FOREST AND STREAM. 



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295 



being made a very messenger of the immortals? Who 

 knows? Not I. 



THE FOX-HOUND. 



The old savage ideal of heauty was the lion, type of mere 

 massive force. That was succeeded by an over-civilized 

 ideal, say the fawn, type of delicate grace. By cunning 

 breeding and choosing, through long centuries, man has 

 combined both, and has created the fox-hound, lion, a^rid 

 fawn in one, just as he might create noble human beings, 

 did he take half as much trouble about politics (in the true 

 old sense of the word) as he does about fowls. Look at 

 that old hound, who stands doubtful, looking up at his 

 master for advice. Look at the severity, delicacy, light- 

 ness of every curve. His head is finer than a deer's; his 

 hind legs tense as steel springs; his fore-legs straight as ar- 

 rows; and yet see the depth of chest, the sweep of loin, the 

 breadth of paw, the mass of arm and thigh; and if you 

 have an eye for form, look at the absolute majesty of his 

 attitude at this moment. Majesty is the only word for it. 

 If he were six feet high, instead of twenty-three inches, 

 with what animal on earth could you compare him? Is it 

 not a joy to see such a thing alive? It is to me, at least, I 

 Should like to have one in my study all day long, as I would 

 have a statue or a picture; and when Mr. Morrell gave (as 

 they say) two hundred guineas for Hercules alone, I believe 

 the dog was well worth the money, only to look at. But I 

 am a minute philosopher. 



Jp£ ]§oruq aqd'thq ^am[H^ 



—The Louisiana Jockey Club Races began at New Or- 

 leans, on the 13th. The track was neither fast nor very 

 heavy. The first race was for three-year-olds, one mile 

 and three quarters, club purse $500; first prize £250, 

 second $100, and third, $50. Won by Nellie by a length. 

 Time 8:27i; Carrington second, Fannie M. third, Falmouth 

 fourth, Wanderer fifth, and Marry L. far in the rear. 



— The races at San Diego, Cal., December 3, were suc- 

 cessful in every respect. The first event was a trotting 

 race free for all gentlemen's roadsters. There were four 

 entries, and all started. The race was won by Chalmers 

 Scott's Temecula Boy. Best time, 2:571. A quarter race 

 was won by Mayfield's Sleepy Charley. The third race 

 was a mile dash, for two-year-olds. Three started. The 

 race was won. by Captain Johnson's Regent. Time, 2:00i. 



— A race, free for all trotters and pacers, ten miles out, 

 for a purse of $1,000, took place on Saturday, the 18th, 

 at the Ocean View Riding Park, San Francisco. 



—The second race was for the Slocomb stakes, for two- 

 year-olds, $25 entrance. There were sixty-six entries, with 

 $700 added; second horse to receive $300, and the third 

 horse $100. One mile, to carry three-years-olds weights. 

 Nine entries came to the scratch as follows: — Paraylee, 

 Sweet Bay, Jim Alexander, Ball ankeel* Larry Hart, Stam 

 pede, Bonaventure and Bay Rum. They came under the 

 string in the following order: — Bay Rum, Parylee, Larry 

 Hart and Bariankeel. Time, 1:§7$. The third race was 

 mile heats, for all ages. Club purse, $500. First horse to 

 receive $400 and second $100. There were eight entries: — 

 Port Leonard, Tom Aiken, Tom Leathers, Ramcsis, Quar- 

 termaster, Cape Race, Romping Girls and IOU. Tom 

 Aiken was withdrawn, leaving seven to contest. Port Leo- 

 nard won the heat easily, beating Cape Race by two lengths, 

 with all the others on the wrong side of the distance flag. 

 Time, 1 :56. The second heat was also won by Port Leo- 

 nard in 2:23|, which was little more than a walk around. 

 It excited little interest. 



