Jtjly 12, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



465 



f<m\c §a$ m\d 



GAM K liJC:i<)/,'rs. — Wc are always glad to receive for pub- 

 lication, .■inch nates of desirable game resort,, as may be of help 

 to the readers of Forest and Stuea.il Will vol QW< ao 

 ,f.. furor ".-. trith such advUfi 



NOTES FROM CAPE COD. 



Ill AVE been down here siuce the first of April, and have 

 never before seen bay birds as scarce as they have been 

 (his spring. 1 will !rv to show how some of the shore birds 

 have decreased of lite years. We will begin with the 

 golden plover, one of the' handsomest and largest of the 

 plover family. My uncle is 8 'dose observer of birds, and 

 lias been a sportsman many pears. He says. "When T was 

 a buy and went to sehool.'tlie golden plover would come 

 and 'alight iu the fields around the sehoolhoti- 

 flocks, and were so tame that, we could walk within a few 

 yards of them before they would fly." That was twenty- 

 rive years ago and no person shot plover there then. Let us 

 go there now when there is, not a flight, hut the arrival of a 

 small bunch. You will see a number of sportsmen lying in 

 wait for them, and they are fortunate if they shoot a dozen 

 •each. If thev decrease in the next twenty-five \ ears, as fast 

 asthev have in the last, which they surely will, unless a 

 law is made to prohibil shooting them for a number of years, 

 l be whole year round, they will become an extinct species 

 only to be seen in museums arid colleges. 



The black-bellied plover has also rapidly diminished 

 within the last few years. On one marsh, where they were 

 quite abundant in the spring migrations sei era! seasons ago, 

 Only a few dozen stopped this spring. The reason they did 

 not stop is not because thev were shot Ihere in springs be- 

 fore, for only one man has gunned then- at. all, and tte has 

 not lately. It is simply because they have decreased with 

 such rapidity that there is no great number to slop. 



A If", turnstone or chicken plover stayed With us a short 

 time this spring, and I succeeded in obtaining several good 

 specimens, while I was setting them up an old man, "that 

 has lived here all bis life, happened to lie in the room. He 

 looked at the birds a lew moments, and I hen said, "T have 

 seen a great many of them birds iu my days." Lie called 

 them rock birds, and said, when a young man, he and a 

 companion with a stick and lantern used to kill as manv as 

 The) flould carry home. He also said, the first bird that 

 was heard in the spring was the kilkk-er plover, and they 

 were plentiful, but for "the last live years he had not heard a 

 single one. And bobolinks, until lately, were seen in small 

 numbers on the reeds in the brooks here. This year I have 

 0O| m-co or beard a one. 



The yellow-leg and humility are getting scarcer and 

 scarcer every year, and this spring the winter yellow-legs 

 Wfit 1 ? '■cry scarce. 



Thirty years ago the sickle-billed curlew was quite com- 

 mon, but 'they arerarolv seen here now. 



The ranks of these smaller shore birds, such as the ring- 

 neck and piping plover, peep and least peep, are growing 

 smaller and smaller, and ten years hence will be as scarce as 



Within the last day or two a few peeps and vingneeks 

 have made their appearance. We expect brown-backs by 

 the twelfth. 



Quail are quite plentiful here, notwithstanding one hund- 

 red were shot within an area of a few miles this hist fall. 

 Even as 1 write I hear them calling in the fields near by. I 

 saw be veys as late as- the first of June. Have not seen any 

 young quail yet, but have seen two fine beveys of ruffed 

 grouse. 'Chested. 



East Brewster, Mass., July 5. 1883. 



KYNOCH SHELLS. 



