284 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



r 



shot. Two miles east of town there is a heavy field of 

 woods, in which there are some deer. 1 have heard of 

 three being shot by parties from town the past week, but 

 they are getting scarce, and we talk of trying to get a bill 

 through this winter prohibiting the shooting of deer in this 

 county— Ashtubula— f or a number of years. 



W. D. Howel, Jr. 



Kentucky — Louisville, Nov. 21th. — All game more plenti- 

 ful than for years past. Our market is overstocked. 

 Woodcock very common. Snipe (jack) also common. 

 Deer and ducks are in extra fine condition. 



L. W. Noel. 



— Arkansas— Jacksonport, Nov. 27th. — Weather warm 

 for the season. Game not plenty. Deer have died off with 

 black tongue. Several fine bags of turkeys. Ducks 

 coming in in better quantity, A few geese. Swan re- 

 ported arriving at Swan lake in large numbers. A few 

 woodcock and quails in small droves. Squirrels not as 

 plenty as a month ago. Plenty of bear in the bottoms. 



Yell. 



Michigan— Ann Harbor, Nov. 20th.— I wrote you last 

 Monday at three o'clock p. in., and at four we started 

 for quail. Kesult of the day's shoot 105 quail, 19 par- 

 ti idges, 1 woodcock; all shot over Cocker spaniels. On 

 Tuesday three inches of snow fell. Thursday out for 

 ducks; at rive p. m. the bag counted 87 ducks, 2 quail, 

 1 partridge. This game was shot by two would be shots, 

 who do not claim to kill every time. A fine buck deer 

 was taken 14 miles from here last week. Rabbits plenty, 

 selling for eight cents apiece in the market. A. B. C. 



Wisconsin— Fond du Lac, Nov. 30th. — I am just in 

 from a six week's sojourn in the woods. Have had a fine 

 time, plenty of game, and the grand old rocks and pines 

 look healthy and vigorous as ever, and in their atmosphere 

 I have acquired sufficient to carry me through another year 

 at the desk. Triangle. 



Mississippi— Corinth, Nov. 28th.— Quail were never more 

 plenty, tatter, or finer; never lay more stubbornly to the 

 dogs— flew straighter, or kept out of impenetrable thickets 

 better than now— and the dogs have behaved in the best 

 possible manner. There are not as many hunters in the 

 field this season as usual, and the birds are found nearer 

 town. I have been out twice a week since October 15th, 

 never longer than two hours in the field, and have maue 

 bags of from ten to sixteen birds each time. The weather 

 has been mild and favorable for hunting and shooting. 

 Have not seen a wild goose, duck or pigeon, this fall. 

 Weather has been too mild as yet to briug them down. 

 Please say to the gentlemen who wrote me about the 

 turkey feathers, and" whose letter I misplaced, that I will 

 send him some without money and without price— like the 

 gospel— the first one that is brought to bag from this town, 

 i think his name was Dodge, and that he belonged to the 

 Knickerbocker Knitting Machine Comyany. Guyon. 



Canada— Montreal, Dee. 1st.— We have had a spell of 

 most beautiful weather, with slight frosts but no snow. A 

 steamer has just left for Berthile, forty-five miles below 

 here, and in all probability it will be the last steamer down 

 of the season, which is a month later than last Year. 

 Ducks and geese were very scarce on the Lake St, Peter 

 this fall, though snipe and plover were plenty. Look out 

 for cold weather this winter, arctic owls are putting in an 

 appearance in great numbers. P. 



