NoviwrEET{1t,l880.] 



EOKF.ST AND STREAM. 



289 



This ■was nwkwiinl ; ko I climltcrt down below the mill' 

 wlieol, shorten PI 1 my Hi if, ;ind wilh evcs^r cricket I "jjaggeil' 

 anolilc snn-(ish till I nmiibered tweut.y-five. 



Alas ! tuy liiiit was all gniip ! My beer bottle, full of crick- 

 ets rii) ho^r before, was empty — dry as a powder-born I 



I was at my wit's end. lio cricketR, and tlic bail ground 

 was nearly a mile away. The boy fi'om tbo swamp was 

 equal to the oniert'ency. He knew wliere a wasp'anest urcw. 

 A silver piece miide his eyes stand out like saucers, aiSd in 

 tbrcc niiniilcs he had the adolcBneitt wasps rondy for stringing 

 on my hook. That was anew expi-rience. Cautiously Istuck 

 a couple of infant wasps on jny little hook, and let the horse- 

 hair U utter. What is that? Something cavorting (hrougli 

 the water tike a devil-fish ; but I hung bravely on to my nofe, 

 vainly cudoavoring to give my line addiliotial reach: Sud- 

 denly up dorted a "monster" — a two-pound bass. Softly! 

 Softly ' 'T.-. .-1I-- .. li..!.. t .ir-:... ]■:.„ .,.:;-!iv '^ronthlessly, 

 loviiiL' , 1 ■ over the 



dcei* 1 1 ,1 jump of 



the niii M ,^ , ',i I : , iiiiir line 



.gives way ciaiht Iccl Ifoiu the hook. I tiunble inlo the water 

 m my eagerness. Minding not the wet seersuckor suit, I 

 scramble out on the gravelly "banks of the Delaware, and only 

 know that my five-pound bass majestically darts down the 

 shallow falls into wbicli the pool empties into the deeper 

 Delaware below, witli a long line in liismouth. J. M. S. 



Big Blaoti: Bass — Mbnmoufli, JUiiMi'ji, JViib. 1. — I send 

 you to-day by express a black bass caught yesterday. Please 

 accept with my compliments. As 1 Ir-v • i r-i^ =' rr>rnl com- 

 munications in your paper from corn . i' .; L-ilH .)Vcr 

 minnows that weigb from five to si ' iliouslit 1 

 would send you a full-grown fish. Tin iil, . : . n i.ikun out 

 I :iMr walr'r weiglica seven poimdsaud livi nmuv'si 7 lbs. 

 - ■ ,. T i-aughi yesterday, in six hom-s, forty-six (W, Ikiss 

 iinl, \vi:ighcil one bimdrcd and eighty pounds (Jho ilis.j. 

 >Viien any of your friends that are good fellow.'* wish t:o 

 catch big bass, and lots of tbeni, call on me and I will show 

 them were they can do so free of charge. 



Yours, etc., Pjikb. A. At.i.EN, 



The fish came in good order. Thanks. It proved to be a 

 ,■■ tiig mouth," MicriipltfrvipnUkliis. 



^ An Bkcysted \{oiik—MU( tip-lnrig, Ky., Nm. 1880.— 

 ■Recent nieni ion of the sacculation of a hook iu a fLiah recalls a 

 circumstance which I'scnt to the Fouest and SiffEAM four 

 or live years ago. Old " Hopwood," then nnf nf Slanford's 

 experts or "professors, ",-with ft Frankfort n-i-l. Innilrd n six 

 or seven pound pike near Livingston, on Kn.k C'a'iilc |{ 



proffs-i --I - '" i>r day tr, nunip liini with diroys, sink 



box(!,= i- ' - lorthoili-atruciiiju of inniiincrabk'rauvas 



backs. A I '-' 1 1! :-hin:)tiii;.f i.s lui expensive luxury for Ea.steru 

 sportsmen. If there was'no game in the East there would be 

 im excellent reason for going a thousand miles westward to 

 find it. There is, however, niagnificont sport, to be obtaiiieri 

 near borne. There nevei* was a lirnn uln-n rraini.' b' % 

 well protected in Maryland, Vir-inin ami TsiaUi <• ; 

 at present. The quail, or purl riiLii a:< lln' buil :•, 

 denominated in the South, is iucreu-sing iu uuuiIki:;. i:,iii 

 White" thrives best in the prosperous (igricultuiul cujiuiiu- 

 uities. lie appeajs to follow civili2atii>n. 



