306 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[]SfOTEMBBBl8,1880, 



fairly easy to secure. Although this locality, isolated as it 

 is, includes a territory of but small compass, and is stationed 

 like an advance iiost upon tlie very border of the restless At- 

 lantic, there are many other varieties besides migrating sea- 

 fowl. 



In no other portion of Massachusetts, and i know not if 

 in any of the Eastern States besides, can be found the gamy 

 ruut tootlwonie prairie chicken, wliich abomjd here in quite 

 largo iiuniL'trs and retain the primitive purity of its Western 

 felkw. Many have supposed this to be the ordinary par- 

 tridge, so coiiituon tlnxmghout the sections of this and other 

 Niiw England States : biit e.vaiuination has proven beyond 

 quesiioulhat this ''heath heu," as it is called here, is the 

 vi;ritable pinnated grouse of the prairies, but in what manner 

 Ihcy isiiue to locate' here in preference to any other portion 

 of the (tld Colony is not known. However, they are quite 

 abundant and extreniolj- taine, and being well protected du- 

 ring the greater (jarl of llie year by a special law, they are 

 aH<iwed tri |ireed in security, and their ranks are but slightly 

 thinned during tlie "off ilionlhs." 



Here al.s;o iire quile large nimibers of quail, whick during 

 the season form one of the most pleasing .subjects for the 

 sportsman's cuiming. AUliough the winters here are, short, 

 vet they are sometimes very severe, which, coupled with 

 scarcity of food and tlie destructive foraging ofUiunting fe- 

 -iues, of which there are hordes here, tend tO/'reduco thoir 

 numbers verj' materially. 



In tlieir season, plover, willet, rail, snipe and most of tlie 

 shore binf.^ geri.-raliy found along our sea-board, arc to be had 

 in abmidance, and llic ininiense flocks of coots, which lie 

 j\ist oil' tlicsc sliores, afford very exciting sport to those wlio 

 arc willing to risk a wet jacket or a cold bath in the small 

 dories iiseil by those who make it a business to go after these 

 fowl. Tlic gunner tiuds no difficulty in approaching within 

 .shot of them, and if after several sliots have ))een lil'ed they 

 show signs of uiuasiiicss, or an iucliuatiou to seek less dis- 

 tiirlicd waters, it is on\y necessary to A\'nve a red handker- 

 chief, or any other piece of red "cloth, in the air, attached 

 eillier to a tiller or gun stick to brius; tlieiii back at once to 

 gratify their ea^er curioHilj and learn " what's in the wind." 

 To thi> novice " coot i lie:" is a strange cliapter of amazement 

 and niisbaiisal lirst. If tlic sea is \somc\vliat rough and the 

 sui.ill i":uit a little uu.stcadv. tlie vcans, man who can show a 

 .score at his sporting cluti is well calculalrd toexcite the envy 

 of even veteran marksuicn, if he has even been out after 

 coots before in an open dory, will be V(;ry apt, immediately 

 afler pulling the trigger, of "what has always before proven 

 his trusty <:hol;(' bore perhaps, and with his imagination fired 

 with tlie" certainly of bagging at least fotir or five fowl, to fie 

 thnnblounded at .seeing tlie crest of the oncoming wave not 

 two feet frcnn the boatside, blown into watery ribbons after 

 receiving the entire charge; but practice and perseverance 

 ill Ibis as in other ca.scs briug about bett<;r results, so that in a 

 short lime the tyro learns tcriiis profit that it is better to tire 

 when iiiouiiiing'on the crest than to shoot through a foUow- 

 iiifx sea, while Uie small boat in which be is is pitclmig in the 

 troUL'h. Tt is but little use to endeavor to iiiek up crippled 

 coots : either they niust lie shot dead at the first fire, orthe 

 gunner must wait for another chance. A wounded or wing- 

 broken coot no sooner strikes the water than under he goes 

 and is lost to ali sight, and it takes a very keen eye to discern 

 the tip end of his liill above the surface, an eighth of a mile 

 jiearly away, when he rises for breath, and a very quick hand 

 to send the sliot into the liaok of his liead before hi; dives 

 again, to add I hat duck to the day's string. 



