u 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



fAUGUST 30, 1880. 



27/f ^^latihnmn ganmf, 



CAIiIP NOTES. 



BY BODDJES. 



[Continued from jmge 40.] 



WALKING along the tnouiitain road, aduiiriiig tlie 

 lovely wild flowers and the iininenso nioseicov- 

 eveil roolia over which -water is trickling to bath© and 

 refresh the charming little forget-rno-nots that tliero 

 abound, 1 take a path worn smooth by the wanderings of 

 gr^azing cattle, wliosa bells are Jieard tinkling not nnmi 

 sioally here and there, and following in iti miineioi 

 ■windings down tlie mountain side, come suiliienly iipo 

 T,he long, still po<jl where tlie trout I am in searcirof has 

 his abiding place. There, tinder a large boulder in the 

 middle of the pool, is his luir, from which position he 

 rose, but mis?ed iny liy. thi^ (hiy before. He's a rouser, 

 auda \v;iry uM fellmv. sinarting under the remembrance 

 of sundry |inoks from the (isiu-nnen in camp, and must 

 becaivfuilv approaclifd. I st:ut, in at the fool of the 

 pool anvl w;idr c.-u-efully toNvar.l the rock, never taking 

 my feet lr<nii lh._' water, I o avoid a splaah tlmt would 

 send waveieis lip the pcjul to notify iiLin of my coniiii.t;. 

 I a.m within a hundred feet of him, and com'meiicc' Id 

 cast my line toward the spot, approaching gradually, 

 and unreeling the line the while to give tlie lonuc'st 

 cast of which I am capable, Presenify the fiie.s arest-L- 

 tling over the very point I wnuld hare Ihem ; and as tliey 

 alight upon the water aofliy, gently, e\ery nerve thrilf.s 

 with eipeciaiicy and excitement. There is a snndl rip- 

 ple seen, then an involuntary slriive, and a im'seraliln 

 little black-speckled chuh i.s reeled toward me. Ife 

 ed fri 



ntemptiiou.sly diseuga_ 

 ashore, with directions to 

 How one will "talk to himself 

 the stream. Many interesting i 

 with binds and trout , and quite 

 replied 

 lengll 



I till 



n the hook 



llicrcas food n.rriiiuks 

 v.la-n tlmr, alu^ir upon 

 nver*itJuns liavo I li^ld 

 ■uicrlainmgly luive they 

 3iy Hies are again in the air ; the line is 

 the next cast will send them to the 



■yspot, flu-re they light again, hut no response re- 

 wards uiy endeavor. I cast all about tiie rock, under 

 the neighboring bushes,' and near the head ol the |jonl, 

 iuquiring the while ia audible and imiKitienl tones why 

 he does not show himself. I tiilk to him, telliug Jiuii 

 what a beauty he is, and how provoking it is in him to 

 thus secrete himself ; but never a (in does he show. I 

 linally coiicluile he has discovered me, and he being the 

 particular fish X am after, with nolhinxelse to do, I wade 

 carefully ashore, nit down upon a mossy rook, with 

 feet dandling in the water, lay down my rod, light my 

 pipe, take oat uiy note book, and jot down what I see, 

 lioping that while thus engaged luy victim maj^ exhibit 

 Jiini-Jir ill feeding un the nattuul flies that are bobbmg 

 over the water. 



Wiiiit countless livin.g creatures one encotmters when 

 Bitting tlius quietly in tiie woods. Birds hop 



the Vn-anches ovprhc.ld, l« itteiing 



:•.. ' ':!'. 'i !■ i': ill.; down upon y 



,, ,..-1, askine; voi 



■ ,-rsdart Iron") tl 



about/, liiug fishers dive for m 

 by yonr feet, tlu'owing water 

 plunge. Highholds re.L'fUe ihci 

 th.ey bring momentarily from 

 liittle speckled ^vood peckers sea, 

 in the bark of the surrounding 

 of satisfitotion overv time one 

 barbed tongues. Froos of till 

 that of a deeii liaritonc to tlie ^1 

 single, jerky notes as thougli fired fr. 



tertties take 

 thicket ;i 



:hatt. 

 in a eoinically sus- 

 ,'hat yon are up to, 

 11 the frees, and withuil- 

 il flies tliat are skipping 

 iniiows aial newts close 

 in \our face from their 

 ■ youii,-- with grubs that 

 a noighboriug meadow. 