Quail shooting and chicken shooting cannot, in my estima- 

 tion, be compared. If a man is shooting for results iu bulk 

 he will midoubtedly enjoy prairif shooting best. A chicken 



weighs more than a quail 

 •wiirrise us heavilv as a cxc 

 an ortolan. Tbclmnter s( 

 ground. Thiii-e \^ .si'areel.v 

 ncss of the prospprt. ' 



1 Iht 



15th of August a cbickeu 



V, anil IS y!iout as easy r,o kill as 

 mils upon a va.st exiia'nse of lov,;! 

 abuirimock to rtlicvf tlie sanu'- 

 AftLT S o'(,-lo(;k iu the morii- 

 iug the sun beats down with paralyzing effect. His 

 shooting is virtually at an end untir the shades of 

 cvfiuijig begin to fall. How different is quail shoot- 



"PASS SHOOTING" IN MINNESOTA. 



I REACHED Sauk Centfc i.n the mornin!; of Friday, 

 OfMobcr 8, at 1:18, wlifre, at tlie depot, f found my friend, 

 Mr. B., awailiiiLi; mo, and williin Icn minutes wp wiaV placed 

 at his door. Tim next moruiiir; i)repara,tions were begun 

 1 ! V ; our p-iiii.i were brouuiit out of llicir cases ; flannel rags 

 "il were in demand. Such bustling activity brought 

 h ilerisive and .sarcastic remarks from llie ladies'who were 

 . ...ya.i^cd in the more a.-sthetic subject of millinerv and dresses. 

 Bless their dear hearts ! I wonder it Uic ladies don't secretly 

 take as much pleasure in seeiuLC the sterner sex liecomint: 

 boys agam— if not in a'a:e and stature, at least in spirits and 

 cnlliusiasm— as we do when preparing for a shooting trip. I 

 believe they do. 

 In the afternoon we were scudding along at a .good gait 



ing ! " Ther 

 scape. Hills, 

 colors. The ai 

 exercise more i 

 successful In i 

 is found and i 

 the birds. TL 

 live ami cunnin' 



l•^e.llo^vi■,l^''a 



the du"i 



first the ace 



ate 





ader all c'jrcumsL 



s almost always in store for tl: 



■y info thick bottom I: 



r a beautiful land- 

 viiriety of natural 

 The himlcr must 



the !;nmc. To be 



Wiien thei;ovey 



, and well to kill 



.mail. Heisac- 



;irc plcas- 



il hunter. 



the re.ir 

 drawubvatc! 

 of a neiiliibor 

 1 u-7-> /•«//; 

 Four adults, 1 

 spaniel, formi 

 city), foitr br 



pra 



ii.of lar-f 

 ivhei accoi 

 e^ind on 



rlvtlie p: 

 i-'h-loadei 



comfortable 



'S -i^rood travelers— the jir 



aiou, 

 -erty 



tfit comprised the fnllowiiiL', b. 

 jnea poinler and the other" a i 

 :-opertyof Col. Gililersleeve of 

 'tion euougbto last, In. 



robes, and last, but not least, plenty of lunch. 



We had not gone more than two or three miles when Mr 

 B. asked to stop a few minutes, as ho fancied we could have 



The 



in the fali, and was 

 when a. iiri.niin-nee :ibnul lie' a 

 tention, anil proTed lo have li, 

 hook and fragment of a line ;i 

 learned that his neighbor ' ' I 

 lo the charge of "slathering 

 sometimes— had claimed to h 



■ the 



MiJleofa 



ill-es'^ini; of hi 

 Mdealtraeleilbi^ 

 ■1 pre.ser 



I inv*l 

 i,- qnile sensitive 

 -^ slather fearfully 

 ■oken at the 



Same pool by a whale the previous spring, and when " Hop " 

 exhibited tfiem in Dilsoy's presence he immediately recog- 

 nized them, and located their loss without prompting. 



