234 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Our Florida Letters.— -The letters of "Major Saraso- 

 ta" which we are now publishing are rather long, and per- 

 haps for that reason present a rather discouraging aspect 

 to the hurried reader; but they will nevertheless bear 

 careful examination, as they contain many facts regarding 

 the west coast of Florida which are of especial interest to 

 naturalists, sportsmen, and navigators. The choice ker- 

 nels are well worth picking out. 



■ — ■*-*«>■ 



Cat Snows —The Cat Show which was recently held at 

 the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, England, is spoken of as 

 having been very successful. Land and Water says that 

 "the points of merit in cats'are now as eagerly discussed 

 as are those of horses, cattle, or dogs; and at the late show 

 we were highly amused at the warm discussions which we 

 heard as to the relative perfections of different animals 

 shown." 



■ — ■ *»•♦♦ 



— Col. F. G. Skinner, for several years Field Editor of 

 the Turf j Field and Farm, has become attached to the Mod 

 and Gun. 



Reported Exclusively for Forest and Stream. 

 Species and Genera. — "There is a difficulty, my pu- 

 pils," argued the learned Professor, twirling his gold- 

 rimmed spectacles, "in properly determining species; that 

 is, in assigning each to the proper class or genus to which 

 it belongs. You are doubtless aware of this. Indeed, I 

 need not tell you that mistakes — great mistakes, my 

 friends, have been made by scientists of ail kinds, and the 

 Naturalists are not exempt by any means. There was Hum- 

 boldt, for instance. When he aecidently exhumed some 

 ancient hatchets near the equator, he falsely assumed to have 

 discovered the axes of the earth. Hall, in his memorable 

 Arctic explorations, fancied that he had discovered the 

 veritable pole, whereas it was merely traces of Kane that 

 he saw. In like manner many savaos in Natural History 

 have asserted that certain animals were omuiverous when 

 they were strictly gramniverous — grass-eaters. Other 

 creatures, presumed to be herbivorous, were in reality al- 

 most wholly meat-eaters, or carniverous. Take for in- 

 stance the genus Gulax, that familiar creature denominated 

 the musk eter: every one knows that he never eats musk. 

 On the contrary, he revels in blood, he is carniverous. 

 Blood is his principal food, his natural diet, so to speak — 

 his" — Just then the tibia of a pterodactyl fell down upon 

 his occiput from the shelf above, and the school was in 

 continently dhmicsed.— From Prof. Pericord's ^AJptums of 

 Wisdom." 



e. 



900 



1000 





Yard 8. 



Yards. 



Total. 



67 



63 



202 



68 



66 



201 



70 



60 



200 



(59 



5* 



200 



68 



61 



197 



55 



b7 



183 



6d 



5K 



v.n 



69 



22 



183 



59 



61 



1/4 



63 



59 



172 



51 



54 



1G8 



Creedmoor. — Two matches were shot at Creed moor on 

 Saturday, and a large number of marksmen of both long 

 and short range celebrity turned out on the occasion. The 

 first match was for the $'350 gold prize offered by the 

 Sharp's Rifle Company, to be shot for at 800, 900 and 1,000 

 yards, 15 shots at each distance. The conditions of this 

 match, however, demand that the winner shall lead each 

 competitor at all the ranges, a combination which is of 

 such rare occurrence that the match is likely to be on the 

 tapis for some time to come. The scores completed were 

 as follows :— 



800 

 Names. Yards. 



H. S Jwwell 67 



C. E. Blydenburgb. 6? 



I. L. Allen 70 



John Smith 72 



H. A. Gildereleeve 65 



William Hayes 71 



E. H. Sanford 70 



H. Fisher 62 



E. L. Monre 54 



J. R. Waters 50 



E H Madison 60 



The second match was the twelfth competition* for 

 the Turf Field and Farm badge, the conditions of which 

 were 10 shots each at 200 yards off-hand. The winner was 

 Mr. Wm. Hayes, who was also the winner on the last oc- 

 casion. The scores were as follows: — 



Name. Total. Name. Total. 



"William Hayes . . . . * 42 G. L . Morse 38 



D. h\ Davids 42 II. Fisher 37 



J. L. Pi ice 42 H. W. Gourley 37 



N D Ward 41 A, T. Decker 36 



F.'H. Holton 40 11. S. .Jewell 36 



S. G Perry 40|W. H. Cochrane, Jr 35 



C. F. Robbins 40 D. Channcey, Jr 35 



H Fnnke, Jr 40 H. A. Gildersleeve 34 



W. H. Murphy 89|J. L. Killinger 32 



J. L. Farley... 39 G. F. Merchant 32 



C H.Eagle 39! George Waterman 28 



J. W.Todd 381 J. B. Holland 26 



Thanksgiving Day, the 30th inst., will be the wind up of 

 the rifle season at Creedmoor. The programme of the N. 

