290 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[NOTBMBKR 11, 1880 



beans was a sbaving-nuig), mixed in a bread howl sonic tluuv 

 and niillc with a spriukliug of j^uJt, and possibly raising pow- 

 der, generously larding bis bi'Cad pans, baked two loaves of 

 bread, so that for breakfast we had warm bread, liot potatoes 

 and hot cofTee, and Die eontents of our Ituieh basket. 



Wlien asked Ins r-haiires tor taking rare i.t us through the 

 night, including tiie foilder tuinished the old gray horse that 

 took us so railhtulh abr.ul llie couiitrv tUroiitdi some of the 

 r.iughesi roads T rver e\|.icriei)eed. he refused lo cliai-ge luiy 

 thing, bin on o\n- iiisisiing on a price, said twenly-tive cents. 

 We gave liim tifty cents, and he was abundantly tliankftil ; 

 How is that for Ijaekwoods or prairie simplicity? 



I think I must have captured tin' old man's heart, the night 

 beloro by giving him a Havana, the end of wldch lie, liit off, 

 but tm-ned"it around and tiled I'or live niinules tn liglii the 

 wrong end withoul avail, unlil 1 set liim arigiit. 



Mv third trip fivan llic town was two days alter, when wc 

 visited Westport asain. AiriviiiL-- at alioul lialf-fuist tour 

 p. M. we shot an laair .,iid a half wllli fair succrss, letmning 

 to pass the niglit at a convenient fann-honsc a mile or I vvo 

 away. 



We ro.se early foi' the morning flight. I aeenieU to meet 

 with poor success this (Irne. "1 couldn't gel onto ihem," 

 somehow, though my I'ecord was first rate the previous even- 

 ing. 



Thus, dm-ing tlie tliree trips 1 made, we secured about IHO 

 liirds, including geese, crane, mallard, teal, broadbills, Eng- 

 lish and yellow leg snipe. 



Minnesota is the sportsman's paradise, of that there is no 

 doubt in my mind. The shootingia of a different character 

 from that obtained in the East. Decoy shooting is compara- 

 tive!}' unknown. 



Aji instance wiiich will illustrate the plentitude of game in 

 this section I would like to mention. Right in to\vii is sit- 

 uated Sauk Lake, at one end of which is erected a dam that 

 supplies water power to an adjacent flour mill. Stationed on 

 the bridge which spans the dam, one can have good flight 

 shooting. On tlie 18th inst. >[r. P., of Sauk Centre, whose 

 house is but 100 yai-ds or so from the bridge, while passing 

 over it in a sleigh — for we had a severe ,snow-slorm three days 

 before — shot four mallards at one shot, and one yellow leg 

 snipe with the remaining b:ii ip1. They were fcediiii: in a lit- 

 tle creek which serves a; a cimduii loi the ovriilow of the 

 dam, and my friend 'Mr. P., in an lioui's shooiing the same 

 afternoon. l)y walking down this ca'eek, procured nine snipe. 



Itake this occasion t" refer in fitting term.s to the hospital- 

 ity, generosity and good feeling existing among tlic people m 

 this place. The rigiit hand of fellowship is extended to all 

 gentlemanly sportsmen, and 1 shall long eliei-ish the many 

 kindnesses received at the hands of those who became my 

 friends during my short sojom-n in Sauk Centre. Vxt\. ' 



than this. As a money consideration is involved in h-ap- 

 sliooting, its followei-s must be njore or less expert. More- 

 over, the birds are released at ;i distance wLieli is positively 



indicated, and within e!'' ; ,i i- it bit, tlicy 



are usually killed outrit I ! i.d as to fail 



within 11 fiinit wtience til l, ft will 



be found thai tliose whid, ._-._. ^u ,,,,„,,, , ,,,, ,o niiluirnied. 

 I^igeons which return to tlic doye-.-oic \«' n cnpple.l condition 

 an- prol,nblv (be victinis ot others than those engaged in Ira.p- 

 shooting. If fowl in the tleld conUl be killed with the ssrac 

 certainty as over traps, a vast amoimt of sufTeriag might be 

 .spared the f'eathererl race. 