The Extermination op the Antelope. — The Kansas 

 City Times complains that the antelope is being extermin- 

 ated on the plains in the same ruthless way that character- 

 ized the destruction of the buffalo. The ever extending 

 limit of Western settlement and the extension of cattle 

 ranchs from the west concentrate the herds of antelope 

 and gives the impression that they are increasing rather 

 than decreasing. The "saddle of antelope" sells, delivered 

 on the line, for $1 to $2, and to obtain this a steady busi- 

 ness is cai ried on, resulting in the rapid decrease of the 

 once numerous herds of antelope. Just now the best 

 antelope hunting district is west of Dodge City, on the 

 Atchiaon, Topeka and Santa Fe liailroad, and east of 

 Pueblo and Trinidad, Colorado. On the Kansas Pacific 

 liailroad the finest herds of antelope are found west of Kit 

 Carson and east of Denver. The animals are killed iw 

 great numbers by ambushed hunters, who -ake the saddle 

 — i. e., the two hind quarters of the animal, together with 

 any portion they may require for their own immediate use 

 —and leaves the rest ot the carcase to be eaten by the 

 coyotes. The saddle, as cut by them, weighs eighteen or 

 twenty pounds, and is sold in the Kansas market at eight 

 cents a pound, the hide in which it is wrapped being- 

 thrown into the bargain by the hunter. The Kansas Pacific 

 Railway brings in great quantities of this meat, and the 

 antelope, unless in some way protected, will bespeedily ex- 

 terminated. 



jj'iUHT with a Wildcat.— On the 9th November, two 

 sous of Prosper Le Duke, residing some six miles from 

 Port Huron, Michigan, aged respectively thirteen and six- 

 teen years, started\mt hunting, accompanied by a couple 

 of mongrels, such as are "staple" to the region, and digni- 

 fied by the title of "hounds." Just after leaving the Lapeer 

 plank road, the curs began to bark, when the boys ru»hed 

 10 the spot and discovered what they supposed to be a very 

 large coon, which was keeping the dogs at a very re- 

 spectful distance. On the advent of the newcomers the 

 cat commenced a retreat, the boys meantime attempting 

 to make the dogs lay hold of the beast; but the cowardly 

 brutes expended all their energies in barking. Fearing the 

 animal would escape, the younger ran to head it off, but a 

 closer inspection terrified the boy, and he turned to run, 

 when, the cat giving a scream, sprang upon his back, 

 burying her claws in his scalp and forehead. The elder 

 sprang to the rescue. His movements disconcerting the 

 cat, she raised her liead, whereupon he planted a charge of 

 B. B. shot in the throat of the animal, killing it instantly. 

 The escape of the younger savors of the miraculous, as the 

 shot must have passed within an inch of bis head. An Old 

 musket, in the hands of a boy sixteen years of age, shoot- 

 ing at a distance of twenty yards, would place, we should 

 judge the brother's lite in considerable jeopardy— more 

 so than from the attacks of his assailant. The boys are 

 rather jubilant over the adventure, and say they could not 

 coax or drive the dogs within six feet of her feline majesty 

 and she undoubtedly would have escaped had it not been 

 for the imprudence of the younger, for in their excitement, 

 tl.e fact of the possession of a gun was entirely torgotten, 

 being only remembered when the brute attacked the 

 younger. The little fellow escaped without serous injury, 



helorehead being somewhat scratched, and losihg some 

 kajr ? his shock head preserving him. from further injury. 



LOADING PAPER SHELLS. 



Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 18th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



Since the recent accident to Dr. Theabaud I have noticed several ar- 

 ticles on the subject of loading shells, and it seems to me that the cause 

 of it is quite misunderstood, and does not lay in a dirtction to be avoid- 

 ed by the precautionary measures advised by some of your 

 correspondents. If we are correctly informed, he was load 

 ing the Eley blue paper shells, and had loaded nearly one hun- 

 dred successfully, using the identical counter bored block to prevent the 

 cap coming in contact with anytMug. lie also used a brass cup-mouthed 

 tool made by Dixon & Son. A very good thing to prevent the shells 

 bulging, aud also to place evenly on the charge wads, larger than the 

 bore of the gun if persons wish to use them. So far all went well and 

 would have continued to do so, probably had simply the pressure of the 

 hand been employed, which is quite sufficient to place the wads instead 

 of driving them with a mallet. True, the fact of merely one hundred 

 being charged in this manner, without accident, would seem to refute 

 my argument, but on general piinciples we hold it to be correct, and that 

 the use of the mallet— at all times unnecessary and dangerous— led in 

 this instance to fatal results; forcing the anvils against the fulminate, 

 tte lower base of the chamber being weak and defective. It is much to 

 be regretted that this particular shell was not preserved, as it would at 

 once determine the real cause of the accident, though r- sportsmen gene 

 ally will cheerfully bear witness to the general excellence of those made 

 by the Messrs. Eley, and considering the vast number of them used in 

 this country every season, and used too, by many, in the most earless 

 maimer, it is really wonderful that we hear of so few accidents. 



