186 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



THE YACHTING HABIT. 



Whether on shore or afloat nothing adds more to the 

 agreeableness of a pleasure party than lovely woman — 

 sprightly, jolly, stylish, and wherever she goes a dress suit- 

 able to the occasion should always be worn, as it is the 

 greatest compliment to the gentlemen. • A blue cashmere 

 jacket a la Garibaldi, with sailor collar trimmed with white 

 braid and an anchor embroidered on each corner. A scarf 

 tied under the collar in a careless knot, skirt of same ma- 

 terial as the jacket, and trimmed with two or three flounces 

 about a quarter of a yard in depth, and white silk braid. 

 Woollen fabrics keep off any dampness and are recommend- 

 ed on that account. The hat d la marine, the rim of which 

 is always fiat and stiff. 



The dress of the sailor is as positive in its characteristics 

 as any point in law; the ladies' dress must approach this 

 peculiarity of the sea, because any direct departure from it 

 is a defect in the sty.e. 



FISHING. 



What pleasanter pastime than to join in piscatorial sports 

 with the sterner sex, especially as the ladies depend on the 

 gentlemen to bait the hook and draw up the line, should 

 they chance to get a bite. If you really enjoy seeing a poor 

 little fish "wriggle" on a hook, go prepared with a dress 

 from which a few spots of mud can be erased with soap 

 and water. Nothing is better than a brown linen fresh 

 from the laundry, colored collar and cuffs, a large sun-down 

 that old Sol's rays will not make you look like a broiled 

 lobster, stout shoes and a woolen shawl. Lisle thread 

 gloves are recommended, or if they put your teeth on edge 

 and make you feel like a bundle of nerves, wear an old pair 

 of kids— and, by the way, it is a good plan to save last win- 

 ter's for summer excursions. 



SHOOTING COSTUMES. 



Though not yet introduced into this country, "gunning" 

 is becoming quite a fashionable sport with the ladies of the 

 French nobility. The young Dianas go to the forest with 

 their escorts in a most charming toilet, and though the 

 game has a very good chance to escape when the tin y hand 

 points the gun at the bird, yet willingly do their beaux give 

 them the lion's share, so delightful is it to have their sweet- 

 heart's company. 



A pretty velvet blouse fastened at the waist with a Rus- 

 sia leather belt, which is secured by an oxidized buckle, 

 zouave pantaloons of velvet, buttoned at the knee, a brigand 

 hat, falling shirt collar, and jack boots. 



Is this merely a pastime, or has it risen, phoenix-like, out 

 of the late war? and are the French, women preparing to 

 fight the Prussians at no distant day, redeeming their 

 country by their own blood ? 



MINING. 



"To do a mine" is now d la made. The great copper re- 

 gions of Lake Superior during the last few seasons have 

 been visited by parties of ladies, each year increasing in 

 numbers. In descending a mine the suit of a miner is sub- 

 stituted. This consists of pantaloons made like overalls, 

 loose jacket, and hat with a flat brim, all made of canvas. 

 In the hat is a hole large enough to insert a candle, in 

 which one is put and lighted, both in descending and as- 

 cending the mine. Heavy boots should be worn. The rea- 

 son why a male attire is adopted is because going down in 

 a kind of scoop there is not room for many flounces. As 

 canvas material is impervious to water, which is con- 

 stantly dripping down in the mine, it is therefore used. 



ARCHERY. 



Archery was revived by Mr. Ashton of London, in 1776, 

 as an out-door amusement. From that time it has been 

 popular in England, being one of the few games of the 

 kind in which ladies can indulge. 



It is best to wear a dress similar to a gymnasium suit, 

 loose about the shoulders and waist, so that free scope can 

 be given to the arms. 



PEDESTRIANISM. 



To roam through the woods or climb up a mountain 

 there is no more suitable material for the pedestrienne 

 than the American water-proof cloak. It is not so heavy 

 as the English, consequently less burdensome. A neat suit 

 trimmed with bands of the same edged with braid, fancy 

 linen collar and cuffs, chamois gloves, a pair of broad-soled, 

 flat-heeled boots, a long stout stick, and a rough and ready 

 straw hat, fit one for any amount of walking, provided the 

 weather be favorable. Let the waist of the dress be loose, 

 otherwise it prevents circulation, and the lady gets fa- 

 tigued before the first half-mile is gained. 



