians began to plow, and had sown consider- 

 able wheat, when we had a radical change : the thermometer 

 went from between 70 and 80 down below zero in six or 

 eight hours, and since then we have had a continued scries of 

 snowstorms until last Monday, when the sun came out and 

 the wind came round into the south. The ducks and geese 

 at once took advantage of the weather and the flight was 

 quite heavy. Since then the wind has changed into the 

 north, and the flight of geese has about stopped again. The 

 ducks still slay around. I went out last night and got my 

 lirst ducks lor' the season. 1 killed three bluebills, one mal- 

 lard,, one redhead, and one green -winged teal. 1 killed 

 them in some little pond holes that were filled by the melting 

 of the snow. Some of your correspondents complain of the 

 inevitable negro with his "Zulu" in the South (though I don't 

 see why the poor negro with his £3.50 Zulu is not 

 as much entitled to his ducks and geese as is the white 

 spoilsman with his Westley Richards hainuiei less gun, with 

 Whitworlh's patent fluid compressed sti el barrels at $5 i 5. 1 K 1. 1 

 Here it is the poor lone Indian, and he does not have the 

 Zulu, but the antiquated old muzzle-loader or musket eul off, 

 You will generally find him just ahead of you. and if he 

 does not make out to kill the game, he will surely scare them 

 away.— Pi'-ttn-iiin-sa-ha. 



Dayton, O., April 9.— Millions of mallards and fat little 

 teals are now swarming in the reservoirs, marshes and lakes 

 of Ohio. Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, and the hunters are 

 banging away. It is too early vet to wiite of fishing, but, 

 mention that" the true knights of the joint rod are planning 

 for the 31a y raid among the bass of old Erie. Woodcock 

 came to the Miami Valley about, the middle of March, al- 

 though not plenty. Snipe arc coming in, and the hunters, 

 so long idle or croning over stories of former exploits, arc 

 rigging up for the marshes, On Friday, April 6, several 

 parties went to Ihe Carlisle lakes, while others hunted 

 through the marshes at Byron and Frost's. Gustav Sander 

 and Charles Whealen bagged seventeen snipe and twenty- 

 two plover; John W. Dickson and Adolph Sander got an 

 i qua] number with the first parly: John Stoeclclein anil Mike 

 Donohue brought in nine; and' the next day Phil. Weuz 

 bagged twenty-four birds. Quail were so scarce last fall thai 

 the dogs had a lazy time of it; therefore will require careful 

 handling in the field. Hunters in this section are changing 

 preference from setters to pointers. A fine pair of young black 

 ducks (wild), caught on Lake Ontario, were presented to 

 Phil. Weuz, a miller below Dayton. Last, fall they started 

 to fly away, but, making a circle of several miles, came 

 back, and' tlyiug around for awhile, returned to the pond 

 near the mill and have never since tried to leave, although 

 often uneasy. The hen has been laying, and two broods of 

 young ducks" will be hatched.— Sinex. 



Chicago Notes.— Chicago. April Ik— Chicago sports- 

 men have had a surfeit of shooting, and in Spile of all this, 

 there is little news to chronicle. The ducks have been very 

 plentiful in all varieties about the- city, but the game law of 

 the State of Indiana closes on ducks to -morrow, Sunday, 

 April 15, and as most ol the Chicago clubs have their club 

 houses in that Stale on the northern water courses, it can be 

 seen by the readers of the .Forest and Stream, that this 

 will tlirow a damper on the boys. Still many are out in- 

 dustriously looking for snipe. 'The latter seems scarce as 

 yet. Abe' Kliumari, ihe veteran shot, has just returned 

 from Lake Seuach wine. He has been therefor six weeks 

 and killed plenty of ducks and some snipe. He reports the 

 sliooiimr, at this 'little Illinois lake as being very good, but 

 says he left only little fellows. Ed. Price 'and James Wat- 

 son returned yesterday from English Lake, where they had 

 a fine time. Will Dexter, our great lower sportsman", has 

 been enjoying good shooting at" New Barton Bay, on the 

 Mississippi Kiver. just, above Keithsburg, and where he has 

 a steam yacht as a hunting boat, Lydstan, Eich, Organ, 

 Pond, and the rest of Chicago's great hunters have been out 

 to the various club grounds. Matters arc quieting down.— 

 Special. 



Maike Notes— Oxford, Mo. , April 13.— Wild duck, were 

 seen to-day for the first time this spring, Hying northward 

 in small flocks. The boys are having line sport banging 

 away at the muskrats, ot'which there arc plenty. Excellent 

 black bass fishing can be obtained here after the first of July, 

 boats, guides, etc., at reasonable prices; also good pickerel 

 fishing. The Oxford Gun Club voted to go to Rangeley the 

 1st of June. Now- look out for deers,— L. N, E. 



