156 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Mhot %nn mid Jp/fo 



GAME IN SEASON FOR OCTOBER. 



Moose, Alces Malchis.) 

 Elk or Wapiti, Cervus Canadensis.) 

 Rabbits, common Brown and Grey.) 

 Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo.) 

 Woodcock, Scolopax ruaticola.) 

 Ruffed Grouse. Tetrao umbellus,) 

 Esquimaux Curlew, Numenius bo- 

 realis.) 



Caribou, Tarandus Rangifer.) 

 Red Deer, Carious Ytrginianus.) 

 Squirrels, Red Black and Gray.) 

 Quail, Optyx Virginiana.) 

 Pinnated Grouse, Tetrao Cupido.) 

 Curlew, Numenius Arquata.) 

 Sandpipers, Tringince.) 

 Pigeons, and all kinds of Wild Fowl 



[Under the head of "Game, and Fish in Season'''' we can only specify in 

 general terms the several varie'ies, because the laws of States vary so much 

 that tvere we to attempt to particularize we could do no less than publish 

 those entire sections that relate to the kinds of game in question. This 

 would require a great amount of our space. In designating game we are 

 guided by the laws of nature, upon which all legislation is founded, and 

 our readers would do well to provide themselves with the laws of their re- 

 spective States for constant reference. Otherwise, our attempts to assist them 

 will only create confusion.] 



— The ruffed grouse, known as the partridge in New 

 England, and as the pheasant in the Middle States, is now in 

 full prime, and his noisy whirr is heard in the woods among 

 the crisp and falling leaves, as he rises suddenly before the 

 'rustling tread of the well-trained dog, and darts like a shoot- 

 ing star into the thicket. There is no music sweeter to the 

 sportsman, but it requires a true aim and steady nerves to 

 bring down your bird when he plunges headlong through 

 the yielding branches, making noise enough for a dozen of 

 his size. It is only by accident that a stranger to the 

 ground he is shooting over comes upon his birds ; but if, 

 when he goes to the country, he will employ some young- 

 ster who was "raised thar," and knows where every "pat- 

 ridge" was hatched out and brooded, he will save much 

 time in beating the bush, for the birds seldom wander far 

 from their native place unless they have been disturbed 

 and scattered by much hunting. The places where they 

 are most likely to be found are near old roads, around de- 

 serted clearings, near running streams, and in swales and 

 damp but not marshy places, though the locality depends 

 upon the season and the food the birds are hunting for, 

 whether whortleberries, beecV.-nuts, alder buds or laurel 

 buds. It is not uncommon for ruffed grouse to take to 

 trees, nor to kill every bird in a covey by properly follow- 

 ing them up with a well-trained dog and treeing them one 

 after another. This in answer to a correspondent's ques- 

 tion. 



—Quail, Ortyx Yirginianas, familiarly known as Bob 

 White, is a great favorite with the sportsman. Bevies of 

 full grown young birds and their parents are now to be 

 found in the stubble fields, where an experienced hunter 

 will make sad havoc among any particular flock when he 

 becomes acquainted with their haunts. The puails prefer 

 to inhabit localities in the immediate vicinity of thickets 

 composed of low bushes, into which they retreat when 

 alarmed. The true home of this species is in the Middle 

 and Southern States, Massachusetts being its limit, and 

 even in the more northern sections of this State they suffer 

 much during some winters. If a heavy iall of snow oc- 

 curs the quails, as is their constant habit, burrow beneath 

 it for warmth; let this happen in unusually mild weather 

 when the snow is moist upon the surface, it too often 

 chances in our variable climate that the thermometer sud- 

 denly falls far below zero and the weather grows intensely 

 cold in a few hours. This change forms a crust which is 

 so thick and solid that it cannot be penetrated by the im- 

 prisoned birds, and consequently if the cold continues they 

 perish miserably. Entire flocks are thus destroyed, and in 

 some winters they become nearly exterminated; but in fa- 

 vorable summers they increase rapidly, and soon re-popu- 

 late the country. Tet we should caiefully protect them by 

 law during the breeding season, as the poor quails will be 

 driven from the North if man, as well as nature, conspires 

 against them 



—Quail shooting is said to have been very fair until with- 

 in the past week along Overpeck creek, near Leonia, two 

 miles south of Englewood, New Jersey. At Tennafly and 

 other localities adjacent an increase in the number of quail 

 has been noticed, showing that the protective laws have 



done good. 