 ■cli for insects and JarviB 

 trees, K'^ing wee grunts 

 is imptil.'d mion their 

 si/.os, w-itdi \iHccs from 

 -. ,t;ivf ont their 

 popKUl'- Bt'l- 

 flight through the dense 

 tree tops without ever touching a 

 hraucli — a teat that would seem impossible as you look 

 uponUieir course. Gnats, punkies, luosquitos and Hies 

 alight upon youi- face and hands, taxing your fortitude 

 to the utmost in avoiding spatting them, that ycu may 

 not frighten away the birds. The mo.stpilto, like the 



htlv 



obstacl 



he .sti'ikes, hut tf 

 1, biting before de- 



1' w ritiiig that you 

 1 ant is a colporteur 

 rry many times his 

 ;ettiug it there, 

 his Nvay, never 

 r « hy. 1 have 

 th a dead hug 



rattlesnake, gives warning bi-fo 

 punkieis a contemptible coppe 

 cliu-mg himself, Aid^ainlljr 

 per across your li 



may scrutinize 

 of no mean di 



own weight, bnt m „ ^.ni.aie 

 lie never turns aside lor au\ 

 seems certain us to where lie 

 just been watching one back up 



in his mandibles, which he has dragged from tw_-- ., 

 feet away, changing his direction more than a thousand 

 times. What he ^vill do with the beetle when he luus 

 hiiii down on the other side of the tree no mortal can 

 foretell. There is a sucker, almost within reach of my 

 feet; as he pokes listlessly about over the bottom of the 

 week, sucking sand and luud into his long snonl and im- 

 juodiately squirting it out again, causing a dirty cloud 

 all about hini, and then moving on, overturning sticks 

 and rooting under stones, forever looking for something 

 that he never finds, ;t|jtly reminds me of men seen upon 

 our streets at hoiiiH, fiuuging aliout the corners sucking 

 filthy clay pipes and expectorating tobacco juice about 

 for their betters to w alk in. then moving on to get out of 

 their own fdth and to bespatter and nasty a new neigh- 

 borhood. While observing the sucker a nuiskrat has 

 quietly taken a seat on the \ery rock under which my 

 trout is supposerl to Ire, confound him ! There he sits, 

 iincoucernedly bri akf.isting on a bunch of clover which 

 lie has brought -with him. Now he swims gracefully 

 down the pond, climbs upon ;ui old log. and waslies his 

 face with lii.^ hiack paus. There he will play and frolic 

 within retich of mv rod until I stir, when in a twinkling 

 he will be gone, and, for the life of you, you cannot tell 

 where. He has the power of beooming invisihie in clear 

 water not passessed by any other creature ot my ac- 

 qu.aintance. I note the wood robin (Tiiniiii^ iimtodns) 

 itiii„iiei ailiiereto his accredited time for singing. He 

 I . -i -HO i'oriii liis eiijaisite melody only early 



ill .,:. - . - .i.ji.i:, arid late in the evening; but here I have 

 lic-aru iniii uL oil hours of the day. Just below me, by 

 lite water's edge, I hear a jilaintive, pleading cry of some 

 creature ill distress, 1 imist see wliat it is, even at the 

 risk of disttirbing the trout and driving away my inter- 



esling fru ihJs. Mo one should fail to respond to such an 

 appeal as iii;H. Toor froggie I it's yon, is it? And that 

 ugly wall ) ; iialo' h;is you by one hind leg. Cause enough 

 for alarm and ihat wild waii for succor. While I search- 

 ed for a stick the snake was vainly endeavoring to turn 

 tiie frog BO as lo get his head in his mouth. The frog re- 

 sisted desperately, kicking with his free leg and calling 

 on me ])fteously for help. It came with a whack over 

 his snakesliip'a back that sent him wiithing into the 

 water and set froggie free, who made some loarvclous 

 leaps down the bank and (Msappetired under a stone in 

 the pond without waiting to express his thanks for the 

 rescue. While returning to my seal a porcupine appears 

 at the margin of the pool, and, not seeiug me, occupies 

 hinxself in overlurniuK stones \vUli his great black paws. 

 He seems to be .searching for larva? and crabs, for mo- 

 mentarily he sits erect and vtivcy? soinething to his 

 mouth with both paws, f 1 i _' i : d (lie shore 



upon hi.s side of the pond in dv, he loeks 



across to mine, scrutinizing, i ' as though 



an>;ious to investigate that al:-.j. je. mv surprise he en- 

 ters the scaler and swims directly toward me. He is an 

 ugiv-loikiiii; chap, but quite a graceful swimmer. As 

 he mars the sleire f wad<? out to meet him, at which he 

 does not exhibit the slightest concern. His quills all lay 

 smoothly upon his back while he swims, and he seems to 

 lie unable to erect them when 1 poke him with a stick. 