"But r have digressed from my [lurposc, and instead of de- 

 scribiuix the shore game of this island have returned to the 

 sea fowl found on fhcse shores. I must not forget to mention 

 Ihe raccoon as one of the game subjects of Martha's Vine- 

 yard. i;poii heiiig informeii of the preseuci; of these animals 

 iicre f must own that it was not until after f had received con- 

 clusive evidence of that fact before raj' incrcdidily was over- 

 come. Nevertheless, there are "coons" here and in plenty, 

 and so annoying ami destructive are they that "coons" and 

 black-birds a"i-e but secondary olijecls of the farmers' dread for 

 the safety of his cornfield. They are but little hunted, because 

 of the scarcity of dogs suitable for that purpose; but with a 

 good ' ■ coon '' dog, and I must not forget to say with sufli- 

 citut iirevious c.xiierience to enter into" the hunt with open 

 eyes, liiil few localities can alford better facilities for this his- 

 toric iiasliiiie '■( "coi.n" hunting than this very Lsland. And 

 for Iho;:' .-h,: ,!: ji-v not little things, there is as fine rabbit 

 ahooliic; : r as any man of moderation can desire. 



Thus fn : I .1 -nd my" very meagre description of the 



.sporting jl:;!:! h i :. Abu'tha's Vineyard to the fur and feather 

 of the island, but in my next paper disciples of the rod and 

 line, which cran be used to sucli varied advantage as is offered 

 bv few resorls, shaU receive their meed of information. 



E. A. I). 



TENNESSEE HUNTING GROUNDS. 



IN aformer article I briefly mentioned some of the geograph- 

 ical features of tlie Cumberland table laud, which is 

 situated mostly in the north middle part of Tennessee. This 



tahlc hind has'aii elevation of 1.000 feet above the valley of 

 East 'I'dinesBce, and its area is about o,000 sciuaro miles. The 

 eastia-ii i-im is liounded bv a continuous line of roclcy 

 blulfs, wliich break off afiruptly, foi-ming a barrier which in 

 most places is impa.ssablc for man or beast. The western 

 edse is more ragged, and notched liy deep, narrow valleys 

 and gorges at irregular distances, and separated by huge tow- 

 age 7eve! of tiie table land. This broa.l and extensive pla- 

 tiitu extends from northeast to southwest about 100 miles, 

 and has an average width of lil'ty miles. The C. S. R. K, 

 crosses the iiorlhea.slerii part, thence following domi the Big 

 EmurvKiver into the Temies.sec N'alley. The prevailing 

 timlKT is oak, of which there are sevcrHl varieties. The 

 woods are opiiu except occasional thickets, and during the 

 summer tlic whole country is covered with a thin gio\vtli of 

 wihl grass. 



Here, if history is correct, was once a noted buffalo range. 

 In Hey wood's "Early History of Tennessee" he .says that 

 when liie first settlers came to the filulf, in 1779, nothing was 

 presented to the eve but one large plain of woods and cane 

 frequented liy buffaloes, elk, deer, wolves, foxes, panthers 

 and other animals suited to the climate. The lands adjacent 

 to the Freuch Lick was a large open space, frecpiented and 

 trodden by buft'aloes, whose large paths led to and from all 

 parts of the country and tliere conecnlrated. He says tliat 

 here were evidences as everywhere else of having Liecn in- 

 habited many centuries before by a numerous population. _ At 

 many springs is the appearauce of walls inclosing aueienl 

 habitations, the foundations of which were visible where- 

 ever the earth was cleared and cultivated, and to these walls 

 entrenchmftntB were sometimes added. 



Mr. J. G. M. Ramsey, in his -'Pioneer History of Ten- 

 nessee," says: "The woods abounded in game, and the 

 hunters procured a full supply of meat for the iuliabitanls 

 by killing, bears, bufl'alocs and deer, and that a i-taily of 

 twenty men went up the Caney Fork as high as Flinu's Vreek, 

 and returned in canoes with "their meat in the mnter ; that 

 in their htmting excui'sion they killed 10,5 bears, 75 buffaloes 

 and more than'"80 deer, and that tkis source of supplies fur- 

 nished most of the families at the Bluff with meat dming 

 the winter." 