—Black bears are fat at this season, and the easiest way 

 to come it over Bruin is to watch beside the fields of ripen- 

 ing corn for his appearance, for Ursus Americanus is fond 

 of 'the yellow succulent ears, and as soon as the first frosty 

 nights occur he sallies forth under the gleaming harvest 

 moon to forage. Unfortunately for the uniform success of 

 his expeditions, the husbandman "who owns the place" is 

 aware of his proclivities, and lies in wait with a shot-gun 

 crammed with slugs, and sends a rude but warm greeting 

 into his shaggy carcass. Although this may seem tame 

 sport at first, yet one must possess tolerably steady 

 nerves and some patience to sit perfectly quiet for an hour 

 or two listening for the tramp and the snuffing of a huge 

 ungainly fellow which, ordinarily harmless, is a tough cus- 

 tomer at close quarters if wounded. Then, when the 

 great brute does appear at last, looking three times larger 

 in the moonlight than he really is, it requires, especially on 

 the part of a novice, a clear head and a firm hand to kill him, 

 even with a shot gun. When a rifle is used, it is fifty to 

 one that a man will not bag the first bear he encounters 



by moonlight. . 



—It is fine fun shooting black and gray squirrels, now that 

 the groves of hickory, oak and chestnut are showering down 

 their treasures of nuts, and the sprightly little animals are 

 o-athering on mountain and hillside their plentiful stores. 

 Many sportsmen are not aware that the glossy black squirrels 

 which are found so abundantly in some portions of Michi- 

 gan are only a variety of the gray species. This is a fact, 

 however and could a sufficient number of specimens be 

 procured so as to exhibit all the varieties of color mthe 



pelage, it would be exceedingly difficult to determine where 

 the gray leaves off and the black begins. This is but one 

 instance of many where we find extremes of color in some 

 individuals, yet with such a perfect gradation in others 

 that no one who is at all conversant with natural history, 

 would hesitate to consider them as one species. 



—A Philadelphia friend who is a veteran hunter of an al- 

 most world-wide 'experience, notices in the last issue of 

 " Forest and Stream" an allusion to the old practice of 

 clearing a stopped gun nipple by driving a pointed stick 

 into it and pulling the trigger, and says ' ' / have been doing it 

 for thirty years at least, on the Delaioare! " Nothing new to 

 him, that's sure; but there are youngsters growing up, dear 

 Mr. R, perhaps too old to be your grand-children, but never- 

 theless having much to learn, especially in the craft of the 

 huntsman, to whom our humble information may be new 

 and serviceable. And as we hope to include a large number 

 of the rising generation among our readers, as well as a given 

 number of inexperts and amateurs of maturer age, we shall 

 print our paper chiefly for their benefit. What we wish of 

 our dear old veteran friends is merely to direct our utter- 

 ances, and set us right if we go astray. And our success, 

 we are not too proud to admit, depends much upon their 

 co-operation. 



—Snipe still occur in the meadows, but will soon depart, 

 although stragglers often remain quite late, even in New 

 England, and we have known them to start up from the 

 grass on inundated meadows when the ice was stiff enough 

 to bear the weight of a man. The great mass of sand-pip- 

 ers {ti-ingmoe) have gone South, but the little dunlin remains, 

 his family being the last to migrate. For fear that some 

 sportsmen may not recognize the species, we will state that 

 it is of about the size of the grass bird (T. maculata), but has 

 a slightly curved bill. It is gray in color above, white be- 

 neath, with the breast streaked with dark murkings. This 

 is the autumnal plumage; in spring the back is red and 

 there is a black band across the breast. They now frequent 

 the shore in considerable numbers, and are quite fat. These 

 have a wide distribution, being found on both sides of the 

 Atlantic. 



—J. U. Gregory, naval agent at Quebec, acknowledges 

 to having bagged 171 brace of snipe on the 2d inst. , at 

 Chateau Eicher, sixteen miles below the city. Just at this 

 season there is good shooting on Crane Island, Sorel, and 

 on the north side of the island of Orleans, in the St. Law- 

 rence. Sportsmen can run down in a steamer from Que- 

 bec without trouble. At Chateau Kicher there is fair 

 hotel accommodation, but poor elsewhere. 



—The sharp-tailed grouse (Pediocetes phasianeUus), to 

 which our Western correspondents frequently allude, is 

 closely allied to the pinnated grouse, or prairie hen, which 

 it much resembles in habits, and might possibly be mistak- 

 en for it by a casual observer. Hybrids between the two 

 are not rare, though it is believed by most naturalists that 

 they never reproduce. 



—Ruffed grouse and pinnated grouse are in considera 

 ble abundance. There is a fare showing of plover, snipe, 

 and yellow legs, and a few dozen blue-winged teal. 



— Saddles of venison begin to appear in front of the 

 principal restaurants. 



— Woodcock, PMloliela minor, have generally taken to 

 the highlands and may be found among the low growth 

 of birches on hillsides. 



— Wild pigeons may now be found flocking to the grain 

 fields, and are readily shot. 



— A few canvas backs and red heads arrived in market 

 last Monday, being the first invoice of the season. 