BATHING DRESS. 



A Venus de Medici in an ordinary bathing dress resem- 

 bles a "Meg Merrilles." Modistes have racked the brain 

 from the time bathing came in vogue up to the present day 

 to make Helen appear attractive in the eyes of Paris, and 

 sad to say, their efforts have not been crowned with laurels. 

 We have 'searched through the city of New York, in 

 every fashionable establishment in vain. 



While sitting on the piazza of one of the fashionable ho- 

 tels at Long Branch last summer, a young lady came trip- 

 pino- up the lawn, just out of old ocean's arms, in a pale 

 green flannel jacket and pants; these were trimmed with 

 white cloth. Her blonde hair was waving with the wind 

 and her little feet were bare. She created a great deal of 

 excitement, but disappeared before any one could discern 



her features. • , 



The blue flannel blouse, made with a yoke and belted m 

 at the waist, Turkish pantaloons opened a little at the calf 

 of the leg that the water may have an outlet, a pretty pair 

 of moccasins, an oil-silk cap to keep the hair dry, and a 

 large straw hat, cannot be improved upon for bathing pur- 

 poses. . ' ' ' jy 



Many different materials have been tried, but a soft 



woollen fabric has the supremacy, as when wet it clings 

 less to the form than any other kind of goods. 



SKATING COSTUME. 



When the ground is covered with snow, and river and 

 rill are congealed into one icy mass, what brightens the 

 eye or gives color to the cheek quicker than the healthful, 

 graceful exercise of skating ? With its whirls and curves 

 an*! curls it is the very poetry of motion. 



A black velvet skirt reaching to the ankle, an over-dress 

 of the same material trimmed w T ith seal skin fur, a seal skin 

 jacket, tippet, muff, and gloves, heavy laced boots and club 

 skates. With these a young lady is ready to face old Bore- 

 as and enjoy this most delightful of out-door winter sports. 

 - « fr»< pi » 



SYBILLINE LEAVES.— II. 



HINTS TO SPORTSMEN. 



O party should attempt to camp out unless one at least 

 of their number is thoroughly conversant with wood- 

 craft, and able to devise and direct so as to secure the gen- 

 eral comfort under all changes of circumstances and vicis- 

 situdes of weather. One great essential to thorough 

 enjoyment is an equitable division of labor and a faithful 

 observance of the duties assigned to each member. This is 

 especially important where no servants are employed. Four 

 persons constitute a large enough party. One should be a 

 fair cook; another should be able to keep the camp supplied 

 with wood and make a fire, which is a task by no means 

 easy; a third should be a fair shot and a good pot-fisher- 

 man, for a variety of food adds much to the charm of camp 

 life; and the fourth should be apt at building a shelter and 

 pitching a tent, and a good boatman withal. Thus organ- 

 ized, a party is ready to start for the woods. 



In the first article of this series we designated suitable 

 outfits for special occasions, and the importance of travel- 

 ling as lightly as possible. We cannot too earnestly urge 

 the advantage of taking the various kinds of condensed food 

 which modern ingenuity has devised, for they not only 

 greatly i educe a load, but add much to the ease and com- 

 fort of all, and materially lighten the labors of the cook. 

 Borden's condensed milk, coffee and beef are a great acqui- 

 sition. A single can of coffee will serve a man for thirty 

 days, and really needs neither milk nor sugar. Put a part 

 of a teaspoonfu] in hot water, stir it, and your beverage is 

 ready for use. The beef will make a variety of soups, if 

 used according to directions, and the milk is use ailin com- 

 pounding various dishes. The self-leavening flour prepared 

 by Jewell Brothers is another indispensable. It has only 

 to be mixed with cold water or milk, requires no salt, and 

 with slight change in preparation will produce bread, bis- 

 cuit, cakes, &c, in a yery few minutes. We have already 

 recommended the portable camp-kit, and there is a small 

 and compact cooking apparatus which we could recommend 

 if disposed. 



