412 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



fame $jag mid %un. 



GAME IN SEASON IN FEBRUARY. 



, # . 



Hares, brown and gray. Wild duck, geese, brant, &c. 



FOB FLORIDA. 



Deer, Wild Turkey, Woodcock, Quail, Snipe, and Wild Fowl. 



\ Dittmar Powder. — A Philadelphia correspondent writes 

 ns that Mr. Worth, the gunmaker of that city, loaded him 

 five shells with Dittmar powder and five with black pow- 

 der. The result of his experiment we give in his own 

 words:— 



"I found a fence and stepping off 15 paces fired with 

 one each of the shells. The shot over the Dittmar powder 

 barely penetrated the wood; the black powder sent them 

 clean through the board. I tried it again with the same re- 

 sults, and have also shot at grass plover wfcen I missed the 

 easiest shots with Dittmar and killed with black powder." 



J. T. 



We are inclined to think that the shells our correspond- 

 ent used were not loaded properly. The penetration of the 

 Dittmar powder, when loaded according to directions, could 

 give no such results as those named, else why could Mr. 

 Dittmar make such good rifle practice at long range as he 

 does? 



Flohida— ApalacMcola, Jan. 23d.— On a recent cruise 

 down the bay I found game very plentiful, and if this con- 

 tinues good all over the State our sporting visitors will 

 have fine times this winter. We had fine sport with such 

 game as curlews, plovers, snipe, rails, quails, ducks, and 

 geese. A great many deer have been killed out by Green 

 Point and Topsilbluff, distant about three miles from this 

 city. A good dog is needed for the latter, which can be 

 procured here at this place. Pelicans are arriving from 

 their breeding grounds. Oysters and fish are very abundant 

 in the bay aud of the finest quality. Boarding can be pro- 

 cured at very low rates. CI. H. R. 



» 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



Long Island Shooting Cltjb,— The first monthly con- 

 test for the champion cup of this Club, was shot at the 

 Dexter Park Grounds on Friday last. The conditions 

 were as usual, 7 birds at 25 yards rise, the holder of the 

 cup standing at 27 yards. The following is the score :— 



Name. Total.] Narae. Total. 



B. West 7 



Judge 7 



Dr. Wynn 6 



Van Wycb 5 



Johnson 4 



Walters 4 



Henderson 4 



7 Madison : 3 1 



51 Gildersleeve 3 1 



3lflance 3 1 



3]TQrner i 1 



2jRadin 2 



2 Hemming 2 



ljKobinson 1 



Some sweepstakes shooting followed. 



At the annual meeting of the Club, held on Wednesday, 

 the following officers were elected: President, William 

 M. Parks, re-elected; Secretary, Charles Wingate, re- 

 elected; Treasurer, R. Robinson, re-elected; Executive 

 Committee, Messrs. Eddy, Wynn and Gildersleeve. The 

 Club now numbers ninety members in good standing. 



—Captain Bogardus is still in California shooting 

 matches, and he apparently has come across some "foe- 

 man worthy of his steel ." Judging from the telegraphic 

 reports received the Pacific Slope shooters have pushed the 

 champion very close. 



New York. — The Niagara Falls Shooting Club have 

 procured two fine fox hounds from Detroit, but the deep 

 snow has made it impossible to hunt them. There have 

 been several snow bird shoots lately, but not important 

 enough to be worth mentioning in the way of purses ®r 

 shooting; but there is a match under consideration between 

 the best three of this place and a crack team of St. Cath- 

 erines, Canada, which I think will be quite exciting. 



C. S. R. 



Pennsylvania. — A most interesting pigeon match came 

 off at Columbia a few days ago, in which quite a number 

 of gentlemen from Lancaster took an active part. The 

 match was shot on the ice on the river in front of the city. 

 It is greatly to be regretted that there were also present 

 quite a number of pot-house roughs and loafers whose 

 drunken conduct and blasphemous language was not only 

 outrageous in the extreme, but also was the cause of sev- 

 eral of the citizens of Columbia calling the attention of the 

 •ity authorities to the same and asking that in future no 

 such exhibitions be allowed within the city limits. Match 

 for a purse of $100 in gold; $50 to first, $30 to second, 

 and $20 to third ; seven birds each, 21 yards rise, 80 yards 

 boundary, staked off by poles set in the ice; ground trap: — 



Name. Tota.~ 



Ewing 7 



Fry burger 7 



Name. Total. 



T. Mania 4 



Dougherty 



Stein 4 



Gryle 5 



Rauch 6 



H. B. Vouderemitn. 7 



Eyger 3 



Saylor 3 



Huber. 3 



Flick 1 



Georgia. 



