Dbo. 20, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



411 



1 ove to dwell upon them, as each scar on the gun arrays 

 every one in its turn, as if it were hut yesterday I livid in 

 that, most, hospitable, most enchanting place 1 ever saw — 

 Santa Rosa of Sonoma Valley. It is one of the loveliest 

 planes on earth. Dear, very dear, are the people I knew when 

 I lived there, aye, the place is the oasis in the dreary desert 

 of my life. 



Let me get back to the times when Madam Bettie Changed 

 to Old Bettie. Something was wanting to be done to the, 

 locks, and I sent my young hopeful from where I was living 

 near I'lano, Texas, to' take it lo Mr. Burton, a most excellent 

 gunsmith in Dallas. It was night before the work was done', 

 a terrific? thunderstorm came up before he could get home. 

 The distance bo had to ride, was sixteen miles. While pass- 

 ing through Mat, Caruth's long lane, thalblack, sticky, waxy 

 mud a foot or more deep, the rain pouring down, and the 

 hour being 10 o'clock P. M., his pony fell, and great and 

 calamiious was that fall! Rider and horse were both injured, 

 as they fell on the miserable punching across a mud hole. 

 Bui alas! for the beauty of the gun. Its handsome stock was 

 broken square in two behind the locks at the small part of 

 the pistol grip. The poor half-drowned boy was a longtime 

 in finding the pieces, and groped about in Fruitless efforts, 

 until a great flash of blinding lightning enabled him to find 

 them. It was 3 o'clock in the morning when he got 

 home and told Ilia sorrowful tale. His young heart was 

 nearly broken, but 1 consoled him by telling him accidents 

 would happen, and he could not be blamed. Oh! it went to 

 my heart as I thought over (he happy times I and Bettie had 

 enjoyed, and now to think her beauty'was spoiled, her strength 

 gone, and to know she would never be the same handy gun 

 that she had been! 



T was about to move to Austin to live, and so carried the 

 broken stock to Mr. Petmesty, one of the best, gunsmiths in 

 the State, who banded and repaired the damages as well as 

 possible. 



Some fine shooting I had around Austin— one especially 

 that looms up before, me very vividly. Near the fair grounds 

 I found a covey of eleven partridges. After the first shot, 

 they flew into a. stubble field, adjacent, to the Insane Asylum. 

 Old" Bettie, true to old associations, had not missed a shot 

 eight had fallen and been put in the game bag, three more 

 hud flown up a hedge next to a farm, whose owner did not 

 permit any one to shoot on his premises. Bangs, my setter, 

 came to a dead point, the birds were flushed, two fell to my 

 shots; but one survived; and (hat one flew into the forbidden 

 field. 1 watched it and saw it light close to the hedge. Tbe 

 owner hud come from his house into the field to watch 

 whether 1 should invade his grounds, I wanted that bird. 

 in fact, I was longing for it; 1 wanted to tell my brother 

 sportsmen of what success Iliad; I wanted to boast .a little 

 bit to Oapt. Billy Pitts and Major Riley, of how I found 

 eleven birds, and killed the entire eleven without missing a 

 shot; good shooting for one with two arms, but capital for 

 one whose left stump was not three inches long. An idea 

 came iuto my head lo make that owner flush it, and most 

 likely it would tly back into the field from which it flew. J 

 caKed hiru to come to the hedge, engaged him in conversa- 

 tion, and gradually got him to keep pace with me until he 

 came near where the bird had pitched down. As I antici- 

 pated, lie flushed the bird, and crossing over to my side of 

 the hedge, it fell a vielim lo the pellets. I was satisfied, the 

 bird was bagged, and that evening I had a nice time in re- 

 counting the morning's sport to my friends in bragging just 

 a lit te bit, how I outwitted the old fanner. 



One more fact of Old Bettie's good shooting qualities and 

 I um done. One morning in November, who should be 

 ushered into my sanctum but Mr. Sampson B. Wright, only 

 son of my fiiend, W. M. Wright, one of the '49 pioneers of 

 the Golden State. Ca|it. Billy A. Pitts invited us down to 

 his ranch, some twenty-five miles below Austin, to lake a 

 hunt. 



