854 
FOREST AND STREAM 
lected together, in the camp life adventures and inoidents 
of gentlemen sportsmen. An. occasional anecdote appears 
in the public press, but where one is served up a myriad 
are rehearsed among the immediate members of the party 
connected with the adventure for a few times, and by 
degrees the affair loses its freshness and ridiculous aspect 
and is dismissed into oblivion. A party composed largely 
of our sportsmen’s club hero, had a little whirl at experi¬ 
ence in camp life on S, recent trip up into Iowa that was 
not exactly ou the programme at the outset, and may 
have given some of them a clearer- insight into the true 
character of the lialf-breed Indian than they formerly 
possessed. The party, numbering about a dozen hunters 
from here and Keokuk, went by train to a small station 
north of Port Dodge, la., where they employed a half- 
breed Indian to haul their outfit some thirty-five miles 
distant to the grounds they proposed to hunt over. All 
went well for a few days—shooting excellent and fishing 
ditto, and everyone was having a jolly time. This untu¬ 
tored aborigines, true to an acquired instinct when in the 
company of his pale-face brethren, duly and truly pro¬ 
visioned for snob au occasiou, came to a point on an am¬ 
bushed demijohn and retrieved it unbidden, which con¬ 
firms the precedent that the Lo is a natural retriever of 
such game, but does not take to water unless there is a 
prefix of fire. In the act copious libations were absorbed 
into the semi-savage's maw, which stirred up his dor¬ 
mant energies to a startling extent, He executed the 
delightful manoeuvres of the “green corn,” “buffalo,” 
“snake," “ moon,” “ war,” and divers other dances, aud 
taking umbrage at some remark of the boys in his pecu¬ 
liarly sensitive condition, declared in these memorable 
words:—“lam one-third Seneca, and don’t you forget 
it I” and the hoys vow they never will, for on the return 
of the party to the railway they discovered that the Sen¬ 
eca brave had retrieved as much of their outfit as he 
could carry off, such as a keg of powder, sack of shot, 
drinking-cup, clothing, etc. In conclusion I will merely 
add, the boys smothered their rage, uttering at infrequent 
intervals an ominous ejaculation which sounded very like 
Ho-la-a-an-gm. Aaron Abound, 
Tennessee. — Nashville, lltfft.—Up to within the last 
few days the weather out here has been unfavorable to 
field sports, too dry and warm. On last Monday week in 
visiting a friend some few miles from this city, I met 
Colonel W. H. Johnson with a half dozen couples of his 
flue pack of fox hounds going out for a little run. A 
little further, I met T. C. hunting afield for quail, behind 
two beautiful setters, which were working with the care 
and precision of veterans. J. Nicholson, Esq., is out 
very often with nis brace Jet and Belle, they are 
beautiful animals, and are reckoned among the best in 
our neighborhood. Although Clarke, Prltchitt, Ii. Burk- 
holz, R. C. K. Martin, and Charley Griffith, all claim 
kennels equally as good, scarcely a 'day passes that some 
of these gentlemen are not out, and judging by their 
bags are amply rewarded by finding plenty of ganie. 
1 hear very little of the co mi ng contest between Camp¬ 
bell and Bryson. It excites very little interest here. 
Game is reported plentiful in almost every part of our 
State, and the feeling is fast growing for the establish¬ 
ment and close adherence to a thorough system of pro¬ 
tection laws. Once this is done, in a few years our woods 
will again be filled with dear, bear, turkeys, and the 
smaller game. J. D. H, 
Louisiana fob Spobt and Work. — Abbeville, La., 
Nov. Mth,—Editor Forest and Stream :—The Louisiana 
farmer is now having his harvest time. The manufac¬ 
ture of sugar has commenced, and all over the land the 
smoke of the sugar house is seen, and the aromatic odor 
of the new sugar and syrup is rife in the land. The 
golden orange and the banana are now plentiful, while 
an abundance of game is on every side. Verily this is a 
laud of abundance. When I think of the thousands said 
to be starving in the great cities, I wonder why they do 
not come to the country, where there is a constant de¬ 
mand for labor, aud an abundant reward for it. While 
they stick to their crowded homes in the cities, a life of 
want only awaits them; whereas a few years of intelli¬ 
gent, sturdy toil here, would place them beyond the reach 
of want, and their future ease would be assured. Why 
should people stick to their old homes, on wom-out 
lauds, in frozen climates, while in Louisiana is to be 
found a delightful climate, a fertile soil, abundance of 
fish and game, all within the reach of all who are able to 
get here. The stock-raiser, the farmer, the fruit-grower 
and gardener, can all find profitable employment; and 
those who love the dog and gun can find plenty of game 
to amuse their leisure hours. Three black bears were 
killed on Bayou Tigre week before last; they appear to 
be unusually plenty this year. Deer are very fat and fine 
now, and some of the boyB who drive deer nave been out: 
after them with great success. Prairie chickens are 
scarce. The constant practice of burning over the prairies 
aud thus destroying their nests, as well as cover, has 
nearly exterminated this fine bird in the vicinity of Ab¬ 
beville. On the first day of September last the Vermillion 
River country was visited with a hurricane, which blew 
down a great quantity of vegetation, and blew a great 
many of the leaves off the trees, and filled up the swamps 
at the head of the river with water. After a few days 
the water in the river was obsei-ved to be much discol¬ 
ored and black, apparently being colored by the leaves 
and vegetation blown into the swamps by the storm. 
