296 



FOEEST AND STEEAM. 



PROF. COPE'S EXPEDITION. 



A WEEKLY JOURNAL, 



DirOTBBTOFHBLD ASTD AQTJATIC SPOBTS, FPACTICAn NATTJRAL HISTORY, 



d1sh.u0ltttre, the protection op game, preservation op forests, 

 and the Inculcation in Men and Women op a healthy interest 

 m Out-door Becreation and Study : 



PUBLISHED BY 



17 CHATHAM STREET, (CITY HALL SQUARE) NEW YORK, 



[Post Oppioe Box 2832.] 



» 



Term*, Four Dollars a Year, Strictly In Advance, 



Twenty-five per cent, oft" for Clubs of Three or more. 



Advertising Hatea. 



Inside pages, nonpareil type, 20 cents per line: outside page, 30 cents. 

 Special rates for three, six, and twelve months. Notices in editorial 

 CJlumns, 40 cents per line. 



NEW YOKE, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1876. 



To Correspondents. 



« 



All communications whatever, whether relating to ouslnesB or literary 

 correspondence, must be addressed to The Forest and Stream Pub- 

 libhino Company. Personal or private letters of course excepted. 



All communications intended for publication must be accompanied with 

 real name, as a guaranty of good faith. Names will not be published 

 objection be made. No anonymous contributions will be regarded. 



Articles relating to any topic within the scope of this paper are solicited 



We cannot promise to return rejected manuscripts. 



Secretaries of Clubs and Associations are urged to favor us with brief 

 notes of their movements and transactions, as it is the aim of this paper 

 to become a medium of useful and reliable information between gentle 

 men sportsmen from one end of the country to the other ; and they wil' 

 find our columns a uesirable medium for advertising announcements. 



The Publishers of Forest and Stream aim to merit and secure the 

 patronage and countenance of that portion of the community whose re- 

 fined intelligence enables them to properly appreciate and enjoy all that 

 is beautiful in Nature. It will pander to no depraved tastes, nor pervert 

 the legitimate sports of land and water to those base uses which always 

 tend to make them unpopular with the virtuous and good. No advertise- 

 ment or business notice of an immoral character will be received on any 

 terms ; and nothing will be admitted to any department of the paper that 

 may not be read with propriety in the home circle 



We cannot be responsible for the dereliction of the mail service, if 

 money remitted to us is lost. 



Advertisements should be sent in by Saturday of each week, \1 possible. 

 1 Trade supplied by American News Company. 

 CHARLES HALLOCK, 



Editor and Business Manager. 



Centennial Award. — We have received an official noti- 

 fication from the Director-General of the United States Cen- 

 tennial Commission to the effect "that the Forest and 

 Stream Publishing Co. of New York City has been de- 

 creed an award on the Report of the Judges for a Collec- 

 tion Exhibit of Fishing and Hunting Implements." While 

 we do not claim the "highest award" for our exhibit, we 

 are pleased at this recognition of our efforts to have AmerL 

 can sport and its accessories duly represented. Our thanks 

 are also due to those gentlemen who have assisted us by 

 loans of guns, etc. 



-#-«^ 



South Carolina Oranges.— From the pleasant grove of 

 Chas. G. Kendall, Esq., on whole island domain, near Port 

 Royal, South Carolina, we passed a pleasant week with 

 skiff and gun last winter, we have received a box of su - 

 perb oranges, of large size and delicious flavor. They are 

 the finest we have seen from the Southern States, with the 

 exception of lots from two locations in Florida — one on the 

 Gulf Coast and the other on the St. John river, near Palat- 

 ka. This is remarkable, when we consider the high lati- 

 tude in which they were raised. On the main land frosts 

 so frequently occur as to render orange culture a precari- 

 ous venture, but on Palmetto Island and its neighbors, the 

 western winds are tempered in their passage over the inter- 

 vening salt creeks and estuaries, so that the temperature is 

 some six degrees warmer; and this difference saves the 

 crop. Mr. Kendall is devoting much attention to the cul- 

 ture of orange trees. The negroes on his place devoted 

 the biggest part of their attention too, to the maturing 

 crop — so much so that Mr. Kendall has substituted German 

 laborers, which we trust will prove a wise measure. 