fancy Fork is made up of numerous small streams, wliich 

 drain a"portion of the table land, and after running zig-zag 

 courses between outlyinsi ridges and over precipices and 

 through deep <,^orsc.s, tiuallv breaks throusih the western rim 

 into tlic Ccntr.al Basin, thence into Cumberland Eiver. This 

 gretit Central Basin, which is drained by the C'umberland and 

 Us iributaries, seems to have been a tiieatre of stirring his- 

 torical ew'its. Here the Indians and white men contended 

 for the mastery many years, until the pale-faces conquered, 

 as usual, after much "bloodshed, terror and distress. The 

 wliole region of country, embracinc the triliutaries of Caaey 

 Fork, remains a wilderness still. The surface is rough a,Tid 

 brOK.en. Deer and wild turkeys are found hia-e in moderate 

 numbers, with a few bears, and occasionally some gray 

 wolves are found ; but the oldest moimtaineer cannot remem- 

 ber back to the time when elk or buffaloes roamed through 

 these forests. 



The Sequatchie Eiver drains a portion of the southea-stern 

 inirt of these table lands. This stream is about forty miles 

 in length and runs a southerly course through a rich fer- 

 lUc valley, which has been sparsely settled more than fifty 

 years, ye"t the beavers remain here still and are frequently 

 caught during the winter months. Otters are found in most 

 of the smaller streams : also raccoons and mink ; but the 

 latter are not plenty, and the fiu' is rather of a poor quality, 

 and I have seen no real prime furs here. Wild turkeys and 

 quail are found more or less through the leni^li and breadth 

 of the State. jVntlbk. 



Pi.nci/ Falls, Tenn. 



I have so frequently noticed inquiries made in the Fokust 

 AND Stream as to where good hunting and fishing could be 

 had. I fancy that an answer from me would be opportune. 

 Tennessee is the place; it is easy of access, thickly populated 

 by a most hospitable people, has a temperate climate, and as 

 many varieties of same and fish and more of them than any 

 other State in the Union. In the mountains black bear are 

 numerous, in the middle and western counties i\(ivs and tm- 

 koys are abundant, millions of quail, while at Reelfoot Ltike 

 du'cks, geese and swan can be slaughtered by the w^agonload.. 

 Tlic greatest trouble the huntsman would encounter would be 

 \\ui Jiii-xirrns (If rhi'i-t. The following letter to Col. Geo. F. 

 Akers from the famous old .sportsmam Matt McICiimey, gives 

 a fair e\idciice of the aiiove assertion. 



A turkey hunt to lie supplemented with a line old "buck" 

 is not met with frequently, especially in a country where 

 every thicket has its covey of quail and the trees made imisi- 

 cal liy the chattering of siiuirrels. When the weather is fine 

 and the earth illum'iuated Ijy one of our almost tropical moon- 

 lights, the wily Reynard can be chased or the sly " pdssum" 

 may be hunte"d. Satiated with these sports, at each few 

 mil"es streams lilled with the finest fish, such as bass, perch, 

 suckers and catfish, are met with, and fivim which the expert 

 disciple of Sir l/.aak can derive the most delightful pleasm-e. 

 The beauty of this section is tire climate and the comforts 

 which the sportsman can enjoy while in the midst of the 

 hunting groimds. Birds arc abmrdant within a few miles 

 of this'city, and a good fox chase can be had within the same 

 distance. For the larger game more remote places muif!. be 

 visited, but in no ca"sca very L'n.at way from telepraphic 

 communication. There is scarcely a farmer who will not 

 provide comforbable board, wagons ami hoises, and in most 

 instances be glad to join in tbt^ chase or (ishing near his 

 place. Or if the iiarty prefer eanqjing out, as I have already 

 said in the Forest auo Steisam, they can do so coniforlably 

 even in the depth of our winters. Parties coming this way 

 had lietter bring their own dogs and equipments, altliough 

 we can boast of as finely fired and well trained dogs as are in 

 the country , and several of our hardware merchants keep on 

 hand good"stocks of fishing taclde : and we have also a gun- 

 smith, who can fm-ui.sli ammunition ami :ill the parapherna- 

 •lia, which rnay be requh-ed. I mention no names, but sim- 

 plv the facts, so that unnecessary preparations may be 

 avoided by gentlemen who will be induced to visit the 

 •'Volunteer State." J. I>. H. 



