270 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[NOTJIMBBB 4, 1880. 



about flvo seasons. This season there is scarcely o spear where 

 Ihe last five j'ears there were hundreds of acres, and this year 

 open water. 



Will some one fell if ■■ ■ ' ■ ' i lil, fli-ied will gi'ow? It 

 is very soft wliun it sfll -■ ; i ; :. „v wlio plant it remeiii- 



lier the sflroDgesI plants 1 i , i , - . . :._ grown in less than a 

 foot of water. Ltjtbon. 



St. Joseph, Mieh., Oct. 18. 



IN THE CANADA WOODS. 



LAST Friday F, Miner. M. D.. of Honolulu. S. I., and 

 myself, with two a;iiide,«. tool; po.ssc'wion of this most 

 pleasant camp with the"onnf?ent, of the owner, Iilr. L. Pope 

 Robinson, Que. It is a well-built log-house, with stove and 

 moderate amount of furniture in it, and pleasantly situated 

 in a srniUl clearbig on the rising ground west and within a 

 short (Ustaucc of the " JMegantK; Bog," which lies along the 

 western base of Meganiic Mountain. The eamp fronts and 

 gives us a fine view of the various peaks and basin in the 

 mountain and surrounding wUdenicss. \\fc Irave ;d ready 

 bagged quite a number of ruffed grouse and ducks: and have 

 seen numerous signs of deer and moose, together with most 

 of the fur bearing animals that frequent Ihis pari of the 

 globe. 



I have since I came here met one of the readers of Fohkbt 

 AKD Stkeam, Mr, L. P, Kenuey, of New Hiimpshirc, who 

 is trapping in this vicinity. He "reports good success so far, 

 and will remain here until the bog freezes up. 



Duek shooting on the St. Lawrence and on Missisquoi Bay, 

 on LidvC Chaniplain, has been good, and is likely to continue 

 80 for some weeks yet. My friend, Mr. Henry Caseau, of 

 'Vermont, is having nne sport anioiig the black "bass at Baas 

 Lake. Franklin, Vt. He has ca|Jtured some six-pounders, 

 and they were the small-mouthed variety. 



Sou\e two weeks ago ]\Ir. A. F. Dunfop, of Montreal, and 

 myself were duck .shooting at the Back Paver, near St. Rose, 

 wiieu two Montreal amateurs tried to "corner " our wooden 

 decoys, mistaking rbem for live ducks. One of the cocluieys 

 walked boldly down the shore with gun held at an angle of 

 I'orty-tive degrees, while the other went around tJie deco.ya in 

 the boat, so as to drive them up to his companion. When 

 he had rowed i\illiin about thirty feet of them he began to 

 spla.sh the water with one oar ajid cry out ''Shoo-ahl shoo- 

 ah'." We tlien sbuweil onvsclvcs outside the lilind, which 

 caused the fellow with the gun to take to his heels; but the 

 cockney in the boat Avas so paralyzed with amazement that 

 the only replj^ he c<nild make to rinr " ebail " was '• Aw-oh- 

 aw." as he drifted down the era-rent out of hearing. He, 

 hoNvevir, reeo\(.rcd bis wit.s and rowed back up stream, 

 piflM-d lip bis Irienil, and rowed for the village, where we 

 again saw ihein that evening talking very loud about rowing 

 matters and Uaulan's probabilities of success in his match 

 with Trickett. Stanstead. 



Pope's Camp, ScoUtoim, <3««., Oct. 21, 1880. 



TEXAS NOTES. 



FROJiI the time water fowl leave, until their return in the 

 fail, we have no shooting of cuisequence except at the 

 few chickens that breed on i_e low prairies bordering the 

 gulf and later at niigr.Ui J plover. Q,uail are now getting 

 plentj' on the mainland where there is suitable cover. 