Editor Forest and St)-'',(iii: 



I have used one hundred of the ICynoch shells in four dif- 

 ferent breech-loaders. When the advertisement first ap- 

 peared in Fokest and Stream I thought thev would be an 

 excellent shell, so sent to Hew York for one' hundred, and 

 the guns I have used them in are the Fox, James, seuii-haru- 

 morless and Field; the last two are single guns. Out of the 

 one hundred, using them the first time there were ouh two 

 or three misfires, hut after being recapped about one-half of 

 what were used in the Fox gun failed to go. I at first laid 

 it to the primer, hut tried two kinds with the same result, 

 but I soon saw what the trouble was. The head of the shell 

 was so soft that when the plunger struck the cap the metal 

 would not resist ihe blow bui. would drive away so far as to 

 be out of reach of the plunger and that, being the large- 

 headed kind, could not follow it up, hence the' misfire. In 

 the James thev seldom missed, as the plunger was different, 

 but J can not use them in it as the chambers are not perfect, 

 and they can't be. used in a gun imperfectly chambered. In 

 the Field they failed to go after being recapped, as this gun 

 also lias a large-headed plunger. In the semi hanmierless 

 they work to a charm. This gun has a long .tiring-pin that 

 follows up the cap, and they very rarely miss, and being 

 made by the same makers as the Fox is perfectly chambered, 

 so the shells do not expand. Unlike "Medicus II..' I have 

 not had one burst. 1 have fired some of them half a dozen 

 times. 



In regard to loading, I do not like the mode they have of 

 scolloping the shells, as it is apt lo cause annoyance when 

 one is iu a hurry to get them into the gun. I made a Bl V b 

 with 8 small gouge .similar to the one advertis. d, but dis- 

 carded it. uty mode is to recap them with a Remington re- 

 capper, and if the head of the shell is pressed iu to put it on 

 a bench or table and drive it out amiim Then I use Hie 

 Father loader with No. 10 wads iu 12-gauge shells. This 

 seems to hold Ihe shot in nicely, but unless one uses this 

 kind or a loader the 10 gauge wads would expand Ihe shells 

 so as to be unfit for use. They can be put in almost any 

 shape, but when fired thev areas perfect as ever. I- think 

 the makers will miss it if they do not make the head of these 

 shells a little more solid. It looks rather bud to have a mail 

 go to a glass hall match and have about one-half of his shells 

 misfire. C. B. 



Snv Hamiton, R. ST. 



Editor Forest and St,,. >„•: 



I have read with much interest the several communica- 

 tions in regard to the ICynoch shells. 



1 procured two hundred of them; have used all once, and 



■ i -i 1 and third time. I load with number of wad 



hat corresponds with that of shell. Make three dents just 



over and above wad with the loader. They work well ami 



stood the severe lest of duck and snipe shooting to my entire 

 satisfaction, T had none to split or stick iu the gun, and no 

 misfires, The complaint of misfires, 1 think, comes from 

 defective locks or iaiiltv firing-pins. They are open, how- 

 ever, to the same objection as the heavy brass shells, namely, 

 one must save them. When they can he made cheap enough 

 to throw away, thev will, indeed, be "peBfoct" 



I sin now livine "the star brass wads. I have Used ■'■■ 

 shells loaded with them at target and glass balls. They do 

 not make any change in pattern or penetration, and do not 

 scratch Ihe barrels. I fired one barrel five times with a shell 

 in the other barrel, to test their holding properties. No 

 very great loosening was noiiccd until the fifth shot, when 

 the wad came entirely loose. 



Whether they will stand the rough usage of field work or 

 not, remains to" be tested. From above experience I very 

 much doubt their doing so. T of course used the brass wads 

 in paper shells. 



We will have plenty of quails this season. Their merry 

 whistle can be heard iu every stubble. 



Buss fishing has proven an" entire failure this season, the 

 first time for many years. Dick. 



r.HAZiL. In. 1.. June' 1863. 