NaxIwiUf, nnn. 



The letter referred to is as follows : 1 have fieen idle all 

 this fall aud 1 have put in mv time hunting aud fishing yirelty 

 well. Liust week, baring groivn a little weiiry of the inouot- 

 miyof this side of the river, I proposed to Major Bmgham 

 that we would cross the Cumberl.and at Kock tVstle luid go 

 out iu the bottoms and kill a wagoti load of turkeys. He 

 agreed lo it forthwith. So early next morning I heard Bing- 

 ham's horn, and a yelp from Tom and Jim, his two famous 

 old deerhounds, t'old' the slorv iit oiice that his cai-tridges 

 were not all charged wilh lurkey .shot. He had sent up to 

 the Springs for bis son Y,\ : ;iinl olT we went. 



Well, we crossed tlic river al eight o'clock and limded at 

 old Sain McWaters', about three miles above the Barboiu- 

 place about nine, old Sam was adjusting the .sights of his 

 rifle. ' T never saw as much turkey sign in my life. By ten 

 we had feil our liorsc's and were out for a hunt. I did man- 

 age to kill one stray turkey, but saw very soon from the mo- 

 tions of Bingham and old Sam that devUish little tm-kcy 

 hunting would tlo them. In about half lui bom- a yell from 

 the two hounds aud a ficream from old Sam confirmed me. 



A lar"e old buck was u|i, and away they went, Bingham 

 and i.hfSam with them. The wood-choppers liad forluuately 

 scattered a Uock of turkeys, aud while the old fellows were 

 following' the Buck, Bv and I .succeeded in baggmg two more 

 vouTi" gobblers. In about three hours they returned, having 

 stoijiied the lio^a at the celebrateil old Post Oak stand, be- 

 tween Skiimerliorn's ;uid the old Collev Place. But nothing 

 daunted. Ill they went, again through the same dr-ive and 

 \yith about tfie same success only. This time he made tor 

 the Cumberland instead of the Tennessee, and old Sam got a 

 shot afiout a quarter liefore he took water at the mouth of 

 Crooked Creidi;. So you can very well see now, with those 

 two old hunters iu tli"ewoixl.s. that there was a duU prospect 

 for turkey hunting. Bui we talked the matter oyer that 

 night, and they both agreed to do better next morning. By 

 suirise the horses were sadalcd, and a blast Irom Bmglmm's 

 horn was the signal to be off. We hadn't gone a quartj-'T 

 before, under the pretence of a lurkey hunt. 1 saw the OKI 

 hunters meant the same programme as the day before, bo I 

 placed By ut the old well, ami 1 took up a position at the 

 deep cut on the old railioad track. In about twenty minutes, 



sure enough the dogs and old Sam and the major were all 

 booming. They were gone up the river out of hearing for 

 about an hour. But we held our places, and here they came. 

 About the old Wimas House I heard the dogs .separate. Tom 

 put one through about 300 yarns below By.'and I could hear' 

 Jim coming like a locomotive directly for my stand. I 

 could see in a twinkle that I " held the ago " on him ; and 

 s.m-e enough here he came, a four point buck. Two shots in 

 quick succession as he ero.sacd the railroad truck, my Barlow 

 in his throat, Jim ahold of his quarters, and the jig was up. 

 \\'e lauded with him aud three turkeys iu Walloniii by three 

 o'clock in the afternoon. Wharton's hunt comes off imme- 

 diately after the election. 1 .tin going lo slip over again next 

 w eek. I don't think I can go iu their regular hunt, but will 

 be .slipping round on the outskbrts. 



Intttrd §i^tor^ 



our;waterfo"wl. 

 II. 



PRE-EMINENT among our waterfowl staud the Swans. 

 Their very name has become synonymous with grace 

 and purity of coloring, and a wild swan is certainly one of the 

 most beautiful, as it is one of tliC most majr-stic, of birds. 

