Dec. 6, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



363 



;ihti[iil tffiparg. 



CHANGE OF NAME. 

 r pilE Council of the American Ornithologists' Union re- 

 I ccntly voted to establish a journal in the form of a 

 serial pulli.-aUe its oubl: -at:::u to bcpmic J irm.if.v 1 ^ '-4 . 

 Mr. F. A. Allen was chosen editor, and he is to lie assisted by 

 in! associate editors, who will be named by the Council, 

 and under whose management the periodieal will be pui»- 

 lished. The NuttnM Bulletin says that "upon this action be- 

 ius known it bee-one a question with the members of the 

 Nuthdl Ornithological Club whethel the NnttallClnb should 

 ii.' to publish an organ, which, under the new condi- 

 iion< could only be a rival of Hurt, of the Liiion. The two 

 Org! .11/ ilions being virtually oue in interest and purpose- 

 tie' laicr being to some extent the outgrowth of the earlier— 

 and necessarily identical in membership mac- far as can be 

 t Ili- case where a greater includes a lesser, the Nutfall Club, 

 at a meeting held October 1. voted to discontinue its BviMlt 

 with the close of the piesent volume, and to oiler to the 

 American Ornithologists' Union its good will and subserip- 

 lion list— to place the BuUftin in the Hands of the Council of 

 the- Union with its traditions and prestige, with the tacit un- 

 derstanding that the new serial of the lanon shall be ostun 

 Rlbly a second series of the NutlitV Bulletin." 



Cl moos Dbbk Antlers.— A Grass Valley (California) 

 paper says: "Dr. 1. W. Hays has in bis possession the an- 

 tlers of a deer that was run down by dogs and caught and 

 killed by two hoys, at Fleming's ranch a few days ago. The 

 antlers are in the usual form, but from the base of the right 

 antler a single prong, about eight inches in length tjrowE 

 downward at an angle of fit) degrees. Another pnuu; gTQfl • 

 at (he base of this one anil curves closely around it in the Shape 

 Of a hook. There is also another, and independent hook. 

 hy the oilier which is about two inches in length. 

 There was anolher prong growing out of the base and on the 

 outside of the same antler, which bent back over the long 

 prong, with the point resting between the antlers on the fop 

 of the deer's head, hut unfortunately this was broken oil at 

 the time the deer was captured. Deer hunters say that in 

 their experience they Have never seen such a singular for- 

 mation of the anflers/^ 



Game Biros at Sea.— Editor Forest mid Stream: We left 

 Havre. Oct. 39, at 7 A M., on the steamer Labrador. The 

 night following, as we came down the Channel, but out of 

 sight of laud, some two dozen small laud birds of various 

 species came' aboard the steamer; also, two fat plump rail. 

 They were carried out to sett with us, and occasionally look 

 Ions; flights away, hut always returned. The second day 

 the rail were so exhausted that they were caught in the hand 

 alive, as were also most of thesma'll birds. The rest perished 

 in a storm We passed through on the third day out. The 

 migratory quail sometimes become exhausted in crossing the 

 Mediterranean sea. and seek refuge on the ships; bul I have 

 never before in all my fifteen ocean trips, seen so many birds 

 come aboard pn leaving the coast of Europe.— Fa yetti; S. 



Itll.KS. 



I. unit: Gray Kaolk.— Shawneefowu. Ill , Nov. 30.— Col. 

 Wash; Callicol of Watlonborough, last Wednesday phot a 

 large giay eagle with a Spencer ride, making a clean center 

 shot at a. hundred yards. The bird is a magnificent specimen. 

 and measured seven feet five inches from tip to tip and 

 lhr:-e feet from beak to tail. The specimen was skinned and 

 stuffed by (!. .1. Lemen. of Bhawneetown, according to 

 directions given in the FOREST 4KB Stkkam. in a recent 

 issue. Its mate was shot the week before by Mr. Logau, 

 near the same locality, What would be the cost of mount- 

 ing such a specimen?— X. [The cost would be about $15 



or $80. | 



A Heavy Grocse.— Boston, Mass., Dee. 3.— Mr. John Q. 

