FOREST AND STREAM. 



235 



look after in the contemptible pot-hunters who make a 

 practice of trapping wood duck for the New York, Boston 

 and Portland markets. These gentry, however, are being- 

 looked after this fall by the "Forest City Shooting Club/' 

 and as the law lays a penalty of two to five dollars for each 

 duck so taken, their profits, if detected, will hardly be large 

 enough to induce a continuance of the business next year. 

 This organization was formed on the 26th of June, 1871, by 

 twelve gentlemen of this city, and after a prosperous life of 

 two years, has at present a membership of fifty-three, and 

 is quite well off, in a pecuniary point of view, having 

 among its members gunners of all classes, from the fox and 

 deer hunter of New Hampshire on one side, to the sea duck 

 shooter of -Pine Point on the other, with a medium of 

 woodcock and snipe men, each ready and willing to give 

 all the aid in his power to others less thoroughly posted, in 

 his particular branch. This club will no doubt be, as all 

 sporting clubs should be, a means of doing a large amount 

 cf good to others as well as to themselves. 



The club officers are at present — Charles Day, Jr. , Pres- 

 ident; Jonas Hamilton, Vice President; Frank W. Smith, 

 Secretary ; Frank Merrill, Treasurer; Roscoe G. Hall, 

 Chairman Executive Committee, any of whom would be 

 glad to give all the information in their power with regard 

 to shooting matters in this section to any brother sports- 

 man. F. 



— We beg herewith to acknowledge the receipt of a brace 

 of canvas back ducks from our Wisconsin correspondent, 

 Richard Valentine, Esq. The gift, we are free to say, with 

 all 'deference to the giver, was the more acceptable, because 

 it completely identified the fowl of the Ivoshkonong with 

 those of the Chesapeake, the bill being a good two-and-a- 

 half inches in length from tip to base, and not the curved 

 stumpy bill that indicates the variety of redheads, with 

 which the canvas back is so often confounded by inexperts. 

 There was its glossy saffron-colored head, peaked at the top 

 like some farm house gable, a neck of the same hue swel- 

 ling gracefully at the shoulders and blending with its cape 

 of slaty-black, its back and breast of mottled grey, and 

 wings of the same color tipped with hues of India ink. 

 Faith, 'twas a goodly bird, comely to look upon and luscious 



to the taste, and by the grace of the cook, not spoiled 



in the kitehen, but rare ripe and done to that degree that 

 the juice followed the knife! As it was served, so was it 

 carved, secundem a/ft&ni, each breast first gashed lengthwise 

 and basted with the juice of a lemon squeezed from its 

 golden rind and seasoned with Cayenne pepper and salt; 

 and when this sauce piquante had imbued the whole, two 

 longitudinal strips were cut for the ladies, while the wings 

 With their full proportion of breast were laid upon the plates 

 of the gallants. En passant, a glass of Chambertin. 



The accompanying letter says: " Our duck shooting for 

 this season closed on the first of November, when the 

 weather came on cold and blustering, freezing Lake Ivosh- 

 konong over and the river also in some places. While it 

 . asted, the sport was very fine, Mr. Ira Bingham, of Ivosh- 

 konong, alone killing over 700 canvas backs. Should like 

 to see some of you eastern sportsmen out here, either in 

 spring or fall." 



A generous wholesouled fraternity are the western sports- 

 men, and their latch-string hangs always out. It is time 

 Ave of the east cultivated their acquaintance more. We 

 have no end of invitations for our readers to "go west" in 

 the season of greatest sport, and in due time we trust the 

 Forest and Stream will become the humble medium of 

 making the sportsmen of both sections better acquainted 

 with each other and their favorite hunting grounds and 

 varities of game. 



— Speaking of canvas-backs, To-Day has a very intelli- 

 gent article from the pen of Harry Waring, from which we 

 quote: — 



"The canvas-back, the largest and gamiest'of all ducks, 

 lias given Chesapeake shooting its greatest celebrity; yet 

 there are many varieties in its spacious inlets and bays. 



The red-head is scarcely inferior to its more famous con- 

 gener, and they , are often seen in flocks together. This 

 duck has often been charged with the theft of the other's 

 food, the canvas-back feeding on the celery -like roots of 

 a long grass, a species of valisneria, which it secures by diving 

 and on re-appearing at the surface, is attacked by the red- 

 head, who easily robs it of its hard-earned spoil; for the 

 nobler bird, exhausted by its efforts under the water, is un- 

 able to chastise the impudent forager. 



