JfOREST AJNJL) STKJfiAM. 



35 



tied thai I caa take one-fourth more fish with it, than -with a 

 barbed book_ To have them a perfect success they must have 

 proper shape, and the fish will hook themselves. 



Yours, Setr Green. 



* This carries us back to the beginning of the discussion, 

 and the editorial explanation then given. We have several 

 other letters, but the subject is becoming wearisome to many 

 of oui*readers who are not anglers. 



FISH AND FISHINO OF OREGON. 



Portland, Oregon, Jan. 21. 187B, 

 Editor Forest and stream : 



Tins far-away State ia Hie spoi-omiau'B paradise, both In our own es- 

 timation And that of tourists who have been lucky enough to pull a 

 trigger or east a fly in pursuit 01 spun,, our Balling season commences 

 as early as April l, antl continues until the heavy ruins In the fall, gen- 

 erally about the latter pari; or October, We do not have the variety of 

 fish, here that you have In the Eastern States ; In fact, we have none 

 but the trout and salmon. 01 the trout there are several distinct 

 varieties, viz., the lake trout, which. Is caught In many different locali- 

 ties, and Is a large Bsh, often weighing twelve pounds, a. The salnioa 

 trout, which we catch In the fall alter the first heavy rains, when It 

 follows the (Jog or hooked-nose salmon up the creeks to devour their 

 spawn, oi which they are very fond, and by baiting your hook with this 

 you can catch all of them you would waut to carry. Last, but not 

 least, la our royal brook troot, waich ia an entirely different Ash. from 

 the Eastern brook trout, inasmuch as it has no red epots on lis sides, 

 ana Is somewhat larger. This species is very abundant, an: 

 cite instances where as high a3 300 of them have been caught In a 

 single day's ilstuug win Hies. They are a very game Mi, aUd are 

 sometlmea caught as large as eighteen Indies, and weighing from 

 three to four and a hail pounds, Their flesh when oanght is of a pal 

 rose color, but when cooked is white as " the driven snow." Our 

 Balmon when in fresh water rarely bite at anything, but are caught in 

 large numbers by trolling in the salt water bays on Pugot Sound, but a 

 day's travel from Portland. 



i will be glad to snswer any and all questions concerning our shoot- 

 ing and ilsliiog that may be asked o£ me. Wm. Lano.. 



P. 0. tint. r,74. 



— See Bohemian ©has Company's advertisement. 



(gam? §ng md §ttn* 



IN SEASON IN FEBRUARY. 



WUd duck, geese, brant, etc 



l I l.nniliA. 



, ftnail. Snipe, Ducks and WUd Fowl, 

 ding various species or plover, sand 

 cher, surf birds, phalaropea, avocets, 

 ■ or Shore Kurds. 



Hares, brown and gray. 



Deer, Wild Turkey, W'ooi 



"Bay birds" gen 



piper, suipe, em ■ 



etc., coming under the grot 



The Gun Gordon Ommisgs Used,— Somebody asked a 

 while ago what kind of a gun Sir Gordon Cummings used in 

 his Kocky Mountain shooting last fall. A Denver corres- 

 pondent has kindly informed us that he used mainly an Eng- 

 lish Express rifle ; next to that, a Sharps .45 calibre. His 

 men used the latter altogether, and when he left the field he 

 presented a number of the last mentioned rifles to local hunt- 

 ers of the neighborhood. The preferences of the mountain 

 hunters lie between the Sharps .45 and the Winchester. 



The Quail Performance. — " If she will she will— and 

 there's an end on't" is true of every woman in the world, and 

 emphatically so of a popular tip-town hostess of this city. 