The buffalo fish were poisoned or made sick from the 
effect of the water in some way, so that they died by 
thousands. Hundreds of dead fish, that would weigh 
from five to twenty pounds, were to be seen floating 
down the river. The destruction ef this species of fish 
was enormous. The catfish, perch, and bass did not ap¬ 
pear to be affected by the water. Reports of similar de¬ 
struction of the buffalo fish on the Bayou Teche, Grope- 
t£te, and many other streams, have been published. 
The summer heat is now passed, and the long lines of 
ducks are pouring down upon us. The honking of the 
geeBe, and the shrill cry of the cranes, are heard by day 
aud by night, as they sweep down to their feeding 
grounds along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, Snipe 
wilj soon be plenty, and before long the glorious wood¬ 
cock will be here in great abundance. All! then there 
will be royal sport. Partridges are pretty plenty, and in 
fine order. I was out in my cornfield about tlie first of 
this month, and unexpectedly flushed a covey of young < 
partridges. They were uot near grown ; just beginning 
to fly. This is quite unusual, I think, for young covies 
to be about so late in the season ; at least it is new to me, 
as 1 do not recollect ever seeing so young a brood in No¬ 
vember before. I am quite fond of partridge shooting, 
hut I hate to kill such beautiful and interesting creatures. 
It’s royal sport though. Sometime since, after the season 
had opened, I took my gun out of summer quarters, put 
it together, and walked out into a field where I knew 
there were birds, I had no dug, so I was prepared to 
shoot when any should rise. I had not proceeded far in 
tiie field before a small covey Hushed before me. The 
whirring of their wings as they rose, disconcerted me at 
first a little; but I quickly rallied, and up came the gun ; 
one glance along the glittering Damascus barrels, one 
touch of the triggen a little cloud of smoke, and poor 
Ortyx is no more. No more will his cheery call to liis 
mate gladden the summer fields, or his sountliiig pinions 
startle the passer by. Poor Bob White was stone dead, 
I picked him up ; gently smoothed down his feathers, 
and kissed him ; and then put him in the softest comer 
of my gun pocket: but I was in no mood tor shooting, so 
I did not follow up the covey, Papabotte. 
Oregon — Eugene, Nov. mk .—The goose shooting is at 
Its best now in this vicinity, and they swai'm in the stub¬ 
ble fields, aud from there ’fly to and’ fro for water at the 
river and marshes. There has not as yet been a sufficient 
fall of rain for good duck shooting, although two of us in 
a trip of seven miles by skiff on tne river, made a bag of 
eighteen mallards and two geese. Last week a wagon 
load of gunners, myself included, killed twenty-eight 
geese and three mallards in a half day’s shooting at By¬ 
ways in the stubble fields. With decoys, and a pet dog 
in the middle of the field, without a doubt a single gun¬ 
ner could average from eighty to a hundred geese daily. 
All fall sowed grain must be surrounded with twine, 
otherwise the geese soon destroy it. I intend going to a 
favorite field soon for a day’s sport, where last year in a 
forenoon twenty-one geese feel to my “Remington.” As 
they are rather more plentiful this season, probably I 
shall kill more. Many fields of wheat, injured by rust, 
were not cut tliis fall, and the ducks and geese feeding at 
these places have become so plump and fat, that they will 
burst open when striking the ground. J. G. Stevens, 
Jp<? § mnel 
INSTITUTING EASTERN FIELD TRIALS. 
