FOREST AND STREAM. 



would rest perfectly steady; but that would be opposed to the rule 

 which says, " No part of the rifle must rest on the ground, the ramrod 

 being a part. Yours truly, Jambs Adams. 



[We think that our correspond ent errs in his remark 

 that the lying positian brings all riflemen on an equality, 

 and that the shooting becomes merely a test of rifles. At 

 the distances at which the prone position is allowed the 

 nicest judgment as to elevation and allowance for wind is 

 required. As far as the use of the strap is concerned, 

 we published in our issue of the 9th inst., upon the au- 

 thority of a well known riflemen the following remarks: — 



"In the case of a military or other rifle having a sling, 

 there would be no objection to twisting it around the arm 

 or knee in firing. In Russell on "Rifle Practice" men- 

 tion is made of a well known shot, who fired while sitting 

 with the sling of his rifle around his left arm ana knee. 

 Still, the sling must be used as a sling only, and as attached 

 to the rifle. To use a Creedmoor rifle not made for a sling 

 when firing lying down, by attaching a strap to the trigger 

 guard, and passing a loop at the other end on the foot, as 

 shown in the photograph, is not using it as a sling, but. as 

 an entirely distinct apparatus, equivalent to an artificial 

 rest. I do" not think it would be allowed at Creedmoor." 



For our own part we look upon the increased use or 

 desire for adventitious aids in rifle shooting, as wrong, and 

 if perservered in, likely to result in much harm. — Ed. 



— Whether artillery practice on the Creedmoor principle 

 is exactly within our scope we are not prepared to state; 

 but our National Guard are following out what the volun- 

 teer service has been doing for some time in England. We 

 give place, then, to the following, taken from our exchan- 

 ges: "The new Parrott Rifle battery of the Twentieth 

 Brigade at Elmira, has started an artillery Creedmoor of 

 its own, at 1,200 yards. There are four sections in the 

 battery, and they commenoed practice Nov. 11th, at 1,200 

 yards, targets twelve feet square, bullseye three feet by six 

 feet, each section firing twelve shots in a high cross wind. 

 The result of the practice was as follows: Section I — 

 seven outers, five misses; Section II — one bullseye, four 

 outers, five misses; Section III — one bullseye, six outers, 

 six misses; Section IV — One bullseye, five outers, six mis- 

 ses. The examaple sefby Captain Walker's battery is one 

 to follow. In militia artillery accuracy of fire is the first 

 thing requisite, and by no means impossible of attainment. 



—The removal of Sharps rifle works from Hartford to 

 Bridgeport will be completed about the 1st of next Febru- 

 ary. The new works in that city are located about a mile 

 west of the railroad depot, and include three buildings, all 

 of brick. The main building is 250 by 40 feet, four stories 

 and a half high. The blacksmith shop is 160 by 40 feet, 

 one story high. The cartridge shop (including store room) 

 is 40 by 70 feet, and one story high. 



—The scores made by the members of the Yonkers Rifle 

 Club have not yet been beaten. 



imn* j§xg nnd %nn. 



GAME IN SEASON IN DECEMBER. 



Moose, Alee American™. Wild Turkey, Meleagris gaMomwh 



Elk or Wapisi, Cervus Canadensis. Huffed Grouse, Bonasa utnbellus. 



Red Deer, Cervus Virginianus. Pinnated Grouse, Cupidonia cupido. 



Caribou. Rangifer caribou. Quail, Ortyx Virginianus. 



Hares, Lewrince. Wild Ducks, Anatina. 



Game in Market.— The supply is still more scarce than 

 it should be for the season, the receipts of Western game 

 being extremely limited and prices continuing high. Ruffed 

 grouse sell for $1.25 per pair, while prairie chickens are 

 worth $1.50; quail bring $3 to $3.50 per dozen, mostly 

 Long Island birds; canvas backs are higher than when last 

 quoted, say $2.50 to $3.50 per pair. There are no red 

 heads in market, unless it be a few refrigerated birds. The 

 supply of ducks during the week from the Chesapeake 

 and Currituck has been limited; at the latter place gunners 

 say there are plenty of birds, but that the weather has been 

 too mild to bring them inside, and consequently there is 

 but little "flighting," Mallards are worth $1 to $1.25; 

 brant, $1.25; widgeon, 75 cents to $1; black ducks, 75 

 to $1; broad bills, 60 cents; teal, very scarce at 75 cents to 

 $1; geese, 75 cents to $1.25 each; hares, 75 cents per pair: 

 rabbits, 50 cents; venison, 25 to 30 cents per pound. 



