314 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 20, 1880, 



Snipe on Long Island, — Letter just received from pay 

 old friend and guide. Carman Cornelius, at s, , , , 

 I., states that snipe shooting is good at South Oyster Bay. 

 To all lovers of the sport I say go, and go with Carman. 

 No better man at the business, Can be readied by S. S. 

 E. R. of L. I. Stop at Vandewater's ; they will take care 



Of yOU. EZEYKILL. 



New Jersey— New York, May llth.—I have just re- 

 turned from Ocean County, N. J. Wilson's snipe have 

 been quite plenty of late; but, they being flight birds, 

 (hey did not stay long. The bay birds are Commencing 

 to come, and the prospect* are that there will be plenty 

 of shooting this week and the next. The warm night we 

 h:n\ last Saturday brought a large number. The fires we 

 had iii New Jersey .lid not harm the birds in the least in 

 Ocean County, as the tires were ten to fifteen miles dis- 

 tant from the shooting grounds. J. A. D. 



Snipe Shooting 'at Babneoat.— We took the New 

 Jersey Southern on Monday the 10th fast., bound for 

 forked Biver to try our luck at the snipe. After a trip 

 of three hours we arrived at our station, and were met by 

 our most genial host, ex-sheriff Parker, and bj the way, 

 who has not heard of the good sheriff, who keeps really a 

 Sportsmen's retreat of the first order, leaving nothing un- 

 done to make it pleasant and comfortable for his guests '.' 

 A wish is not made known but it is immediateiv : i ■■n, !■■ 

 to. Long life to the sheriff. May his eyes not grow 

 dim, nor his hair grow gray. After partaking of a hearty 

 supper we met ourotd friend and prince of bavvnen. Capt. 

 firman Matthews, who was to go with us for the trip. 

 and who had all things in readiness. 



After a good night's rest we arose on Tuesday at ] A.yi., 

 arriving at our grounds about 8.30 A.M. The weather- 

 was all that one could desire for snipe. We could now 

 hear the yellow legs whistling all around. Soon our 

 stools were out and blinds ready. 



"Hark! I hear them," says' the Captain. Down we 

 both are. In they come : four in a bunch, surging to 

 the stool. Tjp raises Ezeykill, and down fall four nice 

 birds, Parker 10 bore and No. 10 shot. 



•■ Down !" says Captain ; "here comes a flock of do- 

 witehes.'' In they come, ten of them. Two shots, and 

 we pick up seven nice birds ; and so we go for about two 

 hoars, and bag twenty-two line birds. 



In the night the wind shifted to the northwest, and 

 Commenced to blow. However, off we started in the 

 morning, and succeeded in bagging nine on this day. The 

 wind kept on increasing, until on Thursday it blew a 

 gale', but with all the dra.wba.cks we killed "six on this 

 day. It was cold and rough in the night ; the wind 

 shifted to the northeast and blew hard and cold, and not 

 a bird to be seen or heard anywhere. So we concluded 

 to return to headquarters— the sheriff's. 



An old sheldrake is a bird which is condemned for its 

 rank, fishy taste. The Captain killed one with a 10 bore 

 Parker with No. 10 shot fully 40 yards off, and we con- 

 cluded to trv the experiment of cooking him after a pe- 

 culiar fashion. I Look his skin off, and all the fat that 

 was on the body, and proceeded to cook him, and the 

 result was that not a particle of fishy smell n ai 

 while the bird was cooking, nor when eaten was there 

 any of that strong and disagreeable taste any more than 

 there would be in the lint st red-head von ever tasted. 



After a hearty repast at the Parker House we retired 

 for the might, and started for home On the D a.m. train, 



uiitted.it would have been-a re yai soessfulone, 



KZEYIULL. 