 R. A. up to that date includes the following events. Thurs- 

 day, November 30th, Thanksgiving Day, at 2 p. m., Wash- 

 ington Grey Cavalry Club, third annual troop match; 

 distances, 100, 200 and 300 yards. Saturday, 18th, fifth 

 competition for the Schuyler Hartley and Graham trophy 

 at 3 p. m. ; distance, 200 yards, position standing, any rifle; 

 competitors to fire as many shots as possible in half "a min- 

 ute. At 3:30 p. m., on the same day, the Winchester 

 "running deer" match will be contested, and on the same 

 day the "Diamond" badge will be shot for by the members 

 of the Seventh Regiment Rifle Club, at 200 and 500 yards' 

 distance, November 25th, marksman's badge; open to all 

 comers, distances 200 and 500 yards. 



Amateur Rifle Club.— The N. R. A. having presented 

 a bronze match medal to all affiliating clubs the Amateur 

 Rifle Club at their last meeting adopted the following reso- 

 lution: — 



Besolved, That the competition for the bronze medal of the National 

 Rifle Association take place at Creedmoor, Long Island, on Saturday, 

 Novemoer 85th, at half past one p.m. Conditions—Open only to mem- 

 bers of the Amateur Rifle Clab; distance, 1,000 yards; rounds, 30: rifle, 

 only within the raise; position any without artificial rest; entrance fee, 

 Tho pnae to tooae the pgsraofflai property ©1 t\i<s wifinss IE this 



Conlin's Gallery.— The fifth competition for v the 

 Marksmen's badges took place last Tuesday evening, No- 

 vember 7th, at Conlin's shooting gallery. The following 

 are the names of the winners, with their scores, for the 

 contest, 10 shots each: — 



Name. Total. I Name. Total. 



Charles A. Cheever. 48|L. V. Sone , 43 



H. D. Blydenburgh 44 J. B. Blydenburgh 41 



1 . C. Banks 44 jLeon Backer 40 



M. P . Lennon 44| C. E . De Forest 40 



The next competition for the badges will take place Tues- 

 day, November 14th. Prizes were offered for the highest 

 score made on each of the side galleries. On the "60 foot" 

 range the conditions were 10 shots, lying down position, 

 500 yards, Wimbledon target reduced for the distance. 

 The following were the best scores made on the range: C 

 E. De Forest, 49; B. S. Brown, 48; G. P. Work, 47. On 

 the "75 foot" gallery the conditions were: rifles .22 calibre, 

 offhand, 200 yards. Wimbledon target reduced for the dis- 

 tance. The scores made are as follows: L.V. Sone, 48; 

 J. B. Blydenburgh, 47; C. G. Zettler, 45. 



The side matches proved very interesting, and they will 

 be continued every "match" night. 



Three teams, composed of gentlemen connected with 

 Arnold, Constable & Co., and representicg their respective 

 floors, met and shot a match for the championship between 

 them at the gallery last Saturday evening, November 11th. 

 Each team consisted of six men, 10 shots apiece, rifle .22 

 calibre; off-hand; distance, 110 feet; Creedmoor target, 

 reduced for the distance; Creedmoor rules to govern. The 

 following are the names and totals of the teams:— 

 First -Capt. B. S. Brown. 

 Name. Total. | Name. Total. 



Brown 39i La Forge 27 



Marshall 31 1 Edmunds 24 



Fnz^erahl 30 1 — 



Murch 30 j Total 181 



Second— Capt. T. Long. 

 Name. To'al.l Name. Total. 



Biyaut 36|Hall 23 



Long 35 Jewitson 20 



Magnire 31 1 — 



Bii-uop 30) Total 175 



Third— Capt. W. F. Banks. 

 Name. Total, j Name. Total. 



Banks {. 37|Carsery 86 



Oates 35|Gauttey 16 



Nicholson 31 



Winters 2l| Total 164 



Mr. Gantley of the last team being absent another gen 

 tlemau took his place, which may account for its beiijg 

 la&t. 



Maine;— Two rifle matches were shot at the Lane's 

 L-land range, Vinalhaven, Maine, on Saturday, 28th ult. 

 The first match was, A. B. Vinal, M. G. Ayer, T. H. Arey 

 and Ivory Littlelield, against W. F. Pierce, W. V. Lane, 

 E. Q. Carver and James S. Hall, at 200 yards offhand, 10 

 shots each- The result was a tie; each scoring 151. They 

 then agreed to shoot another round, which resulted in a 

 tie — 15 for each side. The best shot on each side was 

 then choseu and their first shot was a tie, each one making 

 4. At the next shot, however, Ayer made a bull's eye and 

 Hall made but 4, so the Vinal team were declared the 

 winners. The best score (41 out ot a possible 50) was made 

 by Ayer and Hall. The average was 37 3 4. 