 Hicknell, of East Weymouth. Mass. . who. by the way, is a 

 crack shot and a thorough sportsman, recently shot a ruffed 

 grouse that weighed two" pounds after the feathers and wings 

 had been taken oil'. Quail have been quite abundant in that 

 locality this season, the gentleman referred to having made 

 . ,,.,,,'her of good hags. — J. S. W. 



TllK Bohemian Waxwino. — Agricultural College, Ames, 

 Iowa. NOV. 38. — The Bohemian waxwiugs have, again ap 

 pearcd in considerable numbers. I have seen several flocks 

 that appear to be staying about here as though they had 

 settled for -the winter. Their last visit to this part of the 

 country w:is in the winter of 1-878-0, when they were quite 

 abundant.— F, E. L.Be-vl. 



Swali.ow-Tah.kd Kite ih Maine,— An ornithological 

 note of very unusual interest has just been communicated to 

 us bvCapt.Chas. Beiidire. He tells us that Mr. Maul v 

 Hardy of Portland, Maine, writes, that lie has just had word 

 of the capture of a swallow-tailed kite (ElnnoiiJts forfien in s) 

 in the but! breast, plumage, and thai the specimen hits been 

 preserved for him. 



$w\t Ufa*? *it& 0w/' 



PROTECTING GUNS FROM RUST. 



Pol. inning recently fiom a two years' trip abroad, 1 have 

 lsocii interested in reading the back numbers of Fuuest and 

 Stkeam, and particularly the discussion carried on a year or 

 two ago by sportsmen as to the best method of protecting 

 gun barrels from rust spots. Before going abroad I read up 

 the various authorities on the subject, but an the "doctors 

 disagreed," I rejected the rust preventer.-,, mercurial oint- 

 ment, shellac, and other things suggested, and chose B 

 method I had never seen mentioned, to" prevent my Weliiey 

 breech-loader and Bhellon auxiliary rifle from rust during 

 ray absence, M> gun bad seen pretty hard service for two 

 w inters in Florida, three and four years ago, and the barrels 

 w en- somewhat "freckled" when 1 put it away. But I put 

 corks in the breech end of the barrels, melted some pure tal- 

 low and poured in, corked up the muzzle, smeared some 

 t dlow on the outside, rolled the barrels up in half a dozen 

 newspapers and packed away in an attic After read- 



ng the discussion referred to, I proceeded with fear 

 and doubt to examine iny euta. Pouring some warm 

 water upon the barrels the long stems of "tallow slipped 

 out — I hope, nobody will lie "wicked" enough to suggest 



hat they might have been utilized for candles — and 1 found 

 mygun 'looking rather better than it did when I put if away, 

 and it seems to me as if some of the blemishes were either 



magnified in. my UtemoTyor have dwindled by lime and tal- 

 low. I took the precaution not to have the tallow loo hot 

 when 1 filled the barrels, so as lo avoid any possible injury 

 to the gun And hereafter, when 1 want to pot mygun 

 away for even two or three months, L shall put my trust in 

 tallow. M. II- B 



EAST tlRiMriEi.ii. BfBSS., Nov. 33. 



MY OLD MUZZLE-LOADER. 



[K TWO PARTS— T>ART 1. 



r piIE editorial in Forest and Stream of November 8. 

 J 1888, on Hie "Old Gun," recalled so many pleasant 

 memories connected with our old muzzle-loader, that 1 can- 

 not refrain from recording a lew of. I hem to the honor of the 

 cherished piece. Yes, this ancient friend aud Companion 

 has been the apple of my eye; it is still so dear to my heart 

 that 1 mean to keep it. as long as 1 live-. 



The editor's remarks on I hat new breech-loader are echoed 

 in my heart, but when he touches up so glibly those happy 

 memories of the , ancient muzzle-loader, every fibre vibrates 

 and thrills with magnetic sympathy. Yet. the unbidden teat- 

 will start from the eye when 1 contrast the shiny appearance 

 this Westley Richards presented to my admiring gaze some 

 thirty-three years ago. Then she was a beauty — the slock so 

 elegantly finished, with its drop of three and one-quarter 

 inches, and barrels so nicely adjusted as to come to the eye 

 with the most perfect balance, that I had only to glance 

 over them and follow the bird with the eyes; intuitively 

 the gun kept pace with the object; aud when the forefinger 

 pressed those delicate triggers' there was a quick, angry ex- 

 plosion, and a (loud of feathers rose, while the victim bit 

 the dust, as if an electric shock had withered it into a lump 

 of lifeless flesh. 