Two SxiPE at Oxe Shot.— Portland. May 10th.— 

 Your exact and careful correspondent, "A. C. L.." writes 

 in your issue of May 0th at 3hooti i snipe atone 



shot, and adds that he never heard of this being don I ■ 

 fore in the East. To bag a brace of these witj birds al 



number of single ones is indeed a. l'ttckv fluke, and rare 

 enough to send a thrill of exultation through the weary 

 frame Of the fax tramper over marsh and" moor : still, 

 suc'b good luck is not altogether unheard of even in the 

 East. 



On October 8th, 1877, a friend and I were beating up a 

 marshy alder run. My friend, with his knickerbockers 

 on, was bravely plunging through the swamp with the 

 dogs while I leisurely watched outside. Boon a snipe 

 darted Up 6Ut Of the alder tops some tHrty-flve yards 

 away. As I drew on him another squeaked up" into 

 range fifteen yards nearer, and I dropped both at otic 

 shot. 



" Mon Dieu, what luck?' cried my comrade from the 

 alders, This was a fluke pure and simple. But a few 

 davs after that, when out alone, mv setter came to a 

 most decided point in a tussock y field. Walking up to 

 iiim three snipe flipped up; two flew away, quartering 

 to the right, keeping in exact, range from me in the most: 

 obliging and unsnipelike manner. As my gun swung 

 up to my e\-e I saw them skimmiu ■. aCie ••■'■> the rrouno 

 like a matched span of swallows. 1 pulled on' them: 

 their heads dropped and they fell together stone dead, 

 still keeping in exact range. Turning 1 bowled over the 

 third snipe, who was bravely tacking to windward and 

 almost, out of range, with my left barrel. 



This was not a fluke, but deliberately shooting three 

 Snipe m two shots, right and left. The" two snipe killed 

 at one shot lay just three yards from each other. 



Mabst&and. 



The editor of the Genhantuv.-n i£'i\.t Telegraph, says: 

 "A correspondent of" Forest and Stream, 'writing from 

 Norwich, N. Y., brags of having killed two English 

 snip ■ H one shot. Of course they happened to be cross- 

 ing the space covered with the sportsman. What v\ ill 

 such Of the readers of the 1elec,raf>h, who are familial 

 withthe ground, say when we tell them that the writer 

 of these lines killed two English snipe in what is known 

 here in Germantown as Coulter's meadow, with right, 

 and left barrel, at one flight. This was forty years ago. 

 There is still some swampy ground, there, created by a 

 neglected spring, and not uiifroqtiently a sine, 

 in it. Occasionally a rail-bird was shot, but we never 

 had the pleasure formerly of seeing one." 



"A C. S.," Norwich, N. Y., records an instance of 

 killing two snipe at, one shot, and states that he never 

 saw this done before. In February. 1875, it was done ai 

 Colfax, La,, three times in one day — twice by myself and 

 once by my companion, a native' Loiiisaanian who was 

 receiving instruction in wing shooting, The birds were, 



however, in great abundance. On the day referred to, I 

 killed thirty -six between breakfast and noon, and thirty- 

 nine between 1 p.m. and p.m. I never before or since, 

 saw so many snipe, ;'. e., Wilson's snipe, in one place. I 

 was not out of sight of the camp during the day. They 

 must have been migrating, as very few were to be found 

 the next day. T. H. Groves. 



Texas V.rxv*.— Palestine, Texas, May 131ft.— The Jack- 

 stone Gun Club, of Dallas, is making preparations for the 

 State ' a tsmen's Tournament, which opens at the above 

 city on the L7tb mst. A greater number of people will 

 witness the Contests than at any previous tournament, 

 ai i extensive arrangements are bemgmade for reception 

 an 1 ri.ainment of visitors. Arrangements have al- 

 ready been made for ample supply of wild pigeons, 

 Nearly every club in the State hat e signified their inten- 

 tion of either sending del gates, t i Mending en masse, 

 The outlook is very satisfactory to the boys, The attend- 

 ance from Palestine win. be scattering, put we will send 

 some good men to the field. Six coops of wild pigeons 

 from Michigan, intended for the use of the Houston Gun 

 Club, and four coops for the Fort Worth Club, passed to 

 their destination last week, from which we may infer 

 it the boys intend to get their hand in. The Palestine 

 i Club, organized last year, in deference to the 

 prevailing " boom,' proved short lived, as no attempt has 

 been made toward reorganization this season. 