When we receive such munificent gifts from our friends, 

 we can contemplate with some serenity the life of the edi- 

 torial drudge. ["Pa," said an urchin to his sterner parient, 

 as he pointed significantly across the street, "Look! there 

 goes an editor." "Hush, my son, don't make fun of the 

 poor man. You don't know what you may come to one of 

 these days."] And so we suffer and endure! Bunches of 

 quail, braces of ducks and geese, packages of tobacco, 

 suits of clothes, puppies, guns and fishing tackle, boots 

 and disinfectants, these are forced upon us at odd times, 

 anticipating Christmas all the year round, and making us 

 feel the uncertainty of life, and that no one can know 

 what a day may bring f orth . 



^»»- — 



—The third number of the Florida New Yorker is just at 

 hand. This is a most valuable publication for those seek- 

 ing information about Florida, U is publish^ at U Park 

 BoWj this city. 



THE exploring expedition from which Prof. Cope has 

 recently returned seems by all accounts to have been 

 most successful. It had for its object the examination and 

 determination of beds on the Upper Missouri, which have 

 been visited but once or twice before by geologists, and in 

 regard to the age of which there has been no little contro- 

 versy in the scientific world. The deposits extend from a 

 point some distance above the mouth of the Judith river, 

 almost to Carroll, and run back from the Missouri for a 

 considerable distance. They have been extensively affect- 

 ed by the erosive agencies which are constantly at work in 

 that western country, and are worn and weathered into the 

 deep gullies and ridges, and fantastic forms which are well 

 known to characterize the Manvaises Terres of the more re- 

 cent (Tertiary) formations of the While river, and about 

 which so much has been written. Prof. Cope was so for- 

 tunate as to make valuable collections on the north side of 

 the Missouri at a point hitherto unexplored by geologists. 

 From here the party proceeded to cross the river, and mak- 

 ing camp not far from the mouth of the Judith, devoted 

 considerable time to the examination of the Bad Lands on 

 that stream. Dog River, which empties into the Missouri 

 only about a mile to the east of the Judith was also exam- 

 ined, its rugged and precipitous bluffs yielding a consider- 

 able harvest of fossils. Prof. Cop i left the main party 

 here, and taking his guide and a pack animal loaded with 

 provisions, proceeded to make a reconnoissance to the 

 southeast for the purpose of discovering other favorable 

 localities for the collections of fossils. In this he was suc- 

 cessful, finding good collecting ground in the vicinity of 

 Cow Island, and to the southeast of that point. In all about 

 three tons of fossil bones were secured, besides a large num- 

 ber of the skins and skeletons of the recent mammals which 

 inhabit the region. Collections of fishes and reptiles were 

 made, and copious notes on the zoology and geology of the 

 region taken. Indeed, Prof. Cope seems to have made the 

 most of his opportunity, and to have manifested his usual 

 energy and enthusiasm in conducting this expedition. 



The party found game very abundant in the region tra- 

 versed, buffalo and antelope being especially plentiful. 

 Bighorn or mountain sheep, black-tailed deer and bear 

 were not infrequently seen. Elk do not seem to have been 

 met with, a state of things which somewhat surprises us, 

 as they were within a few years very abundant all along 

 the river, especially near Cow Island. A few years ago we 

 had the pleasure of killing the largest bull we ever saw 

 just below that point; since then perhaps the skin hunters 

 have driven them all off. 



Prof. Cope is to be congratulated that he was not dis- 

 turbed during his investigations by hostile Indians; the 

 wild bands, however, were all south fighting General 

 Crook, and no more dangerous red men were seen than the 

 Gros Ventres of the prairie and some River Crows; "coffee 

 coolers" all, we suspect. Ordinarily, however, the regions 

 between Carroll and Claggett's is about as bad an Indian 

 country as one would care to travel through. 