A.s these liues are being written, the reriort of tire-arms 

 miiv be heard. Off the meadow |..i!il-.r 11,.. l.,v. npo.silc 

 tlie O'siaeiiecotilie writer, dud. .. ,• ;,,, j: , ,iu|he 



sun. By w;itchius'cmvfaUv wi ;. • i!.,ck^, 



of ducks may rr"ni lime |.-, lim. „ , i. _ ■. miug l._v Lliese 

 decovh. coii.sideruliiv oul ol loih-ih ' - n -i . \\\> to live guns 

 arc discliar!.^eil :U rucl. llock uc!, , • , „,,, ,/ ..(Tool; but if, 

 as:i liuiich ,-.Mi,i:iia"-: li„ ni-!,l, ■/- L-. ;.li ■,-, ii iiiii the focus of 

 lie -d.-- -■ ■■ii i! •'■ - •' .iiHlrf.ei! :i,ioiUer of the birds 



^eii.l .:..!!■ I ■;: .::.,. .1 file water. In tlu' cvtaiing, 



a numbei' ol cripples will la driven from tlicir hiding-|. laces,' 

 and painfull\ atlem]it to reacli ihe waler. If onciK caiiturcil 

 it will lie seen (Icit lie has been .^irnck with Ihe lai'uesl size 

 .sjiot. As ihi« has occurre.i two weeks before the opening of 

 Ihe close season loj duck— (Jctober 1— it imiv be readily 

 ima'/iued what will lie llie chances to kill birds on and after 

 thai date, wlien so early in ihe season they have been harried 

 at long distances, and with such heavy shot. — Qaxton Fay in 

 Harper^s Wee/:l//. 



(JNNE0ES8ABY ORUELTY TO WTLBF(.)W1.. 



THE writer of this article is, has been. :iiid .shall continue 

 to lie a .sportsman so long as he is able to indulge in the 

 pursuit. He has no donbi, Ihcrefore. that in numberless in- 

 stances, always without intention, he has been guilty of the 

 very acts of "barbarity and ernelty he condemns in others. 

 A certain amount of cruelty is inseiiai able from every form 

 of sport. It is not his purpose, theicfore, lo [lose as a philan- 

 llu-opic hypocrite C'ujii^i liln( /,■:' .<iiii"liil,ir <ih/tin dMii',nulii- 

 toi: He merely wishes to show- ihal ,im.!, ot the barbarity 

 pracliced by professional and aniiileuv sporlsnien may be 

 avoided b^ a moderate degii i- of care imd tlioughtfuluess. 



It is to iir- preflumed that rlu- olijeci in shooting at a bird is 

 to kill it. He is the mosi skillful sport.sman and best .shot 

 who succeeds the more Ircquenily in attaining that end. 