The quail are rather more plenty this than last year, 



owing to the comparatively dry fall and winter ; but the 



early arid continual spring rains have prevented their 



nesting. 1 went out the other morning with a young 



dog to see what, lie was made of, and found two bevies. 



They were rather inclined to be trod on, rather than get 



up. 



Fishing runs about as ever. Small black bass and perch 



the creeks, larger ditto in the rivers and lakes, with 



microns Buffalo fish to give you a heavy pull, and 



finally disgust you with their coarseness and lack of 



flavor. At Galveston, of course, the finest of sea fishing 



to be had at all times. L'Eci.,\u:i<;, 



"Wisconsin— La Crosse, May 132ft. — The Gateway City 

 Shooting Club held their annual meeting at the office of 

 etary, Mr. C. Norbeck, Tuesday evening. The 

 election of officers for the present, year" resulted as fol- 

 lows: President, Harry E. West; Vice-President, O. F, 

 Huntsman ; Secretary, Carl Norbeck : Treasurer, Fred. 

 Bagley ; Executive Committee; H. E. West, C. F. Hunts- 

 man and John McMillan. A committee was appointed 

 to secure suitable grounds for permanent use, probably 

 on the banks of the La Crosse River. 



Ff-nnsvlyasia Squirrel SflOOTiH'a.— New Bloomfield, 

 Perry Co.. Pa., April Hist.— Sportsmen here confidently 

 expect more game the coming season than was to be 

 found last. The open, mild winter just passed enabled 

 Sinai) game to five through it with ease : the mast being 

 heavy last fall, food was not scarce, and the absence of 

 leep'snows and continued cold gave pheasants, turkeys, 

 ■to., opportunity to hunt feed all along. Then again, the 

 foxes have been hunted off pretty close, so that game 

 birds were not slaughtered as they are some seasons by 

 that thieving nuisance. Two parties in this town, who 

 hunt foxes in pari uership, got away with twelve red Rey- 

 nards this whiter, The comity pays a bounty of $1 for 



rer killed, and the skills are disposed" of to men 



Who travel the county buying up skins Of till kinds for 



_,: i .:. The county treasurer of Perry last year paid 

 out nearly $300 for fox orders, thus showing that Rey- 

 nard is not on the decrease, as are Bquirrels, ph« san - 

 and other game here. Farmers and woodsmen say they 

 , i few wild turkeys in the old and unfrequented 

 ii,-i , ..;; i. last fall contained buckwheat or rye, picking 

 up food, U there dues not come a spell of cold, freezing 

 weather to destroy tb I eggs thej are now laying or soon 

 will lay, thorn will be a pretty fair crop of turkeys for 



next fall's shooting. The small birds we call partridges 

 are nearly extinct in this section, and for what reason I 

 am unable to say, unless that crime is also to be laid at 

 the door of the meek and gentle Reynard. "An honest 

 fox must live, vcu know," Gray squirrels, once so 

 plenty, are now only to be found in certain localities, and 

 there only at certain times. The -way they are hunted 



here, is to go where hickory trees are "when" the nuts are 

 about large enough to please a squirrel, early in the 

 morning, just about daybreak. If they are working on 

 the nuts y'ou will see the cuttings under the trees. Keep 

 still till you hear a nut drop, then examine the tree 

 closely where it came from, and you will often find a 

 squirrel there. If he sees you, he makes a. straight coat- 

 :il i, . Ins nest in a hollow* oak tree .not far distant. Then 

 is your time, if yon want the squirrel, for if you let him 

 get in the hollow tree you won't see him soon again. To 

 hunt squirrels in this manner one should make as little 

 and leaVe his dog at home. 



only of service when late in the fall the squirrels come 



down on the ground to gather up the nuts that are lying 

 there, then the dog takes the scent and shows the hunter 

 what tree they are on. 



