June 21. 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



40S 



tie Sailing when the writs? was there, and some fine catches 

 were just being slapped to Jacksonville. A rod is out of 

 place here In .. ■ i iiing is the thing, and off Indian 

 River inlet, redflsh, of as they are called there, ohannelhass, 

 red snapper "trout,' 1 etc., can be caught without trouble. 



In a i\ old. 111 spite of what "Didynrua" may say to' the 

 contrary, I unhesitatingly assert that if unyonewifl follow 

 the ubove directions lie will find as fine" sport and stood 

 accomo lata ns as anywhere in the country. Indian River 

 itself ii b !'i trip, It is the finest and" most delightful 



stretch I • rotei un the Atlantic coast, and if one is noi 

 djspOS so to lr.n.1 or fish he call find full enjoyment for him- 

 self m 1,'uek Ledge, among the oranges, bananas and [line- 

 apple';. Mi. Wilkinson iias a fine store near his hotel, 

 where :\ sportsman can find everything he will require; and 

 Mr. W. himself, who is s nroel genial host, will I know take 

 pleasure in giving all necessary information. 



I find Northern Louisiana a fine game country, and when 

 our road is opened to the public, spoilsmen will find this a 

 most desirable hunting ground. Quail shooting that even 

 "Didymus" could not complain of is to be had, and Lake 

 Bristeueau is a second New Found Harbor. The deershooting 

 is good, Hot my Louisiana experience must wait for an- 

 other Opportunity, J. A. B. 



Mifflin), La. 



I went to Florida not as a sportsman, but about my em- 

 ployment, and without a gnn. I have seen eight deer in 

 one day. and in the same locality — the north line of Florida 

 — not on Ihe route:- of tourists, i saw them daily. I carried 

 the torch but one evening pot-hunting, and the result was 

 two deer before nine o'clock. I was carrying the '•target" 

 on a sijrvcy for the United States, and I flushed three wood- 

 cock on one-half mile of line within fifteen minutes another 

 day. As to the complaint about swamps, 1 would like to 

 visit a larger one next winter than the Okeelinokee. audi 

 was six weeks within its radius. Agood, staunch, portable 

 boat anil a man that is happy when he is lost would be the 

 most agreeable associate for me in a locality like that, 

 With a heavy shotgun and ordinary skill in the use of il, 

 existence would be agreeable if we did find some sand. 1 

 do not think a few particles in the anatomy of complaining 

 tourists would injure them. I love my mountain home, but 

 the months of time I devoted to exploring the swamps of 

 Florida now gives memory pleasant occupation, 



Ned Nokton. 



Cui.edrook. N. II., Jane It. 



SLAUGHTERING GAME. 



JF Mime of the wise men who write able articles concern- 

 ing the slaughter of fish and game would only go a step 

 further and tell sportsmen just how many fish they might 

 take and how many birds they could shoot without' endan- 

 -' 'i in., their reputation, wc should know better how to con- 

 duct ourselves. I am. however, sometimes led to believe 

 that some of these men who are so skillful with the pen 

 amount to very little when they get out witli the rod or 

 gun. It is to lie supposed that every honest and right- 

 minded sportsman desires to have the fish and game laws as 

 ported as possible, and is willing to support and obey them, 

 even if they should not happen To accord with his own ideas 

 iu every particular'. But when the open season copies, what 

 tben7 'I am willing to confess — although 1 do it at the risk 

 of in; reputation— that according to my idea of these mat- 

 ters, if it is a good day's spoil to go out and bag rive wood- 

 cock, if is a great deal better day when 1 can bag ten, and 1 

 believe it lo lie perfectly legitimate to bag fifteen if lean, 

 provided of course that I can make use of tile birds. 