 The sportsman, however, usually regards bis game from a 

 practical rather 1 ban an a;sthetic point of view : but viewed 

 in tJiis light these birds are no less interesting. We know of 

 110 game that will cause the blood of the man who uses the 

 sl¥)t-gun to connse through his veins with more rapid flow; 

 and the prospect of getting a shot at a swan is worth almost 

 any amotmt of crawling through mud aud wot. They are 

 very wary birds, and besides, even after one baa come witliin 

 gunshot of them he is by no means sure of his game. They 

 are so large and so w-ell protected by feathers that unless they 

 are stru. Ic in the head, neck, or v^ings they arc very likely to 

 escape the disappointed gunner. If wounded only, their ten- 

 acity of life is great, and their strength is such that they will 

 fly or swim for a long time after having received a fatn.l 

 wound. Although swans appear to little advantage on drj' 

 laud they move through the all' or over the water wilh 

 great swiftness. It would scarcely seem possiWe that such 

 great birds could fly with the enormous speed which they at- 

 tain. It is, however, a matter of some difBculty for them to 

 rise from the wtiter, aud they are obliged to fly and rmi along 

 its surface for some distance before they can fairly take to 

 wing. On some of the small alkaUue lakes of Nebraslta, 

 where Cj/ffii ii-t .imrrirdnm certtunly breeds, and perhaps also 

 C. btio-lnntor, we have seen them fiy several times around the 

 lake, the repealed .striking of their wings against the water 

 sounding like a rapid succession of pistol shots. Once undai' 

 way, however, their powerful wings bear llicm afnig with 

 a-stonishing speed, and it is necessary' for ific guimcr lo aim 

 well ahead of his birds if he is to bring them to bag. Theii' 

 progress through the water is so swift that they can -without 

 dilTiciilty outstrip a boat propelled only by a single oarsman. 

 Audubon testifies to this, and mentions that lie frequently 

 pm-.sued the Trumpeter swan in canoes without being able lo 

 approach near enough to it either to shoot or to force it to 

 take to wing. He also quotes from a letter received from 

 T)r. Sharpless, tlie following statement 'v\ith regard lo the 

 American Swan : " A gentleman who resides on the Chesn- 

 peake, near Brush River, informed me that a few y-ears since 

 he had wounded a swan, and afterwartl cured and tamed it. 

 To prevent it from Hying away he clipped its wing, liut it 

 occasionally escaped to the water, wherj he had often fol- 

 lowed it for several miles, with two rowers, before he could 

 catch it." 



The range of the Trumpeter Swan appears to be restricted 

 to the western portion of North America, aud ornithologists 

 generally speak of it as not being found east of the Mis.sissip- 

 pi River, though it is included in some lists of birds of the 

 more eastern States, on eridencc, however, which is not alto- 

 gether satisfactory. Tlie supposed Cygnmpimiutfri, which is 

 quoted by Dr. Cones !i,s lielonging to this species, was lakcn 

 in Caniida. 



t'ljiinmainenmn%M\sto\mA througliout the United States, 

 although on the Atlantic coast it does not appear to be com- 

 mon either in New England or south of South Carolina. The 

 centre of its abundance on this coast would seem to be the 

 Chesapeake Bay and the Virginia coast generally. In tlie 

 west these birds occur in small numbers during tlie sumnioi', 

 aud we have found them breeding in small alkaline lalces 

 about fifty miles north of North Platte, Nebraska. It is only 

 during the migrations, however, and in winter Oiut they are 

 found within our Itoimdarics in any considerable uuiiibers. 

 They breed, however, in ^Uaska, according to Mr. Dall, 

 whore also the Trumpeter is found iu suiumer. 



As these articles do not pretend to have any other purpose 

 than to teach the sportsman how be may without dilBculty 

 distinguish one species of water-fowl from another, any ex 

 tended remarks on the habits of tlie different species would 

 be out of place. For alike reason it Is uanocessary to give 

 the special character fiy which the swans are to be distin- 

 guished from their neiu-est allies among the Annlit],i. Ko 

 one who shoots one of these birtls in this country will i- ic 

 doubt as to whether or not it is a swan, and it is thtr;,.'ir 

 only necessary to compare the two species. 



Cijgnus humnaU-'V, Richardson. Trumpeter Swan. V. I 

 bill 'and feet black. Tmlof fustially) timil-y-fcmr fail!, 

 Bill Umoer than head. The nostritt nf/tref the ham tiian 

 ' point of the bill. Uaually larger than O. mwrkamts. 



Gygitiua ammam/u^i. Amorioan or WWatUng Bwimi.' 



a 