 When she announced her intention of accomplishing the often 

 attempted gastronomic and dietetic feat, of devouring one quail 

 every day for thirty consecutive days the boarders smiled in- 

 credulously, and when their bantering had no effect, it is ru- 

 mored, with how much truth we do not know, that they bribed 

 the cook to set before her mistress cunningly prepared papier 

 mache birds,and kindred other obstacles that would have effect- 

 ually disposed of a masculine subject. As a matter of course, 

 however, the thirty birds — unsavory imitations, and all — 

 were disposed of, and the charming heroine came forth from 

 the struggle as triumphantly as Joan of Arc at Orleans, or 

 Madame Anderson at Brooklyn. And now the enthusiastic 

 gentlemen boarders all wear neat bird designs for their scarf 

 pins, the ladies affect quail feathers for their bonnets, and the 

 parlor mantel is adorned with the stuffed effigy of "the last 

 bird" proudly mounted upon a music-box, which plays con- 

 tinually 



There is a boarding-house, 



Not far away, 

 Where all the boarders have 

 Quail every day. 



The New Inlet at Shinnecook Bay.— Here is a charac- 

 teristic manly letter from one of the best known and oldest 

 sportsmen in the country to another member ,of the veteran 

 corps of the united fraternity. It was prompted by the purest 

 personal motives, and deserves publicity, whether bo intended, 

 or not. We will take the chances on the possibility of giving 

 offence to either parly : 



SnuLTKU Island, Feb. 1, lsta. 



Dear Uailook—1 notice in your lasl number the article from our old 

 friend Lane, of ShUmeeoek Kay, in which he corrects some statements 

 T made in your columns as to the scai city of duck and geese this season 

 In his bay. I wa.= led into the error by some verbal reports I bad heard, 

 but chielly from reading an article which 1 clipped from a local paper, 

 and which I presumed was correct. That article stated that the inlet 

 was still closed, and that fowl were scaice, and that fish, clams 

 oysters, etc., had suffered from the laek of the in flowing salt tides. 

 I am glad that friend William has set the matter right, and that Ashing 

 antl fowling iu his bay are now so excellent, and truBt that the new 

 Inlet may long oontiuae open to furnish food and sport for all. Will 

 Lane Is a right good and reliable man, and few can equal his success In 

 fowl shooting; and whoever wisties lor sport with the ducks or the 

 bay snipe caunot do better than try their guns in His company. 



Yours very truly, McL. 



CANADA.— EeU.«>iU% 0/U., Ju.b, 1,— AfeW days ago a wild 

 cat was shot by a farmer iu the township oi Tyendinaga 

 under his barn^ where it had taken up its quarters. The 

 animal was a large one, and is the only one which has been 

 seen in this locality for many years. A black fox was shot 



few miles east of this city recently. This is another species 

 of game which has become almost extinct in this part of 

 Canada. The man who killed the fox refused |3o for its 

 skin. 



New York— Savrtille, Feb. 3.— A number of panthers are 

 reported in the towns of Watson and Greig, Lewis Co., 

 which join the Adirondacks. Two hunters of Sperreyville, 

 Watson, followed one panther for three days without success. 

 During that time they found two deer it had killed. Return- 

 ing for supplies they continued the pursuit. Two panthers 

 near Little Otter Lake, Greig, were pursued by a party of 

 hunters without Buccess last week. A deer last week came 

 into a road in the woods, when, meeting a team drawing logs, 

 turned out, in the snow. One of the men followed and over- 

 look it without snowshoes, killing it easily with his ax. 



H. W. H. 



Tennessee— Nashville, Feb. 6.— Messrs. H. C. Pritchett 

 and R. GetteringB had some fine sport near Dixon Station on 

 Monday and a part of Tuesday last. They bagged 104 quail. 