ICENTtTOKIAjr. 



- liou't iis<i ritinniiaut^a, hut nature's reoJ brain and nom food— 



Hop tiitters. 



Carl' . I 



iertm 



!5ilUlVn 

 Uares 

 KCCU 



^n\\\i^ §ftg and fiitth 



«; vm; iiv SE.vsoiv iiv ivovk.^ibeu. 



Woortcoclf, PhilohfJa mimr. 

 BlaoJc-DBllled plover, ox-eye, 



Squatarula litlretim. 

 Loii!r-t)11efi cttrlew, Xir,iu;i.iii:i lowii- 



bag adds greatl_v lo lie- a 

 I and then a ruffed grouse 

 I from the clunq) of l.nu. l 

 ' find one of till. :;:,ii i-., 

 ' will be a plea;-i' - I. 



a hearty dim;- ; i , i" : 

 I shall not i.re..-n.l 1,1 il 



ties where quail in Hbuji.iaher"e:,n 



lire more birds in MarvlaUil, \ ii-Lon 



fall Ihan in an v previous h^ea^.^n ba 



been the n-enei-id e\Liericiice of W 



the frreatest number of liinls could 



Senator Vance, of North Carolina, t 



llial ihere were •' piu'lridiies" bv'il 



easteiai corner of the Slal^. Albemn 



with their tributary rivers, inle 



ties of Currituck, 'Ciimdeu, V:i 



Hertford, Chowan, Washimrl 



birds are nuiuerous in ihc boti 



hamiock, York and .fames rive 



good ducking can be obtained upon all of ibese siii'ams. 



Thei-o are jileuty of birds inland also, if ref oris received jrom 



thence are true, but I believe tide-water shoot in i;- lo laj more 



satisfactory. Besides the variety of sporl, the co.ver is not so 



dense as on the moimtain uplands. 

 The general State law of Virginia prohibits tiie kUling of 



quail before November 1, althrjugh iu some of the upland 



coimties the season liegins October l.'j. A general State law 

 protects every land ownir's property from trespass, and 



enes.s of the couteuta. Wow 



I vA'ith the .speed of an'arrow 



^ ill which you expected to 



If you kill the noble bird it 



1 lai when you sit down to 



■■■.liere you are slopping. 



I'llnmai to tin- exact locali- 



■01 lie iuniul. [ l;now there 



.rinia inni Xur'li i aixilina this 



.any ye.uv, past. It has 



diin.iiltin spiirlsnien thtU 



le found near tidewater. 



jenlly inl'ornied a friend 



thousands in the north- 



;uid Currituck Sounds, 



1 eeks, water the cotm- 



lotank, T'errpiimons, Gates, 



and Tyrrell. In Virginia, 



a of the Potomac, litqipa- 



BesideslI 



ail f 



iqielled to ]iost their lands Lo derive the 

 'I'Iri iieople for the most part are kindly 

 a genii' inan very rarelj' is refused per- 

 il iheii lands. Board cim be obtained at 



r 1 to ■'7 pi-r week and at the village hotels 



M,„-i , 



^"^l 



niTiiipei 



or o.v-tjinl. 



drear i 



MilVu 



waiet . 



Tattt': 

 YeUov, 







jimfpes. 



|>er, Ranit- 



, avfiraito 



i 'lev States 



Quail or partridge, Or/ya!>j»-jjii- 



SOrtt, rail, Purznvn ramlui.j. 



>' Ba.v birds "e. ■ ■ . ,: 

 plppr, snipe, n 

 etc., coraina ini 

 pernUtprDfrie 1 I 



NtlVEMBER SlIOOTmO GBOUNDS. 

 QrAu. IS Mabti-And, Virginia and North Cakolisa. 