—A party from Mineville, Essex County, K Y. : recently 

 killed in the North Woods, four deer, whose weight ranged 

 from 200 to 275 pounds each. 



A New Recoil Check for Guns.— This is an inven- 

 tion intended to check the backward blow of a gun by 

 neutralizing the effect of the recoil" through the medium 

 of a spring. Providing that the result would not be to 

 lessen the penetration of the gun the idea is a good one. 

 The illustration in our advertising columns explains the 

 principle upon which it acts. 



—At the November meeting of the Board of Supervisors, 

 of Green County, New York, a resolution was passed, 

 making it unlawful to kill rail or expose them for sale 

 between the 1st of January and 20th September, under 

 penalty of $25 for each bird. This excellent provision 

 was secured through the influence of prominent sportsmen 

 of Catskill, and will meet with general approval. 



—Messrs. Burwell (proprietors of the Ondawa hotel, 

 Schroon Lake Village), Pardo, and several other gentle- 

 men, have just returned from a hunting excursion to Crane 

 Pond, where they enjoyed glorious sport for several days. 

 But think of camping out when mercury stands 20° below 

 zero! They brought out several deer, numerous ruffed 

 grouse, and other small game. 



Pigeon Shooting.— Ira A. Paine and Miles Johnson 

 shot a match on Monday last, at Dexter Park, on the Ja- 

 maica road, Long Island. The conditions of the match 

 were, to shoot at seventy-five single rises, each to furnish 

 half the birds, for $250 a side, English rules, twenty-seven 

 and a half yards rise. The match resulted in favor of 

 Paine by the following score: — 



Paine-l 011101111 1001111 Johnson— 1111111111101 

 llllllOOlOllllllllOlllllllllOlllOlOHOOllOlll 

 1111 111 11) 01 1001 11 110 111 1010101 100111000 10011 

 0110 11111 1— Killed 56; missed II 1111110 11 1— Killed 50; 

 16. jmissed 20 



— Capt. Bogardus has accepted the challenge of Mr. 

 John G. Clark, Jr., of Dallas, Texas, to go to that State 

 and shoot a field match at quails. The champion also 

 publishes a counter challenge to Mr. Clark, inviting him 

 to come to Illinois and shoot a*match at prairie chickens. 

 -^',*- 



MOOSE IN THE MEGANTIC BASIN. 