The next match was an amateur team, C. H. Healy, 

 Edward Carliu and B. T. Graffam, against O. Lyons, E.Ii. 

 Roberts and Geo. Roberts. The score stood 91 to 59 in 

 favor of the Lyons team. The best score (34) was made by 

 Lyons. The average was 20 4 3. 



Rhode Island. — A rifle match was shot at Newport on 

 the 13th inst., the prize being an elegant Maynard rifle. 

 The. conditions were five shots each at 200 yards off-hand, 

 each competitor being allowed as many chances as he 

 choose to pay for. The scores were as follows: — 



Name. Total. 



Harry Bull, Jr 23 



Harry Bull, Jr 21 



E. 11. Tolien 20 



E. H. Tottcn 21 



George b. blocuni , 11 



Illinois.— A shooting tournament closed on the 4th 

 inst., at Fuller's Shooting Galiery, Chicago, "for cash 

 prizes" on Creedmoor target, reduced to 00 feet range. 

 The first was won by the remarkable score of forty-eight 

 (48) out of a possible fifty (50); the second by the average 

 of five scores, forty-six (46); the third by the general aver- 

 age of all scores forty-two. The following are the scores 

 as they were made: First prize, E. T. McFarland, score, 

 555445555 5—48. H. G. Purington, score, 5 5 5 5 4 

 5 5 5 4 5—48. General average of five scores. H. G. 

 Purington, 46; E. P. Hall, 46; Col. J. A. Shaffer, 46; E. 

 T. McFarland, 45^; G. Beuteurneuller, 44£; J. B. Knight, 

 44; M. Grau, 42; C. P. Johnson, 42. 



Rifle Association of Manitoba. — The Canadian Prov- 

 ince of Manitoba has a Rifle Association of between 200 

 and 300 members. We learn from Hamilton's interesting 

 book, entitled "The Prairie Province," published by Bel- 

 ford Bros., Toronto, that this Association was formed in 

 1872, the President being Major A. Irvine, of the Dominion 

 forces in Manitoba. The position is held for the year 

 1876, by Hon. A. G. B. Bannatyne, M. P. The ranges of 

 the Association are at St. Boniface, on the east side of the 

 Red River, about one mile from Winnipeg. The annual 

 matches are well attended, and are conducted after the 

 manner of a miniature Wimbledon. The scores of the 

 competitors show that Manitoba is worthy of a representa- 

 tion in the annual team sent by the Dominion to Wimble- 

 don. At the matches for 1875, the amount given in prizes 

 was $1,075, of which $400 were contributed by the Do- 

 minion government. Under a plan contrived by Capt. E. 

 Brokovski, executive officer for the past three years, 

 marksmen are enabled to shoot after the most recent rules 

 and shape of bullseye adopted at Wimbledon, on the old 

 iren-seetioa target; Th§ Association is bow repr^gfat^d 



Name. Total. 



Edward Brightman 14 



William R Landers 13 



William G. Stevens 12 



Henry Bryera 7 



n the Dominion Rifle Association by five Manitoba mem- 

 bers, including three members of Parliament, the Mayor of 



Winnipeg, and the Collector of Customs. 



A Markswoman.— -Mrs. Frank G. Edwards, of San Fran- 

 cisco, can claim the honor of being the first lady in the 

 United States who has ever fired a shot from a rifle at a 

 one-thousand-yard target. For some time this lady had 

 been practicing with a Winchester rifle at the two-hundred- 

 yard target, and became an excellent shot. On the 10th 

 inst. she was induced to fire a shot at the Bay Yiew range 

 at the one thousand-yard target, with a Creedmoor rifle. 

 She fired a la Creedmoor, struck the target and made an 

 eighty-per-centum shot. The California Rifle Association 

 for this shot voted the lady the gold medal of the Associa- 

 tion. 



}Htne J?## mid ^un. 



GAME NOW IN SEASON. 



Moose, Alces malcJds. Pinnated grouse or prairie chicken, 



Caribou, Tarandus rangifer. Cvpidonii cupido. 



Elk or wapiti, Cervus cu/iade?isis. Ruffed grouse or pheasant, Bonasa 

 Red or Virginia deer, G.iirginianus, umbeUus. 



Squirrels, red, black and gray. Quail or partridge, Ortyx Virginia- 



Hares, brown and gray. nits. 