Hangs and Old Bettie made my outfit, the other two gen- 

 tlemen took care r.f themselves. We arrived at night and 

 had a hunt the next day. Such a glorious huut it was, too. 

 The best, day's shooting ever I did, even in my youth, and 

 with two stout bauds, 1 never beat it. My game bag con 

 tained, when I got, back, thirty-eight, partridges out of forty 

 simile shots all told that day. Where is the one-arm man 

 that, can beat i t V I did not pick chances, but shot at every 

 opportunity. My tuck was too good for some mishap not In 

 nceur. We started back in the night. A bright moon was 

 shining. While crossing a small creek we discovered a hall 

 dozen or more animals that we took to be deer running 

 across our road. The guns were got ready, but they proved 

 to be wolves, and we did not get a shot, I kept Old Bettie 

 by my side, to be ready to shoot should any game be seen ; 

 and alas! i went to nodding. The gun fell out of tbe hack 

 and again had her stock broken. It was patched up by a 

 young"Swede, a very ftae workman, who did good work but 

 cheated me most awfully. His nickel metal plate that 

 handed the stock and held it tightly together proved to be 

 galvanized brass of most odorous smell. 



It is enough. My feelings have been wonderfully wrought 

 upon by relating what I have written. Old Bettfe is done 

 for; she" has seen her besl days; the last are uearing to a 

 close. She lias been my companion for many a year. Eight 

 hundred and three deer have fallen victims to her charges. 

 countless birds and squirrels and water fowl, with several 

 bears, and many a wildcat and turkey thrown in for good 

 measure. Ghorue D. Alexander. 



Mwden, La. 



Notes from the Deer Lodge Vallev. — Anaconda, 

 Mont,, Dec. 8.— Editor Forest and Strmm: A few days 

 ago 1 caught, a duck on the ice of Silver Lake, fifteen miles 

 up the canon above here, and about 8,500 feel, above sea 

 level, of the following description: Jet black in color, ex 

 cept white lip on wings, showing only when spread, and 

 small white crescent under each eye; bill and feet red, feet 

 large as u goose, very short bill, aid of the most untamable 

 disposition. It resents any efforts at friendship, and refuses 

 food or eats hut very little. There is a round opening at 

 nostrils, through which a pencil might be passed from one 

 side to the other, it, is about the weight of a mallard, but 

 shorter and broader. It was unable to fly, but vet appears. 

 strong, always ready for a fight. What sort of duck was it? 

 Three large mountain sheep and an elk were' brought into 

 ibis market last week. Black and white tail deer have 

 been very plentiful. There is a species of animal in the high 

 ranges of I his vicinity that, is quite numerous, it is called a 

 mountain goat, by local hunters. The wool is as white, fine 

 and long as an Angora's, and the animal is of great size and 

 weight. I think its range is small and the animal very rare. 

 It fmpieutly weighs 300 pounds, and 1 have seen one here in 

 captivity that weighed more. Some call them mountain 

 ibex, which I think is wrong as they have only small pair 



horns like an ordinal v goaf. English hunters secure them 

 in this vicinity every fall and take home the head and pelts. 

 Of the bighorns and elk they lake home the heads and ant 

 lers, leaving the meat for the (Tildes — Kramo. [We infer 

 from your description that, the duck is Ihe common velvet 

 scoter {Q2$emfat fmeti), a species cxtemely abundant along 

 our Atlantic seaboard, but nol common on inland waters. 

 What is commonly called the 'white goat" in the northern 

 Rocky Mountains" is neither a goat nor an ibex, but an EUOte- 

 lope (AplacePUt cohirabianu.-i), although it bears a. superficial 

 resemblance to a goat,] 



North C.vum.ts \ — Belvidere, ST, . Dec. 3 — Game iu 

 this locality is seemingly quite abundant this season, though 

 my "outings" have thus far been few and far between. Gieaf 

 has been my disappointment in not being able lo get off on a 

 deer hunt in the vicinity of Hieksford, Va. A letter from a 

 fiiend in that locality informs me that, the deer, so numerous 

 there early in the season, have almost entirely disappeared — 

 a deadly disease known as "black tongue,'" having killed 

 nearly all the cattle, as well as deer, however, not to be 

 entirely outdone in the line of burning, we have put in some 

 days driving the reedy marshes bordering on the great 

 "Dismal Swamp," and some eight or t«S tine deer have 

 fallen to our guns. A fine young buck falling to my 28in. 

