AtiGrsT 17, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



47 



county. At noon we would halt and unsling the "grub- 

 box."' and the Judge would make. Ike coffee. No matter 

 how hot the weather, we had coffee three times a day. 



The Judge was famous for his coffee. He would build 

 the tiniest," hottest rive, and in less than no time have the 

 water boilinc; then he put in a. double handful of coffee, set 

 it, back, andfoithwith there arose a delicious fragrance, and 

 with a musical gurele the little Mack sheet-iron coffee pot 

 announced itself "Ail readv!" Cod bless thee, little coffee 

 pot! Foul fall the hand would mar the symmetry! Across 

 the plains in '(it, through the Gunnison country in 'SO, along 



, a wooded stream, by many a ready lake in Iowa has 



thy voice murmured sympathy, A woman would despise 

 thee; a hired girl would* crush thee: but we tired men adore 

 (lice, and agaUl exclaim, "All hail!" 



We usually traveled about thirty joa'fes a day. though on 

 the level prairies we could have made fifty, We were in no 

 hurry, and found as much pleasure in gypsyiug along the 

 roadside as in the more exciting sport of hunting and fishing. 

 Toe gentle Iowa scenery was soothing and restful. 



At night we would select some high, and breezy point for 

 our camp, being too wise to camp near the streams, where 

 mosquitoes, malaria and much oppressiveness do abouad. 

 While one tended to the team, another brought wood and 

 water and helped with the lent and bedding, while two were 

 detailed to ■ 'get something for supper." Old Rex, noblest 

 of a noble strain of setters, could right easily in that coun- 

 try tind a covey Of "chickens." and enough were soon se- 

 cured for all our needs. We never killed a bird we did not. 

 eat, and allowed just one bird per meal to each man. That 

 made fifteen a day: we could easily have killed a hundred. 

 lhave often left a covey in the grass after bagging what I 

 wanted. 



Then at night about the camp-tire the Judge would tell us 

 of the Sioux massacre at Spirit Lake in '57, or of deer hunt- 

 ing in New York, or of fishing in the South, or would QUdge 

 Ned and ask him if he remembered his first night out on the 

 skunk bottoms, when he thought the big owl was a wolf. 1 

 remember that night, myself. We did not foresee in the blue- 

 eyed six-year old who "wanted to go home." the self-reliant 

 youth who before he was twenty, would foot it across the 

 range from Leadville. shoot deer in the Rockies, and in his 

 lonely camp never be frightened by the panther's scream. 

 Steady as a veteran, modest as a girl, dead shot, expert fish 

 errmu'i. perfect horseman, with a heart us big as all out-doors 

 and a politeness that is not of the house. Tell me it is wast- 

 ing time to camp out ! 



fan I ever forget those da>sV < 'an i ever forget the even- 

 ing when the Judge and 1 threw down our game-bags (tell it 

 not in Gath! his was full of half-grown teal), and went down 

 to the lake-shore to watch the "old gentleman" plav the big 

 pike Which rose to the spoon from below the lily-pads'. Do 

 we not often caich thai pike again? And wdl we not some 

 time catch his mate': Ay. dad we will. (J od willing. And 

 you, men of toils and weariness, will you not come with us, 

 and be strengthened so thai you will go back to work rejoie 

 ing as :i strong man to run a raee J 



The old heathen god could not be killed while his feet 

 were on the ground, which means that, Mother Mature is 

 kind to those: Who bring their troubles to her — which means 

 that it will pay .you to go. 



And lest, we be aceused of digression from our original 

 topic, let us add that for the eight days out on this trip, our 

 expenses, above those to which we have alluded as prelimi- 

 nary, amounted for each man to just 55 cents. And this is 

 true. ' E. Hou«n. 



GAME IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 



FOR these latitudes the summer has been all that could be 

 desired. Some few days of the tegular 180 degrees in 

 the. shade have smiled on us, but they have been compara- 

 tively few and far between. Though no rain storms of two 

 days' or move duration have visited us, yet we have had plen- 

 tiful showers and all nature is as green" as early spring. The 

 water courses have, suffered somewhat, hut not enough to 

 cause embarrassment to man, bird or fish. A year ago all 

 nature was wrinkled and parched, whole broods of young 

 quail perished for want of water near their nestings. " Now 

 Bob W. smirks and smile.-, lie has increased and multi- 

 plied. Hook forward to a good season of tine sport when 

 the glorious November and December days come, when, 

 after the covey is well scattered, the birds tie like stones on 

 the hillsides, in the old fields and in the pine woods. Hie 

 on, Rex, old chap, go steady and got the wire edge off. Now 

 to your single work for which you are famous. There you 

 are, glaring at that bunch of brier and brown grass, and 

 The merry tail for once is still 

 And something wrinkles the sunny face. 



