FOREST AND STREAM. 



lActtOTT 3, 1983 



members of our association -which will call for their ad- 

 miration. 



Our association had its usual business meeting and 

 adopted a, constitution and by-laws for its government. The 

 officers are, "Wells," President; Maj. H. H. Thomson, of 

 Bparttinlmrs:, S, 0., Vice-President; T. H. Gibbes. of Col- 

 umbia, S. C . Se.Teta.rv and Treasurer, and Messrs. T. T. 

 Hall, of Charleston, Cannon, of Ornngobunr, S. C, Jordan. 

 Of Ashville, and Moore, of Salisbury, Directors. These con- 

 stitute the executive committee. Arrangements are even 

 now in progress to have a shoot at Charlotte during the 

 present summer. Next year Wf hope to have one somewhere 

 in the highlands of this State, at which we. hope our 

 brethren of other associations and States will be present. It 

 is possible, at least, that by that time we may become so 

 elevated in our ideas as to ""throw down the glove" to any 

 team of five or ten men who may come from the outside 

 -world, In case we do, we will be glad to enter into a 

 friendly contest for the mastery. We shall not propose to 

 offer the usual temptation of a large possible pecuniary 

 reward for excellence. The truth is, ihat according to the 

 opinion of your correspondent, a genuine sportsman ought 

 to find sufficient inducement in the enjoyment of the work 

 or pastime to tempt him to ladulge in it, and to do his best 

 to exhibit his skill. To my mind it is a doubtful compli- 

 ment to any man's character to say that the "almighty dol- 

 lar" is a needed stimulant to exertion. An amusement 

 which cannot be followed without the jingle of coin is not 

 worthy of pursuit, and I should be glad to see the day when 

 the -soldier's wreath is honor, " and not spoils, when gentle- 

 men can meet and enjoy themselves in genteel competition 

 for the championship, without the wager of a cent. 



During the recent contest at Warm Springs, the medal 

 was obtained by the Charleston Club, consisting of Messrs. 

 Hall, Gulp, Smoak, Cannon and McOarley. Next year, 

 "Wells" hopes, or rather wishes, to get up a "scrub team," 

 to be called the Executive Invinciblcs, who will make our 

 Charleston friends do their "speedy utmost," as did Tarn 

 O'Shanter's marc, in the Kirkalloway and Doou race. So 

 these gentlemen had better see toil,' that their armor does 

 not rust, or "by Gum," we will give them their "fairiu." 



It was my good fortune to have met, at the Warm Springs, 

 tWO gentlemen well known to the readers of the Forest and 

 S i REAM by their contributions, which always are sensible 

 and sparkling. These were "M.," of Nort'hsidc. Ya., and 

 ••Dick Swivclier," of Aiken, S. 0. With both I had frequent 

 conversations, which, I trust, wid be often renewed, 

 "around the inele blinkin' bonnily," by the camp-lire, or at 

 mid day, on a log or stone or green grass, under the shade or 

 in the' sun, and near the purling brook, over the lunch 

 basket, while Dick and Sam and Dash look wistfully for 

 their portion of the viands. "M."has promised to give 

 me this pleasure, and I feel sure he will find time, or take 

 it, to leave his books and cases and clients, and have a trial 

 before a different kind of court. From this you will see that 

 his wish to meet me, as expressed in the Forest and 

 SlKEAH of the 19lh July, was gratified. 



The prospect for small game in this State was never better.. 

 All persons tell me that Bob White svas at no time more 

 iibundant. and if we shall have rain enough to produce a 

 large Crop of grass and herbage in our fields, I think our 

 sportsmen can luxuriate during the coming season. 



WjsiAb, 



A DECADE WASTED! 



Ten years ago— to a dot — a combination of enterprise and 

 talent, becoming disgusted with the snailish and inefficient 

 management of spotting matters, equipped and started 

 Forest and STREAM; and to give the world an inkling of 

 what might be expected in the course of time (not Pollock's*, 

 they displayed on their title-page a mixed-up lot of elk, buf- 

 falo, beaver, black bass, bears, tm-keys, ducks, wildcats, 

 trout, woodcock, alligators, deer, panthers, etc., all strolling 

 leisurely about within pop-gun distance, and poking their 

 noses into the "grub" of camping parties — making up a 

 lovely picture of a hunters' paradise. The whole country 

 was jubilant at the prospect I 



Sportsmen expected to shoot cartloads of game from their 

 parlor windows in every part of the country (except in the 

 streets of the larger cities); the poor rejoiced in the hope 

 that the) would have to buy no meat, and even poor Lo 

 was delighted at the thought 'that it would not he necessary 

 to die in order to get to the happy hunting grounds. 