A S was remarked in our last issue, we are gratified 
that a company of gentlemen have been found suf¬ 
ficiently energetic and alive to the importance of estab¬ 
lishing field trials at the East to take up this praiseworthy 
object where it was so summarily dropped in the spring 
of 1878 by the Baltimore Kennel Club, who had been se¬ 
lected as the foster father l’or the enterprise instituted the 
previous year by the efforts of Capt. John M. Taylor, for¬ 
merly the Kennel Editor of Forest and Stream. It is 
important that the working qualities of our sporting dogs 
shall be practioally made manifest and adjudicated upon, 
and their performances be compared with those which 
have been run in the western trials. 
All worthy objects which look to the general good and 
to the profitable advancement of sportsmen, should have 
the willing support of the sporting fraternity, irrespective 
of the personnel of their immediate promoters. We con¬ 
sider the objects for which the Eastern Field Trials Club 
was formed a good one, and eastern field trials a desider¬ 
atum, and we would therefore urge (so far as our influ¬ 
ence may go), those gentlemen who have in times past 
looked favorably upon such an establishment, to join 
hands in the present movement and push it to a success 
by their donations, entries, their personal attendance and 
attention, and their moral support. We are glad to learn 
from the letter which we print below, that the prospects 
are very flattering. 
It was Capt. Taylor's original idea to work the compet¬ 
ing dogs in Virginia, Delaware, or Maryland, as being 
more centrally located in respect to that group of com¬ 
monwealths known as the Eastern States, in which Ohio 
should certainty be included in these days, besides work¬ 
ing the dogs on native game instead of plants. We should 
conform to this view as likely to produce the best results, 
but inasmuch as Long Island has been selected, and there 
are some native birds there, irrespective of the 500 to be 
put out; and in view of the fact that the ground is of 
much the same physical character as that to have been 
been selected in the States named by Capt. Taylor, we 
may congratulate our enterprising friends upon their 
choice, and unite with them in acknowledging the 
courtesy and friendly disposition of Mr. Lorillard, who 
is the club's choice for President, if not already actually 
installed into that office. 
Those who have been foremost in pushing this move¬ 
ment are Messrs. Chas. H. Raymond, Dr. Wm. Jarvis, 
J. W. Munson, the able Secretary of the National Kennel 
Club: Colonel Ormsby, Dr. Aten, Wash, A. Coster, 
Judge Gildereleeve, J. Von Lengerke, Jacob Pentz, the 
field editor of Turf, Field and Farm, and many others, 
of whom the names of several were mentioned last week. 
The present status of the club at date of writing, is stated 
in the following extract of a letter from Mr. Von Len- 
gerko to the managing editor of this paper. 
NliW Tonic, JVov. g4171. 
It is beyond u doubt thut the club will number over a hundred 
members before thu middle ol' Duwmber, when it is proposad to 
hold the iirat trials. Mr. George L. Lorillard, to whom the club 
tendered tbe^preaiaeney, with Uis well-known generosity has 
tendered his splendid estate of three {thousand acres, situated at 
Oakdale, L. I., for the use of l he trials, whioh was, with thanks, 
ucoepted by the club. Dr. Aten, who was one of the strongest 
promoters, hasprocurod Bvu hundred live quail in Minnesota, to 
be liberated on the grounds a f ow days previous to the trials. 
This number of birds, together with those bred on the estate, 
ore thougbtsufnoient to carry the trials through. Capt. Tucker 
also tendered the use of Robbin’s Island, iu Pet'onluBay, and Mr. 
Goddefroy tendered tho use of his farmnear Port Jervis, N. J., 
audUberally offered the use of his conveyances and some valu¬ 
able prizes. 
Quite a number of gentlemen have handed in their iuiteation 
foe of five dollars, and also a number of entries have been made 
already. The furtherance of this good cause now being in the 
hands of thorough, energetio mon, I beg you, Mr. Editor, to also 
lend a helping hand, and encourage this late movement, know¬ 
ing that your fpaperlhas before been identified with several at¬ 
tempts to Inaugurate trials East. When it was proposed last year 
by the Baltimore Kennel Club to Ihold a iield trial in Muryland, 
several gentlemen of means and influence promised liberal sup¬ 
port to the funds for such an undertaking, and as this is tho only 
requisite, at present to bring this first t rial to a speedy and success¬ 
ful issue, I hope that these gentlemen will make good their old 
promise, and support the new club with either entries or dona¬ 
tions, or by at least joining as members. 