I like good- company and I believe my shooting and fishing 

 companions have been as good as the average, but I have 

 never yet seen the man who suggested going home in the. 

 middle of the day when the trout were biting well or when 

 the dogs were finding plenty of birds. But what is all this 

 grnmbling about? Can't these fellows kill or catch any- 

 thing themselves, and are they afraid the fish and game will 

 be exterminated before they learn the art? If that is Ihe 

 trouble, tin --y need have no fears. There will be enough left for 

 them to practice on a long time yet. An old November 

 partridge lasts agood while sometimes. 



Again we hear and read a great deal about "pot-hunter.-." 

 and '."market-hunters;" I am not a market-hunter. If I 

 had hunted and fished for a living 1 should have starved to 

 death long ago. but 1 have, in my lifetime, done that awful 

 thing, sold game, birds, and trout. Now Unit 1 have ruined 

 my reputation by this confessiou, I will go further, and say 

 thai 1 never could quite understand why it is not entirely 

 propel Eta a man to sell the game he shoots if he chooses to 

 do so. I can see no reason w-fiy a man should be more 

 ashamed to take a dozen partridges to market than the same 

 number of turkevs. 1 do not wish to be understood as de- 

 fending any man who takes more fish or game than he can 

 make use of. 1 have oo respect for him who takes fish oi 

 game only to consign il to the swine or manure heap, but if 

 he obeys the law and conducts himself in every way like a 

 gcnllenian, I can see no good reason why he should be ac- 

 cused of unsportsmanlike conduct simply because he has 

 better success in shooting or fishing than his neighbor. IC. 



WOHCES'I ER. Jane tS I 3, 



INDIANA LAWS. 



Editor Wrrest and Sirta/m: 



I inclose you the text of two bills passed by the last Gen- 

 eral Assembly of this State. Both of them were adopted iu 

 the interests oi the agricultural classes, but are approved by 

 sportsmen generally. 



In this county the commissioners pay tiny cents for the 

 head of hawk or owl. but they refuse to pay anything for 

 the scalp of a woodchuek, it being reported that bne of the 

 board — himself a fanner— has convinced the other members 

 that a groundhog is a handy thing to have about a farm. 



The Indiana, woo! growers in State convention bitterly 

 denounced the new dog law. Hoositn. 



Indianapolis, Ind.. June 8, IBB8, 



[The dog law will be found in another place. We give 

 below the Law in regard to hawks and woodchucks]: 



.smjImd: Ee ,t enacted bvthe General Assembly of the State of 



so. Iliat the provi-ious of this del -hull noi 

 ■r sereeeh owls. 



lereency exists for the immeihate tailing 

 >i e it shall he in force from and after its 



Philadelpiiia Notrs— Now. that our State Legislature 

 declares the Euglish sparrow must go. it become-; a matter 

 of considerable importance how best to diminish his num- 

 bers. Our daily papers are recommending poison, the shot- 

 gun and the pefmi sion on the pail of the youngsters to use 

 thi illegal -lap jack. Ail these methods within the city 

 limits would be quite as much of a nuisance as the sparrows 

 themselves. IS they are to be destroyed, we should begin at 

 then- homes, ami every nest within reach must be torn 

 down, and either eggs or young made away with. At first, 

 this plan will, to some, appear cruel and inhuman, but it is a 

 far safer method to adopt than the promiscuous spreading 

 of poison throughout the city, or the dangerous discharge of 

 small shot in the parks, yard's, etc. Wedoubt if much bead 

 way will be made against their greatly increasing numbers 

 until a systematic campaign is inaugurated for attacking 

 their nests. A number of quail are breeding in our extensive 

 park .grounds. Several coveys were raised within its limits 

 last year, and wintered well." The cock birds can be heard 

 whistling their "Bob White" in every direction, and for 

 some distance around Ihe enclosure the country has become 

 fnirly stocked with birds. Effort is being made on the part 

 of the reorganized Philadelphia Kennel Club, to hold a 

 yearly bench show of dogs in this city. I am pleased to 

 state there is every prospect of the executive committee being 

 successful, and that we, of the Quaket'oity, will have a "dog 

 fixture" once a season. There reeras to be u growing fancy 

 here on the part of many, who are fond of dogs, to give their 

 attention to the hound variety, and 1 am told by not a few 

 that so little sport can be had" near the city on account of the 

 scarcity of birds, it no longer pays to keep a setter or pointer 

 and not work him, while any" afternoon a hare may be 

 started, and a good run and fiue sport can be had with" the 

 hound or beagle. Our "stay at. homes" must have their enjoy- 

 ment, and there can be no better way than with the still com- 

 paratively plentiful little hare. — Homo. 