Beltie. as 1 named her after mv first love, never missed 

 vcr failed to kill in reasonable distances if held on the 

 object. Her reasonable distances were most uncommon ones 

 for other guns in early times. It was my usual custom to 

 give mv friends the shot. If they failed, then Bettie told her 

 deadly tale, antl there was meal.' A hundred yards, and up 

 lo 143 yards fairly measured, I once made one of the hap- 

 piest shots I ever' made. ft. happened in this wise. Just 

 eighteen veaM ago I asked Gen. E. liirbv Smith for a fur- 

 lough to go hunting. He knew mv passion for the chase, 

 for "he loved it as dearly as I did. ' For three long years 1 

 had been in service, and not a moment had 1 had as a fur- 

 lough, The application was granted For fifteen days. My 

 body servant was 10 drive a six-lliule wagon with plenty of 

 eatables, and with two faithful soldier comrades I set out 

 from Marshall. Tex., to go to Moore's < ross Roads in Bowie 

 county, not far from the present town of Texarkana. My 

 man Sandy rode by my side and carried my rifle and my big 

 Greener, while the faithful Bettie Richards, laid across the 

 saddle, was ever ready to speak and bite. Oh ! what a beauty 

 she was then; weight, ; pounds; barrels. 32 inches; bore, 14; 

 made of the finest and most malleable wire steel 1 ever 

 saw; not a scratch about her; sleek, nice and fresh, as if she 

 had never been used, instead of having seen twelve years of 

 hard service. 



Deer were too numerous to talk about. One could find 

 them anywhere, every mound covered with sumac bushes 

 bad a small herd of them lying I In-real, sometime of theday. 

 Six days had we hunted, and thirty-nine line fat deer had 

 fallen to our shots aud been brought to camp by Sandy! The 

 sixth daywe planned a big hunt, inviting half it dozen of Hie 

 citizen hunters to join us. We were to form a V, and to 

 breast on the west side of the road that leads from Sulphur 

 Fork Ft riy to the cross roads, aud our calculations were 

 made to bag no less than, twenty deer that day. Our own 

 pack of eleven fleet and untiring hounds had been largely 

 increased by several neighborhood packs. The new dogs 

 infused fresh animation in our jaded pack, and when a whoie 

 herd of deer bounded up shortly after we left camp, there 

 was a war of music that would almost, have raised a, dead 

 hunter from the grave. The deer separated, aud even - dog- 

 seemed to pursue his own deer. By agreement we were not 

 to break our V until we had passed over a certain place 

 where it was thought we would be nlosl successful in "jump- 

 ing" and getting near shots. 



Tin; dogs dashed off in front of us, but in a short time 

 three of them tiuued hack and brought ahead of them one 

 of those old horny heads that always love to play a trick on 

 the hunter. He expected by returning in his track to find 

 us gone, and he would be safe. He only made a slight mis- 

 calculation, as many a mortal makes. The three hound; 

 pursuing him belonged to me. aud wen- beaded by Countess, 

 a yellow-tan, that was swift as a ghost, and vindictive as. a 

 bull-terrier. The buck passed inside the V, receiving both 

 barrels of the man on the right flank. Then be dashed down 

 in easv shooting distance, getting a double shot from each 

 man until he came to the one in the fork. From him he 

 got two shots and a tremendous fright that drove him up the 

 left arm of the V, getting double shots from each as he flow 

 along in terror-stricken speed. The dogs became doubly 

 animated', Countess opened every bound in full sight and 

 not a hundred yards behind him, while a soul-eulivening 

 yell came from each hunter after firing, and again as the 

 dogs passed by him. There were eight of us. some one hun- 

 dred and fifty yards apart, making it nearly half a mile 

 across the flanks from the extreme points. I hail stopper! 

 mv mule, old "Gray Tom," steady under fire, as if he were 

 both blind aud deaf, as soon as the first shot was heard. 1 

 was just beginning I he ascent of a gently sloping ridge, with 

 grass and brush not high enough to hide a deer, aud in a 

 good position for the run of a deer were it to descend, but 

 father too far for a shot were it to take the top of the ridge. 