Simsstssm — quarterer to the left mayhap, and echoing the 

 whir of busy wings, the 12-bore cracks, three dram's of 

 good powder" and one ounce of No. 8 or 10 have stopped 

 those industrious wings. He pitches down to earth an inert 

 mass. Steady Rex, fetch! Behold now that face which a 

 moment since" wore so solemn appearance, beaming with joy, 

 and that tail may fly off into space if he continues to wag 

 at that rate. The bird is laid in my hand, not a feather 

 ruffled. Rex, if J coidd always do as well as you, my work 

 will be well done surely. 



Oh what a calamity to see a dog break shot and then cha: 

 or lind the dead bird and "chaw it, up,"his master the men: 

 time yelling until his face looks like- a boiled lobster, and his 

 throat feels like a first -class Rothery ra.sp. And ye! there be 

 men. and I know them well, and they, having the gait, and 

 accent of men and Christians, pride themselves on their dogs, 

 shooting and field performances generally, call themselves 

 sportsmen, do this thing, blame the poor dog always, and 

 stand there with smoking gun, and blank-blank, blanketv- 

 btank that, blank dog. My real pride in and tor such menf?) 

 can be measured by my affection tor a, hand organ or my 

 delight in the young man who serenades his sweetheart; next 

 door at 11. P, St. with an accordeou. In the latter case my 

 charity is not as big as a. cove oyster, and some these you 

 know "would rattle in a hollow watermelon seed. 



Steadily and slowly the appreciation for good dogs, nod 

 the desire to know how to train them right, is making its 

 way. Mr. A. R. He.yward is the pioneer in thy. kennel busi- 

 ness in these parts. 'No better stock anywhere than owned 

 bj him. J have sent to his kennel for a young dog to be 

 worked this season. 



Not many weeks and we will be stalking the turkey, "or 

 a scat(criu'"of urn with that little y a Her dog." Soon'there- 

 after, ensconced in the blind, we can gobble them up. Now 

 is it not. a beautiful and even a thrilling sight when the first 

 turkey steps in the arena'? And if it be a big gobbler — oh, 

 lor'! see. his stately neck and bead, as poised on one foot he 



nazes suspiciously around. Now dou't wink your eve even, 

 — he will sec it, aiid "put." A low, soft, very soft call has 

 brought him within forty yards; the Damascus tube speaks: 

 put — put, here, there, yonder, flashes. Teports, smoke, as the 

 breech-loaders do their' work. We did not. see I .hose birds — 

 only one? Thunder! the whole gang were here. Glorious 

 sport. Nothing like it, save quail, snipe, woodcock and 

 grouse shooting. Friends and brethren, it's all good, as poor 

 Tom Moore said of rye, corn, potato and apple whisky; he 

 could not choose, he would taste the whole thing, and there 



I have pa 





ted in 



all sh 



loting but. 



chi 



iken sh 



loting. 



It Would l,< 





Hi let 



•r city 



, the day 



CO 



uld joi 



i some 



brother spoi 





onth 





es. What 



a. de 



light, to 



watch 



those chick 



■n d( 



gs ra 



lire, dl 



iw and point 



How 



much 



good golden 



time 



mon 



•ved n 



en waste, 



i.ud 



how di 



11 and 



cobwebv tin 



ir to 



tins I 



eci nut 



By not pa 



•ticii 



latins i 



i these 



glorious life 



givm 



g spot 



s and ! 



ecreations 



so b 



mntif ully pro- 



vided by ni 



tare. 



Whe 



n that 



ship of m. 



ne c 



omes in 



, what 



an armory a 



nd ke 



nnel 1 



will h 



ivc, what 1 



bia 



open h 



ouse 1 



will keep, w 



hat a 



good 



lellow 



I will be, \ 



■hat 















Dick rBLiiER. 