— There was a goodly number of gentleman at the 

 fine farm of Mr. Ditmars, Flat bush, L. I., last week, to 

 participate in a sweepstake for a double barrel breech-load- 

 ing shot gun, added to which was a small entrance fee. 

 The birds were of better quality than usual, and the shoot- 

 ing scarcely up to the average. Dr. A. Robins and Hicks 

 tied, and as they could not divide one gun, they settled it 

 amicably between them. The following is the summary. 

 Seven birds each, twenty-one yards rise and eighty bound- 



O. Wingate. 



Capt. E 



Bird 



Schar 



Krawner 



Robins 



Redon 



Furman 



110 110 1, 

 110 110 1, 

 110 110 1, 

 110 10 10, 

 11110 10, 

 11110 11, 

 1110 10 1, 

 110 110 1, 



ary :— 



Ditmars 1110 10 1, J. Lott 11110 10, 



ALott 110 10 11, 



C.Bennett 110 10 10, 



D. A 1111101, 



Baslar 110 110 1, 



Dr.W 110 110 1, 



Russell 11110 10, 



Bayler ,. 1110 10 1, 



Hicks 1111011, 



Burrow 11110 10, 



— There will be a grand pigeon shooting tournament, open 

 to all, held at Toronto, Canada, on December 2d, under the 

 auspices and management of the gentlemen connected with 

 the Toronto shooting clubs. The gentlemen who have at- 

 tached their names to this announcement are men of pro- 

 bity and honor, and the tournament will be conducted with 

 rairness and decision. Every shooter will furnish twenty- 

 five pigeons, and shoot at twenty-one; H and T ground 

 traps; any size gun; twenty-one yards rise; eighty bound- 

 ary; not more than 1£ oz. shot. All entries to be made be- 

 fore 11 o'clock Monday night, December 1st, with Mr. Jos. 

 Taylor, Colborne street, Toronto. The prizes will consist 

 of "$1000 in gold. The best shot $300; second, $200; third, 

 $100, and so on until the thirteenth. The Junior Gun Club 

 of Toronto, will give a gold medal to the winner of the first 

 prize. Committee of management: Jas. Ross Espe, Pres. 

 T. S. C. ; W. H. Coen, Pres. I. G. C. ; John Maughan, 



Toronto and I. G. C. * 



— With regard to deer hunting, a well-informed and ex- 

 perienced correspondent calls our attention to the fact that 



the deer of Florida are governed in their times of feeding 

 "by the moon," and accepting his statements as truth gath- 

 ered from personal investigations, we would like to inquire 

 of the many expert hunters who read this paper, if they 

 have remarked the same peculiarity throughout the North 

 and West, and if so, whether they can 'explain' or account 

 for the habit ? This gentleman writes :— 



•'Wben I first attempted to hunt deer I was almost always unsuccessful 

 rarely being able even to see one, I was informed by the hunters that I 

 did not go out at the right time. Upon questioning them they told me 

 that the deer were governed in their time of feeding by the moon. An 

 hour before moonrise the animals arose from their beds or came out of 

 the hummocks to feed upon the grass in the clearings, or in the piny 

 woods, continuing until after the moon was up. An hour before the 

 moon Southed (i. e. attained its highest altitude) they did the same thing 

 and also when it was directly beneath the earth, making in all eight hours' 

 feeding time . At first I laughed at this as an old hunter's notion, for al- 

 though it is easy to understand why the deer should feed at those times 

 when the moon rises near night and sets near morning, it is difficult to 

 preceive why they should conform to the same rule through all the varying 

 phases. But after three seasons' experience I am obliged to acknowledge 

 that as far as my observation extends this theory is correct. The deer are 

 certainly seen feeding much more frequently during these stated periods 

 than at others. Of course one occasionally meets a straggling animal at 

 other hours, but I never found any number on their feet ot any other 

 time . All the hunters with whom I have conversed also confirm this 

 Another singular fact is that the great horned owls hoot at the feeding 

 time of the deer, even it be broad daylight . I have observed this fact 

 on many occasions, and the hunter when they hear the owls, say u no\v 

 the deer are feeding." 



— Mr. 1. 1. Hite, who keeps a pleasant boarding house at 

 Mellon ville, Florida, sends the following letter, which con- 

 tains some facts that may be useful to tourists the corning 

 winter : — 



Our winters here are like the last fifteen days of May, and the first 

 fifteen days of June with you. We are now planting out gardens just ae 

 your people do in May and June. 