— The Toronto Sporting Times calls attention to the fact 

 that the entries for the Canadian Derby close on the first of 

 next Jannary. The stake itself will prove a rich prize, and 

 to American breeders of thorough-bred stock it presents an 

 unequalled medium for advertising their youngsters. Nearly 

 every colt entered from Kentucky the last year was sold to 

 Canadian turfmen, and at prices away up high in the cen- 

 tums. We ask the horsemen of old Kentucky and the 

 many spirited ones who so worthily represent the Northern 

 States to liberally respond to the invite, and let us have a 

 three year old contest on the shores of Kempenfeldt Bay in 

 July next that will be worth travelling many a hundred 

 miles to see. 



Entries can be made to this office or to the Secretary at 

 Barrie, T. W. Simpson, Esq. 



—A meet of the Quorn hounds at Melton, England, isa 

 sight, once seen, never to be forgotten. At an ordinary meet- 

 ing and a good scent day, some of the best society in Europe 

 may be found at the Old Club. 



Many Americans can testify with what kindness and ele- 

 gant mounts they have been received. The numbers of 

 ladies and gentlemen that assemble at a meet of the Quorn 

 hounds, is almost incredible, the number, however, on one 

 occasion was between three and six hundred, superbly 

 mounted and dressed in the pink of hunting costumes. 

 Hunting the fox on horseback with a splendid pack of fast 

 speeded hounds ahead, is generally acknowledged by all 

 : cavalry officers in the world to be the best training and pri- 

 mary school of the cavalryman. A correspondent of the 

 London Field writes an account of the first day with the 

 Quorn. We quote:— 



A brilliant opening dfty with the Quorn has set the ball 

 rolling for the season. " Such a morning! — fit to make a 

 man jump out of his saddle, as many did in the very first 

 burst, and showed the ardour of their affection by embrac- 

 ing old Mother Earth, covered as she was with the dew of 

 the morning! A gay and happy crowd wended their way 

 to Kirby Gate, where, by-the-bye, there is a gate no longer, 

 and Her Majesty's subjects are no longer subject to that ob- 

 noxious impost "which is an insult to a free country. What 

 u flood of memory rushes over one as we try to count the 

 good men and true who have met at. the world-known 

 :mg place, and having raced over Leicestershire's faii- 



pastures, have gone long ago to the happy hunting-grounds! 

 "But what is up?" exclaims one and all, as a rapidly in- 

 creasing group gathers around the worthy master of the 

 pack, and, on breaking through the crowd, we spy a dozen 

 bareheaded old fellows, with eyes intent upon the most in- 

 telligent of their number, who, in words which smack 

 strongly of native eloquence, is presenting a silver hunting 

 horn to Mr. Coupland, as a token of their esteem and ap- 

 preciation of his efforts to show sport. Truly "one touch 

 of nature makes the world akin." 



The hunting field is not the arena for speeches; and a few 

 hasty words, but expressing a great deal, tail from the lips 

 of the M. F. H., and a pleasing little episode is completed 

 which will stand out as a red-letter day amongst all those 

 interested in the transaction. "They're off !" cries the ex- 

 cited pedestrians, many a one of whom buttons up his coat 

 for a three mile run across to Old Gurtree, a landmark in 

 the Quorn county, almost as well known as Kirby Gate 

 itself, and whose top, as we approach, is black over with 

 good people, who command a fine view on every side. A 

 few minutes to tighten up girths and get. ready, and five 

 hundred horsemen are tearing across the field to the ringing 

 sound of the horn whose first note proclaims a welcome 

 "Gone away" in the ear of every sportsman present, A 

 mile is got over, and it looks like settling down for a run, 

 but up go their heads, and thinking he may have doubled, 

 Tom Firs takes his hounds back. Crash again true to 

 cover! Out goes another over the same line and to the 

 same spot. Now all is over once more. An ugly drain, 

 almost as long as the Thames tunnel, has spoilt our sport, 

 but a terror is handy, and a right good one he is, for, like 

 . the witches in Macbeth, "in thunder, lightning, and in hail," 

 he bolts the brace of foxes we had brought there in fine 

 style, and notwithstanding the elements, the pack stuck to 

 one, and after running him round in a ring, pulled him 

 clown, not far away, just as the clouds broke, after one of 

 the heaviest storms we have seen this year. The digging 

 and bolting business always swallows a lot of time, and it- 

 was near upon two o'clock before we started for Adams' 

 Gorse, which surely ought to be a perfect paradise for foxes. 