But alas! what is the actual condition of things at the 

 present tunc, after ten years of herculean effort? Although 

 I sac it its ought'nt (having been charged with a desire to 

 speculate in lots), a sportsman can scarcely find a snipe or 

 mud-hen without going to St. Augustine; the music of our 

 singing birds has not improved one jot under the rnanage- 

 this promising company; the English sparrow 

 an every rafter and cornice of our houses, though 

 to have been exterminated to the last feather at 

 years ago (and would have been if Fokest amd 

 i properly edited); ducks and other aquatic 

 radually "oozing away; while there is only 

 Ige, prairie chicken, plover, woodcock, and 

 "T things where there ought to be ten thou- 



r fowl 



meut of 

 laughs ti- 

 ke ought 

 least nini 

 STREJ 

 wate 

 one quai 

 of other 

 sand. 



As for myself— and a few others— we even expected, when 

 Forest and STREAM got fairly started, to flush a dodo now 

 and then, but, instead of our expectations being realized, 

 the only progress made in sport inn- matters has been back- 

 ward! There is actually less game in the country now than 

 when it started on its promising career. 



"England expects every man to do his duty!" so does 

 America, and she calls in tones of thunder and indignation 

 on the editors of Forest and STREAM to do thvir duty 



• DlDYMIIS. 



THE PARSON IN FATICUE DRESS. 



Much of the Parson's life smacks of the dress parade. To 

 callaud to be called on is his daily routine;!.) conduct weekly 

 meetings is his common experience) to be present at social 

 gatherings is a frequent requirement. All this of necessity 

 Keeps him starched up and cravafted in reasonably fashion- 

 able and faultless style. He must go in and out, bearing 

 on bis bosom the gloss of the laundry, and on his feet the 

 shine of the bootblack, and on his countenance and cranium 

 the clean cut of the barber's razor, and the hairdr. ■„_/ ; 

 scissors. Then, as he is a shining mark for the unsparing 

 invectives that hostile legions stand ready to hurl at a llawy 

 and perfeetless Christianity, he is to be as watchful of his 

 demeanor, and as faultless in his deportment as he is in his 

 attire. His speech, too, uiua be pruned of all slang, and 

 his words fitly spoken that they may be of Solomons 

 kind, "like apples of gold in pictures of silver 



Now, take the Parson off of his stilts, and out of his 

 broadcloth, and put him in the woods in his gum boots and 

 blouse. Is it any wonder that he runs and rolls.and frisks and 

 frolics like a released colt, when the harness of a laborious 

 profession is removed from his shoulders, and he finds him- 

 self absolved for a season from the nice exactions of estab- 

 lished conventionalism, to which he is required scrupulously 

 to conform at the risk of losing caste.' Who can be better 

 i .i •' than he, by the sheer strain and stress of his multi- 

 form duties, to enjoy the liquid voices of unexplored for- 

 ests, the grateful shade of unclimhed mountains, and the sweet 

 music of unfettered rivers? 



"Ah," says the Parson, as he slings his knapsack down on 

 the pebbly shore of Lake Comfort, "here is liberty; right 

 here we will pitch our tent, and form our camp; here, where 

 the birds do the singing, instead of the choir, and the tall 

 trees the preaching, as they point heavenward, instead of the 

 clergy, and the. deer the calling, whom we shall always bid 

 welcome. We will go to the lake to do our marketing instead 

 of elbowing our way through motley crowds among city 

 stalls. Here is freedom from sick calls and funeral pahs; 

 from the jingle of telephones, the click of telegraphs, and 

 even postal infelicities. Hereislicense to go whefeyouplease 

 and do as you please." And the birds pause in their carol, 

 and the leaves whisper, "Hush!" and the leap of the catar- 

 act grows subdued as the Parson's exuberant spirits find vent 

 in the hymn, which he sings to the tune "America," as im- 

 mortal as the hymn , which was never more hislily rendered 

 on battle-field, deck of man-of-war, or at a Fourth of July 

 celebration: 



My country 'tis of thee, 



Sweet land of liberty, 

 Of thee I sing: 



band where my fathers died. 



band of the pilgrims' pride, 



From every mountain side 

 Let freedom ring ! 



My native country, thoe, 

 Land of the noble free, 



Thy name I love: 

 I love thy rocks and rills, 

 Thy woods and templed hills: 

 My heart with rapture thrills 



Like that above. 



Let tnnsic swell the breeze, 

 Ami ring from all the trees 



Sweet: freedom's song; 

 Let mortal tongues awake. 

 Let all that breathe partake. 

 Let rocks their silence break, 



The sound prolong. 



"Hurrah, boys! Get me the hatchet, and out with your 

 jack-knives; now for the hemlocks to carpet our tent with, 

 and soften our bunks!" Done. A,nd the Parson throws 

 himself full length on his extemporized bed of green uphol- 

 stery nuns ceremoiiic, and with one loud, long grunt ex- 

 presses his satisfaction. The rest follow suit. 