To carry the camp stuff most easily, back-loads should be 

 so made up that the softest parts should rest upon the 

 shoulders and neck, and when adjusted and supported by 

 a strap that passes across ,the forehead, boxes and cumb- 

 rous articles may be packed on top ; by this method fifty 

 pounds may be carried with comparative ease. Fishing 

 rods, paddles, axes, &c. , should be tied together in bundles 

 in two places at least, and when shouldered, boots, kettles, 

 and the like, may be slung over their upper ends. Where 

 a canoe or boat is to be carried, lash the paddles lengthwise 

 one foot apart across the bars or thwarts amidships, turn 

 the canoe upside-down, rest one end upon a convenient pro- 

 jecting branch of a tree at such a height that you can easily 

 pass under, and then thrusting in your head so that the 

 paddles will rest upon the shoulders, raise and balance it 

 and proceed on the journey. If the canoe is too heavy for 

 one person, it should be shouldered by two men, one at 

 each end, and carried right side up. There is a knack in 

 walking, too, which should be acquired, namely: always 

 run your eye along the trail at least a rod in advance, so 

 that you may not only see soft places, rocks, roots, and 

 other obstructions, but calculate to a -nicety just where 

 your steps are to be made. This practice will prevent 

 stumbling; it also enables one to discern a blind trail easily, 

 and teaches him to observe any strange signs which might 

 otherwise pass unnoticed. If you are thirsty by the way- 

 side and have no cup handy, bend up a portion of the brim 

 of your felt hat so as to form a cup, and drink out of that. 

 It is better than lying fiat on the stomach to drink from a 

 pool or spring. 



Of course every one knows that camp sites should be se- 

 lected for access to wood and water— wood first; but there 

 are many other considerations to take into account, such as 

 shelter, immunity from insects, or proximity to game. A 

 high open knoll away from water is preferable, in fly time, 

 to°a location on a river bottom. Sandy beaches or gravelly 

 points are liable to swarm with midges orpunkies, and the 

 thicker woods with mosquitoes. Points where a breeze 

 draws up or clown a stream are the most desirable, Black 

 flies do not molest between sunset and sunrise. The camp 

 site being chosen, the first duties are to fix the shelter, cut 

 wood, and get the kettle boiling. A letter A tent is the 

 greatest luxury in camping, but in fair weather a tilt or 

 half tent of canvas or blankets, or a "rough slant" of bark 

 or boughs laid on poles supported by crotches, are comfort- 

 able enough when a good fire is kept up. Or, for the mat- 

 ter of a night, a screen of spruce boughs to windward, or 

 the canoe turned over to protect the chest and shoulders, is 

 a good make-shift, The lee of a protecting ledge, with a 

 brush screen is a dry and comfortable camp. A permanent 

 shanty is made with sides four logs high and a peaked roof 



of poles covered with bark or split shingles four feet lo ng' 

 with a hole at the top for smoke. In this way also a conica 

 wigwam can be constructed, Indian fashion. Make the bed 

 of evergreen boughs — balsam and hemlock are the softest 

 — place them in layers with the buts all one way, and 

 shingle the buts of the first row with the tops of the second, 

 and so on successively. Fires are made in various ways. 

 For a good cooking fire, a back should be made three logs 

 high, supported against upright stakes driven into the 

 ground; two logs at right angles, or two stones placed in 

 front to lay fuel on, will raise the latter from the ground 

 sufficiently for a good draft. Another mode is to lay two 

 eight-inch logs on skids, say two feet apart and parallel, 

 filling in the space with small fuel. The Indian fashion is 

 to lay the sticks in a circle, with the buts in the centre, 

 resting on one another, making a conical pile. A tree 

 should be felled, the trunks cut into logs, and the branches 

 chopped up for fuel. In almost all woods are logs, some 

 time cut and seasoned that furnish dry fuel and kindlings. 