December 6th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



After the thaw here November 25th and 26 h the weather suddenly 

 chanfied cold, and bade fair to make a hard crust on the snow, favorable 

 for hunting moose. On the evening of the 27th the writer and a friend 

 from Long Island stood at the railway station in Robinson anxiously 

 awaiting French's team to convey us to Scotston. After a pleasant drive 

 of an hour and a half we reached Scotston, where we found Archie Mac- 

 Donald, who was to accompany us as guide and trail leader. Early the 

 next morning we drove up the Megantic road to a camp situated at 

 the base of the northeastern part of the mountain, built by Messrs. Low 

 and Pierrepoint, of your city. The first day we hunted in the swamps 

 and over the spruce ridges north and east of the camp, but saw no signs 

 of either moose or deer. The next morning we crossed over the moun- 

 tain into the busin, where we soon found a moose yard, but there was 

 little or no crust on the snow, which was at least two and a half feet 

 deep, which made it impossible to run them with our dogs, or to still 

 hunt them successfully, as our snow shoes would sink into tin snow with 

 a crackling sound at every step we took. This would alarm them, and 

 keep us from getting a shot. We however satisfied ourselves that there 

 are an abundance of moose in the upper parts of the basin. The low 

 alder flats along the brook is one immense deer yard. We there shot a 

 fat buck to replenish our larder. Should there be a heavy fall of snow, 

 or a thaw, and settle the present snow, so that it would be possible to 

 use dogs, there could be some rare sport had in that basin befoi e the 

 close season (February 1st) commences. In croseiug over the mountain 

 from the camp we mounted a peak to the left of the trail, where we had 

 one of the finest views imaginable of the surrounding wilderness. North 

 and east of us lay a long stretch of level country, dotted with small 

 lakes, whose waters must be teeming with speckled beauties, and many 

 of them as yet unvisited by the "knights of the rod." Nearly due north 

 we could see Nicolet Mountain, and to the right of it, and farther away, 

 the St. Francis. Both mountains are near lakes of the same name. In 

 the east were seen the boundary mountains, with lakes Megantic and 

 Spider at their base. "Under our feet, at the south, we had a birdseye 

 view of the basin, with the main mountain in the rear for a high back- 

 ground. At the west we caught occasional glimpses of the Salmon 

 River, near the "still waters, 11 and back of the river the forests of Ditton 

 and Newport, with the eastern township mountains in the far distance. 

 I must again protest against parties who come here from New York or 

 elsewhere paying those that they employ here such exhorbitant prices. 

 This was a cheap country for sportsmen, and woula remain so if you 

 New Yorkers would refrain from pajing Adirondack prices. A man 

 here is willing to work with his team for three dollars, and you come 

 here and pay him ten dollars, and also pay the men who act as guides 

 two dollars, when they u*ed to be well satisfied with one dollar or a dol- 

 lar and a quarter per day. You may be able and willing to pay ?uch 

 prices, but in so doing you do a great injury to us brother sportsmen 

 who are not able to pay such fancy figures, for after you have establshed 

 such rates we must either pay them or abandon our old sporting grounds. 

 Perhaps you are not aware of the cheapness of labor here in this district, 

 or perhaps you have been imposed upon by those whom you have em- 

 ployed. If the latter is the case please inform me of it, and we will try 

 and remedy the matter at once. Stanstead. 



P. S.— We christened the peak where we had our view "Hot Draft 

 Peak, 11 as a strong current of warm air issued from a crevice in the 

 rocks near the top. S. 



We emphatically endorse the protest of our friend, which 

 is not without cause. We recall an in^iame tint came un- 

 der our personal observation on the piazza at Paul S.uith's, 

 in the Adirondacks, three years ago. u Moses, here!" called 

 out a prominent Brooklyn sportsman of wealth to his guide 

 who was passing, "if you'll drive a deer into the lake for 

 the Judge to-morrow morning I'll give you $20!" The 

 Judge sat near, and was doubtless pleased with the atten- 

 tion of his friend, the guides were tickled by the liberality, 

 the impecunious were awe struck by the display of wealth 

 that could afford so great a largess, the greenhorns gaped 

 in admiration at the prowess of the hunter, the latter en- 

 joyed the opportunity to patronize the judge and to have 

 his vanity gratified, the dogs liked the run, and in fact 

 everybody was happy except the poor fawn (as it proved), 

 which took the water and yielded the ghost in the scorch- 

 ing month of July. — Ed. 



. ■ # » . »■ — 



STILL HUNTING IN THE 



DACKS. 



ADIRON- 



Springfeu), Mass., Dec. 12th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



I have received a letter from Mr. Fenton, of No. Four, Adirondacks, 

 dated Dec. 6th, in which he narrates a hunting adventure which, I think, 

 would be interesting to the numerous sportsmen who read your valuable 

 paper. We quote:— 



"There has not been much hunting since I wrote yon, but J have been 

 out just three days and bagged three deer— I am mistaken, I have been 

 hunting four deys; it took me two days to kill one. The first day I 

 killed a three-year old buck. In about a week from that day there came 

 another favorable time for still hunting; the wind howled through the 

 woods, the trees clashed together, and the snow fell thick and fast. I 

 crossed the lake and entered the woods in search of new tracks of deer. 

 I traveled rapidly for two hours, when T came upon a buck's fresh tracks 

 where he had just risen from his bed and gone slowly on, feeding as he 

 went. 1 advanced cautiously, being confident that he was not far away. 