 Mr. Pritchett shot over his two puppies, which Getlings has 

 been training, and G. had out Fishei's black dog. So abund- 

 ant are quail that they are selling in our market from 50 to 75 

 cents a dozen. J. D. EL 



Kjbstcokt— fflefawn, Jan. 35. — The weather has been so 



severe for past few weeks that geese and ducks were driven 

 to the fields for food, but were very wary and wild ; but few 

 were shot. Messrs. Baird, Goodman and .Tamison, of Nash- 

 ville, and Parker, of this place, killed 375 ducks and 16 geese 

 in three or four days' shooting on the Lake. Mr. Parker 

 shipped 3 bbls. to Cincinnati, and the week before 5 bbls. to 

 New York. Messrs. Roger, Parker, Jamison and N- 

 bagged 6 turkies iu a day's hunt. Mr. Fitzgerald, clerk of 

 steamer Golden Crown, while waiting tor the ice to run out 

 of the river, in company with Mr. Prenz, bagged 15 or 20 

 quads in an evening's shoot. Two large white Bwans were 

 shipped yesterday to a party in Nashville. Val. 



Ohio— WapatometQ, Feb. 6.— I had a pleasant call from 

 Prof. Linden, of Buffalo. He spent a week here in Dec. (the 

 last week) quail shooting and gathering additions to his col- 

 lection of birds, A few ducks have made their appearance 

 here on the river and some at the big reservoir at Si. Marys, 

 this county(the largest artificial lake in the world,coveringnear- 

 ly 18,000 acres), where we have a piece of land, shooting-box, 

 stable, boats, etc. We have put out it large quantity of wild 

 rice, both in seed and roots. Cannot say yet what success 

 will attend its growth. I am using mercurial ointment on 

 my gun and fin! it just the right thing to preserve a gun from 

 rust. Thanks for the information received through the For- 

 est AND STREAM. O. P. D. 



Ravenna, Feb. 2.— On account of the recent cold weather 

 and deep snow, quail have suffered a great depletion of their 

 number. Rabbits abundant but shadowy. Rev. A. M. Hills 

 recently bagging 13 in one day. D. D. L. 



Illinois— Carthage, Feb. 8.— Since our stringent game laws 

 have come into force again in regard to chickens and quail, 

 our sportsmen have stopped their almost ceaseless warfare 

 against them, and which they have kept up ever since the 

 law expired. Ducks and geese will soon begin to arrive in 

 thousands, so our Nimrods will not long be idle. Much fine 

 sport ia anticipated for them the coming spring. The idea of 

 sowing wild rice in lakes and rivers as food for wild game is 

 becoming very popular in this Western county. Many promi- 

 nent sportsmen living near and on the Mississippi River in- 

 tend to stock the many sloughs and lakes in their respective 

 localities this spring with this excellent food for wild game. 

 So mote it be. Gat. 



Iowa State Sportsmen's Association.— The next annual 

 tournament of the Iowa State Sportsmen's Association is to 

 be held at Marshalltown, May 20, 1870. A large number of 

 prizes have already been secured for the shooting competitions. 

 Local clubs are invited to affiliate with the State Association, 

 and to send their representatives to the convention. The 

 president is Mr. L, L. DeLano, Atlantic; the secretary, Mr. 

 Samuel Lowe, Des Moines. 



Kansas— Wakefield, Clay County, Feb. 2.— We have had 

 good quail shooting all winter, and grouse are very plentiful 

 indeed, but hard to get at, and the only way we can get near 

 them i8 with a horse and low wagon that we can slip off when 

 we drive in among them. For the information of some of 

 your more Northern readers, I wotdd say that geese arc be- 

 ginning to pass by in large flocks, and we are looking out 

 anxiously for the "green-bends," who were here in abundance 

 one week later than this last year. We look forward to the 

 receipt of your paper with as much pleasure as a boy does to 

 his first circus, and wonder how we have managed without it 

 for so many years. M. D. 



Colorado— Gilroy, Jan. 27.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 We have been having some grand shooting here this fall and 

 winter. Quail, snipe and duck have been very abundant. I 

 was out a couple of weeks ago after snipe, and with a party 

 of four managed to bag 161 in about five hours. Was out 

 lastweek after ducks at " our duck pond," which bears the 

 plebeian tilie of "Soap Lake," and brought to grass fifteen of 

 the toothsome teal and one solitary canvas-back, which are 

 very scarce here. At some future time I will try and write 

 you an account of our yearly fishing trip, which to some of us 

 here is an event looked forward to with the greatest of 

 pleasure. 