CHOKE-BORED GUNS. 



We have received from a correspondent, who is entitled 

 to be heard on the subject, a very lengthy epistle regarding 

 choke boring in general, and Mr. Greener's last work in 

 particular. It contains so much that is of interest to sports- 

 men that we gladly publish it, but are compelled, on ac- 

 count of its length, to divide it into two parts, the second 

 of which will appear next week: — 



Boston, Jan. 15th, 1877. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



Much was anticipated when it became known that the 

 winner of the Field Gun Trial of 1875 was going to express 

 per book form, his opinion upon guns and boring, in fact, 

 about matters interesting to the shooting public at all times. 

 Great, however, must be the disappointment to find that 

 under the cloak of a name that would more than usually 

 excite attention among sportsmen*, e. "Choke-bore Guns." 

 Mr. Greener, the author, has evidently made use of the 

 opportunity by getting those interested in such matters to 

 read through a long protracted advertisement, w4tb, an oc- 



casional interspersement of something useful to encourage 

 the reader through remaining portions that labor heavily 

 to prove that only from W. W. G. can choke-bore guns be 

 procured with advantage. 



Now it is most certainly not my intention to depreciate 

 in any sense the labors of people endeavoring to give to the 

 shooter the best gun to effect a given object. I am quite 

 prepared to admit that through such as Mr. Greener, the 

 sportsmen of England have become aware of some of the 

 advantages which their American cousins have been enjoy- 

 ing, when desiring a close shooting gun, for a long time 

 previous to its advent in that country. I would merely 

 urge that such a book, containing so much personal adver- 

 tisement, could have been given to the public with a much 

 better grace at half the price, and a division of the adver- 

 tising portions from those parts which are intended to be 

 useful to the gunner; and that there are such portions, no 

 one, I believe, will dispute. 



The first part, which gives passing interest to the reader 

 after running through some minor trials, where little com- 

 parison could be instituted, and therefore useless, is the 

 great London Trial of Guns, brought about through the 

 mediumship of the Field in 1875, and to those who have 

 not seen it before, it may be sufficiently interesting for 

 perusal. Mr. Greener's winning gun in the 12 choke- bo^e 

 class most undoubtedly proved itself a good one, but the 

 assertion in the book that guns bored upon his principle 

 give the most regular shooting, suffers a severe check when 

 we find another of his guns in the same class vary between 

 highest and lowest— 85 pellets in each barrel; in fact the 

 one gun beats the other by a matter of 50, or 12£ per cent. ; 

 and this in a trial where doubtless every precaution would 

 be taken to produce out of a large stock one or two of the 

 most regular shooting guns for such a special trial. This 

 is strong evidence that as yet no royal road has been at- 

 tained to do away entirely with irregularity in shot guns. 

 A good deal of credit for the good shooting of his best gun 

 is almost done away with by his admission on page 139 

 that there is a prize powder, and within which possibly lay 

 the element of his success: but he certainly was entitled to 

 use the powder ihat suited his gun best, seeing that 

 every one had the same privilege. The trial of class 1, or 

 the heavy bores, is of little merit, all the guns using differ- 

 ent charges. Mr. Greener, in his 8-bore, loading with 100 

 more pellets than any other competitor, rendering compari- 

 son with other guns impossible. Class 4, or the 20 gauge 

 trial, was nearly wrested from him by a gun that was 

 shooting 60 or 70 pellets less in the charge, and soft shot 

 at that, the targets at 40 yards saving it from defeat, being 

 beaten at the 60 yards by three of the competitors. The 

 tear and wear trial which took place between Messrs. 

 Greener, Maleham & Baker, at the close of the geneial 

 meeting is interesting and creditable to these gentlemen, 

 and proves the possibility of choke-bores possessing lasting 

 powers beyond what is generally conceded. 



It would have be n more conclusive had the winning 

 gun of the 12-bore trial been used in this match, and which 

 the remarks on page 95 seem to indicate was not used. The 

 last trial, and that made with soft shot, gives a very heavy 

 per centage against <Mr. Greener. Mr. Baker with the soft 

 shots of Walker Parker, and Lane and Nesham scoring 

 550-1; Mr. Maleham, 496-4; Mr. Greener, 493-4. It is 

 worthy of observation in this trial that both pattern and 

 penetration seem to suffer, the penetration more particu- 

 larly; it comes to be a question whether the ordinary close 

 paper pad is the best means to test soft shot, it being fre- 

 quently observable that shot known to go with a higher 

 velocity flattens a little more at the instant of impact with 

 the paper and preventing thus its absolute penetrable 

 ability. 