 12-hore Coll gun, a few days since, said gun putting three 

 No. 2 buckshot entirely through the head at thirty-five yards, 

 while runniag at full speed. (Accident, perhaps!" true, 

 nevertheless). The boys went out again yesterday, and, I 

 hear, killed an extra fine buck, very large and fat. Business 

 prevented me from making one of the party, and great, was 

 my vexation on learning that they had succeeded in captur- 

 ing "my buck," as I had chased "him nearly a whole day, 

 only a week since, and failing to get a sh'ot had planned 

 another hunt for to-morrow. Haven't tried the quail as yet 

 on a "regular hunt," hope to do so in a few days, they are 

 quite plentiful in some fields. — A. F. R. 



South Otster Bay, Long Island. Dec. 7,— Quite a num- 

 ber of sportsmen visit me, and they have, as a general thing, 

 good success. Ducks are plenty in the hay at present, but 

 the weather is too line for good sport. We want a good 

 south or east wind for good duck shooting. Rabbils are 

 plenty. A party out yesterday killed sixteen rabbits, four 

 gray squirrels and two' quail.— Geo. Ktllvn. 



Professor Baird has expressed an interest, iu them. We hope 

 that these rare and beautiful fish will not be widely scattered, 

 but that they will be kept half a dozen or more in some 

 i :> , here they may bred, if possible. 



j|#r mid §liver fishing. 



THE KING-HI-O. 



MANY of our readers will remember the beautiful speci- 

 men of Japanese goldfish, bearing the above name, 

 which was exhibited at the late New York Aquarium. This 

 specimen was imported by a tea dealer of Baltimore, who 

 refused the repeated offers of Mr. Coup for it, until at last it 



TROUT ING ON THE BIGOSH. 



TOE doctor's flies. 



4t "TVOCTOR, these 'ere flies o' your'n are awful small, 

 JiJ but they look neat." said Uncle Beu, picking up 

 two or three which lay on the window sill where we left, the 

 Doctor tying them iu "the last chapter of this truttaceous his- 

 tory, "I suppose tbe Uvul will suffer to-day, if they never 

 did before, how's that, Colonel'.'" 



"Perhaps so." replied the old polrlier, "but the flies are 

 nolbwg more nor less than the well-known 'black gnat, ' 

 and we all have specimens of them iu our fly-hooks. They 

 are good Hies sometimes, especially on a bright day when 

 the real insect is oil the water, but. of no use on a mill day 

 like this. I will use a large bright, fly. What do you thinkV" 

 This latter question to me. 



"O, 1 don't, know that 1 have ft&y opinion worth giving. 

 When (he Doctor litis given his I will probably split the dif- 

 ference and put OD flies of both kinds. Tell us about, the. 

 new Hi 1 ?, Doctor." 



The Doctor, who had been quietly listening, said: "The 

 new Hies are nol, the 'black gnat,' which is usually dressed 

 thick and short, with the body made of black ostrich feather 

 and the wings of a light feather and upright. On the con- 

 trary, my now flies are made of black wool, and instead of 

 wiug» are hackles. I contend that they are new and deserv- 

 ing of a distinctive name, which I intend to give them its 

 soon as I can settle on a proper one for Ihem " 



"Why not call them the 'bigosh'?'' suggested f. 



"All light," said the Doctor, "it's done, although 1 know 

 that yeu onby suggested it in order to ridicule my preten- 

 sions' to having invented a new fly. I'll name the new fly 

 'i lie bigosh' to spite you, because as you believe iu nothing 

 that I am aware of and have no regard for any thing not of 

 to-day, there is no reason to suppose that j ou'believe in my 

 new flies." 