GraSitevtlle, S. C, August, 1883. 











COBB'S ISLAND. 



1M1EKE are about twenty-five sportsmen upon the island, 

 mostly hailing from 'Baltimore and Virginia. It has 

 been very warm, and to those enthusiastic Nimrods who 

 have sat 'for five hours in the blinding glare of an August 

 sun waiting for birds to circle around the decoys, they ought 

 to know what hot weather means. In such a sun the mer- 

 cury must, bubble and the glass become mailable, and cer- 

 tainly the gnu barrel gets so hot that one has to use a, hand- 

 kerchief when clasping it. and there seems a positive clanger 

 in the premature explosion of the cartridge by the hot barrels. 



Well, about the luck, the islanders say it's "middling," but 

 the truth is it is a failure, and there are but few birds; the 

 willet. curlew and yellow legs are not one-fourth what they 

 were iu years past. For example, a dozen sportsmen go out, 

 and the bag will average as follows: One will have twenty 

 birds, five will have ten. four will have a half dozen apiece, 

 and one will not have tired oil' his gun. and each one waiting 

 over his decoys half the day. 



Thinking that the incessant fusilade around Cobb's Island 

 had driven off the birds from this immediate vicinity, I in 

 company with Mr. Sauford Spady aud Captain George Hop- 

 kins, of the coast guard, both good men and tine, went over 

 to Cape Charles or Smith Island, as it is called, about twenty 

 miles from here, where there has been no shooting this sum- 

 mer and we had the whole field to om'selves, aucf the result 

 was that we did not get thirty birds. They are scarce, very 

 scarce, and what the reason is 1 cannot tell unless it. is the 

 deadly powers of the breech-loader that is thinning them out 

 rapidly. 



Mr.'Goffigrm, the keeper of the lighthouse, reports but few 

 birds. 



This much 1 can say about Smith's island. If the birds 

 are as plentiful as the mosquitoes, there would be the finest 

 bird shooting in the world. Talk about Jersey mosquitoes, 

 why they can't hold a candle to their Cape Charles relatives, 

 who are 'as large as humming birds and have feathers in their 

 tails. Bite! 1 should think" so. They can reach the meat 

 through thick corduroy breeches, Captain Hitchings had 

 two pair of Boyton's india-rubber suits hanging in the station 

 house, and the mosquitoes, thinking there was a man inside, 

 literally perforated them, and the inspectors condemned them 

 the other day as being utterly unfit for wear. They have to 

 rub the house pigs with pennyroyal oil every evening to keep 

 them from being" eaten up aiive. and dare not shear the sheep 

 for fear of the same fate. 



Common netting is no protection, but iron wire is used in- 

 stead, and in the night time the noise of their teeth against, 

 this netting sounds like the knawing of thousands of rats. 

 and, by the way, there isn't a rodent on the island: the mos- 

 quitoes have eaten them all up. They come out so heavy 

 some evenings that all hands on the. island climb to the top 

 of the light house for protection, and manage to fight the 

 night through. 



Mosquitoes! Well, send your enemy to Cape Charles for 

 summer shooting, and then'remember"him in your prayers. 



CUASSECK. 

 Cobb's Island, Vn., Aug. 8, 1S82, 



W00.DCOCK about Rochesteii. — Mr. Edmund Redmond 

 reports in his Journal that "our daily contemporaries, in 

 reporting that the season opened badly for woodcock shoot- 

 ing, were quite wide of the mark, for the truth is that several 

 parties had rather better sport than usual. Some ground 

 that in previous seasons contained a good supply of wood- 

 cock, was found barren, but the cause was the prevailing 

 drouth; and where sufficient moisture was found, with other 

 necessary conditions, there the brownies were congregated 

 and in good condition. The. knowing ones who went "pros- 

 pecting before the first of the month, and knew Whore game 

 was located, had no trouble in filling their bags. The largest 

 number shot that we have heard of fell to Sect Hartman "and 

 William Wallace, who bagged thirty-six. They found the 

 birds in marshy ground near the lake shore in Parma. 

 Abraham Geis and Louis Schulte knocked down twenty- 

 nine; Ray Felt and George H.Jones brought in nineteen; 

 Thomas and John Morris picked up seventeen; II. 11. Cong- 

 don got twelve: 1. H. Andrews and friends shot thirteen: a 

 party of Frankfort, men Ml nine, and John Bejsseager 

 bagged six. Doubtless other shbOtferS were more or less suc- 

 cessful, hut the above cases are enough to prove that Ihe 

 opening day was by no means a failure.'' 