IN i^revious letters to the It'oBEsr anu Rtuf.am T hnvo 

 called the utienliouof sportsuien to fie 



tbeNational Capital a.s a place of rendezvie 

 siring good shooting. Of late years a trip i 

 been deemed the correct thing by gentlemen fonri ,,f the pur- 

 suit of wild fowl or game birds. That there is a gi-eater 

 abundauoe of game iu the Western States than in the East 

 cannot be denied. I ttiink, however, that .sportsmen of the 

 East, who have made the Western trip, will concede ihttt 

 their success in the lalic regions aud upon the pi tiirii-s de- 

 pends in great measure upon the character of the men into 

 whose hands they fall when the hunting grounds arc reached 

 One must know where game can be "found in the West as 

 well lis in the Bast if good sport is to be enjoyed. 



The tpresiion of expense is a vital element ui the calcula- 

 tions of avast majority of gport.sinen. The gentleman who 

 takes bis vacation in the frosty days of Octot^er and Novem- 

 heJ\ upon the stubblufiokls or woodlands, musi be able to 

 reckon the cost of Ids amusement quite as accurately as ho 

 who loiujgea upon the beach at Newport or in. tluj hotels at 

 -Saratoga during the swelterins mid-summer time. 



There are field sports which can only be eniovcd bv tiu: 

 rich— sports which are us far beyond the roach of the'ordi- 

 nary mort.nJ who loves a dog and gtm as the elevated attrac- 

 tions of the Newport Polo Club are beyond the humble aspi- 

 rations of the youth who rides a stiff hack at a comitiy tour- 

 nament. The successful hnnipkin who crowns his sweet- 

 heart Queen ot Beauty at the country fair mav enio-i' bimself 

 vastly more, however, thau he who "drives i! 1 



his opponent's goal in the presence of the co 

 ot New York and Boston. The povertj'-strie r, 



who killes a dozen ducks from an inexiicnsive lilind at some 

 good point on the Potomac, in like manner may eniov his 

 shooting vastly more tliftn he who pays a Havre de Grace 



.sViot at some ducks 

 uolliing. The ducks 

 there might lie souie 

 view by a few trees not mnm 

 ing farm-house. Climbing o" 

 carottd, I crawled as slowly and n 

 for one weighing 1S12 pouuds tl 



1 looked all about me and coidd sec 



: not in the air, but T was informed 



tlic fence in that hole, hiddi'n fronr " 



any rods from a comfortalile look- 



enee. and caulioiieil to . 



'lesslv as it was possible 



gb Ibc tall, rank grass 



edges of the slough, 



fanner 



bcnelii I if I III-' :-;■■, . 



and ri ' 



niissi'. .-II 



farni-ii'iiisi". i n mi 

 from ¥1"' t" *1n pe- 



Quail are meae aliinKlaiit in Maryland than for manjf sea- 

 sons past. The lialtimoio Bun of a reccTit date says r 



" This abiuidance several circumstances have combined to 

 effect. Last fall the weather whs so dry that tile birds were 

 foimd with extreme dillicuKy, even liy the best of doss, and 

 a much Uirm' number Ih'ii ;; a ,1" . n- mi., n-ls- escaped 

 slaughter. T he succeeding v.b , i i: , i i'- breeding 



se;usou just past an e.vccllent ■ , . i n. i ... i,i,_. .n;^ done to 

 old or young birds bv natural eleLuLin-.. lunl Uir iilentifalness 

 of thislini- bii.l resuiiing is nenerallv remarked. The :.Ie.- 

 sina [piail brouLdit to this eountrv and luined i aiL in 'Jn' •■■i- 

 cinify of Baltimore 1 lied well last year, returni-d froiu tbiir 

 annuid travels south and bred on the same grounds this year, 

 aud promise to be a decided acquisition-" 



The general Maryland State law prohibits llic killim,- of 

 quail before Nov. ],butroauyof lln i m . iJ 



local laws on the subject to which 111 i i 



not apply. In the following named i i ,, 



Oct. 15: Alleghany, Harford, Moiu.-,,i..i , , , ii.,i,iii|. and 



'''""■"• '■''"■ ' ■-' -'Hns Oct. ly in Anne Ammdel and 



:'iilh in Queen jbme and Wa.shiimlon. 