As to the recapping of loaded shells, suggested by some one, and pro- 

 tested against by others, we should say, that where a man was tired of 

 the cares and anxieties of this life, and was desirous of obtaining reliable 

 information concerning the next, no better plan could be pursued than 

 the recapping process. True, a number of shells may be prepared be- 

 fore the funerals train makes a start, but start it will, and quite soon 

 enorgb for the most enthusiastic recapper, and in this connection we 

 would ask you, Messrs. Editors, the same question that has been 

 propounded to me many times: "Have you used the St. Louis 

 .'hell?" and do yon find them to be the par excellence claimed 

 the manufactures? We have suggested to the ;St. Louis Co. the 

 propriety of instituting a trial with 3* drs. in their shell against 5 in any 

 other. Said trial to be public, or at all events in presence of persons 

 chosen by disinterested parties. They claim to give us good penetration 

 with 3J drs. as can be obtained iu any ether with 5, but so far we have 

 only their statement to rely upon. Certainly we can try the experiment 

 ourselves, hut to demonstrate it fully, is not the result of a few random 

 shots, and many have not the time to spare or proper means at hand, so 

 we will again say, gentlemen of the St. Louis Co., give the Eley shell for 

 example, a haze, and publish the results. •'Engineer*' is quite near you 

 and would no doubt witness the dial and give ns the results. By the 

 way, we notice that in 'Choke bores and How to Load." Mr. Greener 

 pays quite a compliment to the brass shell, and we have always regretted 

 that at the late Meld trial no guns using ihem were entered for compan- 

 sion, f r while admitting the greater convenience of the paper 

 ones, we hold that for regularity of pattern and penetration, there is no 

 shell equal to the metallic. Where guns are bored especially for them, 

 and taking the muzzle-loader as a standard of excellence, they approach 

 its condii ions more closely than the crimped paper ones possibly can. 

 We notice also in the same book that Mr. Greener is perfectly delighted 

 with "American or Kay concentrator," and the compliments he showers 

 upon it must be refreshing to the manufacturer, for there is nothing like 

 a good word to encourage men in well doing in times like these, when 

 no one knows who is to be President, and trade is so much depressed. 



We have always felt sure that the day w«.s not far distant when Ameri- 

 can genius would be above par in Birmingham, and these graceful ac- 

 knowledgements of our skill even in the matter of concentrators, rejoices 

 the American bird beyond description. "W. W." will no doubt receive 

 an order for one of his best guns from the Kay Co., and every man in the 

 United States by the name of Kay will place "'Choke-bores and How to 

 Load," in his library at once. By the way, Messrs. Editors, did it ever 

 occur to you that ttie English government are very slack iu allowing Mr. 

 Greener to send guns to us that are sure death anywhere from 40 to 140 

 yards with Newcastle chilled shot. Suppose that England should again 

 attempt to capture the colonies, do you suppose we would stand idly by 

 and see the British lion walk over our native fowl when such destructive 

 weapons are within reach? By no means, but look for us in the "las 

 ditch;" at least look for me in one, providine it is dry and deep enough 

 to be safe, and in that "ditch" will we not only descend to thevillany of 

 hollow wads, but call to our aid the more potent charm of wire cartridges 

 and "How to Load for all kinds of Game." H. 



\m and Mivet 



FISH IN SEASON IN DECEMBER. 



Black Bass, Mci'opterus salmoides; Yellow Perch, Ferca flavescem. 



M. nigricans. Sea Bass, Sciainfips ocellatus. 



Pike or Pickerel, Esoz lucius. White Perch., Morons americana. 