Tms Future Shotgun.— It shall be. single barrel for ac 

 curacy of aim. It shall have revolving chambers at the 

 breech, insuring continuity of discharge, and supplied wilh 

 a retractor. The hammer" should be so constructed as to 

 act as a firing pin, dispensing with the latter. The lock 

 should be on the double-action principle, so that continuous 

 tiring may be had by pulling the trigger. The hammer 

 should have a safety "click fiinilnr to that in the bulldog re- 

 volver. The stock should be adjustable to any drop." It 

 should have a supplementary rifle barrel to fit in the shot 

 barrel, and supplementary chambers for ammunition. The 

 shells should be made so cheaply thai they can be thrown 

 away after discharging, because it is as' much trouble to 

 keep a shell in order for reloading sis the barrel of a muzzle- 

 loading gun. As confessedly belter results arc obtained 

 from metal shells, they should be made of that material. 

 To lessen the expense." the shells should be made solid, as iu 

 Tim-fire ammunition, with fulminate in the center of base. 

 This would enable those who prefer to do so to load their own 

 center-tire shells of usual construction. Or they might be 

 made to combine both principles of rim and center fire. 

 The rifle bullet should be nearly a straight tube, slightly 

 rounded on the ehd. My impression is that the rilling o"f 

 barrel for the elongated bullet should be straight and with- 

 out any twist, which was designed originally for the round 

 ball. The shells for both shot and ball should be loaded at 

 the factory, insuring more accuracy than it is possible to 

 obtain by individual efforts. 1 know some sportsmen in- 

 sist on loading their own shells, but they might as wt 11 in- 

 sist on making their own guns. In the foregoing pro- 

 vision I have purposely omitted most of the reasons which 

 have led me to my conclusions, as they will readily occur to 

 the practical spoil man or gunsmith; and 1 have only to add 

 that I expect to levy a tribute of one of the best upon the 

 manufacturer of "the gun of the future."— Geo. 0. Hex- 

 .Nino (Washington City, June 15). 



Stab Wads amj Kttnoobb.— I would be pleased to hear 

 from some of the correspondents regarding the star wads. 

 Do they hold the charge firmly in place, and a re they not in- 

 jurious to the gun? A trial of some of the Kynoch brass 

 shells sent us gives anything but satisfactory results. A 

 test of both 10 and 12 -gauge showed that they do expand, 

 and to such a degree in one case that a rod was necessary 

 to remove the empty shell, no such difficulty was ever 

 had in the same guns with other brass or paper shells — 

 neither did they resume their origina] shape when fired. 

 Altogether our experience was not like the one who wrote a 

 booming article in their praise and signs it "One who has 

 fired some 20,000 shots." lor it would have taken months to 

 fij-e that number of shots with these shells and our experi- 

 ence.- D. (Manitowoc, Wis., June 14). [Our correspond- 

 ent's bad success with the Kynoch shells migh possil ' 

 have beeu due to some other cause than a fault in the shell's 

 themselves. If is impossible to ignore or swi ep aside as nu 

 trustworthy the massof testimony brought forward in Eng- 

 land in favor of these shells. Wc want' all the information 

 that we can gel on the subject, and this information should 

 lie accompanied by all possible details as lo the gun in which 

 they were used, tlie manner in which they were loaded, am! 

 everything else that can assist us in forming an intelligent 

 conclusion as to what the shells will do. 