Siiiie law closes the season Dec. 2t, but in some 



I ! 1 1 sea.son is extended to a later dale. Wab- 



1 uussible after Ocl. 1-5. In Queen Anne 



iring to shooi wildfowl from sink-boxes 



' ii use fee. No wild fowl can bo Wiled in 



' lii.f.ireNov. 1. 



I Magnificent rail shooting on the marshes 

 ; I ij. nt and Potomac rivers aiuce the 1st of 

 At the last session of the Maryland licgislature 

 the following law was enacted ; "No person but a resident 

 of Anne Arrundel, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Charles and 

 Calvert counties shall shoot or trap any water-fowl, anipe or 

 ortolan in the Pauluxent River, its tributaries or marshes ad- 

 jacent. Fme for flr.st oftense, not less than $10 nor more 

 than liiiSO; second ofifense, not less than 13-5 nor more than 

 $100." The fool killer could not have heel) iu Annapolis 

 when this law waspasscd. If he had been theniembers of the 

 l\Ia.rylttnd Legislature would have suffered. State Senator 

 Hill, of Prince George's County, who owns 1,200 acres of 

 marsh on the Puutuxent, at Hill's Landing below Marl- 

 borough, was sick when this prohibitory law was passed. 

 He is indignant at the action of the Legislature, and has, I 

 understand, invited friends from Baltimore and Washington 

 to gim upon his inar.shes, telling them that be would protect 

 them from the conseriuenoes. The law i.s really a dead letter. 

 Sportsmen residing in neighborhoods outside of the counties 

 named in the ac', have gunned iipon the Pautuxent marshes ' 

 during the past month unmolesteif liv ibe auiliorities. Orto- 

 lau or rail have been plentiful i killed 507 



ortolan, and sixteen blue : tides re- 



cently. Yourcorrespondeut 1 it birds on 



one tide last week. We found inc teal verv seafco. only Iwo' 

 being kiUed. " ' O. 'I 



WoMngton^ D. 0., Out, 1880. 



'J'lilbot. The 

 Prince Georse 

 The general" h 



Worn 



Til. 



along t 



Septei 



growing in thick profusion abiout the c 

 risking wet knees and muddy bands. 



Laborious though the work was I felt the labor was worth 

 all the pains, for, carefully raising our heads, we were re- 

 warded by seeing a bunch of mallards fully ten rods off, 

 feeding quietly on the wild rice that grows in almost every 

 hole ttbout the prairie: and, while our eyes were made glad 

 hy the sight, f coiifd not belp adniirin:; the intelligent actions 

 of the pointer. Kero, which, wilhoutr a word frqm us, had 

 letiped from the waL'on the moment we did, and crawled as 

 cai-efuHv tbi-ousjli the trra-ss as tliouah lie intuitively knew 

 what was necessary. Starting- the lliick up, we each "secured 

 one apiece, and INero retrieved lliein ; but, .so eaaer had he 

 been, his excited nature could not rcstnun him from "chaw- 

 ing" one up rather badly. 



'We joined the wagon farther down the road, feeling we 

 had wade a good coimncncement. 



We spent the night at a farm-house, and roused up early 

 the next niornim^ the other two of our party, who ivent oiit 

 on the farm to dig holes for a shoot at the geese, as wr; liad 

 word from tin.' farmer that there were plenty about bis farm, 

 and wlio lau-hed at the hole digging, aiid " gne-sscd he'd 

 never get a goose if h» had to dig a hole for them ; it was too 

 hard work." But the others persisted, and were rewarded 

 by irclliug a pair of "honkers." 



Fortune smiled not upon us, the other members of the 

 quartette. thou,gh we carefully hid ourselves along the fence 

 where the grass grew lu<_di. not 25 yards from Ihe plowed 

 lield where the pTevion.s" afternoon we had aroused a big 

 bnncli of geese. Our sheet-iron decoys, though placed in a 

 most alluring way, failed to act as a cliarm. 