The pheasants are killed hereby those wdio are not 

 wing-shots in a manner that would not bo approved of 

 bv the fraternity. Hunters conceal themselves under 

 grapevines where the birds are known to feed, an I si 



them as they eoiue OB in the evening to feed, They have 

 their regular feeding places, and. these feeding places are 

 very often the scene of their departure from this world. 

 To the country boy who is just old enough to carry an 

 old army musket this is the prevalent mode of killing 

 pheasant's. 



No wild pigeons have put in an appearance this spring. 

 None were here last fall. They seem to have slighted 

 t] ion altogether, They used to be plenty "here. 



There ill only one good trout stream in Perry County. 

 It is in the remote western end of the county, and hard to 



get at, consequently it is fished by only a few anglers, 

 tills with villainous saw-dust floating in 

 the stream, and in some places tanneries emptying tan- 

 juice into tin waters, have used up the trout in streams 

 where once they disported innumerable, Wayne. 



Wild Pimcuns.— The following description by a west- 

 ern writer supplements the recent communication on the 

 subject in our columns! — 



Something more than four weeks ago the biennial flight 



of pigeons to the woods Of Northern Michigan, for which 

 the hunters had long been ,,, ,l. These 



birds on their journeyings from the South to the far 

 North stop every two years for two or three nestings in 

 Michigan, usually coming in immense numbers. I hi the 

 alternate years, when beech-nuts are not abundant in this 

 State, they take some other course in their northward 

 flight. Formerly, 1 heir first nesting was in Allegan <>r Ot- 

 tawa County. Of late they have generally settled first in 

 Shelby, Oceana county, and later in the season in Hei 



and Emmet counties. 



Oceana, and Benzie i 

 Petoskev. but thev s 

 fooled by the warm v 

 about Petoskev was s 

 snow was deep " 

 ing was I ■ 

 tion and many ( 

 consent, tooktl 

 Benzii 



_ theyskippe 



ni Emmet near 

 ed that they had been 

 irm weather further South. The weather 

 ,vas still cold, the bay was frozen over, the 

 u the woods, the prospect for good feed- 

 d after a day or two of apparent irreaohi- 

 rratie flights, Dhe birds, as if by common 

 >ir course to the neighborhood of Platte 

 River, in Benzie County. As a local publication stated at 

 the tune, " they came iii clouds, millions upon millions. 

 It seemed as if the entire world of pigeons was concen- 

 trating at this point. The air was full of them and the 

 sun yvas shut out Of sight, and still the}' came, millions 

 upon millions more." They spread over an area of more 

 than fifteen miles in length and six to eight miles wide, 

 and the prospect for a time was that the nesting would be 

 hi i OS i Stensive ever known in the State. The news 

 speedily reached all parts of the State, and it is said that 

 in a fortnight's time 8,000 hunters — professionals, ama- 



teurs, green horns — had 

 directions, surrounding an 

 grounds. 



" It was noticed, however, b 

 did not settle down to deim 

 The roosting birds -that is lb 

 — outnumbered the nesting 

 Some of tin.: more zealous a; 

 entered the nesting woods an 

 themseh 



I tbe'eountry from all 

 1 penetrating the nesting 



.- old hunters that the birds 

 stic life as quickly as usual, 

 ose that have not yet mated 

 birds a hundred to one. 

 id inconsiderate sportsmen 

 d commenced popping away 

 mow-storm followed", high 

 winds prevailed, and many erf the roosting birds, disgus- 

 ted, postponed their anticipated houskeeping and scat- 

 tered. The nesting consequently falls far short in magni- 

 tude of what was at, first expected, though still large in 

 area and containing mi I ions of birds. It scattered alongthe 

 hanks of the Platte River, in the townships of Aliiiira, 

 Zeeland and Homestead. The distance from one end to 

 the other is over ten miles, and the width variesxroin a 

 few- rods to three or four miles. There are. however, 

 numerous long distances hetween the two extremes where 

 no nests' are to be found, and the birds have occasionally 

 changed I teir ground, so that: many of the hunters 

 tki mselves are very uncertain as to the exact, where- 

 abouts Of the birds at the present time. In the nests first 

 made, the young are about ready to fly, and have been 



abandoned by the old birds, and in some places, owing to 

 the winds and the constant shooting, the nests have 

 been deserted before any birds were hatched. 