The fossil remains secured by Prof. Cope were chiefly 

 dinosaurs fresh water and land reptiles, some herbivorous, 

 others carnivorous, and most of them of gigantic size. 

 Eighteen species are represented in his collections. The 

 importance of these discoveries can be estimated when we 

 state that all that we know of the ancient fauna of the re- 

 gion which has just been examined is contained in a few 

 brief descriptions of teeth and imperfect fragments of skel- 

 etons announced some years ago by Prof. Leidy. The pub- 

 lication of detailed descriptions of the forms found by 

 Prof. Cope will be awaited with much interest. It may be 

 added that the evidence collected by Prof. Cope during the 

 expedition fiom which he has just returned tends to con- 

 firm the opinion which has for some years been held by 

 vertebrate paleontologists that the beds at the mouth of 

 the Judith are of cretaceous age. Sho*uld his researches 

 be found to have cleared up and finally determined this 

 point, science will have to thank him for another most val- 

 uable contribution, of more importance perhaps than the 



discovery of a dozen new species. 



-*•«. 



Homosassa.— We shall oblige a good many intending 

 visitors to Florida by announcing that delightfui Homo- 

 sassa, on the Gulf, has doubled its capacity recently, and 

 that Mr. and Mrs. Jones will therefore be able to make a 

 larger number of people happy than before. They can 

 now accommodate 25 persons comfortably, with rooms 

 newly furnished throughout. All the rooms in the old 

 house are now taken by last winter's boarders, but there 

 are several rooms vacant in the new house. Ducks are 

 now coming in freely, and sheepshead and all kinds of 

 fish bite well. 



—Mr. Brown, who advertised Live Quail for sale in our 

 paper, volunteers the information that two insertions of 

 his advertisement brought him thirty-two letters of inqui- 

 ry and fifteen orders for live quail. And yet some people 

 think it not worth while to advertise in Forest and 



Stream. 



-+♦*. 



—The friends of Mr. C. L. Tiffany of Messrs. Tiffany 

 & Co., jewelers, will be grieved to hear of the accident 

 which befell him on Saturday last. While walking he 

 slipped and fell on the ice and broke his ankle. The in- 

 jury, although extremely painful, is not serious. 

 — — «.— . 



—Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been made the winter port of 

 the Canadian New Dominion. It has a capacious water 

 frontage, and. sjje^ered, aacjiorafe^ surpassed fry few, 



WRESTLING. 



as practiced in ancient and modern times. 



A GREAT deal of popular interest was some time ago* 

 awakened in the species of athletic sport by the 

 meetings of Miller, Christol, Carteron and others, and it, 

 was suddenly brought into the front rank of public favor„ 

 It is to be regretted that, more lately, exhibitions should! 

 have been made by men who resorted to it as a mere "gate- 

 money" speculation, and whose endeavors have resulted in; 

 bringing it into very questionable repute. This regret is. 

 based upon a few very simple facts. Both ancient andi 

 modern -usages bear testimony to the excellence of wrest- 

 ling as a means of muscular development, and as an exer- 

 cise combining gracefulness with skill. Many years ago in 

 England it fell from its place among the diversions and ac- 

 complishments of gentlemen to the rank of an exhibition 

 game for professional athletes. To the former class all its ad- 

 vantages were thus lost, and a closely similar course has 

 been followed in this country. An art well worthy of being 

 cultivated for its own sake appears to be in iminent danger 

 of neglect from the odor associated with it in the general 

 sense of the community. It is to be hoped that it may be 

 retained in private gymnasiums, ana a few facts in its 

 history may not only show the estimation in which it was 

 long since held, but be found to compose an interesting 

 chapter in the literature of athletic sports. 