The black duck, likewise highly valued by the epicure, 

 the widgeon, teal, sheldrake, steel-head, butterball and 

 numerdus others are of ten pursued by the sportsman in the 

 absence of canvas-backs, on the wise principle that 'half a 

 loaf is better than no bread.' 



A few years ago canvas-backs showed a marked decline 

 in numbers, and their absolute slaughter from the murder- 

 ous sink-boats and swivel guns led to the enactment of 

 stringent laws for their protection. Although they are but 

 little used at present, a brief description of the sink-boat 

 may interest the reader. 



't he sink-boat or battery was a long, narrow box, about 

 large, enough to contain a man and two or three guns. It 

 was loaded with old iron, so that it could be sunk nearly 

 flush with the water's edge. From stem, stern and sides 

 floating wings projected, which, rising and falling with the 

 waves, prevented the w r ater from rushing into the battery. 

 The unwieldy machine was usually towed to a place on the 

 flats where the ducks congregated, and the shooter, after 

 loading his guns and placing them in the box, with their 

 muzzles resting on its edge, lay down os. his baek in the 

 bottom of the concern. Numerous decoys were anchored 

 in the water around the battery, and some were even 

 placed on its broad flats. Here, unseen by the ducks, un- 

 less they were immediately over him, and patiently gazing 

 into the dim sky, the gunner eagerly listened for the rust- 

 ling of wings or the splashes that denoted the settling of 

 the doomed birds. Then, barely elevating his head above 

 his prison-cell, he blazed away. 

 The swivel-gun, a huge blunderbuss-looking affair, se- 



cured in the bow of a boat, that brought down whole flocks 

 at a single discharge, was another invention of the sports- 

 man's enemy. Between this and the sink-box, ducks in 

 the Chesapeake threatened to become as rare as buffalo Avill 

 soon be in Kansas; but the good effect of their partial abo- 

 tition are already visible in the increasing numbers of the 

 birds. 



In order to relieve the innocent red-heads of the charge 

 of highway robbery, preferred against them by Mr. War- 

 ing, we offer the opinion of experts that the red-heads eat 

 only the leaves of the valisneria, and the canvas-backs only 

 the roots. After the latter have dived and brought the 

 plant to the surface, the red heads regale themselves on 

 portions that would otherwise be wasted. This is only 

 one of the many wonderful compensating schemes or- 

 dained by Nature. 



— Boonville, Oneida County, in this State, is a good 

 centre of operations for deer shooting. We have had the 

 pleasure of a visit from Mr. William Bonfi eld, a Well known 

 hunter from this region, who says deer are plenty now in 

 Herkimer County, some twenty-five miles from Boonville. 

 The Hurlbut Hotel, at Boonville, is a good house, and Mr. 

 George M. May, the proprietor, is fully prepared with 

 horses and wagons to take sportsmen to John Brown's 

 tract. Excellent guides can be found at Boonville, among 

 whom are Brinkerhoff, Courteny and Barnes. Take 

 Central Railroad to Utica, thence Utica & Black River Rail- 

 road to Boonville. 



— Our friends continue to send us accounts of good bags 

 of game made this month: — 



At Blooming Grove Park, one gun, three days, a 200 lb. 

 four pronged buck, 15 grouse, and 7 ducks. 



At Summit Lake, New Jersey, three guns, two days, with 

 a fox hound and setter, 16 ruffed grouse, 8 woodcock, 7 

 gray squirrels, 4 rabbits, and one red fox. 



—A large party of Brooklyn gentlemen went to Pike Co., 

 Penn., last week, to shoot ruffed grouse in the Beech 

 Woods, they were accompanied by two brace of setters and 

 one Clumber spaniel. It is their intention to stay a week, 

 and we hope to have the report of their success next week. 



— At Cobbs' Island, Va., there were seven sportsmen last 

 week meeting with fair success. Very few young brant 

 this year, geese plentiful, black duck and broadbills in im- 

 mense numbers. 



— At Mockhorn Island, Va., a party of six are camped 

 there — all Baltimoreans, weather cold, clear nights, killed 

 22 black ducks, 18 brant and 7 geese, besides numerous bay 

 snipe. 



— At the northern end of Chincoteague, a famous place 

 for redheads in January, a party of Philadelphians are 

 shooting geese and brant. 