One nesting is about the same as another, and the first 

 nest you Come to is like the million others in the county. 

 When these migratory birds have mated, decided where 

 to settle and have staked off their claim, they proceed at 

 Once to construct about the Lightest nests that will hold 



e, i, ! a !. ol. i hTee sticks and a feather" consti- 



tute abOul I he material, according to a. recent visitor 

 lure. The feather is often wanting, but a few more 

 sticks are generally added. The nest is placed in the 

 crotch of a tree, on two forked branches, or anywhere 

 else in the tree where suitable support can be found, 

 Cedar trees along the river bottom seem to be preferred, 

 but when the nestings are large, beech and other trees are 

 occupied. From half a dozen to fifty or sixty nests are 

 built in a tree, and only one egg is laid in each nest, 



NEW YORK STATE CONVENTION PRIZES, 



Following is the programme and prise list of the An- 

 ution of the New York State Association for 

 the Protection of fish and Game at Seneca Falls, begin- 

 ning May 24th. 



In accordance with the usual custom the Secretary 

 will issue to members of clubs only, upon payment of $5 

 entrance fee, and $2,50 for ten birds, a ticket bearing 

 number of contest and number of shooting order, Be- 

 fore shooting off tics members must pay for five birds, 

 and their tickets will be punched. Shooters who drop 

 out of ties will be entitled to rebate. Alt the contests 

 for prizes during the convention are open to members of 

 the Association only, and will be conducted under the 

 rules of the Association :— 



TUESDAY, MAY i.'5TH. 



ducking powder; Lailm it Band Eowdei Co., New 



i ■■ i, • it i , M . i . - ana Dilmiar powder; 



Dittiuar Powder Co.: value £20; a water-proof: SUOOtfOg eout; 

 Goodyear KubUer Mnimi.ut . ■ U i ■ i i XWoigars; e. 



W. Van So i -, ., , 



■:■--- aool ; lea single hirds. 



First l'ri/.e eltteens of Be 



Second Prl gold badge; Le ltoy Shot and Load 



Tliira^ae— Viveliundrsd ofgarsi J. WVOougotry &Son,Oigar r 



vale, ST. V.; value (85; corduroy hunting suit, made to order for 



glass-ball traps; A. H. "bog , lli.; value Sin. 

 Y-alue$85. 



Fourth prize— Twenty-four one-;, .,. >,:.;;. u powder 



Dittnmr Pev.,i boil i, • i . Lg- 



I Co., Koohcater; 



Palls; value JO. Van o SB, 



WEDNF.SIlAV, U I 



Costss* JTO. 3— At fl o'clock a.m. Fifteen single rises; class 

 shoot; eiiirunee fee $5. 



First prize -An elfiruiit " haniineiiess" brce-,. 

 w. w. arei i. tmlugh llotirj 0, SQUiree, agent, New 



York. Value $300. 



ni/e Two very hand.--.™,!, richly eur decanters, made 

 Bxpreaalj by ibeCoi i ,,,,.. 



I' ■■ i" . I. >' i . ,i,,r tlrewiri- Co., U , i 



N. Y. Due hundred and un. ed -hoi: Tatbiuu & 



tires., New y,-„-k. ; v,ui„- }li;. ■. . i , ,,, 



Ileoi roll Raw, complete, nickel 



Iii Ssneea Mauirfaoturinjy I c 

 Falls, N. Y.; Value $25. Fein gs Huzurd powder ; 



tr Jami 1 1 alnn . i ',, ■ i m,- kUw 



ball trail , Charles Folbom, .New Yurk: suin 