 At any rate, three or four seem to regard it as such, for they 

 soon moved ahead, and after we got clear away, anv>ther 

 tried the same dodge, but was not equally successful, and 

 he had to make the best use of his legs, in doing which he 

 gave us a pretty gallop over such a country! — all grass and 

 such lovely fences that it was quite a disappointment to 

 find, after going about twenty minutes thus, we had got 

 back to Old Gurtree. However, so it was, and there we 

 finished our first daj r with the Quorn. 



How Much Work a Horse can Do. — At a meeting of 

 the British Association at Dublin, Mr. Charles Bianconl of 

 Canpel read a paper relative to his extensive car establish- 

 ment, after which a gentleman stated that at Pickforod's 

 the great English carriers, they could not work a horse 

 more then ten miles a day, and wished Mr. Bianconi's opin- 

 ion on the subject, Mr. B. stated that he found by experi- 

 ence, he could better work a horse eight miles a day for 

 six days in the week, than six miles a day for seven days. 

 By not working on Sunday, he effected a saving of twelve 

 per cent. Mr. Bianconi's" opinion on this point is of the 

 highest importance, for he has over nine hundred horses 

 working sixty-seven conveyances, which daily travel 4,244 

 miles. It is also the result of forty-three years' experience. 

 — Scientific American. 



- — ♦ — ■ 



THE MEXICAN DONKEY AND HIS 

 DRIVER. 



THE only carts ever employed at Mazatlan, are rude, 

 heavy, lumbering contrivances, each drawn by a 

 single mule or donkey— poor, patient, enduring creatures, 

 without whom the Mexicans could not -exist, and who have 

 certainly solved the problem of how to do the largest 

 amount of work on the smallest amount of food. Over 

 rough roads, almost untenable by the foot of man, these 

 powerful and intelligent beasts carry their heavy burdens, 

 plodding carefully and always safely over the most danger- 

 ous places, rewarded only by the croppings of the roadside, 

 or occasionally by a handful of dried cornstalks, at the end 

 of the days' journey. Yet I would not have it understood 

 that the Mexican is cruel to his beast; on the contrary, he 

 drives him by words rather than the whip, and a good 

 understanding always seems to exist between the animal 

 and his master. I one day witnessed an incident illustra- 

 tive of this fact. A little mule, drawing a big cart laden 

 with boxes of wine, in turning the corner of a street cam * 

 into too close quarters with a post placed there to protect 

 the sidewalk, and had brought the vehicle to a sudden 

 stand. The driver, instead of lashing the animal and curs- 

 ing him, as is too often the case in San Francisco, in the 

 most unconcerned manner took out a cigarette, lighted it, 

 leaned against the nearest door post, anct began to smoke; 

 in the intervals of the puffs chaffing his donkey, and laugh- 

 ing good humorcclly at his attempts to free himself from 

 his position. I should translate what he said as something 

 like — "You are a pretty fellow; a nice mess you are in; 

 don't ask me to help you; get out of it as you best ean; I'm 

 in no hurry," etc., etc. — laughing all the time as the donkey 

 pulled and pulled about enough to break the post down. 

 The poor little animal seemed to understand all that was 

 said to him, and cocked his ears with a most knowing ex- 

 pression; then in a moment lowering them suddenly, he 

 seemed to comprehend the difficulty. Forcing his cart 

 backward, he gave a sudden turn, pulled himself free 

 of the post, and marched triumphantly on with his 

 loud — his master shortly following, lighting another 

 cigarette, and applauding the performance. I applaud- 

 ed, too, and walking over to the driver, extended my 

 hand to him, saying: "Bravo! old fellow, that's better than 

 beating him." I forgot, how r ever, he did not understand 

 English, so 1 tried Spanish; however, he understood this 

 still less, and I concluded to try no more, so he offered me 

 a cigarette, gave the usual salute of " Actios, Sehor^t and 

 west lazily and merrily up the street after his brave little 

 mule. — Overland 'Monthly. 