 Evidently 1 htive him at a disadvantage. I thrust him 

 under the water; he turns ovir once or twice from the 

 presrure of the stick, and rises almost exhausted to the 

 surface. He's the most laliiless creature for so large and 

 homely a one that 1 have yet formed an acquaintance 

 with. I am tempted to grasp him by one of ids hind 

 feet, bill am dissuaded by the clo.se iiroxiniity of his 

 bushy, bristling tail, and push him ashore, where he lies 

 utterly used it]; and grunting as thoiit,di in LO-etil distress 

 Soon lie revives and shows a disposition to crawl info the 

 liushes, I (ouch him with a stielc, when iiislantly the 

 quills upon his back become erect, every one shiiidingin 

 an opposite direction from its mate, liad the creature 

 been dipfieil inio a pot of nine, and a peck of quills emp- 

 tied over him, a representation of his appearance would 

 be complete. Try as I ^vould, 1 could not touch his head, 

 which he kept widl under his body, and turned his taii 

 toward me as I attempted to look him in the face. Touch 

 a bird toot and he would hish his tail in that direction 

 in £1 manner that caused me to congratulate mvaeif that 

 the stick and not my hand received the bUnv." ii ,ving 

 played with him to my salisfticlion, and concluding he 

 would never mtvke ti ■■l,o,-,oni companion," I letthimto 

 scramble iuto the thicket while I once more regained my 

 seat on the rock. 



Scarcely had I noted my inter\new with the porcupine 

 in my note-book when the very trout that I had been 

 waiting for broke, almost under my nose. There ho is 

 now, with head turned u|) stream, "his side loward me, 

 upon which every vermillion sjiot is plainly di.stinguish- 

 able. His tail moves sloulv frotn side to side aud his 

 pectoral liiis fan the water cent imialiy. Kven his cone- 

 shay d jiupii can be seen, so clo.se is ne, WTiat a beaut^' 

 he is '. He seems conscious that a foe is near, for his eye 

 moves restlessly, and he makes several hesitating luo- 

 tions as though he would like to captttre a naturnl fly 

 that is fluttering in tho water near him. He starts to- 

 ward it suddenly^, then returns to hLs position again, evi- 

 tlently with one eye on nie ami the otlter on the insect. 

 I sit motionless, and cautiou.^ly and slowly reel up my 

 line until only the leader banes fiom the end of the rod, 

 I wail, aud wTien at last he dtirts at the insect that has 

 been enticing liim. makin,;;; the water boil tis he eneiilf,-, 

 it and swiftly returns to his old ]iosition, 1 cmclnde my 

 time for action has arrived, and tremiilirif^lv .ivleud my 

 rod and drop the end lly upon the water ptst over luj 

 liead, His lins \ ibrate more rapidly, his tail moves ner- 

 vously, givin;^ ,i pei-iiliar spiral motion to his body; he 

 starts tin\ard the bobbing fly, then turns back again; he 

 comes again, this time with more determination in the 

 movemeiii, ami t hold my breath and tremble in every 

 iniis(;le with ;i feelni.- that my body will fly to pieces if 

 he keeps fooling witti mo miudi longer ; he' turns s>viftly, 

 juftash conies within a. foot of the lly, and concludes 

 he won't. 1 jjive a sigh of relief, mixed with approval 

 and di.sapipoiutment ; every nerve in my Ijodv is quiver- 

 ing, and 1 feel as though 1 could leap irito tlie creek and 

 end the contest. The trout still moves aljoiU restlessly 

 and watches the Hy. He makes sundry feints at it, 

 which sends my heart and lungs into my 'mouth, almost 

 suffocating me! I swallow them as best I can, when he 

 turns trway and 1 continue my liobbiug desiierately. A 

 tremblin-, incautious movement of mv arm let.s the 

 dro|,per-Hy upon tlie wtUer, and, before I can set it away, 

 thai coiifoniided trout has it fastened in his jaw and 'is 

 skedaddling up the pond with it at a rate that makes the 

 reel sing with its rapid revolutions. Before 1 can jump 

 into the pool and prepare for the fight, he leaps from the 

 water twice, shaking his head desiierately, and creating 

 such a splashinjj; as to send the sucliers darting by me in 

 affright at the unusual commotion. But I have him— 

 fast have I him too, in his upper jaw, with no danger of 

 rele.ise, if tackle iiroves true atid strong. No use in your 

 shaking your heaif iri that manner, old'fellow, vou must 

 come to creel t liis time. Steady, there 1 You ".shall not 

 reach tli.i; -nnn].— that will never drj. Whoa, Just 

 missed il, I 11- '. Well, you are a lively chap; 



want ii I ;-,i I u: I : ino rock, he) : let us see about that ; 

 just pull no Lbe -111 ih.^ of that rod a while, and we w>ill 

 see who is \\i>- siroiicest ! Ah. ha : that brings you to 

 terms, do.-yn't if:' lltadv to capitulate .- Very weU, just 

 let me slq. this landing lu-f iiiuler you. No;' All right. 