Passing over the Chicago trial, which all here have 

 doubtless satisfied themselves about ere this, we come to 

 what may be termed the practical portion, and Mr. G. first 

 makes the effort to determine what the original plan was of 

 the American system of choke-boring, and putting it down 

 as the recess system . This, however, is a mistake, as I 

 have myself seen the systems enumerated by Mr. G., that 

 here have been long in existence before that gentleman 

 knew anything of them, and indeed, I am inclined to think 

 that though effected tbrough accident, still the first effort 

 was a full choke bore and came about in the following 

 mauner: this was related to me by Mr. H. Barrett, one of 

 the oldest sportsmen in Massachusetts, and as he mention- 

 ed, occurred some 26 to 30 years ago. A Mr. Oliver Rich- 

 ardson, of Stoneham, Me., having nearly worn through at 

 the muzzle, his old gun, which used a metal rod, thought 

 it a good notion to cut off a small portion and then reverse 

 it on to the barrel, closing in the bairel sufficiently for the 

 ring of metal to be put on hot and shrink it on, thus in- 

 creasing the strength of a part which seemed to require it. 

 After this change he found a great increase in the shoot- 

 ing val*e of his gun, and as it certainly would, making it 

 undoubtedly a full choke-bore gun. The Roper gun is an- 

 other evidence of how long Americans have used the full 

 choke-bore. D. K. 



Fur Forest and Stream. 

 THE HABITS OF WILD GEESE. 



HOW TO CAPTURE THE BIRDS. 



THE flight of wild geese is always watched with inter- 

 terest by the sportsman, though their habits are 

 well known to him, and his experience of their pursuit 

 teaches him he has but slight chance of getting a shot at 

 their well organized ranks; and yet the habits of this lar- 

 gest of all our feathered game once understood, of all oth- 

 ers they are the most easily captured. The method we 

 have pursued for some thirty or forty years, and with 

 never-failing success, is based on their well known confi- 

 dence in each other. Every gunner must have noticed 

 that a flock of geese flying over open country will, it may 

 be said invariably, alight in a field where they see other 

 (wiM) geese feeding. Such is their confidence in their fel- 

 lows that I have seen them endeavor to alight in my yard, 

 on my lawn, wfere were feeding other wild geese which I 

 had domesticated. These latter I had crippled at different 

 times by shooting at long distances and accidentally 

 wounding, and I had saved without other object than 

 their gracefulness and beauty. Noticing this trait— un- 

 bounded confidence in each other— I conceived the design 

 of confining my crippled geese in a pen in the center of a 

 fifty acre wheat ield, and building near this pen a fodder 

 stack, to be hollow with apertures from the interior to the 

 surface of the stack. At the first succeeding flight of geese 

 t^vo or three flocks alighted Bear my blind and decoys* and 



remained all the day, but retired at night to a large pond 

 near my farm. The next morning they returned and re- 

 mained all day, and this I found to be their invariable hab- 

 it, unless they were frightened. 



This rule I have noticed for now thirty or forty years. I 

 invited my neighbors, some five or six, during the follow- 

 ing week to enter the blind with me and wait for a shot at 

 the flocks. We were moderately successful, killing some 

 ten or fifteen, and adding to my crippled decoys four or 

 five. After shooting, we immediately turned homewards, 

 and in a few minutes had the satisfaction of seeing the 

 same flocks settle down within a few hundred yards of my 

 blind. Such was their confidence in presence of their 

 crippled brethren in the pen. Since that time, with some 

 improvements, such a blind has afforded me sport from 

 about the 10th of October to the 1st of April. Among the 

 improvements I have made, I found it very important to 

 have my blind warm and dry. To do this I raised the 

 earth floor of the stack some six or eight inches, and then 

 marked off a square, say 7 feet by 7 feet, and at each of 

 the four corners put posts with a forked end up about 

 18 inches in the ground, and 7 feet out of the ground. I 

 then connected the posts at the top with stout nails well 

 nailed to the posts. From this to the ground I set other 

 short rails with a slant outwardly of about two or 

 three feet. On the top of these were laid stout rails. In 

 both cases, at intervals of about one foot, over the struc- 

 ture so erected I laid a thatch of straw, and over this corn- 

 stalks, with the blades of fodder attached, to a depth or 

 thickness sufficient to effectually keep out all rain and 

 snow, with a layer of straw on the floor of the blind of two 

 or three feet. I had a house, so far as comfort is con- 

 cerned. I further constructed of plank, port holes from 

 the interior to the surface, taking care not to allow the ends 

 of the planks to be visible outside. At first I had only a low- 

 er tier of port holes; but soon neighbors and friends, de- 

 siring sport, I added an upper tier. Then near the pen, 

 and within range of my blind, I laid a bait (food) for my 

 game. This bait runs straight from my blind, and in front 

 of my port holes, and consists of corn, shelled and un- 

 shelled, and refuse wheat; and parallel to the bait, about 

 four feet from its center I planted a trough to a depth suf- 

 ficient to conceal its sides, and kept this filled with water. 