Trxas GAME Notes. — Indiunolu, Texas. August 8. — The 

 weather in this section has been very dry and hot this sum- 

 mer up to the last few days, since wuieh time we hayc had 

 Tine rains, filling the ponds and putting the prairie in fine 

 condition for birds, of which there are an unusual quantity, 

 both quail and prairie chickens. The game 1 

 revised this year, and the seaso: 

 gust 1, and for quail Septemf 

 than on previous years, and so : 

 pretty fairly observed, except ii 

 advised of the change in the lai 

 a short trip up the railroad to the town of! 

 miles from here, leaving at noon, hunted a little in the 

 ing on arrival and next morning, arriving home next day at 

 11:30 A. M., and got in all thirty rim ■■'"chickens, lhave 

 hunted over the same, ground many times in years gone by, 

 and 1 have never seen as many quail (all very large coveys), 

 in fact they are innumerable." Fapabnttes, 'since the rain, 

 are beginning to arrive, and when tlw wen i her gets cooler 

 sport will be splendid. — G. A 



chickens on Au- 



ier 1, a month later for both 



'ar as 1 have seen has been 



l places where they were not 



A friend and myself took 



'elve 



EL CAZADOR IN SAN FRANCISCO. 



EiJiUir or. Fori st ond Strewn: 



1 declar to goodness it is purfekly astonishin the. nog of 

 strangers in this place; to meennybow. 'f I never had bin 

 beer befour 1 woodu't, be surprised at, being surprised, but I 

 have you kno, and I air. I wur hecr quite frequent hefour 

 the war, and knoed quite a .passel ov peeped. War is they 

 now? Ekker answers, war? Blame my skin f yore paper 

 ain't, the. only frenly face 1 has seen EM&day— exeep some 

 strange ladys: but let that paws. 



Yesterday war powerful hot. I went to a large church, 

 and heerd "a prechur say his "hart panted art.er "tin: water 

 brooks" (put that, in with them lit.lcl dots). I simperthised 

 with him, you bet ! 1 farly pusspired for mn, I thort ov 

 sum I knoed, cold, cleer, shady, full of fish: an I wur hoinc- 

 sjek to the quick, but 1 cant, go there, not till 1 git thru bein 

 a wittness fur sellin 



Sav! I like them 

 soshobul roun a cam 

 powerful, but ov cm 

 woeid be a, strange f. 

 lugen woiiet who thort that all the hi 

 kort. an tho biggest aud fattest meat 



it bare. Nothin' is more 

 They peals to the feclins 

 •u; 'f they wus this wirl 

 I reckon." 1 knowed a 

 :est fish, whats never 

 hats never shot, wer 



saved up by providence for the other side ov sundown. 

 May be it isso. Nobody ever catches nur shoots the biggest 

 he sees in this wirl, not even the lyars can do this. 



Er, Ca 7.ADOB. 

 (Who lives at Los Angeles ur tharabouts when he's at home.) 

 At Sax Francisco, Month ov August. 



Nicw York Association.— The following circular has 

 been sent out by Mr. Sage: "The New York Association for 

 the Protection of Fisli and Game. Buffalo, August, 1882. 

 My Dear Sir: At. the recent convention of the above associa- 

 tion at Niagara Falls, a special committee of five was ap- 

 pointed to revise the game laws of the State and endeavor 

 to secure the enactment of a simple, efficient and sensible 

 bill at the session of the next Legislature. You are request- 

 ed to rewler such assistance as may bein your power and 

 to that end fill up the iuclosed blank, aud return it at au 

 early -dale to the chairman, Abel Crook, 03 Nassau street. 

 New York city. Please consult the. practical sportsmen of 

 your vicinity and urge your local clubs to take action in the 

 present movement. A copy of the proposed lav, will be 

 mailed to each correspondent before its presentation to the 

 Legislature Yours truly, John B. Sage, Recording secre- 

 tary." "Expressions of opinion are invited on the following 

 points: "Periods for killing game and catching fish. 1. 