— At Currituck, (old Club), there were eleven gentlemen 

 present last week; Foster, of Shinnecock Bay, is down 

 there with a large party superintending. There were two 

 swans killed with rifles. Shooting, especially of black duck 

 and geese, never was better. 



— John Ivrider, the veteran sportsman of Philadelphia, 

 shot a crow with a white neck at Lake Mills, Iowa, re- 

 cently. We are in receipt of the following letter dated Lake 

 Mills, Winnebago county, Iowa, November 7, 1878: — 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



I have for the last three years been hunting in Winnebago 

 county, Iowa, and stopping at a small village by the name 

 of Lake Mills, which is located in a large belt of timber 

 and surrounded by lakes, where the hunting is better than 

 I have ever seen in any other place where I have hunted. 

 We have here in the spring and fall snipe, woodcock, field 

 plover, curlew, morble, godwit, rail, yellow leg plover, 

 black bellied plover, pinnated grouse, ruffed grouse, sharp 

 tail grouse, quail, sand-hill crane, the whooping crane,, 

 snow goose, white frontell, and Canada goose, with all the 

 ducks except the black duck. Deer are found about a mile 

 from the house that I live in. Elk are killed about thirty 

 miles from here, and bear also. Then we have two kinds 

 of wolves and a variety of ioxes. The furs that the trap- 

 pers go for most are the otter, mink, coon, skunk, and 

 badger. Squirrels and gophers are not hunted. We have 

 wild pigeons and reed birds in great numbers, but no per- 

 son here shoots them. So you see that our sportsmen have 

 no occasion to go to the west for sport. If you want, you 

 can kill a hundred chickens per day; this I know, for I saw 

 it. But for the larger game, such as the elk, deer, etc. , 

 I don't care for it. There are hunters here that go out for 

 the winter with a large wagon with a cover and all the 

 traps and implements for camping. One passed through 

 the town to-day, and don't expect to return before March. 

 Two others started last week. I w T as out yesterday to see 

 an old trapper fix his traps, something I had never seen 

 before. He had about twelve traps, in which he got four 

 musk rats, one mink, one badger and one skunk. The 

 badger and skunk were alive, and it amused me to see him 

 take them from the. trap. The badger fought hard, and 

 the skunk let him have two shots. Yours, etc. , 



John Ivrider. 



— A bear was killed last week near Yarmouth, Nova 

 Scotia, which weighed 513 pounds, and yielded 16^- gallons 

 of oil. 



—The sportsmen of Gorrie and Wroxeter, Canada West, 

 killed 9,010 squirrels in a single hunt about the close of last 

 October. 



— The Germantown Telegraph says that bears and deer 

 are numerous in the lowlands of Centre county just now, 

 being driven from the mountains, probably, by scarcity 

 of food. Panthers, also have been seen:' In Clearfield 

 county, also, four bears bave been killed lately and others 

 seen. 



— A good many mink are being caught on the Upper 

 Ottawa this fall, and old trappers prophesy a very remu- 

 nerative season. 



— A correspondent at Peace Dale, Rhode Island, says: 

 "Quails are quite plentiful here, and there has been some 

 good snipe shooting, two guns having killed 57 in one 

 afternoon." 



—An extract from a California letter, dated October 30th, 

 says :— 



1 ' A week ago, last Saturday, I went to Novato for ducks. 

 In the morning, just before the tide began to come in, we 

 could see these ducks sitting out on the flats, and as the 

 tide rose they commenced to fly in. About nine, A. M. , the 

 first ones came. They flew in numbers, varying from one 

 to seven, and came along as fast as I could load for them. 

 I never had birds fly better; and, although I did not get but 

 tw r o at a shot and think I must have lost some thirty, as but 

 few cripples were saved, I killed eighty teal and reached 

 the wagon at one, P. M." Geo. S. Estey. 



— Have is a letter from Jive hundred miles west of the 

 Mississippi. It makes us feel just as Adam did in the 

 Garden of Eden, when he was surrounded by all kinds of 

 game and had no gun : — 



Bismarck, Dacotah Territory, Nov. 8, 1873. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : — 



During the summer months geese, swans, brant and 

 ducks visit this country to nest and rear their young. 