 try it .■igaiii ; but that brush heap you shall not reach un- 

 le3^ you lireak my well-tried bamboo. Tired again after 

 that spi urge, are you? AVell, we'll try the lauding net 

 once more ; let me. reel you in a little first; there, now 

 you are within reaching distance. What a lieauty you 

 are, and what a pity it is to take you from this charniing 

 pool! How your silver sides rellect the colors, aud as f 

 lead you into the sunli^lit how you change to gold and 

 ruby and emerald and— bless me, eveiy other color worth 

 admiring. What a bright carmino your t ringed gdls are, 

 and how yom- pink tins harmonize with your general 

 "make up." A urible Ught you have made, my dear fel- 

 low, and a very handjome lish you are. There," rest upon 

 that tuft of grass in the creel, while I try your mate 

 under the willows yonder; for, from the manneriu which 

 he is just now splashing about, I conclude he can be 

 made to keep you company. Then, what a haudsoir.e 



brace you wUl be to exhibit to the campers as trophies of 

 my morning's work. 



Whtit a picture is revealed to me a3 I wade out into the 

 stream. To the left, a rook-botmd shore overhung with 

 long green brandies of the water-beech. Through them 

 are seen the rhododendrons, their pink and white.clusters 

 peeping out everywhere. In front, a miniature falls 

 gracefully ripphng and winding among and over moss- 

 covered rocks. Beyond, a smooth sheet of water, under' 

 which every stone and pebble can be seen, and from the 

 quiet surface of which the mountain and sky is clearly 

 retlected. To ihe risht, willows with their yellow foli- 

 age, over which spruce and hemlock with their darker 

 sliades of green, .'^lon:;^ tho banlc a decaying log, coai- 

 pletidy covered witii mos j, and through which deUeate 

 ferns are growing' ; behinil it, in swampy gi'ound, a 

 cluster of cardinal flowers (Lubdia cardinalis), almost a 

 nionth in advance of its regular bloooiing time, and 

 V hose brisht scarlet blo.KHoms appear all the lovelier by 

 reason tif the beconiiiiK background of tall green timothy 

 stalks tliat wave to and fro in the gentle breeze. Daisies, 

 with their round, full faces— .so .--ugtrestive of eood humor 

 and jolhty — abound eveiywhere. " No glen is too dark 

 for them, no meadow too" light, no sandy plain too hot 

 or dry, no swamp too wet or cold ; tho ever cheerful 

 daisy looks up at you from meadow, hill aud dale ; among 

 the first flowers to greet you m the spring, the last to bid 



you adieu in the fall. Bit 

 see tall purple i.biine;; 

 noveboracensisj and wild 

 with sprinklings of yello 

 and primroses (Priinula 

 grant with the perfume 



weed and musical w ith tl 

 Overhead, through thegr 



is lbe daisies ! In the nieado.v I 

 d' (liH iron-weed {Vernoiionia 

 weet William (f/f/o.r mucalato), 

 • tuid gold from tlie buttercups 

 ocauhntiilia). The air is fra- 

 if the now blossoming milk- 



blin.e-s of the thinishes. 

 bran, hes of the trees, the 

 ky, with white and fleecv clouds waftod 

 hither and thither to suit the te.iqier of the wind. /What 

 a scene 1 flow I wisli for ;in ajtist to look upon and en- 

 joy it and let me free lo eali h that trout. 