In regard to the wild goose shool ing on the prairie, I con-. 

 est way to procure a big bag is to have live decoys, ' 

 is no telling what fine'sport one could liavc. The 

 ad lieen and ^^•as still very warm : no rain had 

 ;lx or eiijht weeks, and till birds were verv cautious. 



We left the tarm-botife sifter breakfast for the Wcstport 

 Pass, mentioned by "Dell" in his last letter to you, ami 

 there we had some sport. 



iiiginally was the work of beavers years 

 irselves, .screeninff our forms carefully 

 afcliful ducks as llie^- flew over in pass- 

 itfier. .Some good .shots were made. 

 g !=]xirt, particidarly when the Iiirds 

 A low- whistle from one of the party is 

 >n, or the exclamation, "Mark! north; 

 eiii on the f/ui' tnee, and I con.sidcr no 

 •f can lie had than this kind of .shooting, 

 kept busy, and demands for Drive and 

 .Xiii.i v.eie eiiristant, and after two flours' shooting we gath- 

 ered up oiB' ducks, quite satisfied with the mornin.g's sjiert. 



Leisurely and heartily eating our lunch, we wer'e refreshed 

 sufficiently to seek fields and pa.stures new, and, driving to- 

 ward home across tlio " fircakin'j;," a term applied to a tract 

 plowedfiir the flnst lime, came to one farm, wliere oO rods 

 oir wc saw a very large buneli of rcee.se. and larlhei- on a great 

 retjimcnt of sanrf-hill cranes, which wilh necks erect and mo- 

 tiimless looked like soldiers on dress parade. They took the 

 alarm, however, and soon sped out of sight. 



Concluding that we might gel some sfiots at their rctum, 

 we. made our preparatinns to receive Ihein. 



Oirr dinner had streiujtbeDeil us for hole-digging, and wc 

 soon had om- pits dug, Init tlie canned corned f.iecf and dust 

 bad combined to make me so thirsty that I waUicd a mile for 

 a drink of water. 



Our laborious work was only rewarded by getting three 

 sandhill cranes, and as we had some twelve or fourteen miles 

 to drive before reaching home we filled up the holes, and 

 drove back to town lookimr like coal-hcuve'rs. The dust of 

 the farm recently plowed had blown into our eyes, ears and 

 noses, and we were soriy looking white men, judging from 

 the ejaculations of our respective wives. 



I subsequently had my first taste of crane, and I confess 

 the flesh is as good eatiuK as wild turkey. 



Our next expedition was in anotlier directioii toward Birch 

 Bark Lake, wlieie foi an fiour before simset we had a hvely 

 scrimmage with the mallard and teal. 



A slrangei visiting Ibis lake— which must present a beauti- 

 fully picturesque scene in uiidsiimnier. and from whose trans- 

 lucent deptfis of eidiiy feet great pike, pickerel and fabu- 

 lotisly large black ba.ss can betaken— woulil marvel at theim- 

 mense flocks of "mud hens" or "hen bills," called down- 

 east " pool doos," that blacken the surface. These birds are 

 not considered game, and are tradisturbed by the sports- 

 man: in fact, they scorn to understand they aie free from mo- 

 lestation, and oftentimes approach within easy gun shot, and 

 the veriest novico could kill a dozen at one discharge. 



We stopped all night at a loc-hut on the shore of the lake, 

 and the proprietor, an old widowed Swede, assuring us that 

 he believed he hud exterminated the fleas, gave ushis only 

 bed lo sleep on. At 4 the nest morning he arose, built the 

 fire, cooked about a peck of potatoes, groimd before'our eyes 

 tie coffee beans which he had apparently saved ' for soma 

 grand occasion such as this_ (the reccptahle containing th« 



shier tl. 

 and till 

 weafhe 

 falli 



Along a ridge that < 

 ago wc distritiuted o 

 froTU the gaze of the \ 

 ing from one lake to th 



Pas.s-shoofing is 

 are stirring aliout 

 the signal "for atte 

 mark! sotitli," put 

 mm-eexhilaraiintrs 



'I'lie twiidi.-. wi 