Wild turkey, MeUagris gallopa- Woodcock, Philohela minor, 

 vo 



"Bay-birds" generally,including various species of plover, sand-pipers, 

 snipe, curlews, oyster-catchers,surf-birds, phalaropes, avocets, etc., com- 

 ing under the group Limicolce or Shore Birds. 



— Woodcock are frequently flushed or shot within the 

 city limits. Last week Messrs. John Avery and George 

 S. Green, Jr., put up half a dozen fine birds from the cat- 

 briar thicket on Tibbett's Brook. Two years ago Mr. 

 Avery got a dozen from the same cover. These woodcock 

 are flight birds. Tibbett's Brook empties into Spuyten 

 Duyvel Creek. 



—Ducks and geese are flying, and Currituck and other 

 coast shooting grounds are filling up with gunners. The 

 Old Dominion steamship route is the favorite for parties 

 bound to the capes of Virginia and sounds of North Caro- 

 lina. 



— Four huntsmen in Grant county, Ky., killed in two 

 days 113 partridges, 50 rabbits, 18 squirrels, 4 pheasants 

 and 3 woodcocks. 



Oil for Guns. — Messrs. Holberton & Beamer report 

 that "Eaton's Rust Preventor," for which they are agents, 

 is gaining in popularity. The latest indorser is Mr. S. T. 

 Holmes, of Bay City, Mich , who reports most favorably 

 of it. 



Maine— Portland, November 13th.-- Snipe have been more 

 plenty than for several years. Ruffed grouse and wood- 

 coock not as much so as usual. A few squirrels about. 



T. T, s Jr. 



Massachusetts— £akm, Norxmlcr IZtTi.— The past week 

 having been a wet and rainy one, has put sporting matters 

 behind. Teal. 



New Yoke— Oswego, Nov. 10t?i. — I killed 45 duck, red- 

 head, brant and blue-bills in two days' time, at Nelson Gil- 

 berts, Sandy Creek, Jefferson county, two weeks ago, and 

 might have doubled that number the second afternoon if 

 cartridges had not given out. I had to take up decoys at 

 noon while the ducks were driving in anxious to light. 



New Jersey — Kinsey's Ashley Rouse, Barnegat Inlet, 

 Nov. 12th. — Wild fowl of all description plenty. Your 

 correspondent killed 18 brant, 4 ducks, Saturday. B. 



Pennsylvania— Unionlown, Nov 8th.— Better quail and 

 grouse shooting cannot be found in America th an in this 

 southwestern section of Pennsylvania. I have averaged 

 40 or 50 quail a day for the last week. There are several 

 good dogs here and excellent guides. Good hotel accom- 

 modations at Frey's "xMcClelland House." 



VibginiA— Norfolk, Nov. 11th. — Weather clear and cold; 

 good many ducks coming in from Princess Anne and Cur- 

 rituck, but not many canvas-backs. Great many geese 

 passed over the city last night. The Old Dominion and 

 Boston steamers have brought quite a number of parties 

 down bound for Currituck this week. D. 



Michigan— Ann Arbor, Nov. 13th. — Weather very warm; 

 ducks scarce; quail and woodcock shooting good; par- 

 tridge shooting fair. The plover have all gone south. 

 Squirrels and rabbits abundant. A few geese flying north. 



A. B. C. 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



New York. — The regular monthly shoot of the Foun- 

 tain Gun Club of Brooklyn for club badge was held at 

 Brown's, Wednesday, November 8th, 187b. Conditions- 

 Seven birds each, 21 yards rise. The following is the 

 score: — 



Name. Total. | Name. 

 Crook. • • 5 



McLaughlin 5 



Goodwin 



Miller.. ...... 3 



Race.. 3 



Cleaver 3 



White 4 Kearney | 



Slane 4iMcGmn 1 



"Josephs" 4| 



Ties— Crook, 3; Goodwin, 1; McLaughlin, 2. 



Maryland. — A pigeon shooting match for the champion 

 badge of Maryland took place on the 9th inst, under the 

 auspices of the Baltimore Gun Club. There were seven 

 entries, best score out of 20 birds, at 26 and 31 yards, to 

 win. The participants were as follows : Thos. Todd, John 

 Todd, Dr. T. Clay Maddox, Henry Engle, B. F. Kenly, H. 

 Gunther and T. Crisp. When John Todd and Dr. Maddox 

 had fired at 20 birds they stood even, 16 to 16. Dr. 

 Maddox then shot at two birds, hitting both but failing to 

 kill either. John Todd then shot at his two birds, killing 

 both, and continued, killing two more^ winning the badge 

 and Milling $Q birds out of U., Dr. Maddex'a score remain- 