The style of wrestling now in vogue has been called the 

 Grseco-Roman, from the similarity between it and that 

 practiced in the gymnasia of Greece and Rome. We are thus 

 carried back at a single bound to that peiiod which in this as. 

 well as in a literary sense, is the most interesting in the his- 

 history of the world. Watching the course of modern poesy,, 

 and taking a comprehensive glance of the themes of song,, 

 we are in no wise prepared for the poetical treatment of 

 such a subject as wrestling or a wrestling match. It would 

 require an imagination equal to their own to picture Long- 

 fellow, Bryant, Holmes, Saxe, Alcirich, or Thompson tun 

 ing their harps to sing of the feats of Miller or Christol, 

 weaving in laudatory references to their antecedents, and 

 figuratively twining wreaths of olive round their brows. 

 It was less anomalous in Pindar's age. On looking over 

 the odes of that poet we find the eighth and ninth of the 

 Olympian, the eighth Pythian, the second, third, fourth,, 

 fifth, sixth and tenth Nemean, and the fifth, sixth, seventh 

 and eighth Isthnian all dedicated to wrestlers or pancrati- 

 asts. Homer also describes with great spirit the wrestling 

 match between Ajax and Ulysses, during the funeral games 

 held in honor of Patroclus. We choose Pope's vigorous 

 translation, and the passage is noteworthy, as showing the 

 "style" which these great wrestlers adopted. 

 "Amid the ring each nervous rival stands, 

 Embracing rigid with implicit hands, 

 Close lock'd above, their heads and arms are mix'd, 

 Below their planted feet at distance fix'd, 

 Like two strong rafters which the builder forms, 

 Proof to the wintry winds and howling storms, 

 Their tops connected, bent at wider space, 

 Fix'd on the centre stands their solid base." 

 After such tugging and straining as might be expected 

 from two such mighty heroes, Ulysses tripped up Ajax, 

 and the struggle was continued on the ground, until 

 Achilles decided that the prize should be divided between 

 tnem. 



Lucian furnishes us with a very vivid picture of the 

 scene presented in an Athenian gymnasium. Thither Solon 

 and a visitor from Scythia, named Anacharsis, are describ- 

 ed as having wended their way, and in the dialogue the 

 stranger extracts what fun he can out of the athletic con- 

 tests. We quote the following passage, partly on account- 

 of its own merits, but chiefly for the idea which it gives of 

 the manner in which the matches were conducted: 



"Tell me, Solon," says Anacharsis, "what those young 

 fellows are about who are grappled and loeked together in 

 that manner, and endeavoring to trip up one another, and 

 those others who roll and tumble in the mud like so many 

 hogs, and squeeze and throttle each other till they are al- 

 most strangled? But just now I saw them strip, anoint 

 one another by turns very peaceably and like good friends; 

 when all on a sudden, and without any offense taken as I 

 could perceive, they fell together by the ears, threw their 

 heads in each other's faces, and butted like two rams; and 

 now one of them, as you see, has lifted his antagonist off 

 his legs, dashed him uoon the ground, and falling upon him 

 will not suffer him to rise; but on the contrary drives him 

 deeper into the mud, and twisting his legs about his mid- 

 dle and setting his elbows in his throat, seems determined 

 to suffocate him, while the poor wretch at the same time 

 strikes him gently on the shoulder, begging quarter, as I 

 suppose, and beseeching him not to choke him in good 

 earnest. Neither can I observe that they are in the least 

 shy of dirtying themselves, notwithstanding their being 

 rubbed all over with oil; and indeed they soon hide it with 

 mud, by the help of which and a good deal of sweat, they 

 become so slippery that I cannot forbear laughing to see 

 them sliding like eels out of one another's hands." 



Solon explains to his jocular companion that these were 

 wrestlers, and that others, whom he described as buffeting 

 each other, were pancratiasts. In the end, however, and 

 like many people in our own day, the Scythian is inclined 

 to question the utility of such an expenditure of strength 

 and energy. 



The above passages will give some idea both of the im- 

 portance anciently attaching to wrestling as an exercise, 

 and of tl e mede of preparing for and practicing it. Among 

 the Greeks athletic games formed part of their religion, and 

 the greal meetings were originally instituted in honor oi 