Editor For,.. I and Stream: 



in your issue of June 28, "11. V. L."Hoboken, N. J., ad- 

 luces the idea that the difficulty I experienced with the 

 Kvnooh shells was due lo imperfect chambers. I thiuk not, 

 for this reason: t have used Winchester's shot shells for 

 a- two years, firing from some of them probably over fifty 

 its, and to-day I can extract them from the gun with my 

 lingers, without any effort whatever, and I believe that if 

 there were imperfections in the chambers such as he men- 

 tions, the brass shells 1 have used would have expanded so 

 to be marly immovable. I have seen others experience 

 sat clinically in extracting their brass shells from their 

 guns after long usage, but happily 1 have not been troubled 

 in this manner, and T come to the conclusion that my gun 

 must be slightly smaller at the innermost end of the cham- 

 bers. I am not one to condemn, especially implements per- 

 taining to the gnu, unless facts warrant if, and I was as 

 pleased as a boy with a new top when 1 read of the merits 

 claimed for the" Kynoch shells, but upon giving them a trial 

 I was greatjy disappointed. I neglected, in my previous 

 mmunicatiou, to mention the gun and charge used, and 

 .11 do so now: the gun is a Ckibrougb, 10-gauge, double 

 breech-loader, with all the modern improvements. I used 

 4. drs, Hazard ducking powder (Dixon gauge), with twopink- 

 'dge No. 8 wads on top, 1-] oz. No. 5 shot and one pink- 

 •dge wad, just such charges as I always use for ducks. The 

 sample shells I use were slightly defaced when received by 

 mail, hut not apparently as much so as crimping would render 

 them. 1 have ordered a now sample, and hope to be able 

 to make a more favorable report. I should say that the 

 breaking of these shells as reported by -'Medicus II.," in 

 r issue of Juno 28, was due to the shells being too small 

 for the chambers, and the butt being of heavier metal than 

 the rest of the shells, it Would not expand as readily and 

 caused them to break apart. I consider this a subject of 

 .-ast importance to sportsmen, and am pleased to sec the 

 ■eports coming in both pro and con. If the difficulty we. 

 experience in them is due to improper loading or a faulty gun, 

 we want lo know it, and if in the ■'•Kynoch Perfect," ditto. 



D. 

 Manitowoc, Wis. 



Editor Fared and Stream: 



I notice in your issue of June 21, a short article from "D " 

 on his experience with the "Kynoch perfect" brass shells. 

 I have been experimenting to a limited extent with these 

 shells also. While the results were not as satisfactory as I 

 could wish, yet they are not as bad as those of "D." My 

 experiments- were with a W. & C. Scott & Son No, 12 gun, 

 weight S pounds, choice bore. Shells loaded with 3, 34 and 

 •1 drams Hazard No. 4 powder, IJoz. shot, 8 of each charge 

 being fired. In two instances with 3 drams powder the 

 shells cracked, one at the base and one about, middle of 

 shell. Willi the- 31 and 4 dram charges the shells stood 

 finely. I had no trouble in extracting empty shells after 

 each discharge, and the pattern and penetration was probably 

 some better than with paper shells under the same circum- 

 stances. 



Another party has also been experimenting with about 

 the same results as myself, having tired twenty charges of 3 

 drams Hazard No. 4 powder and l^oz. shot, with one 

 bursted shell at base. He uses a James gun, 12-gauge, and 

 8 pounds weight, and experienced considerable difficulty in 

 attracting on account of expsnsiou. The shells fit my gun 

 nicely, and 1 think I could detect the least expansion. 



I find a very serious drawback in the crimping or fluting 



tool. When the shells are new it works perfect, and loaded 



shells are easily extracted, but when reloaded Ihe crimper 



binds so it is in many cases impossible to extract the shells 



ithout removing the wooden head and driving them out 



itli a stick; this 1 attribute to the shells not being put in 



■iniper in same position as first crimped and not to expau- 



on of the shell. I hope to hear from others on this subject, 



ho have had a more varied experience and can present 



the matter to better advantage. J. L. P. 



™TjgssDB?i Iowa. 