During the few cool days last week the market hunters 

 brought In finite a lotof d\icks, mostly teal, but in a few weeks 

 more vast I'ocks can be setjn in abnont any direction. Jack- 

 snipe b.nve lieen plenty for several weeks, and later may be 

 found in every wet. marshy plitce in abundance. They remain 

 until April and alTiird Tine r;|M)rt. 



Tour remarkii ii i i '. ii" li dog sellers and buyers were 

 amusing. I hav. I . lii. i ijerience in that direction. The 

 two most proniiiii II , ., . i. in buying a setter bitch ''in 

 ivbelp" that bad noi iieeii served at all, at lea.st the owner of 

 the dug averred that he kin/w nothing of it. At another time 

 I pm-clrased a ]iointer bitcli ''Ijroken liy , a profession- 

 al." iVftei- satisfying m3'Pelf thatshe had no brealdng, wrote 

 said professional, who denied having broken her. 



The spiortsmen here are nnioh in need of a light di-aft boat 

 with side wheels, propelled by steam, to reach the best points 

 in oiu- shallow bays, and to return speedily and with certain- 

 ty. You referred to sucii a boat not long since as being buUt 

 for such a purpose, and if you will tell us more about it you 

 will confer a special favor on the sportsmen of thiscity. One 

 carrying say Dfteen men, and drawing not more than two 

 feet'loaded is uio^'t suitalile for our use. About what would 

 such a craft cnst, and what would the expenses of running 

 her per day probably be ? 



Thf annual meeting and tom-nament of the Texas State 

 Sportsmen's ABSociatiou will take place here in May next and 

 we hope to make it an attractive one. Cabonkawav. 



Babbath Maeaudkes Acjain. — Sunday shooters get their 

 deserts in Westchester Cotmty. Four persons were arrested 

 last week on the complaint of Geo. Laick, the wide-awake 

 game constable, for shooting on the Sunday previous. They 

 were taken before Justice Bird, who fined them -§5 each and 

 costs. They were all from Jersey City, and this was not 

 their (h-st offense. OlHcer Laick has received praise from the 

 local press for his faitliful discharge of the duties of his 

 office. 



Relative to the above, we have received the following par- 

 ticiUars from Mr. Saick, which we publish wth pleasure both 

 because the action was highly creditable to the game consta- 

 ble and becatise the result is a salutary warning to others : 



For tlie last year or t wo p.ast a party of four .and sometimes 

 ■five have made it a pracrice to come up here from Jersey 

 City with their dogs and gtms, on Saturday nights, to go out 

 shooting on Sunday. They used to go about three miles back 

 of Tarrj'town to a friend and stay there over night, As I 

 tihoughtthcy would come this fall" as usual I kept a.^ sharp 

 lookout for them every -^Saturday night, and on Saturday, 

 October 16,- they came up and w£nt back in -the coimtry in 

 their ftiend's wagon who was in waiting for them. Early on' 

 Sunday morning I took a horse and wagon and started for 

 the country. ' I Itnew they would himl, and had a good opyior- 

 tunity to see four of the"m in the field with their dogi^ % id 

 guns," and when ihey came to the Tarrytown depot, on Mon- 

 day niorninc, they were diilv arrested and taken before .lus- 

 ticc Bird, who fined them five dollars each and costs. Aiter 

 they paid the fine the .lustice told them that the next time 

 the"y should learn the law first, and one of them said, "We 

 know the law, but we tlnaight we were all right as long as we 



J tin 

 : Bufk- 



were in a country place." But although, in my opinion, the 

 fine was not large enough, I think they have learned to their 

 sorrow that they must not come to Tairytown lo violate the 

 gam* laws, and I don't think they will come again. This is 

 the tirst time that any one hiis been arretted and paid a fine 

 for violating the game laws in this part of the country since 

 I lived here, wliich is fourteen years. 



GaoKGB LAtoK, Gmie Qomtable. 