Indian Arrows. — The Indians who congregated at Sum- 

 mit Soda Springs, summer after summer, whether from 

 Utah or California, employed in arrow-head making every 

 variety of flint rock, of slate, spar, and obsidian or volcanic 

 glass* The larger heads were made of slate and obsidian, 

 which materials served also for spear-heads, used formerly 



in spearing fish, and commonly from two to four inches 

 long. Obsidian seems to have been better adapted for all 

 sorts of heads than any other material. It could he shaped 

 with less risk of breaking in the process, and could be chip- 

 ped with flint to a much sharper edge and point. The 

 points of some of the small obsidian heads gathered bv the 

 writer are so keen, even after long burial or surface floating, 

 that a slight pressure will drive them into the skin of the 

 finger. The greatest number of small arrow-heads found, 

 as well as the' larger proportion of chips, consisted of the 

 flints, including jasper and agate, variously and beautifully 

 colored and marked: of obsidian, of chalcedony, of smoky 

 quartz, aud feldspar; vary rarely of quartz crystal, and in 

 only one instance of cornelian. 



The workmen seem to have had more difficulty in making 

 them, for they are often found broken and imperfect. This 

 was due not alone to their size, but also chiefly to the dif- 

 ference in material when the small vein rocks were used, 

 these breaking with a less even fracture, and being full of 

 flaws. Persistence in the use of such uncertain material, 

 .when obsidian was so much better adapted to the purpose 

 and equally abundant, would seem to have been dictated 

 by a rudimental taste for the beautiful. 



"A collection of the jasper, agate, chalcedony, and crystal 

 chips and heads presents a very pretty mixture of colors, 

 and the tints and markings of these handsome rocks could 

 not have influenced their selection by the Indian?, who 

 spent upon their manipulation an infinite amount of care 

 and patience. Here is the tip of a beautifully cut jasper 

 head. We can fancy the chagrin of the Indian maker 

 wdieu an unlucky blow from his stone implement, or. an un- 

 suspected flaw in the flint, caused it to break off. In one 

 instance several fragments of the same head of this material 

 were found and fitted together. There is some reason to 

 suppose that the selection of the above materials may occa- 

 sionally have been decided by the superstitions attribution 

 to them of occult qualities. Nearly all aboriginal tribes, 

 and even some civilized races, have attached a yjeculiar 

 sancity and potency to certain stones, and the Chinese to 

 this day give a religious significance to the jade. It is un- 

 certain, however, to what extent such notions obtained 

 among and influenced the simple savages of California. — 



Overland Monthly. 



* _ ^«^ 



Seeing Voltaire. — Many stories are told of the. impor- 

 tunate who came from far and hear to see Voltaire, the in- 

 tellectual w r onder of his century. None betterjhan the 

 following, which I never met in 'English: One day an un- 

 known person demanded to see the lord of Fernex. . "Tell 

 him that I am not here," shouted Voltaire. "But I hear 

 him," urged the stranger. "Tell him I am ill, then," "I 

 will feel his pulse; I am in that business." "Tell him I'm 

 dead." "I'll bury him; it won't be first one either; I am a 

 doctor." "Well," exclaimed Voltaire, "that's an obstinate 

 mortal; let him come in. Now, sir, do 3'ou take me for a 

 strange animal?" "Yes, sir, for the Phenix." "Do you 

 know, then, sir, that it costs twelve sols to see me?" "Cer- 

 tainly; here are twenty-four; I'll come again to-morrow." 

 Voltaire was disarmed, and lavished all manner of polite- 

 ness upon his visitor. — Ralph Keeler, Harper 's Magazine. 



$n$m$ §0 §orv L cB$ondent§. 



♦ 



[We shall endeavor in this department to impart and hope to receive 

 such information as may be of service to amateur and professional sports- 

 men. We will cheerfully answer all, reasonable questions that fall within 

 the scope of this paper, designating localities for good hunting, fish- 

 ing, and trapping, and giving advice and instructions: as to outfits, im 

 plements, routes, distances, seasons, expenses, remedies, traits, species 

 governing rides, etc. All brandies of the sportsman's craft will receive 

 attention. Anonymous Communications not Noticed. 