Editor Forest a nd Stream, 



As soon as the Kynoch shell was for sale, I procured sev- 

 eral, and have tested them thoroughly, and in my gun they 

 are certainly a failure. 1 have forwarded to your address, a 

 loch shell that I have fired several times' and also two 

 patterns, one made with the Kynoch shell, the otber with a 

 Winchester brass shell. You cannot fail to notice the great 

 difference between the two. The one made with the Win- 

 chester recording 224 No. 8 shot in a 80 inch circle at 10yds., 

 while the one made with the Kynoch only records 311 (the 

 shot, circle, distance, etc., being the same), and the pattern 

 I send you is the best L can make with the Kynoch shell. 

 On the other hand, with a Winchester or Parker brass shell 

 or a Winchester, U. M. Co., Lowell, or Lley paper shell, I 

 can average about 320 No. 8 shot, in a 80 inch circle at 40 

 yds. Why the difference? 



1 have loaded in every conceivable manner, and the best 

 result you have before you. 



Wit'h a Winchester brass shell, at 40 yds.. I use 3 drs. 

 of powder, 2 Eley pud; wads. 1± oz. shot, and one Eley or 

 cardboard wad ovei shot, without crimping. My gun is a 

 12-gauge, 28-inch barrel, Colt, and with brass shells 1 use 

 No. 10 wads, with paper shells No. 12. My Winchester 

 and Parker brass shells are the same length as the Ivynoch. 

 As the Kynoch is so much thinner than the Winchester, I 

 tried a larger wad, and varied the quantity of powder and 

 shot, but the result was no better, always a poor pateru. 



The penetration was about the same as the other shells. 

 The shell that I send you seems to be perfect yet, with no 

 splitting, etc., that others have complained of "Now, where 

 lies the trouble? It must be with the" Kynoch shell, some- 

 where. I think that 1 have ci'ven them a fair, honest, trial, 

 and the result is certainly not" very satisfactory. A. T. 8. 



[If there is an abrupt shoulder in the gun used by A. T. S. 

 it may be that, the shot driven out of the thin Kynoch shell 

 against it are jammed out of shape and so lly wild.] 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have noticed .several articles iu late numbers of Fobest 

 and Stream, in regard to "Kynoch Perfect Shell." I bad 

 a sample package sent me, and my experiments have been 

 conducted with only two shells, 12-gauge. I fii ed several shots 

 from these shells, and iu even case, pattern and penetration 

 were both better than those niade with paper shells. Charge 

 used was 3i drs. powder and loz. shot. The gun was a heavy 

 12-gauge, full choke in both barrels. I could find no differ- 

 ence inshells after a number of shots had been fired, and 

 considered the tests satisfactory. Although closed with the 

 fingers, the charge was held tight iu shell in left barrel when 

 right barrel was fired. I shall use these shells this fall, and 

 think them superior to paper shells. Fairfield. 



WALLACEVHa.K, S. v. 