Canada.— ^' E. S. M.," of Winchendon. Mass., gives 

 C'imrier, of that town, the following facts regarding 

 ingham, a sporting resort in Northwestern Qii'eliij<' : ' 



" To get to Buckingham the (piirkest and liest rente is via 

 Montreal and the O. :M. .t O. R. R., leaving Boston at S 

 o'clock A. M.. and arriving at Bnchin-rham the m-xl dav at. 

 ViuiO noon. At Bnckimiham, go to tin- .Montreal House kept 

 by J. W. Lynch, who will giv<. you all neecs.sarv information 

 and ai5sistance, will take you t,n the lakes, provide camps, 

 boat.s, provisions, cooks and guides at verj' reasonabk- terms. 

 The ride t'rom Lyuch's out to camp is through various 

 scenctry and over a very ci^mforl able road of about twenty- 

 four miles, then bv boat about a mile, then liv portage nearly 

 a mile and a half lo boat again, then a nii'lf and a half to 

 camp. From the camp there are five or six lalics, in all 

 about ten miles long, where yon can find the r<d spotte.l 

 trout, the gi-ay trout, and the black trcait, and ocrasionally 

 one will find them all together, and weighing from half "a 

 pound up — up — to M'here even a fishernnni dart: not give the 

 weight. Mr. Lynch told me that one was caught at (!ig lake 

 last fall weighing twenty -one and a half pcamds. TlicBe,~how- 

 evcr, are the exceptioiis, not often seen or camjlit, Init the 

 kind that are always Ind when booked ; hut front of from 

 one to four or five pounds are plenty, and any one can have 

 plenty of sport and wiliiout going far from camp. The eamp 

 is well kept by Terrence McCabe, and ibigua Piersou, bis 

 camp helper, is a good and faithfiil guide. Trout Lake Ko. 

 1, is about five minute's walk back of the camp on another 

 Uttle stream, and Lakes No. 3 and 3 ar(! aliove No. 1 on the 

 .same stream. Ducks and partridges are plenty in their 

 season. A few deer are in the woods about the "lakes, but 

 moose and cai'ibou has been driven from twenty to fifty miles 

 farther north. The lakes above mentioned a"re not "idl the 

 ones that are accessible to the tourists; Avithin u mile or two 

 of the above tn-e Oull Lake, Hawl; Lake, Lady Lake, and 

 some forty others within a radir.a of ten mile.s, and all full of 

 trout. The scenery is bc.utiful and grand. Altogether it 

 well pays the sportstnnii tor the trip." 



Ohio Notes — Tokdo. 0., Mov. 34. — I inclosei dip from 

 paper: " Testeiday's Cleveland Lead^)' says: Captain 

 Louis Smitnight returned yesterday from a rhre'o days' shoot 

 at the Ottawa Point Club Hoiirc, o"f wliich he is the 'foimder. 

 He brought back with iiim 146 ducks of flie most magniticciit 

 specimens that ever cut Ihe air. Seventy-one of these ducks 

 were shot in foiu hours during the heavy storm of Friday. 

 The 146 are now distributed among friends, and are on their 

 way to that grateful sepulchre which the true epicxnean is al- 

 ways read_v to offer to delicious wild fowd." 



The duck shooting is very good on all the different club 

 marshes near here. The clulis are having some trouble with 

 trespassers who seem to think till marsh land belongs to Uncle 

 Sam, and that they can just shoot all they wish; but there 

 have been several arrests made lately, and are to come to 

 trial, which will, undoubtedly, settle the trouljle. Every day 

 or two I have complaints that people are Bhootint- quail or 

 ducks out of season. There is no one who seems to take any 

 parlicular interest in stopping this unjust breaking of the 

 law. Our Oliio Legislature should look out and niak() jirovi- 

 sion for the protection of game, or in a few years we will 

 have none. Cannot something be done ? The great trouble 

 seems to he that meuibers of CongTees, etc., are asked if they 

 will enforee the game laws and protect elub.s. and if they say 

 yes there is capital made out of it, and they lose votes by it. 

 So it goes with the game. " A. 0. 