"Now, boys, up take the hatchet and cut crutches and a 

 pole for a crane; gather stones and lay up a fire-place, and 

 sticks for a fire, and set them to blazing, while I do the 

 marketing." 



The Parson adjusts his rod and line and fly and makes hit 

 first cast in the lake at his feet, and in less time than it takes 

 to go from up-low n to Fulton Market to buy a halibut steak 

 or a salmon, he returns to camp with a string of beauties 

 fresh Irom the crystal depths, that make the boys' eyes glis- 

 ten with unwonted lustre, and their appetites waken to eager 

 craving. 



The daintiest viands spread on royal table, and served in 

 ware of delicate china and finest gold, was never better re! 

 ished than that first meal by the Parson and the boys, and 

 no slumber was ever sweeter than theirs on the resinuout 

 hemlocks. Hix. 



Patehson, N. J., July 19. 



YE GLUTTONOUS SHOOTER. 



Ubiquitous is he, and his intent is murderous. Meet him 

 where you may, come up with him where you will, he i; 

 the sanie article. 



lie goeth forth with slaughter in his eye, greed in his soul, 

 and a Browner Luckless, or mayhap a pot-metal single-barrel 

 in his hand. 



lie is the same in every guise, whether Rotten up in pano- 

 ply of war, with game bag, cartridge-belt and dead-grass 

 suit; in shirt sleeves with 'coon-skin pouch and powder- 

 horn : in wading-pauts. with split-bamboo, creel and book of 

 flies, or with "pole" and line and box of worms. 



The "thoughts and intents of his heart" are the same yes- 

 terday, to-day and to-morrow, to wit: To kill all the ga 

 and fish possible by any means or in any manner, regard 

 of size, age or means of utilizing it. 



His greedy soul is never satisfied, and he crieth evermore 

 "give.'' 



He slaughtereth game by the boat or wagon load, catcheth 

 tish until he knoweth not "what to do with them, and then 

 sitteth down and boasteth lSudly and shamelessly through 

 the columns of divers sporting papers of his gluttony. 



Me findeth a choice place to shoot or fish, and then liveth 

 in agonv lest some brother should discover it. 



Not seldom he cousidcreth the bottle filled with the devil's 

 own brewing indispensable to his happiness and maketh an 

 ass, yea, a fool of himself in the highest style of the art, and 

 feeieth sorely aggrieved, vea, wroth if others do not accept 

 his proffered" dram. 



If he doth not denounce wholly the close season, yet 

 would he curtail it at both ends, and sadly impair the mid- 

 dle. 



His aim may not always be as good as his intention, but 

 the question is ever and always, "How much can I kill, and 

 how big a story can I tell?" 



He would not leave a beast, bird ortishfor a fellow sports 

 man. 



"All's fish that comes to his net." 



The fingerlmg and callow brood shall help fill his bag. 



Go to, ye gluttons! Consider your ways, fs it best 

 always best to"' wallow in the mire? Is life for you all a 

 level plain? Is there to be no improvement? Is there no 

 beauty in generosity; Nothing ennobling in self-denial? 

 Nothing gratifying in sell-respect or respect of others? 



Judging from 'many communications in FOREST AND 

 Stream, llnkgllt not 'be amiss for sportsmen to 

 Ektis self-examination in order to ascertain w nether there he 

 not a Uttle something in their composition which tiny will 

 be ash'anfed of when they get the right focus-on it. 



Let us enjoy sport in a manly way. Uphold the laws. 

 Write our experiences modestly, and aid bv precept and ex- 

 ample the Forest and Stream, which "closes with this 

 miier a successful decade of noble work, in its most oom- 

 ndable endeavor to spread abroad a. manly love for sports* 

 nship that shall be pure and gentlemanly, S, 



THE NURSE OF INFANCY 



Surely if there be tiny one on the top of the earth who ques- 

 tions the usefulness of (he Forest and Stream, he cannot be 

 the head of a family, the father of two bouncing, never-tiring, 

 irrepressible boys, who from sunrise to sunset are engaged in 

 doing that which they ought not to do, and who have con- 

 scientious scruples against doing that which they ought to 

 do. Their mischievous pranks— the din, the clangor, the 

 racket, the hubbub in which they are wont to indulge their 

 fancies and which are the inevitable outcome of youthful 

 vigor and the best of health, are enough at times to convert 

 our home into a seeming pandemonium, and to make us 

 firm believers in the doctrine oF Imuran depravity. But, 

 Grammercy ! we have found a remedy; it is to us tile balm 

 of Gilead — an anodyne to our troubled spirits; it is, that 

 which works a transformation from confusion worse ecu- 

 founded to order and profound tranquillity. The 

 is found in the columns of the Forest and Stream; it is 

 scattered through many pages of each weekly issue and 

 frequently has it been to us like oil poured on the troubled 

 waters. 