Deceptive Am KKTISEHKNTS. — It is very amusing to 

 read some of the advertisements for seaside resorts which 

 an- intended to draw the sportsman. The. following is a 

 sample; "Back of the. island and along the sedgy channels 

 which cut off Atlantic City from the mainland are illimitable 

 reedy meadows, fed with the salt sea, and a home for num- 

 berless snipe, plover and reed birds. About the middle of 

 this month the snipe-shooting season will begin, and the half 

 dozen varieties of the noble- game will pipe sweet music to 

 the sportsman's ears." Now the reed bird is never found 

 near salt water, and the reed upon which he feeds is a fresh 

 water plant. "The several varieties of noble game" are 

 found on the Atlantic City meadows in numbers only during 

 the spring migration. All that will be found at Atlantic 

 City by the middle of July will be peeps or ox-eyes. The 

 note of a clapper rail ormud-heu will be heard often enough, 

 but the bird will not be seen until September storm tides 

 drive him to show himself, and then he will be potted in the 

 water. Better it is for the sportsman to read up his weekly 

 Forest ant) Stream, select his grounds from the notes 

 culled therefrom, than to he influenced by flaming adver- 

 tisements written by those who are not "of the cloth. — 

 Homo. [Our correspondent is in error when he states that 

 the reed bird is never found near salt water. We have fre- 

 quently seen and killed them among the beach-plum bushes 

 between the salt meadows and the beach. 1 



A Peusk EETKTEVEn. — Cooper's Point, July 2, 1883. — 

 I have a cat, I call him Jerry, a name perpetuated from the 

 great grandsire, the original boathouse pet. Every fall he 

 takes his six weeks' trip with me in the Delaware Bay on a 

 duck shoot, and no one enjoys oysters, fish, and birds more 

 than he. He is my constant companion, whether tramping 

 the marsh, or lying behind the blinds. He is the best swim- 

 mer 1 ever saw, man or beast; answers to a dog call, and 

 retrieves my birds when crippled on the marsh, and on one 

 occasion brought a dead black duck to blind from outside 

 of the decoys on the bay shore in quite a tumble of a sea,. I 

 could write pages and yet not do Jerry justice. A brute of 

 an hostler at the hotel near by, threw a kitten in the water, 

 and was pelting it with stones while it was struggling for 

 life. Jerry was taking his usual afternoon siesta in'the boat- 

 house, and heard the cry of distress. In a moment he was 

 in the water, and despite the stones thrown by the heathen- 

 ish hostler and fiendish boys, he caught the drowning kitten 

 by the nape of the neck, and brought it triumphantly to 

 shore, depositing it in his own cosy cot. I promise youthis 

 is a fact, and the truth will be recognized by a good many 

 who read this. How the brute often puts man to shame — 

 11. G. W. 



Woodcock in Pennsylvania. — Philadelphia, July 6. — 

 There has been so much rain during the last week, our 

 woodcock shooters have found the birds very much scattered 

 and much tramping is necessary to start and kill a passable 

 bag. During the two first opening days of the season quite 

 good shooting has been had, however, 'in the neighborhood 

 of Burlington and Bordeutown, N. J. All the woodcock 

 killed in the cripples near these places were birds bred 

 there. I learned that two gentlemen who worked these 

 cripples last week brought in twenty. The weather now is 

 sweltering hot aud but few will venture into the river side 

 thickets while it continues so. Two pair of woodcock were 

 killed on the morning of the oth of July, on Darby Creek. 

 near Potts; my informant stated to me he knew of the old 

 birds settling there early in the spiing to breed, and he ex- 

 pected to find at least six, but bagged all he saw. — Homo. 



Star Wads.— Editor Forest and Stream— Herewith I 



give you my experience with the star wad, as requested in 

 your issue of the Slst nil. Loaded ten shells, put star wad 

 over pasteboard wad on top of shot, and after firing- nine 

 out of the right barrel, I found that, the shot in left' barrel 

 had not started. With the star wad it is unnecessary to cut 

 the sheli or to crimp it, thereby much time and labor is 

 saved; now add the advantage gained by filling the cham- 

 ber of the gun up to the shoulder, thereby giving a better 

 pattern, also the saving of the shell, and I think we have 

 something that fills a need long felt. Trusting that we will 

 hear from others in regard to the star wad in your next 

 issue. — Kobt. W. nopiUNs (Secretary Aquebonga Gun 

 Club, Statcu Island). 



Woodcock in Woodland Cemetery.— Philadelphia.— 

 On the evening of July 6, two woodcock were seen to fly 

 across Woodland avenue. West Philadelphia, then over the 

 road and into the cemetery. At the lower end of these 

 grounds, near to the Bloekly Almshouse enclosure, there is 

 an excellent feeding place which remains wet the summer 

 through; the birds doubtless were attracted thither. Years 

 ago we knew of woodcock breeding there but of late years 

 more secure retreats have been chosen by tb.0 birds. — Homo. 



Tennessee. — Nashville, July 0. — Squirrels are reported 

 abundant, and a number are offered for sale every morning 

 at the market houses, though the weather has been too hot 

 and wet for the town Ninirods to go abroad after the sport. 

 Commodore Wallmann and Bob Grubbs killed a few doves 

 and a brace of SU.tnra.CT ducks the other day, hut both are as 

 yet out of season.— J. D. 11. 