 Professor Mayer, ot the Steyene Institute of Teclmology, of 

 Hohokeu, In a paper read liefore a liod\- of scientists which 

 recently met in 15ostoii, gives the results ol a very delicate 

 and ingenious series of experiments, by a proeeas of his own, 

 as to tiie velocity of shot from a fo^vhng-piece under varying 

 conditions. A careful examinalion ot this paper shows con- 

 clusively the faUaey of attempting to do effective shooting 

 outside of a certain limited range. Now. a bird when hit 

 beyond this limit, while he may be monally injured, is yet 

 capable of flying a long distaiice ; lonsequently he dies a 

 slow and pidirfui death. Those wlio have Vieen wounded in 

 action, or have witnessed Ihe sutferi ngs of others on sunilar 

 occa.sions, will apja-eciate the miseries inflicted fiy careless or 

 inexi:>erienced sportsmen. Nowhere can tlie foolishness and 

 baiiiaritv ot shooting al fowl at long distances be more dis- 

 tinctly seen and iniderstood than by tliosc wlio kill wild-fowl 

 over the ice in the winter season. WhUe the ice is suflieient- 

 ly thick to bear the weight of men and lioals iliere will be 

 numerous open holes in'whieh decoys may be set. .Numer- 

 ous flocks will, of course, pass by a long guiLShot off. If 

 these could be allowed to pass umnolested, they would du- 

 ring the day reluni, and oiler a fair shot. The gunner, how- 

 ever, is so greeily and rapacious that BBB, and even Inick- 

 shot arc fired into these flocks, whic-h continue on apparently 

 unharmed. If, however, we walk over the ice in the line 

 of flight of these passing birds, we shall see the smiace pro- 

 fusely covered with drops of blood. While none have been 

 killed outright, a number have lieeu struck with sufficient 

 force to cause serious w^ounds, and ultimate death many niilee 

 beyond the locality in which they weio crippled. 



ITnless some flying-maciiiue be soon inventeil wiiich will 

 enable us to follow the bird.s through the air. ihis .system of 

 long-distance shooting will reudei- the birds utteii)' luiat Iain- 

 able by the methods now in use. Doubtless many ]iersons 

 have liappened to stumble on the retreats and secluded nooks 

 where these wounded birds seek refuge, either to die or con- 

 valesce. These sjjots resemble nothing .so much as the dead- 

 house of the hosjiital on tlie Mount St. Bernard, where 

 human remains may be seen in every stage of dis.solntion. 



The penuriousncss of the professional gunner is also an in- 

 centive to nnneccssmy cruelty to water-fowl. To save a 

 charge of ammunition he will chafc a crippled bird for a 

 mile or more on the water, or so long as the setting-pole of 

 his shooting Ijoat will reach bottom." The sensation of the 

 wounded bird thus pursued must be similar to that of the 

 condemned roan who, with a rope about his neck, witnesses 

 the erection of the gallows on which he is to be executed. 

 It may be argued that wild-fowl have not the finer sensitive- 

 ness and reasoning power of a human being. They certainly 

 have many qualities in common. For example, when a ho- 

 dnck, accompanied by the female, is shot down, the latter, 

 if untouched, immediately deserts him ; the male, on the 

 contrary, when a similar fate befalls the female, returns again 

 and agaiu in search of her. and often falls a victim to his 

 constancy and devotion. 



From time to time an outcry is raised, ou the ground of 

 inhumanity, against the practice oF shooting pigeons fiom 

 traps. In point of fact no form of sport is niore humane 



FIELD NOTES. 



WiLLiA-MBCoiri, Pa.. Nov. «, 



IW-'^S much pleased witli ' ' Bell Jluzzle^s " well-wri Itenletter 

 on ruffed grouse shooting, pariieularly as he acciuately 

 describes the manner in wdiich we hunt them here. In my 

 estimation there is no kind of bird shooting which brings the 

 capabilities of man or dog lo greater peifection Than shooting 

 ruded gi'ouse over a setter dog. 



In one thing I cannot agree witli "Bel) Muzzle"— that a 

 man who kills six out of "twenty rirfEed grouse is an artist. 

 I could find several men here— particidarly one gentleman — 

 who would make such au " aitist" feel like a bungler if he 

 was out with them. Witliin five miles of Ihis city rulfed 

 grouse are getting very scarce, and ot course proportionately 

 wild. It is seldom that more than eight or ten birds can lie 

 raised dining a day's lumling. Vet the irentleman lefen-ed 

 to usually bags froni three to sh\ birds oul of from five to nine 

 sliots, and he lires if he sees only the flash of a wing inside of 

 sixty yards. Taldng such chances it i.s of course simply im- 

 possililc lo kill all the buds shot at, but I will venture to saj' 

 tliat he kills iwo-tliirds of the birds fired at during the soiison. 