"This is hardly fair, Doctor, it is true that I do not wor- 

 ship all the old duffers of the past, and you know by this 

 that 1 particularly refer lo your patron saint, Izaak Walton, 

 whose works are only read lort.be charm of their language 

 and never for inst ruction in angling, yet there are things to 

 be believed in and lo have regard for. 1 will have respect 

 for lb..- liies which you have tied, aud. consider to be new to 

 piseicapture, even though I think that an ordinary 'black 

 gnat' would do as wfel! There is no objection to ths fly 

 from tin artistic point of view, nor is there any from an 

 entomological one. In fact, there is but one fly "that is d>'s- 

 tateful to my sight, and that i ■ a semtt long-fibred hackle on 

 a small hook. This is a noiit ' ipt, whose name I do not 

 know, and you are aware I ha? [pride myself on my ignor- 

 ance of the "names of artiik'iU flies, most of which'look so 



was reported that $500 was offered and refused, when the 

 fish was loaned to the Aquarium tor a lUie. Its long lace-like 

 tail, which hung so gracefully, was little suited for rapid 

 progression, and it was evident that the fish had been pro- 

 duced by careful selection, and could not take care of itself 

 in a state of nature. 



Both the Japanese and Chinese have devoted much atten- 

 tion to the production of fantastic shapes in fishes, as they 

 have in art, and seem to delight more in surprises of this 

 kind than in the way of increasing the food fishes. These 

 king-hi-os have short bodies and large, projecting eyes, and 

 are triple-tailed, making them beautiful object for a parlor 

 tank. No doubt these peculiarities are the result of long and 

 careful selection of parents, as in the case of many of our 



domestic animals. Our illusl ration j 



fish. The body is a deep, golden rec . 

 like and semi transparent, and the dor 



es a good idea 



the tail is filmj 



ryla 



if the 

 ljice- 



and 



_ tting 

 lured which he started 



A few days ago 'Captoin Jones, of the 

 Oxfordshire, from Japan, brought 9 Hum 

 this country, as well as some of the curi'oi 

 which have projecting eves like a pair of 

 are also varieties of the' gold 

 over seventy specimens out of 

 with. The fish arc delicate, and special tanks were made 

 aud the temperature kept at the proper point. The fish were 

 fed with a bread made of egg aud rice, and. considering the 

 rough weather experienced on the voyage, the success in 

 transportation was as great as could tie expected, 



The fish arc now in the care of Mr. L. G. Blackford, Ful- 

 ton Market, where they arc in tanks 'lit by electric lights, 

 but what disposition will be made of them is nol vet known. 

 Some will probabh go to the .Smithsonian Institution, as 



unlike any thing iu nature, that no matter how many fish 

 are taken, with them there is a Peeling thai no self-respecting 

 trout shyuld lake a flv so clumsily made." 



""\\ hyshould a man pride himself on his ignorance of any 

 subject! That's what, I'd like to know," answered the 

 Doctor, looking at the Colonel for approval 



Knocking the ashes out of his pine, the latter answered the 

 look by saying: "The tact is, thai Mather is an abject 

 worshipper of Thad. NorrU. You may think that In- has no 

 reverence for anything, but it is plain to me that his old 

 friend is his standard "of all that is good in the literature of 

 Ashing, and if you will take the trouble to look in Norm's 

 'American Angler's Book,' I do not doubt you will find all 

 that has been said against your dies has been derived from the 

 chapter on fly-making iu Nonas. Our mutual friend. M.. 

 knows no more of fly lying than a frog does of the preces- 

 sion of the equinoxes. That he should pride himself on his 

 ignorance is not at all to his discredit, he has enough of it to 

 justify his vanity." 



■-■ anything that cools a fellow off , it is when he 

 has taken up the quarrel of another, and then the latter 

 "goes back on him," as the phtasegoes. The Colonel "sold 

 me short." and the sudden shock which one experiences on 

 being betrayed set the bruiu machinery at work to devise, 

 some plan of squaring tile account. The wheels flew rap- 

 idly, and amid their hum 1 could hear the lines of Mazeppa: 

 -But time at last sets all things BVpn, 

 A n<] ifwado uu1 watch the I uui 



Tllei-e a,-, r; 



Which eo.ili ..v.elo, if unfi 



Thep:e, 



.!.,,....- ■ ■ •:■ H| 



The most galling part of m. , e the Colonel was 