Washington T'lKKiTORif Notes.— [JEcto-iMi from Oiraular 

 55, nceimdhy Prof. 8penc«- F. Hmrd. from A. -T. 8mUh. P. 

 M., QuiU-ut, Qv'Ucvlj C-j., M'axhiiujtjm Territory]:— \i the 

 Indians could depend on a steady market to buy their ii.sh, 

 furs and hides, they might Ixi-oine a useful people. The 

 plain Indians are often hungry as a wolf, and often assavage. 

 The coast Indians have plenty to eat and are quite docile. 

 The ocean abounds with fish, clams, niu8.sels and other shell- 

 fish, seal, sea otter. The land with elk, heaver, bear, pan- 

 ther, wildcat, fisher, otter rabbits, wild geese and ducks. 

 Our forest is forty by sixty miles iuter.sper9cd with small 

 prairies of from one to ten" plains of 160 acres. Numerona 

 streams, with waterfalls from five to sixty feet. The timber 

 is fir, si^ruce, cedar and hemlock from one to ten feet in di- 

 ameter, and from .50 to 300 feet high. Gold is found in our 

 streams, but as yet it has not yet been taken out in paying 

 quantities. Coal has been found in several plae(^s. Thi"s al- 

 most unlmomi region aliounds in untold wealth nf agricul- 

 ture, minerals, timber and fish. Our poinilalion ist'l. There 

 is room and wealth for several thousands. We need X. S. 

 Postal Service put on ouj- route to develop the euuntry, and 

 a raBi'Oad which is sure to come. Our coldest wenthiir was 

 in December — 20 degrees above zero. Our deepest snow was 

 in January last — 20 inches deep, :ind it lay one week. Snow 

 in February, 12 inches deep, lay one week, the hardest win- 

 ter for 30 years. Oiu- mountain streams do not freeze over 

 in the winter ; fish can be caught all winter. Mt. Olympia 

 is covered with snow the year round. 



Game About Rochbstbb— i?(7i.'^*;sfe>-, iV. Y,, Oct. 25. — 

 We have had, and are still enjoying a very favorable season 

 for field sports. In some of my former letters I told your 

 readers what superior woodcock shooting may be had in'this 

 vioinity at times. This has been one of the favorable seasons 

 and the number of those favorite birds that have been shot in 

 the counties adjoining this city within the la.st month almost 

 exceeds belief. 



There is one market shooter living in the town of Greece, 

 next north of the city, and he has shot enough woodcock this 

 month to make happy forever half a doaen men who shoot 

 for sport. Early in October he shot thirty-two cocks in one 

 day, and in a day and a half last week he bagged forty-two 

 woodcock.. The unusual number of the birds is..accounted 

 for by the fact that the great storm in the west and north 

 probably drove the migratory birds from their haunts in the 

 regions Visited by the cold, and they flocked in to the plea.s- 

 anter places ('f New "i'ork. Just before the last flight there 

 was a foot of snow over the State from Bat.avia, thirty miles 

 west of here, h, Bnlfido and through f;in!ida. The" woods 

 where the cocks are found soabnndani are close to the lake, 

 and when the birds cross lake ( nitario ttiey are probably tired 

 and stop in the first shelier. 'fheii- have heen mwe ;5olden 



had I 



Thr 

 last w 



f.i 1 



iljle. 



plover with us this season than for many years past. I heard 

 this afternoon that on Friday afternoon last a 'Rochester man 

 shot Ihirly-five AVilaon snipe on ilie ^foutezuma marshes, and 



that he could have .shot a. hundred next day if the Weather 



uesus Lake, Livingston County, 

 lilt of one day's ihick shooting 

 lucks. The day was not favor- 

 ices intervened to prevent our 

 lieen. One of our |mrty, G. D. 