Wiu> Turkeys in California.— We find the following 

 item in the Los Angeles Time.* of recent date: "Wild tur- 

 keys are now to be seen on sale at San Francisco poultry 

 stands— the first that, have been noticed by the press of that 

 city, we believe. They are claimed to be the- produce of 

 the pioneer wild turkeys of California, came from Marin, 

 an I are leffingibi thirty cents the pound. The CaU says 

 the progenitors of Ihese birds were brought from tin; East 

 at a cost of $40 eaeh, but we have an impression that the 

 first wild turkeys brought to this State were imported some 

 years ago by Judge. Ciiton, of Ottawa, III., and placed on 

 the Island of Santa Cruz, where they have thrived and mul- 

 tiplied greatly. They now afford fine shooting. The Amer- 

 ican wild turkey is a noble bird, and there be those who 

 hold that it Should have been given the place of the national 

 bird of freedom instead of the eagle. Its acquisition by 

 California will prove a substantial gain to the game list,'" 

 This is the first we have read or heard of there being wild 

 turkeys in this [state, if we may except an instance in which 

 some domestic turkeys left a ranch near Pino, Placer county, 

 lasl year, and took to the brush, where they were at last 

 accounts, having become as wild as any .sportsman could 

 wish. If they have not been killed off they may increase 

 and in the course of time furnish good sport 'for gunners, — 

 Sawa/meMo Bee. 



Pinnated Grouse for Delaware.— The Delaware 

 State Game Association are about planting one hundred 

 prairie chickens in their State. There are many sections of 

 Delaware where the pinnated grouse will thrive, and we are 

 sure this enterprising society will see to it that the birds tire 

 protected. The association intends also to stock the waters 

 of the State with game fish. Two million young shad will 

 this season be placed in the Delaware River by the New 

 Jersey Fish Commission. — Homo. 



Philadelphia, April 16. — It is positive that some of the 

 pinnated grouse put out in New Jersey by the West Jersey 

 Game Protection Association have lived. Seveial have 

 lately been seen near Hammonton. Mr. John S. Davis, 

 well'known in Philadelphia as in aident and observing 

 Sportsman, while shooting near Andalusia, N. J., during 

 the past season, put up one. which he certainly identified as 

 a prairie chicken, and another bird during the same day 

 Which he thinks was of the same species. The first got up 

 near him, and he heard the peculiar note which the pinnated 

 grouse gives when startled. Mr. Davis knows what a 

 prairie chicken is, and with the writer on Western trips has 

 shot many. — Homo. 



Michigan. — Grand Rapids. — J. Hazzard Card, of Pleas- 

 ant P. O., Kent county, Mich., killed an American swan, 

 (probably a last year's bird) on Cranbury Lake, lying partly 

 in Alpine township, Kent county, and partly in Wright 

 township, Ottowa county, Mich., on the 11th of April, out 

 of a Hock of forty -two birds, This bird measures six feet 

 three inches from" tip to tip of wings, and four feet one inch 

 from cud of bill to tip of tail. Weight 14 lbs. S ozs. It is 

 in immature, slaty and reddish-brown plumage. My in- 

 formant could not tell as to the size or color of the rest of 

 the flock. The eveniug before this bird was killed a largo 

 flock passed over this city, swinging around from north to 

 west and northwest in the directou of Cranbury Lake. 

 That, night a severe storm struck us from northeast',— E, S, 

 Holmes. 



Tennessee, — Nashville. — L. Valentine, Burt Bray, and J, 

 N. Brooks .recently killed one hundred snipe and twenty ducks, 

 near Bowling Green, Ky. Several fine bags of snipe have 

 been made here, the birds beiug more numerous, and remain- 

 ing longer than usual. — J. D. H. 



Minnesota. — Mantorville, April 10. — Ducks have not 

 been as plenty before for three years as they arc this spring. 



Messrs. TV. C. Birehmore, R. S. Gilliam, Jim Porter and 

 Frank Gilliam tramped down in Greene one day last week to 

 take a. bird hunt. I hey passed one farm and kept up such a 

 shooting that all the negroes thought that there was another 

 war on hand. One was burning brash, and he threw his coat- 

 in the fire and ran to the house and fainted, hallooing judg- 

 ment. Another said ho heard some powerful blasts over 

 about Powell's mills, and a white man sad he be d— dif an 

 accident hadn't happened. Another cool-headed old farmer 

 had his children cutting briars, and he sent them all to the 

 house and locked them up, and whipped some of them because 

 they looked out the cracks. That was a day of demoralization 

 in that county, and the next day some of the vexed people 

 came to Maxeys and swore out a bill of damages against the 

 parties, but the hunters compromised. This is ao exaggera- 

 tion, but strictly facts, and thev bagged fifty-seven birds.— 

 Oglethorpe (Cor.) Echo. 