 This shooting is not phenomenal, bui -l'ii|,1., Ih- o-aill of 

 years of practice. When a bird get-' .; . i i.n.iumls 



up well above the scrub o.ik. take hiui ;i . ' .,.; i, libei- 

 ately as a pigeon out ot a trap, you then l.av, i;k;ii,. .4 time, 

 if \ our nerves are only not upset iiy tlie noise he miide in 

 '• jumping;" if. on the other hand, yon only catch a glimpse 

 as hi' is liii' iioii.' for a thicker part of the coppice, have itie 

 gini lov ■" " - ' icd fire with tlie rapidity of lightniug. 

 orasLirii iiTcome. liave one liarrel loaded 



with till . ' ;i halt drr., quick line powder and one 



ounce ot.vr. -, i/r,., luai the oihpr wiih four to five dis. 

 best coaise powder und>Jo G shot, While bringing your gun 

 to .shoulder you must make uii your mind which load "svill he 

 *he suitable one for the way or disiame Ihe bird is rising, 

 and yom- finger must instiuctivelv find the light trigger 



•Wi E. Ct. B..0f Eln.ira.we «ould state llial nc al.so noticed 

 the •'gray backed and tailed" rufled grouse he refers to, and 

 this is" the first sea&m we have noticed tlieni. Can they be mi- 

 gnuits from the North ? BoBotrNK. 



Wt-LLBViLLi:, ?M. Y., Xov. 8, 1880. 



■'Bell Muzzle's" article on lufted giou.Mc .shooting in the 

 last niunber of Pokkst .ind Strfa.m was very interesting to 

 nie, and just hit the spot. 



jMy experience coircspouds with his as to the habits of the 

 ruffc'd grouse. I have hunted these birds considerably in 

 this vicinity for two or three years last past, and during "that 

 time cannot recollect ot seeing a bird "tree" upon being 

 flushed. After the leaves are oil the trees, when a ruii'ed 

 grouse is flushed, he starts off as if he had n head of 190 

 pounds of steam on and was working. 



I have a friend liraig here, with whom 1 have limited 

 much, that "Bell Muzizle" wciuld have to concede an 

 "artist. " He can, and does, bag on an average more than 

 six grouse out of every twenty shots made. Ihave seen him 

 nuikc tive consecutive shots withcnu a miss, afid quite a num- 

 ber of limes have kiiowm him to make foiu' consecutive shots 

 without a failure to bag his bird. 



Grijusc are much scarcer with us this year than usual. We 

 had extensive forest fires in June, and I think they destroyed 

 many nests. Mosti of the birds wo get .<(re old ones. Last 

 Wecinesdiiy Ibree of us, with two good iiointers, hunted all 

 day over tlie hills, travelling not less limn twenly miles, and 

 wi- started about a dozen birds, of which we bagged four. I 

 weit;lii-d two and found them twenty and twenty-tTVO ounces 

 each. 



I wish to say to " E, B. G." of Elmira that occasionally wc 

 get a gray tailed partridge with the others, but probably not 

 one in thirty. I killed one last year aud one the yearbc'forc. 

 In the southern part of Livingston Conmy, Michigan, they 

 were as common .is the other birds ten years ago. 



Woodcock have left ns. I have not been able to find one 

 since the 30th of October. the\- .seldom stiiy with us later 

 than October 10, and generally' leave in September. 



Deer are said to be quite aliundant on the head waters of 

 the Binnemahoning in Potter C^iumy, Penn., south of us. 

 This is heiivsfly. I hope lo lie able to give you some primaiy 

 evidence upon this subject before the month ends. P. 



Asm Abbor, Mich., Nov. 6. 

 On the 1st of November, the open scuson for quail having 



o'clock Monday morning, some ten miles distant. During 

 the trip we were intensely amused by the fund of wit, humor 

 and story that flowed from our golden-mouthed friend. Flow- 

 er.s. like watei- from its sparkling fountain. We oi.encd uu 

 our day's sport in a likely piece of meadow adioiuing aii 

 open woods. All being'readv, the three dogs started oil at a 

 shLshin"' gait, Fanny takbtg the lead. We iiad not gone far 

 before I'Vmny dropjied on a trail, with .Ned and Sue crossing 

 on the quarter. Ml three roadwl iqi the game lo the top of 

 a hllle liill. when Fanny struck a point, and the two others 

 backed in splemlid style. Moviug up gradutdly the dogs 

 were ordered on and the birds were ilu.shed, the throe dogs 

 (h-opping to wing, and four were retrieved In handsome style 

 by Ni.d and Sue. This was the first engagement, and it 

 showetl how v,ell ll.iskcll had trained his dogs for the field. 