 Fourteen heavy guns in quick succession, with the shouts 

 of Iho hunters 'and the tierce yelping of the hounds, had 

 almost, distracted Sandy, wbo was seated on his horse ill easy 

 distance to baud mo the rifle should I need it. 1 must 

 honestly confess thatl f t<i0, was powerfully excited: and 

 who would not lie under such circumstances? The buck 

 and dogs were kept from sight by a thicket of nine, and 

 w r ould not be seen unless the deer should keep iho top of Hie 



me dowu the descent. 



Old gray Tom had become inspired to the degree of raising 

 his head from I he grass, and with one ear thrown forward", 

 the other back, he seemed to drink in the roar as if it did 

 him good all over. Quickly 1 saw him turn his bead to the 

 top of the ridge, lake a fir m er stand on r]ic ground, as if to 

 brace himself for the coming shot, and then there was a 

 glimpse of something blue Hying rather than running, 



"Take de rifle, *' whispered Sandy. "Ye can't took him, 

 Massa. with your little Bettie." "No," said 1. "Bettie will 

 kill oi wound so Countess will catch him see if she doesn't,'' 

 and 1 turned Tom so as to _ -hot. Never have 



1 seen a deer making such speed before, with head elevated. 



horns thrown back on his shoulders, body stretched to the 

 utmost extent, he was going so fast and so low tothe ground, 

 lis to appear a deer of small size. "Hand me the rifle should 

 I miss," was whispered to Sandy, as 1 threw up Beltie with 

 my one arm. carrying her full thirty feet forward of the 

 terror-struck animal, and sonic six feet above. The right 

 barrel cracked: instantaneously the buck sank to the ground, 

 falling on his right side with a crash audible to us that dis- 

 tance. By the' lime we could give one blast of triumph 

 from our horn. Countess, was fastened to his throat. None 

 but a hunter can realize the jov 1 felt as 1 said lo Sandy, "1 

 knew Bettie would nol disgrace herself, and won't I crow 

 over those olher fellows." 



My wonderful shot was seen by several others, and when 

 the distance was actually measured it proved lo be MM yards. 

 1 always shot nine buckshot— three chambers and three to a 

 chamber — using two Ely felt wads over powder aud a card 

 board wad over shot, 1 had a mould made to mould eigh- 

 teen shot on each side, so that it was not troublesome to 

 make my owu shot. Then, too, 1 always believed My 

 moulded "shot killed longer distances. The buck was struck 

 with three shct.onebreaking the neck, another passing through 

 the lungs and the third breaking the back above the hips. 



Several due offers were made for Bettie. She was "Miss 

 Bettie Richards" at that time, and money could not buy 

 her. She was ".Madam Bettie" about ten years ago, but 

 now she is "Old Bettie"— like her master, used up, good for 

 notliing, unsightly— but we will never part, old lady, loo 

 many bright memories cluster around vou. Aly grandchild, 

 a sturdy little boy, points to the ureal 'brass band that holds 

 the shackling stock together, and says, "pretty, pretty," and 

 wants to handle it. bui it i- forbidden fruit. 'Precious in my 

 sigtri is tbeold battered hulk, even more so Mian when I killed 

 that buck. I am getting on too fast. Three rousing blasts 

 brought up every hunter. The fine shot was discussed, aud 

 each endeavored to excuse himself for missing. "Ah, gen 

 tleuien." said 1, "there wasbutotte thing thai prevented your 

 killing him. you did not make, allowance for his speed; vou 

 shot, behind him. I thought of this and fired thirty feet 

 ahead, with the result you see. Never shoot at a deer or 

 bird making uncommonly fast time with a hope, of killing. 

 Calculate your distance "from the object and its speed and 

 then, with due allowance, you will strike the game every 

 Shot." This was a deer of "unusual size— a very old one, for 

 his mouth was getting quite gray, while the body was very 

 blue. He had seven points on one horn and five on the 

 other, but the beams were unusually large. I did not joke 

 my companions for their failure. "but Sandy made up the 

 silence on my part. He was decidedly overcome with joy. 

 never failing to praise his master. Five more deer we bagged 

 that day, making over forty -five all told iu one week's hunt, 

 Our two soldiers succeeded in killing thirty, which made 

 the sum total of seventy -five fine deer. "The skins and hams 

 brought back to Marshall to our ordnance works attested the 

 number bagged. 



