Jan. to. 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



478 



lower growth in which towering broad-leaved ferns and the 

 famed flowering sfiruh fcHown as the manganitajM'edoroi- 

 noifed. As for the exhibit made by the human elei 



(he place it. was but trivial; the showing embracing nothing 



mcntloimble beyohda gniall village wherein we were qitar- 



■I meager sprinkling of outlying huts aud cab 



veutioi ■ ■■ i i ranches, and a fishery or two. 



■ mi ,.-, ,le shooting was furnished us. I scarcely need say, 

 by riH- \alicv ,ni:i\i. Notable abundant everywhere iu the 

 Gfolden State, the bird in question throve amain on tin's pro- 

 montory, being encountered id multitudes in nil parts of its 

 upland 'urea. With Ibis fact in our favor, tie' reader Will 

 probubh infer thai we hashed it on a scale of corresponding 

 amplitude. Bui this was in no wise the ease, aa in addition 

 to the famed aptitude for running with which the species 

 sver vexe> the sportsman, it now exhibited, in common With 

 most biidB of its class during the cooler months, a rare de- 

 gree of cunning ns well ns vigor of wing. Our bouts With 

 it were in the main of one set type, Coming upon a notice- 

 ahle gathering of the birds sunning themselves in an open 

 span or crossing our path inn locality of similar nature. We 

 hastened to" dismount and fie our horses, discovering in the 



in! (hi i proceedings ou our part had been taken 



by the game as a signal to start off on a headlong scamper 

 for the nearest cover. Making our way into the thicket 

 after the fugitive-, a nervous whistle usually sounded by 



them ai the lime apprised us that they were still lustily foot 

 Ingilawaj from us. and hence, hi oar endeftTOrs to over- 

 take ilii 'in 'and pill them up, we were of necessity committed 

 to not a little precipitous and wearing scramble. P,ut 

 pressing forward as best we could; we seldom failed 

 to flush the birds at last, although, so far as the greal ma- 

 jority of them were concerned, they were quite certain to 

 lake* tiie precaution to rise well cut of range, leaving us to 

 content ortrselves with such shooting as a few of the laggards 

 might offtT US. When convinced that we should be repaid 

 for the effort, we were of course prompt to proceed with a 

 insh agressive movement upon the game. But we could 

 seldom decide that this was to our advantage, as having been 

 the object Of our fire once, the birds generally adopted a 

 line ni tactics thai secured (hem from a repetition of the in- 

 fliction completely, either winging their way entirely be- 

 yond the point to be followed by our vision, or buiying them- 

 selves in the topmost recesses of some clump of colossal ever- 

 greens in tin- ficinitj where they were virtually sOCUTB from 

 detection. Hence, as a rule, we came out of an engagement: 

 with this biped relatively light-handed. Indeed, we regarded 

 ourselves as signally fortunate if the count of the bag reached 

 even a half dozen heads. If these returns > wfcre undoubtedly 

 of a meagre character, they were nevertheless uncomplain- 

 ingly accepted by us. The truth is. Whether from the season 

 or whatsoever other cause, the birds provided but indifferent 

 material for the pot, and in taking after I hern the chief end 

 sought by us was the practice they gave in snap-shooting, 

 -oaj wherein we were lain to consider that they filled the bill 

 is satisfactorily as we could rightly desire. 