 .Vgain Ihe dogs yscrc cast off down the wind in a ragweed 

 field acru.ss the road. Away they went at a rapid gait," rang- 

 ing and quartering in graml style, till Ned struck scent, when 

 he roaded Uiem iqi cautiouslv and neatly for over fifteen 

 yai-ds, Aviieii Fanny and Sue 'Ai.^re ordered to char-e, tlie point- 

 ing in this case l,a./;i]^ ;.reii liUcu to Ned, whiclflie did hand- 

 w.imely :,nd elleeir, , !, ..c,|, rin,' him on to tlie fin.sh we 

 bunged avvav un..l li -- d liir. -■ m-ire. which were haudsomely 

 tctricvdl by Xe.l. Ad!i '\\ " v, a^ so capti( ated by 



the dog's uioveuient^, til iji)s].:ell for his pur- 



chase, which eialed in : i . -.To: :,n,t when his 



omiei realized what ht uii :Il,._ hi. almost shed tears to 

 think lie hud broken the bi'ace of that grand puir of pnps. I 

 don't think the old man did any more good shooting that 

 day. The next day, however, we started off at 8 o'clock a. 

 M. for the same grounds and took with us Jim, another of 

 the same litter, with Fanny and Ned, and never did dogs 

 behave better. One of the finest specimens of hacking I ever 

 saw done was by Jim, \\\w, while jumping the fence, saw 

 Fanny on a stia: point, and lialancing himself upon the top- 

 most rail, backed his mother in the UKWt splendid style, I 

 was asked to go over, and flushed the bird 'and killetl him, 

 when Jiin crouched close, and Fannie retrieved her bird. 

 Did you ever see a prettier iiiece of txainingdone than this by 

 Jim? The seciaul day ended by my imrchftae of Fanny, aud 

 the party baggiug in tlie two days seventy-tht'CG birds. Long 

 shall we remember that hunt and those gloriotis dogs. 



Senkx. 