Halloa, what Sound is I fiat ■/ I liear it once again in 

 an echo against the oppc-site mountain, to be repealed all 

 along the valley, when I recognize a blast from George's 

 horn. Hark! there it comes again, in three long blasts 

 — a signal that dinner is wailing, and then two short 

 notes to tell me that company has arrived. I cast hnr- 

 riedly unrier tho bushes and have a rise, at which I strike 

 nei vously, and carry away the upper lip of the fish, who, 

 freed from the hook, darts out into the fiond tind rests 

 within easy view. He rubs liisnosp a;;aiii,.t a >tooe. opens 

 .and closes his momli, « inks aud lilini 

 raeditatint' upon the i-ituatiou ; 'r, ] 

 wdiat sort of an infernal llv could car 

 lip. Just then he eo( a Klinlp^ 

 pond like ti rocket, iuul wiis li: 

 enough of me for that day, f reeled i 



;qK 



to the mountain road and hurried intp camp 



s to be 

 itidcrmg 

 fellow's 

 e, and darted up tlic 

 t kill eluding he Iwd 

 my line, chmtied 



C 



deqihi 



BAIL .SHOOTING ON THE DELAWARE. 



HESTER, a town of some commercial importance, 

 situated on the IVlaware River not far from Pbila- 



, and hasbi 



kind 



,, till 



lieatlquariejs 

 iting, and as 

 f the imrsuit of upland bii-ds— 

 w. ,:l, ,, I,, iiise and quail—and again many to whom 

 III I I ioiiable) excitement ol shooting ducks, 



e rn altraetioiis, so there are those who for 



} . 1 a,, , , LIB in succession are to be found at tlie proper 



seasnn at L liester, as eager for the Sjiort as llicilgll it 

 iioiiibined ail the ,atlractious of both. 



Tlie lii'st time tor shooting occurs during the high tides 

 of the full He|>tembermoon, for, other thuigs being cqna', 

 the higher the tide the larger the bag. 



Having obtained a "pusher" at Chester, you start 

 about an hour before the tide rises, aud crus.s the river to 

 the Hats, ami are jnished by your boatman as far up into 

 the reeds as the tide allows you to go. With yoiu* darkey 

 pusher at the stern with his long pole, yon sland firmly 

 braced in the bow. If you do not get excited, the tdian- 

 oes are, if you are a tolerable shot, that you will kill al- 

 most all your birds; but, as for retrieving tlienij that 



ilepe,, 



llol li 

 Vol 



1 v: 

 dune-hair the birds hi 



Left to yourself, yoti would 



k tho birds down, but the 



iiunches la iTi ,1 are -,o iniicii alike that two lo one you 



nevers 1 1 n, althou.fh he nmy be not a foot 



away, e!i Inddeii weed with but the end of 



his littli e .', liter. But, with a good puslifr, 



w-hose eyes ;ir.' a. eiij.ti.nied lo di,-co,er the miuiilest dif- 

 ference in the color or i-i;-:!/ of a reed, you \vill probably 

 lose but a few birds, cxee|it wounded ones, which yoll 

 may as well give up at once. Apart from the natural 

 repugnance of a true sportsman to kill aud not retrieve, 

 you w ill do better to leave them, for in the ten minuleii 

 you consume in searching yoa may shoot five or six 

 "binls. The time of shooting does not e.xceed three hours 

 a day ; but the immense quantity shot in that time would 

 make one think that the birds woiUd soon be extei-mi- 

 nated. Not so, however, for although it is not unusual 

 for a single boat to firing in one hundred or more birds, 

 and the flats during shooting houiis are covered with 

 boats, yet year after year the rail is finmd seemingly in 

 numbers u'ndimiuisfied from the thousands of shots ditily 

 fired and great quantities of them killed. 



The one great drawback to this kind of sport is, the 

 danger, This is great, and one careless shooter some- 

 times spoils the wdiole day's ideasure for many. As the 

 rail are shot in reeds retiching above your head, and the 

 position of the shooteis is hut jjoorly defined by the- pul^s 



of the pus 

 ing at on 



flight of t 



i;;lil be expected with SO many shool- 

 e, man;,- acciiicnts have occurred. 'J'he low 

 e Ijirds is another cause of danger, and a care- 

 often followed l>y a shout from another boat 

 issiiiii,'.; fi<im some poor fellow whoseskiu tingles, even i£ 

 he be lucky eiiuugh to escape wiCliouc serious injury, 

 There is scarcely a darkey pusher (for most of them are 

 negroes) but can show the shot marks on Ids person ; but, 

 as they say, they soon get used to these little trifling ('.')oc- 

 curreiicec. A trifling occurrence it was not, however, to 

 one \\ liom I saw lose his eye in this way, 



TaUin.;; it all together, tlie danger run more than over- 

 balances, ill my mind, the pleasure of shooting on the 

 tl.ats. 



However, as a means of relaxation, if one is willing to 

 incur the danger, it will help to pass the time between 

 seasons. The birds, when shot, are small and hardly worth 