Our citizen friends planned a bear hunt for the. next week 

 in the Bed River bottom, above its forks with the Sulphur. 

 We accepted their invitation, struck camp the nextmorn- 

 ing. and that night camped near the plantation of a Or. 

 Booker, whose son joined us the next day and remained 

 while we were there. Bear were very plentiful ; we could not 

 go out of gunshot of the camp without getting a start . Bul 

 they were so poor, and the cane so heavy and dense, our dogs 

 could not bring one to bag or to tree." One suckling cub was 

 caught aud killed by the dogs, the lotal result of a three days' 

 chase. We were satisfied and struck camp, and 1 rolled back 

 home before my furlough expired, and was there congratu- 

 lated on the birth of a child during my absence. 



But 1 am digressing — overlooking the deeds and good 

 qualities of old "Bettie. Ah 1 me. I shall never forget the 

 time 1 how r she saved me from the ferocious jaws of an old she 

 bear. 1 can see the brute now, as with mouth wide open, 

 her huge red jaws foaming with white froth, the great ivory 

 tusks glistening like stars, when she rushed upon me with 

 an appalling roar. iSto help was near, no way to escape in- 

 stant deatlCexcept in a sure shot from Bettie. "What if she 

 Were to miss fire — death stared me in the face. Bettie was 

 thrown lo the shoulder, my eyes looked over the deadly bar 

 rels. the forefinger rested on the right trigger. One bound 

 more was made, the head was elevated as if she thought of 

 seizing me by the throat. She was within four feet when the 

 finger tightened, there was a deadly explosion, for Bettie 

 never failed to fire. That ball and buckshot cartridge crushed 

 through the open month, striking and uiijointing the neck 

 bone. With terrible force she fell where 1 was standing, hut 

 I had sprung aside, and instantly Bet tie's left barrel roared, 

 and that monster's brains bespattered the ground and I was 

 saved, but my nervous system was shocked, so that I did not 

 get over it for some time. My pack of dogs had caught one 

 of this bear's cubs, audit w T as crying most piteously when she 

 rushed up for its prtcction. Have 1 not good cause to cher- 

 ish that never-missing-fire gun, my deal old Bettie? 



Another good shot, and a wolf hunt looms up before me 

 with a train of thoughts dove-tailed, and falling into line. 

 so soldier-like, that I cannot refrain front relating it. 



Several years, after the late "unpleasantness," I", received ,i 

 note from" my brother-in-law, Robert X. Hunter of Dallas 

 county, Arkansas, asking me to go over and join him in a 

 wolf hunt, as he had discovered the thicket where two ok! 

 ones Lad reared their young, then about two-thirds grown. 



This was enough. Old Tom. my gray rnule, wassaddled, 

 .Miss Bettie cleaned and oiled, aud the pack of thirteen hounds 

 all coupled in pairs, except Countess. She was tied and led 

 for fear of her running off before I could get to the place ap- 

 pointed for us to meet. 



"Cunning as a lox." is the old adage, but it applies as well 

 to the wolf.' Mr Hunter informed me ihat the two 0lfl she 

 wolves had reared their young nol half a mile from hishousc, 

 that his flock of sheep pastured every day around them, 



Were driven al night info the field adjoining the thicket, and 



while constant depredations on flocks some distance from his 

 house were made, yet he had not lost a. sheep. Now, was 

 not this a near approach to reason? — it was mure liiae , 



e - wile equal to auy that a fox plays, and partakiu j il 

 human reasoning. Were oue of his sheep killed, these ' 

 knew it would lead to their discovery, most certainly to their 

 being driven away from that portion of the count PJ 8 id 

 very likely to their being killed. Furthermore, he stated lie 

 had never heard a wolf "howl in his neighborhood, while il, 

 was a nightly occurrence in other portions of i ho e.ouutn . 

 A fortuitous accident led him on foot into this dense, 

 marsh) thicket that morning before breakfast, and he. had 



discovered on a piece ol hammock gti 1 the place where 



they bedded aud the play grounds of their young ones. From 

 the.' tracks freshly made, in the oozy sod. be was of the 

 Opinion there were -one. dGZeh voung and two ole in 

 Countess was the only strike dog for wolves in our pack 