 To peel bark, girdle the tree at intervals of two or more 

 feet and split the sections with an axe longitudinally. In 

 fly time, when the air is still, make the camp fire so that the 

 smoke will not blow into the tent or shanty, but at all 

 times, and especially at night, guard against changes of 

 wind and flying sparks. Clean greasy plates with moss 

 and scour them with sand. To clean knives and forks, 

 simply thrust them two or three times ipto the ground. At 

 night, tuck your trow^sers into your woollen socks, and tie 

 them at the ankles. Never sleep with boots on. Use moc- 

 casins if you have them. Keep your feet to the fire, but 

 don't let them burn. See that there is a sufficient supply of 

 fuel for the night, and learn to wake at proper intervals to 

 replenish the fire. Early mornings are always cold at any 

 season of the year. A compound of tar and sweet oil ap- 

 plied to the face and hands is - the best protection against, 

 gnats and flies. Buckskin gloves may be worn without 

 discomfort at night, When an A tent is used, a cord drawn 

 through the apex with iU ends stretched to convenient 

 tiees, supports it better thantw r o crotches and a ridge-po}e, 

 and will prevent its being blown down by a gust of wind. 

 The sides should be drawn down tight and fastened to the 

 ground. Never sit up after nine o'clock at night, and rise 

 at daylight in the morning. Never omit a good wash, at 

 least of the face and hands. 



In our next paper we shall speak particularly of wood- 

 craft, giving instruction how to travel understandingly by 

 forest and stream. 



Coursing and cub-hunting are what our English sports- 

 men have been engaged in to their heart's content for the 

 last fortnight. If the latter amusement w r ere possible in the 

 United States, the former we can not encompass from the 

 very good reason that we have no hares in this country. 

 The antiquity of coursing is immense, and if w r e are to 

 believe Arrian, it dates back to the earliest period of English 

 history. Queen Bess was fond of it, when maids of honor 

 galloped away all day, after hare and- hound, and were 

 wont to recuperate their failing strength by lunching on 

 sirloins of beef and brimming tankards of ale. Rules and reg- 

 ulations in regard to coursing may be as little changed as the 

 British constitution, and the Magna Charta^ which lays 

 down the law of how to kill a hare, comes back with hardly 

 a change from the sixteenth centuiy. Coursing is not to 

 be regarded as an effort to hunt the hares per se, as a trial of 

 speed and endurance of dogs. Two dogs are run together, 

 and the winner, or he who catches the hare, is then 

 again pitted against another winning dog, until it is nar- 

 rowed down to a contest between two dogs, who have 

 beaten all comers in the stak es. For instance the South 

 Lanchansire Derby meet for dog puppies commenced with 

 thirty-two dogs, then sixteen of the Avinners ran against 

 each other, which reduced the number to eight, and so on 

 until two dogs, Kingstone and King Ben by name, were left. 

 The endurance of the winner must be immense, as he has 

 to run in no less than five course-.. The hare has very often 

 a fair chance to escape, not, ho .ever, from her speed, as a 

 well bred gray hound can invariably catch her on the flat, 

 but where the hare has the advantage is in his turns and 

 doubles. It is not unusual to see a a gray hound launched 

 at full speed get thwarted by a clever dodge of puss, and take 

 a complete summersault, in his endeavors to turn rapidly. 



— ' 'Never," says a leading journal, ' 'in any previous season 

 have deer been more numerous, nor in better condition." 

 If grouse or partridges are scarce, at least in lieu of feather, 

 fur is in plenty. We read of fifty, sixty and seventy stags, 

 as the result of a season shooting. We happen to have 

 just concluded reading the most charming of all books, St. 

 John's trip to Sutherland, and the delights of stag-hunting 

 in the Highlands is one of the most interesting chapters in 

 the book. Long range guns have of course rendered the 

 sport more destructive, but still a good deer stalker must 

 be a thorough sportsman, not only a good shot, but capable 

 of enduring no small amount of fatigue. Except under 

 extraordinary circumstances the stag or red deer is a most 

 wary animal, and requires all the skill of the hunter to fol- 

 low and kill. 



— They still race on velocipedes in primitive England, 

 and matches and handicaps are in vogue. We notice a 

 mile made in four minutes and tw r enty-two seconds, and 

 four miles made in fourteen minutes and twenty seconds, 

 which is quite rapid byciding. 



— It is perhaps too early for us yet to have Piscatorial 

 societies in our midst as they have in England; that is 

 societies where awards are given for the finest and largest 