Incur perambulation- aftei ''the valley quail, it was inci- 

 dentally a frcqueni experience with us to put up that long- 

 i tared giant of its order known to the naturalist as the Cali- 

 fornia,! bar.. In the popular parlance of the region, this 

 was the "jackass rabbit," antl ns I scarcely need say. it is 

 but one <»f several ol our hares of larger growth and more 

 elaborated patterned auricular appendages inmiliarly dis- 

 tinguished by this title. Like many of its'" kind, this sp 

 stirs abroad voluntarily only after 'nightfall, and passes lite 

 day in the shelter of its form. For the most part lis lied was 

 fixed hereabouts under a bush standing in the open, although 

 occasionally if couched itself among the herbage in the 

 woodland of thin overgrowth. Generally when we first 

 caught sight of the creature, it was within the distance of 

 thirty or forty feet of us and moving at lau moderate- speed, 

 ami 'when, if we were minded to attempt to bag it, we ex- 

 perienced, as will he surmised, but little difficulty in carry- 

 ing out our purpose. But it was wholly requisite that time 

 should be taken by the forelock' in the matter, 

 since realizing in' a moment or two the full 

 scope of the situation, the animal struck 

 out in a, series of leaps of genuine kangaroo pattern, and in 

 the twinkling of an eye whisked itself beyond the point 

 Where it had anything whatever to apprehend from us. Not 

 being disposed to take the word of others relative to their 

 gastronomic quab'Beatious. 1 for my part did my best al first 

 to cut short the earthly career of these creatures whenever 

 the chance came about. But at length, with the experience 

 derived from sundry trials of the eating they afforded, I was 

 led to see the error of my ways, The truth is, it must be set 

 down to t he lasting disparagement of this quadruped, that 

 gaslronomically considered it is a dead failure. Let the 

 cook deal with it in whatsoever fashion of his craft thai he 

 may, if invariably turns out that the product of his toil eon 

 sists or a mere mess of sawdust and fiddlestriugs. Having 

 duly mastered this fact at length, I joined with my friend 

 in recognizing that the starting of the rodent was to be re- 

 garded a.s a Welcome incident simply in a spectacular tiat^r, 

 and when as it chanced that I he presence ol our dog put the 

 animal fully to its mettle in taking leave of us, our observ- 

 ant attitude indeed me( with abundant requital. 



The California, gray squirrel was also to lie enumerated 

 among the fetal denizens of the uplands of the promontory . 

 and from time to lime we were prompted to try conclusion^ 

 wilh this creature. Although common to all the more 

 heavily-timbered portions of the area indicated, the animal 

 at this particular period was greatly given to frequenting the 

 redwood groves; the ripened seeds "of this tree eonstiti 

 specially prized article of diet with it. Learning in the 

 course of our rambles that a certain clump of redwoods, but 

 little distant from the village, was a resort in marked favor 



with the squirrels, this locality usually became the s 



our bouts With them, After the cardinal rule of this branch 

 ol spoil our visits to the (spot were timed early in Ihc day, 

 and as the use of both sorts of weapons was commended to 

 us, wa? added rifles to our Ordinary Outfit of shotguns. On 

 nenriii.e the clump we rarely failed to discover several squir- 

 rels in open sight on the ground benealh the trees, busied 

 with the search lor fallen seeds. These members of the 

 fraternity naturally claimed our earliest attention, and as, 

 with the exercise of due care on our part, thev were to be 

 approached within the distance of forty or fifty feet, our 

 favorite arm al the time was the shotgtui." 



With the finish of this preliminary skirmish we next set 

 ourselves, ol course, lo the task ot looking up shooting in 

 the tree", and when tile famed altitude of the reo , 

 borne in mind, it will be understood that the rifle was de- 

 clared to be the fittest weapon for the work. While engaged 

 In i he actual business of feeding, the squirrels mainly escaped 

 our notice. This was for the reason that in seeking their 

 fare they uaturally prosecuted I heir researches among the 



most luxuriant portions of Hie trees where the seed cones 

 grew, and so liepl themselves in mazes of leafage that were 

 virtually impenetrable lo the eye beneath. But when their 

 as sorer our opportunity came, for under these cir- 

 cumstances it was Lheil* Wonl to betake themselves to some 

 — posed 1 the sunshine, and wheie, having 

 stretched tin msclves dui al foil length, they proceeded to 



indulge MVauo rtabli nap, and thus offered n- i ice 



paratively open mark, if of dimensions that by the distance 



I to SOl'Hlyhariowing meageruess. Being as it 



thus was, work for the illustrious (Vptaiti Scott Of 'coon 

 aotoi ii i" depletion wrought by ns mortals of commoner 

 strain among I he ranks of these skyward slumberers, went, 

 as tuny be guessed, lo no \iay murderous lengths', .Never - 

 Ibeless we were now niid then so fortunate as to 

 we intended the bullet should go, and what with 

 Ihc results ol (he combined use of our fowling pieces and 

 rifles, the stay of on honr or two in the clump rarely failed 

 to yield us a sufficiency Of squirrels to tnrnish our table 

 later on with a mosl appetizing stew. Before dismissing 

 I lira from pur notice, a word should he said concern- 

 ing I In- rare physical attractions with which it is endowed. 