 )air of redheads, knocking 

 were so hig that at first 

 but Ihcir ye'llow iris be- 

 lys, and it was amttsing to 

 diver. I In one occa- 



ifa' 

 ont to 

 IS the 

 hiitv-oi 



Jisir 



le a 1^ 



it;ht f 



lionble shot at a 

 ■h tiarrel. They 

 taken ftir canvas ht.eks 



E.'; tree 



down e 



Ihey w 



trayed them. We tried diving di 



see how we could toll ducks mil 



sion, jusl for trial, we led a blue bill duectly past our flock 



of common stools by worlcing the diver, vvWch secnicd lo 



excite the curiosity of the living bird to an extraordinary 



degree. R. 



Lake Okeechobee.— In an item headed " Lake Okeecho- 

 bee," the correspondent says thai it is no unusual thing to see 



.aO or T.') deer in a day's ••■■''■ ^<~-- - — - •- — - ^ — - 



rather iung. I have been ' 

 Spring Creek to the Miami 

 and bred in the Slate, \\- 

 foot of land in Florida, am 

 25 deer in one day, and thi 

 for water. There is plei 

 rea.son for stretching tliiii_; 

 shooting from the deck c 

 yom' view of Itf, providing 

 tired. On one trip up ii- 

 Melonville, there were foi 

 least ten shots apiece at an 

 top of the water, and ne 



ide. This seems to me dra'\ving it 

 a tlitit part eif Florida i frotu Rock 

 River) on foot, ^ritli a hnnter born 

 lo was said to kuow every square 

 don't believe I ever saw more than 

 n 13 out eif the 25 were at a spring 

 ty of g.iiiie iuFlorida, so Ise.c no 

 ', '.'. iiaking of the cruelty of 

 I' II 1 would eerlaiiily take 

 : !|. iiii .mylbing when they 

 t,. ..I..i,.is, froiii Jacksonville to 

 r gentlemeii on hoard who fired at 

 albgator lying perfectly still on the 

 er even luaile him wiiik. So it is 

 vith most of them, as the good himters prefer sport that gives 

 them some exercise. I wasln Florida from January 1876 to the 

 middle of April the same year, and again froiii Septeiaiber 

 1876 to June 1877, so that I have some idea of how much 

 game can be fomid. Q. W. B. 



VisTTTK" .'^poT?TSMr>7 A-N'P Dfck-h- - Ij-Vrirffiw, Minn., (h-t,. 

 '23. — A'-'-/, ■ '■■;■' ■./ y^tr,n,n: I have jui^t read what 



" l'"aiiii.''i ■ 1 siiys in reply ro mv' erilicisui upon 



'■W;ii;- ■ : •• I iiieM-in the Fokijst ,\-:r> Stp.f.aJI about 



ll' ' M^: here. I certainly intemled no injnsliee to 



■■It hi.s letter contained the .-emimeins and cx- 

 1 I M I'oreigu sportsmen to such an (xi I ni that our 



spiiiiMiieii ml look it for granted that he was .jie: eif others 

 who iiad made himself obh().\inns lo thenj. k\. all events be 

 not only did an injustice to otu S|ioitsinen Imt teitliecom- 

 uiimity iu general, and I see no reason to iiiorlifv anything in 

 my former letter. If "Waiisee" wtis .iliemptiiiL' an'} thing in 

 good faith it was from (J! parti) testimony e\ lueing' ;i dispo- 

 sition to throw discredit upon people of'wliiini lie knew ab- 

 solutely nothing. My atleinpl to "connect A\'!msee'H person- 

 al character with the' merits of the ctise" wa.s wholly upon 

 the asBumption that he was one of pot-hunters who had been 

 irinkinc the unaportsmanlike war upon om' chickens. 



In re-tily to vonr editorial comment as to "whether or not 

 we CPU l.ike our valiuiblc dogs with safety to Windom, Minn., 

 I will say yes with the utmost airfety, and their owners will 

 lie warmly welcomed also if the outrages upon the country 

 are not repeatetl. 