I. myself, shall feel amply repaid for my little labor, if by join¬ 
ing us and giving credit where it is due, all will work harmoni¬ 
ously for the good cause of improving and advancing the interest 
of our sporting dogs. “In Union there is strength." 
J. Von Lbnqerke. 
We have now placed the credit of this resuscitated ven¬ 
ture where it belongs ; and to show that we are equally 
ready to claim credit for ourselves when it is due, we 
print the following extracts from two letters of Captain 
Taylor, which may hereafter serve as data in the writ¬ 
ten history of the “ Eastern Field Trials Club :" 
Bellefonte, Va., iebruary Uh, 1877, 
J. Addison Smith, Esq.:— 
Is there any chance of making a common cause, or com¬ 
bination of the sportsmen of Maryland, Delaware and 
Virginia, to unite in a society to inaugurate Field Trials 
this coming fall? It is conceded by all that the late 
show of dogs at Baltimore was the best ever held in Amer¬ 
ica, and would it not be as well to add “ Field Trials ” to 
your already successful association ? 
I need scarcely say to you or the gentlemen who take 
tins important matter in hand, that I shall only be too 
pleased to give my time and what influence I may pos¬ 
sess, free. John M. Taylor. 
Bellefonte, Nottoway, Va., March loth, 1878. 
I wrote you a letter last year on the propriety of hold¬ 
ing field trials somewhere in the East. Hitherto the State 
of Tennessee is the only one in the Union that has claim 
to having inaugurated 'dog field trials in America. A field 
trial is the only real way of testing a dog’s merits, as it is 
held in the field and the birds shot, on just the same plan 
as in the ordinary field sports, over a dog, with this pro¬ 
viso, that the dogs and handlers of clogs must conform 
to certain laws, which are mutually agreed on before¬ 
hand by the owners of entries. There are so many good 
dogs now everywhere, especially in New York, Boston. 
Philadelphia and Baltimore, that a section of country I 
am sure could be found within easy access at compara¬ 
tively moderate fares, to and from the before-mentioned 
cities. This is all important, and a great desideratum 
with owners of dogs who wish to enter then-animals in 
a field trial. To talk plainly, how long would it take to 
carry out these trials, and what would be the total cost 
to owners awl spectators? These questions should he an¬ 
swered distinctly, as the great complaints hitherto made 
have been, “ The distance is too far, and the pleasure does 
not justify the expense.” In my opinion the section of 
country to hold these trials is in some part of either the 
States of Maryland, Delaware or Virginia, 
I would like to comment on what has been hitherto the 
great drawback to the successful issue of field trials ; and 
that has been the scarcity of birds ; not that there has 
not been a goodly number of quail, but in a totally in¬ 
sufficient quantity. Where is the section of the country 
within easy distance of the large northern oities where 
uail can be found to test successfully thirty or forty 
ogs. If the birds fail [everything fails, and in placing 
a new recreation before the field sportsmen of America, 
it behoves the managers of field trials to be sure that there 
are plenty of birds. 
On my return from Europe, where I expect to see the 
the working of dogs at the Horseheath field trials, I 
trust to be able to compare their trials with our own. I 
shall be pleased to give such observations to the pub¬ 
lic ; at present I am totally opposed to the laws and rules 
on “points” governing trials now in vogue. 
Would it not be a good plan for the owners of homing 
pigeons to cany along a few of then - crack birds in con¬ 
nection with the dog field trials ? Even should there be 
telegraphic communication, it would he grand sport to 
throw up a couple or so of " homers” and carry the news 
of the winners of the field trials, and they could have a 
race on their own account. John M. Taylor. 
DISTEMPER AND PNEUMONIA. 
C HARLES n. LIFFNER, of Philadelphia, had the 
misfortune to lose his valuable setter dog Dan, on 
Nov. 16th, Being uncertain whether his death was 
caused by distemper or lung fever, a post-mortem ex¬ 
amination was made by Dr. Birch, of Philadelphia, 
when it was found that the cause of liis death was lung 
fever. A number of Philadelphia sportsmen who hunted 
over Dan expressed their unqualified delight with his 
performances. His pedigree was not very long, merely 
being out of a Maryland bitch by an imported English 
setter, which proves that the best degs are not those 
with the longest or oldest pedigree. Dan’s fine 
record, training, sensible behavior in the field, and many 
good qualities, made him a rival of the finest bred dog in 
America. 
The loss ot a good dog is always grievously felt, and 
doubt of the cause of death serves to increase the cal¬ 
amity, for the reason that the dog’s master will remain 
in uncertainty whether proper timely treatment might 