I expect to be fixed to lodge thirty persons comfortably. The Orange 

 House now for rent at $1,500 is out from Mellonville boat landing, two 

 miles. It will lodge about thirty nicely. The Brock House on the En- 

 terprise side of the Lake Monroe, (five miles wide) will lodge eighty or 

 one hundred upon a squeeze. Boats can be had here to Indian Eiver. six- 

 ty-five miles, where there are a number of boats for hire. G. S. Hardee, 

 Esq., City Point, (P. O.) Indian River, Florida, and others down there 

 keep boats and other conveyances. Steamers run from here to Salt 

 Lake, fifty miles; from Salt Lake to Sand Point, six miles by 

 hack, or wagon. Sail boats connect there. Hunters and explorers can 

 go to any point south of this. By December there will be another small 

 steamer going 200 miles south of this, just for the benefit of winter 

 boarders in this section. 



There is good hunting from Mellonville, Orange Co., out by land 

 south of this for 150 miles. It is a beautiful country. At Orlando, 

 twenty-four miles from here by hack, or possibly stage by December 1st, 

 there is a hotel. Men here get into their saddles at 1 o'clock and are back 

 by dark with their game hanging across their horses. Wild turkeys, and 

 opossums come up into Mellonvile. Two miles from here a few days 

 since an old man and a boy were fishing and a large wolf passed withm 

 thirty steps and did not even look at them. Bear and black six foot pan- 

 thers are plenty within six miles of Mellonville. The mouths of creeks 

 coming into Lake Monroe are splendid fishing places. I. I. H, 



A correspondent gives his experience in the use of the 

 Canadian moccasin, which tallies with that of all gentlemen 

 who have worn them: — 



Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I have tried almost everything in the way of boots 'and shoes, for life 

 in the woods; Napoleon high top boots, canvas shoes, rubber boots, and 

 the like, but all without success, but last summer while spending some 

 weeks in Canada, I invested in a pair of moccasin-boots, or shoe packs, 

 as they are more frequently called, and such ease as I have enjoyed in 

 my tramps since, can hardly be described. The boots that I possess are 

 madp of tanned deer skin, reach almost to the knee, and are tied with 

 thongs of the same material, without which they would hardly keep in 

 position. I was obliged to have heels and an extra sole added afterwards, 

 as the material being very thin made me immediately aware of all sharp 

 stones or sticks in the path . They are very light, seeming almost like a 

 stocking rather than a boot, and need a little oil occasionally, but I can 

 hardly agree with you that they are "almost impervious to water." A 

 good pair of shoe packs costs about $4,00 in Canada. Messrs. H. & H. 

 Merrell, 290 Notre Dame street, Montreal, would supply them, as although 

 in the dry goods business, they are true sportsmen, and more obliging 

 gentlemen cannot be found in Canada. T. S. S. 



If T. S. S. will refer again to our article, he will notice 

 we spoke of Caribou hide, and not deer skin, as being im- 

 pervious to water. The essential oil of the caribou hide is 

 so considerable in quantity as to be a natural preservatiye- 

 and a protection from wet, 



Charms for Animals. —A tongue taken from a liviag 

 fox was thought to prevent disease of any kind attacking 

 the fortunate possessor. The slough of an adder hung on 

 the rafters of a house renders insuring that house unneces- 

 sary, a house-leek in the roof makes it proof against tie 

 lightning's flash. When a Northamptonshire henwife ses 

 a hen, she is particular that the nest contains an odd mm- 

 ber of eggs, and is careful to mark each egg with a small 

 black cross, to save it from four-footed poachers. A larg; 

 stone having a natural hole through it, hung outside a eov 

 house, prevents the cattle having the nightmare; and farm 

 ersofthe fifteenth century thought their beasts iecur« 

 against murrain if marked with the mark of a saint ;, for on t 

 Thomas Egliston was paid ninepence for putting St. W il- 

 frid's mark upon sixteen oxen belonging to Cardinal Lang 

 ley, Bishop of Durham,to the intent that they might escape 

 such a visitation. A Norfolk man boasted that no mishap 

 could chance to his horse so long as he wore something ne 

 had tied round its neck; a curio\is urchin stole the charm, 

 which turned out to be the thumb of an old leather glove, 

 containing a copy of the Lord's Prayer. : Not long ago* 

 valuable horse, belonging to a well-to-do farmer at Oieyv 

 kerne, was so ill that two veterinary surgeons were sum 

 moned to consult as to what should be done. Upon exam- 

 ining the patient, they found something tied round 1 the w 

 imal's neck, and making inquiry, were told by the iarmera 

 wife that she and her husband agreed that the horse wa. 

 bewitched, and she had therefore tied one of her garter* 

 round its neck to break the spell.— vlwmh&ri Journal. 

 ■ -#°» 



—Later developments indicate that the first suspiciontha 

 Captain Hall died from poison was well founded JNow 

 standing the efforts of Secor Robeson to prevent the pw . 

 lie from obtaining correct information, the truth wv* 

 eventually be known. 