Fish in Market.— The first shad of the season was re- 

 ceived by Mr. E. G. Blackford, of Fulton Market, on 

 Tuesday last, having come up from Savannah, per 

 steamer Magnolia. Most varieties of fish are abundant 

 and prices lower. We quote: — Striped bass 25 cents; 

 smelts, 18 to 25 cents; bluefish, 12£ cents; salmon, 35 to 

 50 cents; mackerel, 15 to 25 cents each; weakflsh, 15 

 cents per pound; white perch, 12£ cents; Spanish mack- 

 erel, 75 cents; green turtle, 18 cents; terrapin, $12 to $15 

 per dozen; halibut, 20 cents per pound; haddock, 8 cents; 

 codfish, 8 cents; blackfish, 15 cents; flounders, 10 cents; 

 sea bass, 18 cents; eels, 18 cents; lobsters, 8 cents; sheeps- 

 head, 25 cents; scollops, $1.50 per gallon; soft clams, 30 

 to 60 cents per hundred; whitefish, 18 cents per pound; 

 pickerel, 18 cents; salmon trout, 15 cents; hard shell crabs, 

 $3 per 100. 



There is lively work just now for the lovers of the finny 



sports off the southern coast of Long Island. The black 

 or i, rock"cod are very plentiful at present off Rockaway 

 Inlet and Sheepshead Bay. On last Wednesday Captain 

 Isaac Carson and Mr. John Lundy, of Gravesend, went 

 out between the wreck of the Black Warrior on the Rock- 

 away Shoal and the lightship, starting about half-past six 

 in the morning and returning about five in the evening. 

 In that time they took 400 fish, running from four to seven 

 pounds in weight. The bait used was "skimmers" or sea 

 clams. The cold weather has brought the fish down in 

 such numbers that they sell for half a cent a pound in the 

 wholesale market. 



—The intense heat of the past summer, causing a marked 

 decrease in water, drove the trout from their usual haunts 

 in the Adirondacks, and knowing anglers therefore antici- 

 pate great sport nex£ May in trolling, 0§ afterwards, with 



— Apropos to salmon returning to their own river, Frank 

 Buckland says in Land and Water, that a gentleman in the 

 train near Iverness, informed him tha»- a salmon, a native 

 of the River Connon^ was once caueh: in the nets at Aber- 

 deen, The fish had been previou^y .narked in the Connon 

 by a ring put through his back tm; in two and a half days 

 afterwards the same fish was caught in the ringpools at the 

 foot of the falls of Connon. Besides the power of smell to 

 distinguish fheir own rivers, salmon, no doubt, have a hom- 

 ing instinct which we civilized men do not possess, but 

 which is more or less developed in the savage man. Horses 

 have the homing instinct well developed. 



— Some of the southwestern rivers give excellent sport 

 to the angler. The two prime fish of that section are the 

 black bass and pike-perch. A correspondent, writing from 

 Jacksonport, Arkansas, under date of Nov. 27th, says:— 



"Black and striped bass in quantity in White and Black 

 rivers, reward the patient (roller, and are never so good as 

 at this season. The Jack salmon (Lucio perca) or glass- 

 eyed pike, bite freely at the live minnow. Sport good, and 

 result at table most gratifying. The angler who takes his 

 gun along is rewarded by an occasional duck." 



Pennsylvania. — Black bass are increasing rapidly in 

 the Susquehanna, and already afford good sport to the an- 

 gler. The salmon planted in the river have disappeared, 

 but the fish known as the Susquehanna salmon, or perch- 

 pike, since the compulsory removal of the fish baskets, 

 lias steadily increased. November and December are the 

 best months to fish for it. It sometimes reaches a weight 

 of fourteen pounds and affords the angler exciting sport. 

 For the table it has but few superiors, and in its habits and 

 manner of taking the hook is very similar to the tiue sal- 

 mon. Minnows are the usual bait although it will take 

 the artificial fly. — Germantoion Telegraph Nov. 28'7*. 



— Some few years ago our fishermen threw away most of 

 the fish sounds taken out of cod, haddock, and hake; but 

 recently there has been quite a demand for this part of the 

 fish, especially those from hake, which are valuable for the 

 manufacture of isinglass. It is said that some $30,000 or 

 $40,000 per year is paid Nova Scotia fishermen by export- 

 ers of those sounds. Could not an isinglass facto.iy be set 

 in operation in Halifax? It would certainly pay well, for 

 this article is practically unlimited. — Halifax {Nova Scotia) 

 Herald. 