Km Aktelot-e.— There is no law agaiust lulling antelope 

 and ducks iu Kansas, but I know it is not right at this sea- 

 son of the year, and so, although they are almost at my door, 

 my rifle staj - in its case and my old 'muzzle loading shotgun 

 —I am ashamed to say— rusts. ' The antelope are commenc- 

 ing to have fawns, they scatter out now, and run alone, and 

 you can see an old doe on almost every knoll a few miles 

 south of here, on the other side of tlie Arksausas River. 

 The fawns are iu a hollow somewhere near, and it is very 

 easy to catch them if one wishes lo. They are easy to rear, 

 ami I have raise.] several on a bottle. Lat-t year" we went 

 out once during the mouth of June, wishing to kill a buck, 

 and lifter a long crawl killed an old doe by mistake. Her 

 udder was full of milk, and wo hunted a long time for tin- 

 kid and finally found him. The last I saw of him was iu 

 October when lie went [-last in a wagon, a fine young Vmck. 

 lint lew antelope are killed here durum- the summer, and the 

 hunting is fine here about October 10. when we all turn 

 loose.— W. J. D. (Cimarron, Kan,, June i),. 



Texas.— ludiauola, June 7.— We have some winter ducks 

 still nere at this late season. 1 do not remember to have 

 seen any before so bite in the year. The piospects are good 

 for plenty of chickens and quail, as ihe season has been vt rv 



good so far, and the game laws arc generally well observed". 



A Battle with a Beak.— A terrible fisrht between two 

 brothers and a bear recently took place on the South Pork 

 of the North Percha Paver' in the Black Range .Mountains. 

 The men were coming down an arroyo, entirely unconscious 

 of the presence of the bear, which was concealed in the brush 

 near the trail. The only arm carried by the men was a re- 

 volver of siM II calibre. The bear struck the elder of the two, 

 knocked him down and tore him, and was then attacked by 

 Ihe younger brother, upon whom he turned and tore the 

 muscle from care of his arms, nfterwards biting him most 

 savagely in the legs. While this was going on the other 

 brother managed to get up and placing the revolver against 

 the bear's body, fired a shot into his bowels. This appeared 

 to satisfy the bear who at once went, off into the brush. 

 The men managed with some difficulty to reach their camp, 

 where a little later their wouuds were dressed by a physician. 

 They were badly chewed up, but it is believed that they 

 will recover without being permanently disabled,— J. M R. 



Bear Hrx-iaNo m Summer. —Bears are. playing havoc 



with tlie farmers' hogs a few miles from this place, and there 

 have been several hunts gotten up in order to give bruin a 

 benefit. Last week, several of the boys went iii the swamp 

 with guns and hounds, and killed two very fine, fat bears. 

 There are several others in Ihe neighborhood, and we expect 

 to "try our bands" again in a few days. There, is one. very- 

 large fellow, and should we tackle him, there wid be fun.— 

 A. P. R. (Belvidere, N. C, June 13). 



A New Gen Club.— There was recently organized in 

 Rhode Island the Union Gun Club, of Pawtn'cketitnd Union 

 Palls, v.iih tne following list of officers: President, Mi-. 

 Arthur R. Sweet; Secretary, Mr. S. P Dexter; Treasurer, 

 Mr. A. F. Pierce. Executive Committee— P. D. Freeman, 

 John Ramsbottom and Charles R. Payne. The first meet- 

 ing was held on Decoration Day, when it was proposed 

 that shooting meets should be held every Friday, weather 

 permitting. 



CmhtoK, Mass., June 14.— The Clinton Sportsman's 

 Club held its annual meeting this evening and elected 

 officers as follows: President, J. D. Hoyes; Vice-President. 

 W. H. Gibbs; Trcnsurer, D. II. lloyfr; Secretary. G. L. 

 Avery. Directors— G, A. Sampson, A. N. Smith" and W. 

 H. Elwood. 



gmny Sm 4fifo$W* 



"That reminds me." 