Denver, Feb. 5.— First flock of blackbirds appeared ,from 

 the south Jan. 26 ; first flock of wild geese going north Jan. 

 27. Weather then warm and spring-like. February 4 another 

 snow storm, followed by cold at night. B. 



Nevada — Columbus, Esmeralda Co., Jan. 28 — I have had 

 one little duck huut this season, killing twenty-four, mostly 

 mallard, bringing some of them down at 85 paces, with four 

 shot, with a 30iu., 9j lb.. Id-gauge M. L. gun, made to order 

 by Allen <fc Co. (now Forehand & Wadsworth), and the 

 strongest shooting gun I ever fired. One of the ranchers had 

 a 12-gauge li. L. Clabrough, which was his boast and the ad- 

 miration of the valley; but its glories, departed when brought 

 in competition with the one I carried there. D. S. L. 



The DtiTMAB Powdkb — New York, Feb. 4. — Editor Forest 

 and Stream : At a meeting of the Ouleout Sportsman's Club, 

 held in the village of Frauklin, New York, January 1, 1879, 

 it was, we regret to say, found necessary for the comfort and 

 enjoyment of many of its most beneficial and respected mem- 

 bers to prohibit the use of the Dittmar powder from all of its 

 club shoots and contests. Perhaps this may be an extraordi- 



nary case, and, again, perhaps I- ere it might be used by extra- 

 ordinary reckless, and also gr en inexperienced hands, when 

 with careful sportsmen, experienced in the use of it, it may 

 be as safe as any black powder made. 



OtJLBOTJT SPORTSMAN'S ClTJB. 



Kay's Sdbstittjtb fob Glass Balls.— A. B. Kay &> Co., 

 of Newark, offer to the public their " new and perfected 

 ball," which they pronounce the superior of any glass ball in 

 use, as it breaks into small fragments when struck by one or 

 two shot only, and is readily seen by the shooter, scorer and 

 judge from their position at the score. In a card which the 

 manufacturers have sent to us for publication they say that 

 in case a ball be slightly hit by a spent shot, or by the use of 

 shot which are too small for long rises, so as not to break into 

 fragments, they must not bo condemned. On examination 

 they will be found to be punctured, with many cracks radiat- 

 ing from the puncture. These halls are of a uniform thick- 

 ness of one-twelfth of an inch, of a sombre amber color, and 

 readily distinguished in their transit through the aiv. Their 

 durability is not in the least impaired by the solubility of 

 their material, and it is one of their chief recommendations 

 that they can be used without restriction anywhere, even on 

 the finest lawn, as they leave neither injurious nor unsightly 

 refuse. 



An Odd Fbeak.— Chatham Village, Dec, 25.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream : A sportsman of our village, who for 

 many autumns has traversed our woods and fields in quest of 

 game, informs me that though this season has been an un- 

 commonly poor one for pigeon shooting, yet it has been bet- 

 ter than ordinary for partridge. This genllcman relates (and 

 he is willing to vouch for the truth of what "he says) how his 

 dog one day flushed a partridge which lit in a tree about five 

 rods off. He brought hia gun to his shoulder and was taking 

 aim when a second one started up and flew directly toward 

 where the first had lighted. My friend, possessing the quick 

 perception and steady nerve of a practical sportsman, saw 

 that if the bird on the wing continued his flight in that direc- 

 tion he would approach very nearly to the bird upon the limb. 

 So, with his eye along the barrel and his finger upon the trig- 

 ger, he holds his fire for a moment, when, sure enough, the 

 two birds are in a line with his sight, covering the muzzle of 

 his gun, and by one discharge he bags both. This feat I con- 

 ceive to be possible, but it is of rare occurrence— once in a 

 sportsman's lifetime is about all— for everybody knows that 

 you cannot make birds fly just where you will. I have curi- 

 osity enough to inquire of each reader of this incident whether 

 anything like it has ever happened in their experience ? Such 

 exploits with the gun may be more frequent than 1 am dis- 

 posed to imagine. A chapter or column now and then of in- 

 cidents of an uncommon character like this, either in fishing 

 or hunting, would make very interesting reading. Recent- 

 numbers of the Forest and Stream have contained some 

 pleasant allusions to the habits of the trout, and it seems still 

 to be an open question as to whether they bite with their 

 head or their tail, or both. Now let us learn whether it is 

 common or not for a bird to fly right in a marksman's eye for 

 the pleasure of being shot. Hrx. 