 Thus finished, my blind affords infinite sport. I soon 

 found the habits ot the birds to be as regular as those of 

 old merchants. They had a regular hour for their meals, 

 arrival and departure; I may say almost minute. Iknew 

 in a week to within a few seconds of what time they would 

 enter my field, and I knew to the moment at what time they 

 would retire to the neighboring pond to spend the night. 

 In frozen weather they sought the Potomac or Chesapeake 

 Bay, where ice would not form and in foggy weather 

 they generally waited until the fog lifted, bometimes, 

 but very seldom, frightened out of their course by a gun- 

 ner trusting to their chance of killing one at long distance. 

 They might be diverted from I heir direction for a time, but 

 without fail they return to their accustomed feeding 

 ground. „ , _. 



In early fall the geese are poor, but after feeding ten or 

 fifteen days they become extremely fat and tender, and it 

 is then that neighbors and friends come to my house the 

 previous night. The next morning, after a hasty cup of 

 coffee, we repair to the blinds, open the ends of loop holes 

 and ensconce ourselves in position in the straw. Soon the 

 cry of the leading goose is heard. His brother in the adja- 

 cent r en responds, and with a note lures on to swift death 

 his trusting brethren. They alight on the bait, right be- 

 fore the breathless faces of their enemies, unconscious of 

 danger, but hold fast, and the flock passing sweep round 

 the field, and with a rushing of mighty wings throw them- 

 selves on the backs of the first occupants of the field; then 

 ensues a babel of confusion. Battling with extended wing 

 and threatening bills the geese meet each other. The 

 squeak of the gosling is nearly unheard— drowned in the 

 deep and fierce cries of the old ganders. The word is 

 given "Fire I" The bundle of fodder that has been pulled 

 in the hole to stop it as we entered the blind is jerked 

 away and before the geese recover their senses or fly, the 

 sportsmen rapidly emerge; the older gentlemen watch the 

 course of the crippled birds and mark the spots where 

 they fall, the younger men proceed to pick up the crippled 

 geese which are examined. If wounded only in the wing 

 an extempore surgeon removes the broken member, and he 

 is put in the pen. Those badly wounded are killed. 



Now if other flocks aie expected to ieed all hastily re- 

 enter the stack to repeat the scene. (I have known five of 

 us on such an occasion to kill 36 geese at one shot). The 

 wag©n is signalled for, and we return to the house to 

 breakfast, having been out about an hour. Of coarse each 

 participant claims to have killed about half the number 

 baeged. The geese are divided, and we separate to meet 

 again and repeat when we choose. Semi-Occasional. 



gtrn md gramw. 



* 



The Fur Trade.— One of our leading furriers told us 

 the other day that his cash balance, on hand the first of 

 the present month, was less than at the same time during 

 the twenty- six years of his business life. If it were not for 

 the sale of seal-sacques, he said, furriers would not have 

 paid their expenses this season. 



Seal is now the only fashionable fur, and the probability 

 is that it will continue so for at least five years. It comes 

 from the Shetland Islands. The finest fur is that of the 

 cow or young bull. A sacque, made to suit the present 

 style, ranges in price from tony-five to two hundred and 

 fifty dollars, according to the quality of the iur. A few 

 years ago the black fur of the skunk and monkey was in 

 considerable demand, which has almost entirely ceased, 

 and the skins are now worth less than half the former 



Pr it 6 has been noticed by furriers that of late years the color 

 of the fur of the animals of this country is not nearly so- 

 dark as formerly. Twenty years ago out- of every hundred 

 skins of miscellaneous animals, from thirty to forty ot 

 dark hues could be selected, while at the present time only 

 from fifteen to eighteen can thus be obtained. This change 

 is believed to be owing to the older animals being killed 

 off more rapidly than formerly, on account of the increased 

 vigor with which they are hunted, leaving their progeny 

 with not fully matured coats to fall victims to the traps. 

 All the finer furs come from the northern regions, lhe 

 skins produced in the tropical and temperate zones are more 

 valued for leather* an4 although the hair is highly colored, 