I WENT to Colorado in 72 with bad lungs, and weni out 

 onto a ranch, bought me a pony and saddle, and slowly 

 regained my strength. When I got stronger I commenced 

 poisoning coyotes. I had pretty good luck, and soon the 

 man that, I was living with got uneasy, He had lots of , ,i? 

 lie, and was well off, ami very busy with them, but he 

 Couldn't stand it to see me make "a dollar or two a day. anil 

 he said that he was going to poison too. So I filled a strych- 

 nia bottle with cpsom salts ami set if on the mantle with 

 three other bottles of the genuine stuff. Strychnia bottles 

 are usually not more than two-thirds full, and so my bait- 

 took. He asked how much my strychnia cost, and said he 

 wanted a bottle and picked out old epsom. "There, that 

 bottle is filled honest." be said, "and I am going to get filly 

 coy oles with it," He set out bis baits carefully on the east- 

 side of the creek— I had the west — and his face grew longer 

 day by day. Al last he declared that there were no coyotes 

 on that side, ami that he was determined to come to tuv'side. 

 So I changed sides with him. He got two the first "morn- 

 ing that I had not found, and was in high spirits, but that 

 was the last. 1 got about fifty and finally stopped poison- 

 ing. I never told him, but I think it leaked out, for he let 

 some remarks drop once that 

 changed the subject. It was m< 

 seen the fellow's face as he canit 

 with nothing, always to find me 



nade 



. I leno 

 ,-ith a wi 



It v, but 1 



I if you had 



'ter morning 



- two. and 1 



not daring to laugh. He is a sheep owner now iu Colorado. 



and physics the wolves that eat his lambs with something 



stronger than epsom salts. W. J. D. 



t 'ntARRos, Kan., June 9, 1883. 



Last autumn a party of sportsmen who are partial to the 

 "yaller clog" started "for a grouse shoot, They took with 

 them, beside their own curs, a Cordon setter belonging to a 

 friend of mine. Before they had beeu long In the brush" 

 they discovered the setter evidently paralyzed by fear and 

 gazing intently at a large stump. One of the men suggested 

 a woodchuek in the stump, ami was fearlessly approaching. 

 when one of the others, intim ding that it might be a more 

 unsavory animal, they all beat a hasty retreat. Leaning 

 their guns against a tree, the sportsmen held a council of 

 war. The boldest of the party concluded ho would stir the 

 beast up al all costs. A'ming himself with a long pole he 

 cautiously crept towaru the stump. Suddenly there was. a 

 rustle among the dry leaves near by, and out whirred a 

 noble rutted grouse. The men made a wild dash for .he 

 guns, but as they all clutched the nearest one, the attempt 

 was a failure. The setter looked anxiously al them for a 

 momeut, aud then, with a look of disgust in his eyes, he 

 slunk away. There, was a pause, and then one of the'sports- 

 mensaid: "It's the lust time 1 lake this new-fangled dog 

 out. The idea of his not knowing a partridge fr. in a pole- 

 cat. If my Brownie had been here he would have had that 

 bird up a tree in a twinkling, and I should have had it by 

 the legs by this time." 



The above is a fact, and happened in a town on the shores 

 of Lake Champlaiu. Don't you think that place needs a 

 missionary? o. A. P. 



It was while iu the North Woods with the Muir boys 

 that the following is said to have happened: A party were. 

 camping at Clear Pond. One of them strayed off by him- 

 self in quest of tun and something to shoot at. He became 

 , and as the Shades of night began to creep over the 

 Landscape, he began to get troubled, then scared; aud as he 

 was seared be ever and anon would shout, "Man lost! man 

 lostj" And as the deepening shades of night drew on he 

 luc-ime frantic, and made the welkin ring again ami again 

 with the despairing cry of ■' Man losi ! man lost!" .1 List as 

 day faded into night, and he shrieked the despairing Cry 

 like the wail of the lost, a horned owl. perched on a tree 

 near by. with all the wisdom of his race cried out, -'Who, 

 who, a who. w boor" The man stopped and started, and 

 then in answer to the query answered, "Jim . of Roch- 

 ester, you fool you." S. S. 