Summer Woodcock Shooting.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 I am quite an old shooter, and must give you my experience 

 for the past two years against summer woodcock shooting. 

 The summer of '77 was unusually hot and dry for this country. 

 I did not venture out after the noble cock, although my 

 friends told me there were a few birds to be found after the 

 close season expired, July 4. I heard of several being killed 

 before it was lawful to do so. The only reasonable excuse 

 that could be advanced for this was that the dry weather of 

 July would drive the buds all away, and if not shot in 

 June they could not be shot at all. It was too hot for me, 

 and although my young dogs needed exercise and training, I 

 wisely gave it up and said let the birds go, they may come 

 back again, at least a few of them. October was a beautiful 

 month ; weather delightful. Fall woodcock are truly noble 

 game. I was out quite frequently and bagged about thirty- 

 two cock. I shot five or six at a time of a few hours' tramp, 

 My dogs improved, and I did not suffer with excessive heat. 

 The birds were large, full-grown, strong flyers and very de- 

 lightful eating, and indeed in every respect in marked con- 

 trast to summer birds. 



The summer of '78 was more favorable for the birds to re- 

 main here longer. It was not so dry, yet exceedingly hot and 

 very unfavorable for hunting, as I have every reason to know, 

 and the sequel will prove. I knew of a favorite locality were 

 birds were quite plenty, and was persuaded to go out and try 

 them as soon us the close season expired. I drove my wag- 

 gon to the ground and met a friend there by previous appoint- 

 ment. It was very early in the morning, but one of the hot- 

 test days I ever experienced, The ground in many places 

 was very soft, which rendered walking difficult j the cover 

 thick and shady, very fortunately, and the game reasonably 

 abundant, yet I soon became so exhausted by the intense heat 

 I could scarcely walk. I think myself a man of considerable 

 endurance, a tolerably fair shot, but after several " brilliant 

 misses" i gave it up with the magnificent result of one poor, 

 lean, featherless little bird that made roe heartily ashamed of 

 myself and to resolve never to do the like again. I came 

 home a sick man and immediately dispatched a servant for 

 the doctor. I was prostrated for two months with chills and 

 fever, and the doctor said I got the malaria in the swamp 

 alter the woodcock. It served me right, and I fervently hope 

 every body will be served in the same manner that shoots the 

 poor, miserable birds in the summer. I was advised to go to 

 the "Mountains," which I did, and the change was very 

 beneficial, as I've not had a chill since my return. I felt quite 

 like myself again, strongand well, when the beautiful Octo- 

 ber days came back. I could not resist the great temptation 

 to try my old haunts for the long bills. I was abundantly re- 

 warded. I shot about forty at different times and never saw 

 such fine birds in my life, and such sport as they afford in the 

 fall is not excelled, in my estimation, by any other game bird. 



M. 



QUAIL NOTES FROM VIRGINIA. 



Chaklemoxt, Va., Fob. 1. 

 MLb. Editor : With the old year, according to the new 

 regulations, closed the quail season in this State. Just at a 

 time when that sporting bird is getting even more capable of 

 taking caie of himself from pot-hunters and negroes, the 

 wiseacres who sit in the capitol at Richmond have ordained 

 that he is to be let alone. An excellent move iu that direc- 

 tion was made in '77— namely, the alteration of I he opening 

 day from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1, giving thereby the half-gi own 

 birds more time to mature and me frost more time to cut the 

 weeds. For some reason, however, incomprehensible to all, 