The duck and grouse season is now at its best, I htivo 

 neverluiowntheaquaticgamc so plenty. Saturday I.sawfully 

 a thou.santl white geese rise from a sii'igle conillefd, and with 

 my companion, lyingoniny back inthcadjacent wheat stubble, 

 shot several as Ihey piussed over, and for hours they wen; fly- 

 ing o\er Ihe fiild like great swarms of ducks. Gecsc of eveiy 

 variety are plenty, and the ilneks are without number. The 

 stiaiii C'l the Hilli drove the covies mostly south though a 

 few yet, remain. They have been extremely and unusually 

 plenty this fall. WiNUOJt Pot-Hwtrb, 



Wkiout ©r Ruffed OnotTSE. — Elnii-ra. N. )'., Oct. 3.'). — 

 Seeing the note on "The Weight of Ruffed Grouse," hy J, 

 II. M.," in your issue of the 21sl inst. and the invitation from 

 j'ou to others to give their experience, f send you llie resultof 

 111}' ejbservations. T have tuTore nie my game aecount for 1879 

 aiid to this time in l&SO, hi which I have ibe weights of twen- 

 ty-three ruffed grouse, the heaviest one .showing twenty-five 

 and three-quarter ounces, an old cockliirel .shot in November, 

 '79. 1 also find the aecount of thirteen shot in two days in 

 the middle of December. '7i), the weights of which range 

 from nineteen and a half lo twentv-Cve ounces. Then I have 

 the weights of six shot just hefore Christmas, '7!1. Ttu; three 

 male liirds weighed from twenty-three and ti half to twenty, 

 four ounces, and the females from nineteen to nineteen and a 

 half ounces. From the above it v.\\\ In -hi i;i:it asfarasmy 

 expcritMicegoes our birds will wi 'l ■ ■ ■ . - i. en to twenty. 



five and three-einarter ounces. 1 .; ; i,,. onclnsion that 



flic female birds in this section l1 lLc ^iij.L ..ill weigh from 

 nineteen to twenty-one ounces, and the males from "twenty- 

 tw^o to twenty-six ounce.8; although I have not secured any 

 that would turn the scales at twenty -six ounces. I weigh my 

 birds in the same kind of scales use'd by the post-otfice depart- 

 ment. We have here what we call "old gray backs," the 

 back and tail being gray instead of brown. 'We- do not get 

 more Ihan one in le!> -f tle-o!or. and I am at a loss to account 

 for the dilfercn. . i' ' ■ ;_ -nd shr.uld be pleased tn hear 

 from others of l-i i ' : i i e^ijerience in regard to the 



matter. Can yon. ■ ■■ ■■; in: r- n -lie heavier '.veiirlits of the birds 

 mentioned by "J. H. M ?" Mo they grow larger in that sec- 

 tion of the State, or has my limited cA-jjerience failed to bring 

 any of the "old ones" to bag? As you suggest, let the sports- 

 men give us the first of their experience, as it is of much m 

 terest to u.s all I think. ■ E. B. 6. . 



OoNNBOTtotjT. — The New Haven Rei/istmr gives a good re- 

 port of woodcock shooting by sportsmen of that ci ty : ' ' 'yes. 

 terday was a good day for sportsmen. The 'birds were 

 moving in large numbers, the air being cold and the morning. 

 frosty. New Haven sportsmen were on hand to take ad- 

 vantage of the conditions. They went up the Canal road to 

 favorite preserves, to WoodbricTge jind elsewhere. There- 

 suit shows that' the anticipated diminntion of woodcock has, 

 fortunately, not come to pass. ]\fore liirds wdll be shot tliis- 

 month than during the remainder of the sea.son. William 

 Peck and Brownell Robert son bagged IwenfyJonr wriudcook; 

 the Potter boya twcDty buds : Henry and "David Cowell ten 

 woodcock and six i_iartridgc.s, and several others seven, eight 

 or nine birds each, mostly woodcock. Mr. Peck has a valu- 

 able (log which yesterdii}' did something rarely witnessed. 

 It had just recovered a dead bird fTom"the cover when he 

 pointed at another with the dead bird Mtill in its mouth. At 