 I soon ran on to him, and as he raised his head I brought my rifle to my 

 shoulder and fired rather quickly. He wheeled at a light angle and made 

 a few quick bounds and stopped short. I brought the other barrel to 

 bear upon him, but he was too quick for me, for he sprang just as I 

 drew the trigger, and the ball passed harmlessly by him; he only made 

 a few jumps and then halted again. Ahl then if I only had had a 

 breech loader, I could load up again, but he was off. I felt sure ef him, 

 for the first shot must have given him his death wound. I struck across 

 the angle to his track, expecting to find blood on the snow where he ran, 

 but what was my chagrin to find none. What did it mean? It can't be 

 possible that I missed the first shot. I went back to where he stood, 

 and found some hair that the ball had cut from his side and carried it 

 twelve feet beyond, and never drew blood. But I soon found another 

 traek, made about an hour previous, which I took and followed perhaps 



one mile when, as I came over the brow of a hill, I met a monster buck 

 coming up the hill not fifty yards away. He looked much surprised to 

 see such a looking object as I was, and eyed me keenly. I quickly 

 brought my rifle to bear on the point of his shoulder and fired; but. he 

 was too massive for the penetrative powers of my rifle, for the bullet 

 smashed against his shoulder and was torn into a dozen pieces, break- 

 ing the shoulder bone, but penetrating no deeper. When I saw the na- 

 ture of the wound I knew I should have a hard hunt to get him. He 

 made no halt for a mile, when he laid down. I saw him and prepared to 

 give him another shot, but he anticipated my kindness and sprang to 

 his feet and made away at the top of his speed, on three legs, as fast as 

 most deer go on four. He now made for Beaver River, and I expected he 

 would cross it, but he only went to the edge of the water and ran back 

 into the woods, where I started him again without seeing him. He now 

 took directly up the river, and after pursuing him more than half way to 

 Wardwell's (the distance from No. Four to Wardwell's is eleven miles) I 

 g^ve up the chase. I had a very serious time in getting home, for dark- 

 ness came upon me when I was more than two miles from Beaver Lake, 

 It was fearfaily dark and I was completely exhausted. It would take a 

 good mathematician to enumerate the number of my falls. Once I came 

 to a perpendicular ledge of rocks, and in order to get down I crawled off 

 on to a tree which grew up from the base of the cliff, and slid down to 

 the bottom. I reached home at eight o'clock, weary and disheartened 

 over the misfortunes of the day. The following day, although feeling 

 foot sore and tired, I started at daybreak for the old fellow's track, six 

 miles away, which I reached at half past ten . I started him about a 

 quarter of a mile from where I left him on the previous ni^ht. All hope 

 died within me when I started him without even seeing him, and I saw 

 that he ran as fast as on the previous day. I knew that only strategy 

 could capture him, as it was so noisy under foot that I could not ap- 

 proach him without his quick ear detecting me. I well knew that he 

 would make for the river, and I pushed on with all possible speed to. see 

 if I could catch him in the water; but in this I was disappointed, for he 

 plunged in and got across without my even getting a glimpse of him. A 

 little way above, at a still place in the river, the ice was frozen across 

 strong enough to bear me. I crossed and kept well back from the river, to 

 come upon him in an opposite direction from wtiich he was expecting 

 me. I knew he would soon lie down after he came out of the water, and 

 in this I was right, for I soon saw him rise on of his bed and fly at fear- 

 ful speed through tho woods. Quick as thought I sent a bullet flying 

 after him, which struck him in the flank and passed forward, causing 

 him to fall, and after filing four more shots into him, I succeeded in 

 dispatching him. I have killed no larger deer in a longtime. The 

 saddles weighed 105 pounds." 



Yours for the woods, Frank Bolles, Jr. 



The above method of "still hunting" will receive no re- 

 monstauce from any sensible person, all hough some of our 

 correspondents have decried it. It tests the skill, strategy, 

 endurance, and general knowledge of a hunter more than 

 any other mode known. Indeed one has to work hard for 

 his venison. 



ANOTHER DEER CHASE. 