■ * ■ 



Spaniel, Detroit, Mich. — Which is the most useful dog on all bird?, 

 the pointer or the setter? Ans. The setter. 



J. n. S., Philadelphia— Where can I procure some boiled siIk and hair 

 salmon lines? Ans. At Andrew Clerk & Go's. 48 Maiden Lane, or Pritch- 

 ard Bros., 94 I" niton street. 



Spherical, Poughkeepsie, N. Y.— Otis LeRoy & Co., 26 Water street, 

 will supply you by the bag. 



Capt. Jackson, Schooner Potosi. — You can get the leggings of C. Field 

 & Co., 735 Broadway. Caribou hide by all means. 



R. L. N.— I have a valuable setter bitch, but she sheds her hair awfully? 

 What can I do to stop it? Ans. A weak solution of cantharides and 

 water rubbed in well, will effectually prevent the hair from falling ont. 



Holberton.— Why do you call the Hare a Rabbit in your paper? Ans. 

 Because these animals are commonly known as rabbits, and few persons 

 would know what we were talking of if we called them anything else. 



F. W. Clarke, Paterson.— A 10 bore will chamber five; put in three 

 layers. Eley's concentrated cartridges are best. Ask for buckshot. A 

 smooth bore gun will shoot a ball very accurately for a short distance, 

 say 50 yards. 



Mills, Creedmoor.— Yon will find the answers aud all particulars in 

 Forest and Stream October 16th. Over 600 yards, target 6 feet high 

 by 12 wide; bull's eye 4 feet square. ; centre, 6 feet. 



Brant, Fishkill, New York.— What is the proper charge for a No. 9 

 bore gun for geese shooting? Ans. 5 drachms of powder, 1 oz. and a 

 half of No. 1 or B. shot. 



Winter Camp.— Several times in our columns wu have recommended 

 Gail Borden's condensed coffee, meats, milk, as exceedingly desirable, 

 and to those who have used them, almost indispensable to a camp outfit. 

 They are among those things that have to be known to be appreciated. 

 See advertisements in recent numbers of Forest and Stream.- 



L. H. Bowe, M.D., New Y r ork.— We have published several letters 

 from Maryland on quail shooting. Almost anywhere on the eastern 

 shore of Maryland, in Anne Arundel and Calvert county. You will ba 

 able to ascertain the exact particulars from the Captain of the steamboat 

 Go to Baltimore, take steamer down the Chesapeake. 



Florida, Brooklyn —1. Orange county, Florida, on Lake Monroe, St. 

 Johns river, is the healthiest and most desirable part of Florida for culti- 

 vating oranges. The principal towns are Melkrtville and Orlando. The 

 population of the county is about 3,000. Write to W. H. McDonald, Sand- 

 ford, Orange county. Fla. 2. No, sir. 3, 10 bore. 28 inch barrels, 4; $75. 

 Nepiqon, Alton, 111.— The large game of the Nepigon region is con- 

 fined to the caribou and black bear. The fur-bearing animals number 

 several varieties. Rabbits (hares) and ruffed grouse aire very abundant. 

 Wild fowl very scarce at all times— no feed for them. A few. pigeons. 

 Trout, pike, salmon trout, and whitefish in greatest possible abundance . 

 Don't go to Nepigon before the middle of July. 



Widgeon, Boston, Mass.— Where can I find blue and green winged 

 teal shooting? Ans, You will have to go at this late season to the rice 

 plantations of South Carolina, on the bay side of the Hunting Island? 

 just opposite St. Helena. In September there area good many on the 

 shores of Delaware. Their flesh is very delicate and excellent eating as 

 their principal food is the seed of the reed and rice, 



8. H. V., Washington, D. C— Effects of lightning on the metals are 

 very curious. The French Academy of Sciences have devoted consuler 

 able attention to this subject. We find iu their annals, the fact recorded 

 that a woman having a purse with pieces of silver and gold, was struck 

 and that the metallic pieces went through some curious performances ' 

 Silver was vaporised, and coated the gold com, find complete fusion of 

 the two metals had taken place. Sjrauge tb say, the woman was un- 

 touched. • • 