PHILADELPHIA LBTTEIL 



OUH spoitsmen are now all off for the stubbles, most of 

 them having postponed their departure until I hey h.'sd 

 cast liheir votes either for Garfield aud Arthur or Haiicock 

 and English. This morniuLr's --An Del. train look two car- 

 loads of'men and dc-gs to be distributed along the line of the 

 road and its branches ihroufh Tiebiwiire and :\Liryland- 

 I'mierc pirilrij- / how ihcy will sull'er ! We learn the Penn- 

 sylvania I'Held Trials did not prove the success I hat was 

 hoped for, owing, 'We understand. Ill a ,-ducity of birds and 

 bad weather. Your correspondent slioukl have liecn pletised 

 to have noticed the fmlbi'i' work of the baverack setter 

 Thunder, as he was his brccdci. having soltl him to Jfr. Snel- 

 Icnburgh wiih a litter brother, Essex i ^ince dead), at five or 

 six months old. We expected great tilings from Essex, aud 

 was sra-ry to learn of his poisoning, ilr. H. Should have 

 lieuufoii, Thunder's brother from Fairy's second litter liy 

 same sire ? But where is he V 



it is very 'Irauge to me tlnf - f -'"ismea visit the 



middle sectK,rii of Florida, .>uni '.'■ ' '\ uocouutfrom 



tLiurisIs in your iourual nanu ■ ' River region 



as having ijeeii'llieir objeeti\. ; -. :. .i moat exccilcnt 

 BpoM can lie enio\ ed all along the Inie ot the Jacksonville, 

 Petisacola nud jMii.tiile R, R.. from Sanderson to Chaftahoo- 

 cla.r. In the iR-ighborhood of Madison and Live Oak the 



Mi .,1 i . i.-eiafh ,ti:ood, CJuail are pleutiful, wild liu-keys 



,1 , ,, . iiii liiki:-s near Moiuicello, norlhwegtof JnckSOU- 



,:!._ , . , I !j mallard and teal, and its borders furniahgood 

 letoiii. -,,ih.i,l tor snipe. Deer are readily fomid, and almost 

 everv iiarke} with a homid will ngi'CC lo d.ive one within 

 shuti Were'ii iicit for the nmsquitoes of this Slate that never 

 die I'^loiidii wradd lie n spca'tsman's paradise. At Gaines- 

 ville, ou the Atlantic, Gulf A West India Transit Co. R, R., 

 there cannot he found better upland .shooting, aud Lake Pith- 

 laehoi o, a few miles northwest from the town, is visited by 

 myriads of water fowl. Cedar Keys, IJie Gulf terminus of tills 

 roiid, idforils a splendid field for tlie ornithologist, and the col- 

 lector would fintl tlie Fort Gaddeu. region, on the Appalachi- 

 eola itiver, a mo.st excellent section likewise. UoMO. 



begun, as announced in the Fo 

 of October last. Dr. Flowers, . 

 kell, proprietor of the Frank] ii 

 mvself met ;it the hitter place u 

 ousEob Whiles that \\ere siiid 

 Haskell furnished b.r I lie ..u-. 

 Gordons, Fnniiie, Ned aud Sue 



of the-26th 

 ■liio; Mr. Has- 

 ...ler, Ohio, and 



habit these parts. Mr. 

 his three iucompai-able 

 Packing our traps together 



in a farm wagon we starled for the shooting grounds at ten 



TRAPPED QUAtr.. 



New YojiK, November ti, 1880. 

 Editor Kmest mid iitremn : 



If there is such an institution as the New York or the Long 

 Ishmd Game and Fish Froteclive Association I hereby call 

 upon tbenitostop the unlawful sale of tiapjied nnd snared 

 birds, not only in our open markets, but also upon each and 

 every train of the Lohl' Island Raflroad. 



This nourish of trniapefs to gain new members for their 

 pigeon clubs, this ofleriug of rewards to anybody giving 

 them ehies lowmd the detection of the infringers upon the 

 laws, wlieu the best proofs are right under their very 

 nose : this wanting all the time of proofs, imd aU sorts 

 and kinds of excuses, are getting, , to say the least, 

 rather stale. We want actions, we do not want dny 

 more resolutions on paper. It cannot be possible that 

 eveiy sportsman of New York and Brooklyn has turned 

 mlo" a pigeon shooter. Assuredly there must be some 

 true .sportsmen lefl in those cities, 'if so, let them come for- 

 ward, let us start au organization tliat will act, a club whose 

 sole laupose will be, the enforcement of the game laws, a club 

 that will spend its money in the detection of the law break- 

 ers. Those old so-called game associations are played out. 

 Let ns start some new ones, with young blond in them, 

 v.ith men at their head who will talk at a meeting, not for 

 1 he sake of seeing their name in print the next morning; men 

 who know more about a dog and gi.m and less about pigeon 

 iiap_then, but not until then, we shall have sport agaiu in 

 the field. 



To prove what I say, and for the benefit of the Long Is- 

 land Game Associatio'n, I m\\ give them facts which liappen 

 every day in the week right uniier their nose. 



As soon as the trains ienter the stations along the L. I. R. 

 R.. either from Ctreenport, Port Jefferson o'r Patchogue, 

 there will be seen all along the road, a boy handing to the 

 1 Pigo age master ol said train from we to six quail or par- 

 tiidses as the ca-,e iiiisfht be. The baggage njasler will hand 

 them to llie biakosmaci. who in his tarft will hand them to 

 the ITuion News Company's boy. Said boy will peddle them 