In U injection it is indeed dflScUll to overpraised, its 



figure being at once ample and of inimitably .graceful eon- 

 tour, while it boasts ol a light gray coat of the finest and 

 sightiiest description, and likewise of a brush, one with its 

 coat in texture and color, so generously patterned withal, 

 thai when earned upright after the usual squirrel habit, it 

 constitutes a veritable pennon. In brief , one finds in the 

 quadruped in question an example of creative Care and 

 finish that is literally one of a host, and takes the observer 

 noeiirdiiiglv. 1 need not, say that the tourist from the East 

 with a taste for outdoor studies regards his introduction to 

 this squirrel as a truly priceless experience, and henceforth 

 he boars an animal image in his mind that he intuitively 

 mates with the brook Imutnnd wood duck. 



W. L. TlFFAN\. 



SOUTH WESTWARD HO! 



IN consulting the columns of sportsmen's journals 1 am 

 surprised that the majority of sketches treat of field 

 aborts in the Bast and Northwest, The great Southwest is 

 decidedly one of the most inviting countries on the Ameri- 

 can continent for sportsmen to visit. If has the most de- 

 lightful climate in the world. At this writing wc stand on 

 the threshold of midwinter, and yet the weather up to this 

 period has been Q succession of pleasant days. The. mag. 

 uiticent {southern sun POUTS down its golden light and its 

 cordial warmth is upon all the landscape. The prairies, 

 ands and the softly sloping hills lie fold aftei fold 

 befon U veiled by the mosi transparent haze. The world 

 is bustling in sunlight, and the face of nature seems lighted 

 up with a benignant smile, Such a climate makes existence 

 a delight, 



H seems strange that, sportsmen should plan winter hunts 

 to the cold, inhospitable climes of the Northwest, when the 

 Southwest, with its mild and equable climate, offers -:> many 

 greater attractions. There is more game and of a greater 

 variety, and it is more easily hunted in 8tates like Texas, 

 Florida. .Mississippi and Louisiana than in the cold belt of 



■ , i.,,, - ; ■_ .Michigan. Wisconsin and the 1 

 hi the month of October there were published in the Fop.est 

 and Strkam a few hunting notes written by me frotn Deni 

 son. Texas. They were the means of 

 section two gentlemen, Mr. Simpson, of the - 

 Pennsylvania, and Mr. E. T. Bailey, who reside- in c,-,n- 

 necticut, -Mr. Simpson Las hunted 'in several of the North- 

 western Strife- at intervals for a number of years, and he 

 declares that this is the finest game country thai he over 

 visited. No latguage can explain his delight. "'Why," 

 said ii, if ihc sportsmen of the Northern and Eastern 

 States had every idea of what a magnificent country this is, 

 ihey would flock here in thousands! Michigan and Vi iscon- 

 sin are nowhere." Making some little allowance for Mr. 

 Simpson's enthusiasm, he echoed thesentiments of every one 

 who visits here from the North. It is a veritable paradise 

 'ii' - hi,. Cesas, which, is larger than all New Eng- 

 land, is comparatively an unsettled State, it seems that na- 

 ture has made it tlie natural Bsylumloi game. Its east trad - 

 of uninhabited country extending many hundred miles, af- 

 fords a. safe cover, and will for a uumher of years vet to come. 

 There are solitary woods that have never echoed the sound 

 of the pioneer's axe. There are immense wilds, where still 

 roam the elk, deer, bear and buffalo in all their native free- 

 dom. A country stretching Ln lonely monotony and silence 

 for miles away on every blind. 