Movements op the Fishing Fleet. — The fleet have 

 not made much of a show the past week, there having been 

 but 5 arrivals, 4 from Georges and 1 from the Banks, with 

 light fares. The shore fleet have also done poorly, the fish 

 having almost entirely left the grounds off this shore. If 

 they should remain away, our fisherman will have to follow 

 them up and find them in their new quarters, probably off 

 the coast of Maine. Fresh halibut have brought 1G£, and 

 9 cents for white and grey; fresh cod and haddock $3. 

 Herring are reported very scarce. — Cape Ann Advertiser, 

 December 2Ath. 



For Forest and Stream. 

 "TROUT" FISHING AT MOOSEHEAD 

 LAKE. 



f New Yoek, Nov. 17th, 1876. 



I HAD not visited Moosehead Luke, since the fall of 

 18G8, although my friend the Colonel, had asked me 

 every season to accompany him on his annual trip. This 

 year, however, I made up my mind, to try again some of 

 the old spots, and the first of September found us en route 

 for Kineo. We fished about the house for a day or so and 

 then, in company with "Black Hackle," tried our luck at 

 "Brassua." But" something was wrong and we had in- 

 different success. At i&st, one day the Coionel said, "Bill, 

 let us try the east outlet, I think there is no one there." 

 So we called Simon and started about 11 a. m., for that 

 point. The wind was light and we did not reach the dam 

 until 3.30 p. m. Then we left our sail boat, the "D. H.," 

 and staried down the Kennebec. The water was pretty 

 high, but the fish were in the pools, and we took four 

 splendid fellows before dark. We concluded to stay at 

 the house (Wilson's) all night and try our luck down the 

 liver in the morning. Five-thirty, found us again on the 

 rapids and such sport as we had, catchfeig thirteen fish be- 

 fore we had eaten a mouthful of breakfast. At 9 o'clock, 

 we concluded we had caught enough to "swear by," so we 

 pushed up the river again, ate our breakfast and started on 

 our return to the Kineo House. We reached there about 4 

 o'clock, and placing our string upon the scales, found that 

 our seventeen trout "tipped the bar" at forty -three pounds. 

 And we had the satisfaction of knowing that we had made 

 the finest catch of the season. " Carp." 



««»• 



Something About Herrings.— The history of herring 

 is the history of civilization in the North of Europe. The 

 Island Kingdom and its adjacent nations, in treaty sessions, 

 have made the herring supply and demand an item of 

 diplomatic importance. It would seem that when God 

 formed the British Isles, and the farther north coast of 

 Norway, as well as our continent, He fitted its waters spe- 

 cially for the herring race. This species of sea tenant come 

 from the far down northward in vast columns, and divide, 

 one half to our own northern continent, and the other part 

 to the localities first named. The English policy, from its 

 earliest ages, has been to claim everything within sight 

 and reach as her own— earth, sea, and all that dwell within 

 them. This is not all; for she rolled up her sleeves and 

 clenched her fist and assumed an attitude of defiance to 

 foes, if foes did not say amen to her demands. All the 

 sea she claimed, as far out "as a man could see in a fair 

 day." In treaties with Holland the herring power was at 

 the right turn of the aigument— the sea is mine, the herring 

 therein are mine, pay, said England, before you fling the 

 first net, Holland paid heavy and made the Dutchland 

 wealthy. As early as 1164 we find the Dutch embarked in 

 the herring fisheries. In 1204 they were plenty in the 

 Baltic sea. In 1306 Tamworth, England, was a large her- 

 ring depot, and fairs were held there. Ale and jollity 

 abounded. It was the custom in that age to make a her- 

 ring pie and carry to the king, from the first schoo that 

 descended upon the isle from the northward. . The coast or 

 Norway, too, was a fruitful field for Dutch and English 



We find no account of barrelled herring until 1397, when 

 the pickling method wis discovered, Frior to this they 