When disorder reigns supreme and these lads are rending 

 our ears with their clamor, I put one on each of my knees, 

 with a Forest AND Stream between them, and read 

 therefrom an interesting article or two on hunting, yacht- 

 ing or fishing, and the change is magical. It acts like a 

 charm. Their boisterousness is repressed and they become 

 obedient and attentive listeners. 1 read to them contribu- 

 tions from " Nessmuk," "Wawayauda." " Seneca " and 

 others, and the interesting adventures and experiences re- 

 corded by these correspondents find an abiding place in 

 the breasts of the boys who listen, 



The Forest and Stream is better than the rod. 



Balsam 

 Pontjac, Mich. 



THE MENTOR OF YOUTH. 



Editor Forest and Shram: 



Can it be possible that ten years have passed since I saw, 

 for the first time, the moose's" head amid the pile, of papers 

 on the principal's desk at boarding school? How eagerly I 

 pulled out the Forest and Stream, and with fast 

 heart carried it out under the apple trees, and lying flat ou 

 my stomach with my head between my hands, devoured 

 ravenously every word from the title page to the last adver- 

 tisement. ' It gives me pleasure now, lo think of the r.-tacy 

 with which the columns of that number were perused. 



1 well remember how, when vacation had arrived, I care- 

 fully watched lor the proper time to propose to father that 

 he allow me to become a subscriber. Monday was not lav- 

 orable, because he was then planning his week's w r ork. On 

 Wednesday things looked worse yet, because when he came 

 home from' the city 1 learned that an important law case was 

 being tried before' liim, which would occupy several days. 

 By Sunday the suspense was getting terrible, so after dinner 

 on that day, when father was sitting in the porch smoking, 

 and looking particularly good-humored, t anxiously brought 

 out the worn copy and'askedhim to look it over. He read for 

 half an hour before my courage was wrought up to the point 

 where I could ask the important question. 



■Humph!" saitl he. with a coldness that froze my very 

 marrow. "You are a perfect maniac uow on the subject of 

 hunting and fishing. You will never amount to anything 

 in the world if you cannot keep out of the -woods for a. purl 

 of the day or night, and this passion will only keep you 

 excited when you ought to be studying." 



With her usual grace mother laid her hand upon his 

 shoulder and commenced talking in a low voice. I heard 

 her say that it was better for a boy to be interested in irtlture 

 than for him to seek pleasures about town; but could not 

 i ' -ar more, and hurried away. That evening 1 

 learned that the Forest akd Stream was to be subscribed 

 for. 



Ten years have taken me out of school, through college, 

 through a professional school, and to an official position in 

 my profession; and yet through all of (he varied scenes of 

 these years not a single week would have been complete if 

 a copy of the Forest A2TD Stream had been deprived me. 



You do not remember my first article, Mr. Editor, because 

 it was written nine years ago. But if you ha- 

 proud youth who showed to his father a letter from Mr. 

 Hallock, complimenting a certain article on "The Great 

 Crested Flycatcher (Mi/iuy/iitacrinHux)," it would have been 

 evident who tile, author was. 



Success to the Forest and Stream. May another ten 

 years leave it in equally good trim for a succeeding ten 

 years' cruise. Mark West. 



New York, July 28. 



THE COMPANION OF MANHOOD. 



Ad rimm. -But honestly, think you it must he love 



He cotae to speak of y 

 I lata.— Why, 'Us either that. 



Or else to Ml yon of what fish he caught. 



— Taylor's Philiii Van -h-t, I, '.,-!.. ,4,1 I. {Jr. .'.. 



If the question quoted above had been asked abOUlmfi, 

 1 might have answered, "Well, if not love, a pretty strong 

 friendship, and I will tell a fish story or two besides when 

 the season has closed, and f have time to sit down and talk 

 ovei mir BampingB and traanpiags.-'' 1 have one highly 



esteemed friend who never fails to visit ine oia 



and although he. will not be teu years old until the 36th ..t 

 this mouth. 1 find already more common sense in his .lis 

 Courses on matters relating to the forests and streams I wherein 

 [ rind as much pleasure as do the beast.-, and I'tsh whom the 

 Creator has made to take their "pastime therein") than in the 

 brains and talk of many much older people. I hope hi 

 live to be a centenarian 



Your last letter to me ended with the kindly wish, "May 

 the trout rise where your fly is c . ' Ihej ,1 -"- 1 f camped 



out the last two weeks of June and had a very pleasant 



I used this rear a new 6-ounce rod made for me by a friend 

 in Philadelphia; it was of grccnheatt with bamboo 

 handle, red cedar. The first day I fished my favorite stream 

 with the rod, 1 took two doubles from one pool within ten 

 minute's, One of the first pair was 1SJ inches long, the 