1 am not an enthusiast, and endeavor to confine myself to 

 facts, but if some of my brother Sportsmen could "sit with 

 meat the camp-fire and listen loimtbful stories of came 

 thai I saw in a. day's tramp in Texas, thev would not, believe 

 their ears. It would he tlie story of the garden where naked 

 Eve and her consort were kissed and caressed bv the soft- 

 eye o deer that roamed, in unnumbered herds, the hills ami 

 valleys of paradise. I have seen deer so plentiful in Leon 

 county that (lie hunter could count a hundred in a dav. and 

 i lobe approached within a few yards without 

 showing any signs of alarm. The International Railway 

 has penetrated that section of country, the title of immigra- 

 tion has followed and we suppose "'the good old days" are 

 r \\ iiii the advent of the iron rail the game is 

 doomed, civilization is no| friendly to the inhabitants of 

 the Woods, 



The Texas and Pacific Hailwav penetrates the finest sec- 

 tion of game country in the Stales. There are rich wastes 

 where deer roam as in a boundless park, and antelope dot 

 the plains like stars in a midnight sky. Great flocks cf 

 ducks and geese- winter in the lakes and lagoons. On the 

 head waters of the Brazosthe bear, panther and Mexican 

 lion are frequently met ^ith. An old hunter who lived 

 there solitary and alone for two years in a log cabin deserted 



' nman, says that the' mountain streams abound 



with speckled trdut. There is an unbroken wilderness, ne- 

 glected waste,,, broad prairita too wide for the eve, to mea- 

 surc, rolling iu a -iicci-^ioii of grjceful swales. 'There (he 

 honey bee has established bis hive.. Wnat a -rand thing it 

 would he to cut, loose from civilization and spend a season 

 in the pathless and almost unknown country of the upper 

 Brazos. 



We cannot conceive a kind of lite more calculated to put 

 both mind and body in a healthiul tone. Hunting and war 

 parties of Comanche* sometimes tra verse the country, but of 

 late years th havi 10! disturbed the ranchmen, hunters 

 m! trappers, who are met there in isolated cases. On the 

 coast there are many surpassingly bjautiful sheets of winter 

 affording rare sport to the lovers" of the rod. Thousands of 

 water fowl, the wild goose and duck make these waters 



their home. It h the choice feeding grounds of the plover 

 and snipe* We believe that Bob White thrives better in 

 Texas than in most, States. We judge this from the. multi- 

 tude of coveys that fly up from every' held and meadow on 

 the approach of (lie sportsman. On the vast prairies that 

 stretch out like inland seas, pinnated grouse thrive and mul- 

 tiply. Florida is frequently mentioned by tourists as a 

 superior hunting country, but Texas is its peer, as those 

 will testify who have visited the two sections. 



A feature of the country are the open woods, Among 

 these openings are some of the most glorious landscapes of 

 the Southwest ; the scenery is, lor miles together, like that of 

 a fine park diversified by" hill aud dale, trees grouped and 

 single. Deer nnd wild turkey are numerous iti these post- 

 oak openings. There are two'kinds of wolves, the black and 

 prairie wolf, nnd the coyo'es, a smaller species, b< tween the 

 wolf and fox. "The march of civilization" as it. is called, ts 

 thinning out the game in many sections. I am progressive, 

 but every lover of field sports must look with sorrow upon 

 the encroachments of civilization which year by year creeps 

 toward Ihe setting sun. In a few years" the game, like the 

 Indian, will disappear from the face of the earth, and the 

 noblest sport, that ever excited the ambition of man will 

 exist in tradition and story only. 



No longer than nine years ago four day's navel from this 

 point would bring the wayfarer to the buffalo country, In 

 the Pan Handle country and the great grassy plains watered 

 by I lie Canadian, the Red River and their tributary streams, 

 the buffalo, the nob'.est game that was ever sacrificed to the 

 ardor of the sportsman, roamed wild and dw. Parties of 

 buffalo hunters made Denison their starting point, fhous 

 ands and tens of thousands of buffalo were lulled and their 

 bodies left bleeding on the plains. I have seen as many as 

 nine wagon loads of buffalo pelfs arrive here in one dav from 

 the Pan Handle region. Dcni.-on Sherman, Gahisville, 

 Fort Worth. Henrietta and Port Griffin wire the maris and 

 places of trade for the buffalo hunters. The success attend- 

 ing the business stimulated further enterprise, and an appar- 

 ently boundless field of profit was opened, Ex-Mayor 

 Whin, of this city, who turned " buffalo hunter, 

 told me that over two hundred camps were estab- 

 lished, Just imagine two and three men to every Camp. 

 each man killing some days as high as twi nty buffalo; is it, a 

 wonder that the buffalo has disappeared, and ili.it their 

 former haunts arc deserted and silent? The Indian killed 

 for food and raiment, the white man for profit, and bis grted 

 has well nigh exterminated the buffalo. The buffalo has 

 disappeared from Texas forever, and the hunting of this 

 noble game is a memory of the past. But, thank God, the 

 deer, the antelope, and in my estimation the most glorious 

 of all game, the wild turkey, will be left to us for many 

 years yet. There will be splendid sport for the lovers Of 

 dog and gun in Texas for the next twenty-five years. 