After the nesting season is over they afford plenty of 

 sport to the hunter until the small pond-holes or lakes are 

 closed by the action of cold weather, when they migrate to 

 more congenial climes. During the fall months we have 

 plenty of snipe and plover, with the wild hen or prairie 

 chicken; so you can see that we have an abundance of 

 feathered game, and that of the rarest kind. Elk are often 

 seen within a mile of our little town in droves of a hundred 

 and upwards. Deer of the black-tailed species or variety, 

 are very common, and the market is consequently well sup- 

 plied with venison. 



Antelope are as plenty as dogs, and they are very numer- 

 ous here as well as in any other Indian country. 



General Custar, who is in command at Fort A. Lincoln, 

 directly opposite this place, has a fine pack of fox hounds, 

 which, together with the Russian hounds, presented to him 

 by the Grand Duke "Alexis," give an antelope no chance 

 whatever when they once get after him. 



Buffalo have not been in this immediate neighborhood for 

 the past six years, but they are at the present writing in 

 the vicinity of Fort Buford; and from all accounts, they are 

 slaughtering them by the thousands for their hides alone. 



It seems a pity, for it certainly will not be long until this 

 noble beast is exterminated. 



Should you, or any of your friends visit this country, 

 would be pleased to entertain you, or them, to the best of 

 my ability, and furnish any information in my power. 



''Edgar." 



—The New Jersey Sportsmen's Club held a field day 

 last week at Fairview, New Jersey. The unfavorable 

 weather prevented many of the members and friends of the 

 club from participating in the sport. The birds were more 

 than the average quality, and the shooting excellent. The 

 champion badge was won by Mr. G. Watson, who, shoot- 

 ing at twenty-five yards, killed all his birds. The handi - 

 cap challenge cup was won by Mr. Kelly, he killing four 

 birds out of five The following is a summary of the 

 shooting: — 



First.— A tournament open to all members in good stand- 

 ing for the champion badge of the club. The shooting to 

 be under the English rules. The contestants to be handi- 

 capped between twenty-five and thirty yards, to shoot at 

 ten birds each from five traps, 1£ ounce shot, use of both 

 barrels. Entrance fee $5, which includes cost of birds. 



I. Skidmore, 26 yards rise— 1 1110 111 1—8. 



G. Watson, 25 yards rise— 1 11111111 1—10. 



W. Hughes, 30 yards rise— 1 111111 0— 7. 



R. Buckman, 30 yards rise— 1 10 110 1 1—6. 



A. Hughes, 25 yards rise— 11110 11 1—7. 



S. Kelly, 26 yards rise- 110010110 0—5 



J. Brightly, 27 yards rise- 10110110 0—6 



F. Endicott, 26 yards rise— 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-i.i. 



J. Felker, 30 yards rise— 1 1111110 1 0—8. 



A. B. Gage, 27 yards rise— 110 110 10 0-,). 



Second. — Match for the handicap challenge cup, the 

 shooting to be under the English rules; five birds from five 

 traps; 1^ oz. shot, one barrel. 



R. Buckman, 26 yares rise— 1 1 0—2. 



F. Endicott, 26 yards rise— 1 1 0—2. 



J. Felker, 26 yards rise— 1 0—1. 



J. Brightly, 25 yards rise— 10 1—2. 



Mr. Kelly, 25 yards rise— 1 1 1 1—4. 



Dr. Banks, 26 yards rise— 1 10 0—2. 



There is a party made 'up of membe s of this club to 

 shoot quail and wild fowl in southern Virginia. 



— The well-known Canadian pigeon shot, J. Ward of 

 Toronto, has been trying his hand at sparrow shootino-in 

 England with some of the crack shots there. In a match at 

 Oldham, near Manchester, between Ward and Hou°-h of 

 Bolton,the conditions were to shoot at 50 sparrows each, use 

 li oz. of shot, stand 20 yards from the trap, the bird to 

 have a bdundary fall of 40 yards, £25 a side. The bettin«- 

 which was brisk, was six to four on Ward, who w on a 

 closely contested match by a score of 32 to 31. Ward 

 also shot a match with T. Harrison of Oldham ; conditions 

 50 sparrows each, with 1^ oz. of shot, 18 yards rise, 40 fall' 

 for £55, Mr. Ward staking £30 against £25 deposited by 

 Mr. Harrison; score— Ward, 21; Harrison, 1G. 



—From the Dundee (Scotland) People's Journal of Octo- 

 ber 25th, we take the lollowing:— 



"Last week the Dundee Highland Volunteer Re°iment 

 closed their shooting season. A novel feature was that 