Savannah, Ga., December 9th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stre a sir- 

 Seeing in your paper of the 2d inst. an account of a race between a 

 locomotive engine and a deer, I thought I would give you an account of 

 a similar race which happened under my observation. In making one 

 of my reeular pay trips of this road, and while on the Florida Division, 

 running at about twenty-five miles per hour, a buck and a doe jumped 

 on the track just ahead of the engine about seventy -five yards. The 

 engineer gave chase, increasing speed and gradually gaining on the fly- 

 ing deer. The race was for about a mile, and when we were almost 

 upon them we came to a small trestle. The buck took one side and the 

 doe the other, and our train passed between the two at the rate of forty 



miles per hour. C . S ansst . 

 <+».*» 



BREECH LOADERS AND THEIR AC- 

 TIONS. 



Boston, Mass., December 10th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream .— 



Judging from the interest exhibited in guns through your columns, a 

 few words upon the necessary points of the breech loading action may 

 not be inappropriate. In the number of guns which at different times 

 I have had the opportunity of examining, and which have betrayed symp- 

 toms of determined weakness, it has struck me forcibly that the pur- 

 chaser, with merely the most common elements of criticism, could have 

 foreseen that which must prove to be the ultimate weakness of his sun. 



In the first place, a breech loading action, to be effective must be upon 

 a good principle. The numerous improvements and inventions which 

 have taken place during the last twenty years goto prove that the public 

 upon the one side seem struggling to secure a breech loader which will 

 fulfill all requirements, and the inventor, upon the other hand, trying to 

 cater to the public want. It cannot be doubted but that safety and solidity 

 seem to have been the first requisites, and, curious to say, when this 

 necessity was met on the part of the inventor by the introduction of the 

 double grip, it had not even the support of a patent, the first builder of 

 the same being Jones, an action tier, who introduced it fifteen years 

 ago; no one can doubt that for safety and simplicity nothing has yet 

 superseded the double grip Lefaucheaux. 



The next effort seems to have been automatic closing, or the introduc- 

 tion of spring and snap work to secure the barrels to the action. In this 

 class of work there seems hardly to bo a mechanical motion but what 

 has been tried for the purpose mentioned, and few that have been based 

 upon principles good enough to last above a year or two; in some cases 

 not even that long. It is in this class of guns that the purchaser requires 

 to exercise a closer scrutiny, as the incentive upon the part of the maker 

 to make his guns close with a click limits very much the chances of a 

 durable gun. 



Believing that, in the case of sporting guns, inventions seem to have 

 culminated in the tipping up or dropping of the barrels as the preferable 

 method, I confine myself to that principle particularly. One of the first 

 points to be observed in a breech loader is that -there is a good distance 

 between the axle upon which the barrels hinge and the face of the ac- 

 tion upon which the base of the cartridges rest, and in addition, that the 

 axle is as close to the plane of the action as is commensurate with the 

 strength of points upon which the barrels hinge, the more direct that 

 the axle is in front of the line of fire the less is the strain upon the bolt 

 which holds the barrels to their place. The next important part is that 

 the gripping, or bolting, takes place at the extreme end of the barrels . 

 The extended lump in this case claims some attention, but as it must 

 necessarily be narrow, or make an ungainly action, it prevents it having 

 that abrading surface or breadth cf bearing which is so essential to con- 

 tending surfaces under great strain. If the lump attached to the barrels 

 extend as nearly as possible flush with the breech end, a great advantage 

 is secured in the case of all snap actions. I look upon the failure of the 

 side snap, in comparison to a number of other actions, as being purely 

 from the fact of the gripping taking place so far along the body of the 

 action and not at the extreme end of the lump. Make the side snap ac- 

 tion with the gripping near the end of the barrels, and it makes a dura- 

 ble and simple action . There is no more important point to be observed 

 than that the line of motion of the bolt moves in a line direct with the 

 centre of the axle upon which the barrels hinge. This mu^t be an oo- 

 vious necessity. During the moment of strain upon the action by explo- 

 sion, a tendency to separate is the result, and in the case of a bolt not at 

 its biting part moving in the direction of the axle, a heavy abrasive mo- 

 tion is the consequence, and which in the course of time shows itself in 

 a rickety and shackling action. In the case of an action bolted in the 

 direction of the centre of its hinge, when the tendency to spring- takes 