 Strangers can have no idea of the vast extent of the country, 

 and the immense amount of game within its holders. The 

 ideal hunter and trapperjof the prolific volumes of Cooper. 

 Irving and Parkman still roams our primitive woods; clad 

 in buckskin and moccasins, he still practices in a homely 

 manner the virtues of hospitality, the uncouth bui disinter 

 est: -d kindness and hospitality of tbe bonier. 



Old hunters are puzzled to account, for the large inci'eaSi 

 of game this season. Not for many yeais have deer and wild 

 turkey been so plentiful. To quote" a. veteran Nimrod, "the 

 woods are full of them." Our market is glutted with de- 

 licious venison and wild turkey. We are cursed with the 

 abominable market hunter and the netterof quail. I edit ft 

 sportsman's column in the Denison SHnrbiy timette, and am 

 waging a bitter war against the quail net ters; indeed, you 

 would say that my language is more forcible than polite. 

 The Denis'on Gun Club will petition our representative, Col. 

 Foster, to frame a game law for this county, and then our 

 sportsmen will make it lively for quail netters. There ore 

 game laws existing in some counties, but on paper only, i hey 

 are never enforced. We never beard of a person being ar- 

 rested for violating a game law in Texas, but the spoilsmen 

 of Denison are fully alive to the situation and are deter- 

 mined to put a stop' to the practice of killing game out, of 

 season, and other flagrant violations affecting the existence 

 of w ild game. 



If the sportsmen of our country do not do something for 

 the protection of game, and that right spculily, it is only a 

 question of a few years that field sports will 'be a thing of 

 i he past. Heaven bless you. Mr. Editor (don't, know your 

 name), for the noble stand that you have taken on the ques- 

 tion. I wish my arm was long enough to reach from Texas 

 to New York. I would take your hand in mine and say: 

 "Shake, on that; you arc doing a noble vork: never let up 

 until pot aud market, hunters, troul hogs, quail netters, 

 Yellowstone and Adirondack land grabbers receive their 

 just desserts." That is why I like your paper. It, has some 

 back hone. Mr. Editor, yon are a man after my own beatt. 

 You are the kind of man we bank on in Texas.' May your 

 sh-a:low never grow less. 



1 must tell you how we are situated in Denison. We are 

 only four miles from the line of the Indian Territory. The 

 beautiful, wonderful, Indian country which you have no 

 doubt; heard and read so much of.' Like Texas, it is the 

 natural borne of wild game. It is the hunting ground of 

 our people, aud nearly every day some of our citizens cms, 

 the line in pursuit of game. Hither live the Chiekasaws, 

 Choctaws. Creeks and .Cherokee* who have linked them- 

 selves with civilization. Here tie- Indian tribes pushed h& 

 yond the Mississippi have made their last stand. It is their 

 home, their country, and it will be a disgrace that will go 

 down to future ages if any legislation is enacted looking to 

 the openiug this country to white settlement. The tribes arc 

 governed by wise and' humane laws. They have school, 

 houses, places of worship, good houses, and as a general 

 thing are thrifty, in some future issue of the Fofest .vnd 

 Stream I intend to give my impressions of the Indian Terri- 

 tory, and correct many erroneous ideas that hold in regard 

 to this people. 



Do not the readers of the Fouest AND STREAM envy me 

 when f U 11 them that iu three hours' drive 1 can reach ouc 

 of the finest game regions in the United Slates? Some idea 

 may be loriued from the following: 



Last week a party -Of four hunters, Messrs. Black. Hal- 

 foul, Bacon and Mcintosh, who reside in the Territory, 

 went lo Eagle Lake, distant from Dtnlson twenty miies. 

 They were gone three days, and in that time rive deer aud 

 fifty-Seven wild turkeys were killed. Twenty-seven tm ke] s 

 were- shot on the roost" in one night. In the same locality 

 there are several lakes, aud if I was put on oath, I would 

 swear to fhe best of my ability, that 1 have seen more ducks 

 there than there are inhabitants of yoiir city. The numbers 

 would bewilder the oldest duck hunter. Anvwdiea- within 

 a distance ot five, ten and fifteen miles of Denisen in the 