 Doer generally? 2. Deer hounding? 3, Deer jacking or 

 floating? -!. Ducks, geese, or brant? p. Should use of swivel 

 or punt gun be allowed? 0. Should floating battery be al- 

 lowed? 7. Should sailing for wild fowl be allowed? 8; 

 Quail? 9. Hare or rabbit? lb. Woodcock? II. Squirrels? 

 12. Grouse or partridge? 13. Should snares be allowed? 

 14. What other birds should he protected and what provi- 

 sions are recommended? 15. Speckled trout? lti. Califor- 

 nia trout? 17. Salmon trout or lake trout? 18. Black bass? 

 19. What other fish, should he protected? What protection 

 is needed? 20. Should size or weight, of any fish be limited 

 — i* so what, should be limit? 21. When" should nets be 

 allowed, and what should be size of mesh when measured 

 from knot to knot, on the square? 22. What waters in the 

 county need special mention, and what exceptional legisla- 

 tion is desired? 23. What penalty should be imposed for 

 unlawful killing or possession of birds, game or fish? 34. 

 What penalty should be imposed for unlawful use of nets? 

 2u. What protective officers' are necessary? 26. How should 

 they be selected aud for what term of office.? 27, How 

 should thery be compensated and what should be the amount 

 thereof? 28. What power of legislation should be con- 

 ferred upon boards of" supervsors? 20. Suggest ions generally?" 



Philadelphia Notes. — Shore birds are showing them- 

 selves ou Die New jersey coast in considerable numbers. A 

 flight of short-billed curlers appeared at Little Egg tla.rbnr 

 last week and took up their quarters on the extensive mea- 

 dows in the neighborhood of "Little Sheepshead." The 

 ponds in the vicinity being low on account of the dry 

 weather, afforded good feeding grounds. Willows are plenti- 

 ful all along the coast, but (he greater part of them appear 

 to have passed south of Great Egg Harbor and have taken up 

 their quarters between Corscn'sVud the inlet below it. This 

 I learn from the fishing parties veturning from the coast. 

 Brown backs began to come the first of the month and con- 

 tinue to appear in fresh quantities. The flocks are numer- 

 ous but not large, and seem to be covering a greater period of 

 time in their coming than for several seasons. This is owing 

 to the late variable, and cold spring we had and the bile de- 

 parture of the birds for the North. We expect a good crop 

 of seed this year and consequently a corresponding quantity 

 of rail. We had but. few reed birds last season. I am told 

 bv residents of Lehighton, Pa., that the good effect of plant- 

 ing sixty pair of quail iu that neighborhood is showing its- 

 self. Many broods have been found this summer and great 

 care has bein observed by the farmers when mowing their 

 wheat not to disturb the" nests found in the fields. Your 

 correspondent can speak from personal knowledge of this 

 sportsmanlike, action of those who shoot at. Lehighton, Pa. 

 Every year fifty to one hundred pair of birds are let, out by 

 these gentlemen. — Homo. 



IIoboken, N. J.. Aug. 7,— The Forest and Stream Sport 

 ing Club, of Hoboken, N". J., was organized June 2, its ob- 

 ject being the enforcement of the State laws for the protec- 

 tion of game and fish and the encouragement of gentlemanly 

 sport. The following officers were elected: President, Chas. 

 F. Hahf; Vice-President, Oscar W. Jaeger: Secretary, A. 

 Fuller Munroe: Treasurer, Robert, H. Alberts, Jr.; Captain. 

 OscarR. Clans. 



Chatham, Cape Cod, Aug. 13.— Not many birds yd. 

 but the. early stragglers arc killed daily by the dozen only and 

 are quite fat. Bhietish not very plenty. ' Five of us caught 

 43 yesterday, quite large, running from 8 to 1 Dibs., cauglit 

 inside of an hour. All' empty as 'a drum save one, which 

 contained a herring over seven inches long, as well as a quan 

 titv of small bait.— F. H. S. 



Iowa Gaaib.— The following is a copy of letter received 

 from a friend in Osage, Iowa: "Chickens are more plenti- 

 ful than for five years past, with quail in almost every 

 acre, of stubble. If you can come here next month I promise 

 you better shooting than you ever saw in this State. "— S. D. B , 



Maryland. — Gaithersburgh. Montgomery County. Have 

 not been able to find a woodcock around here, nor have we 

 seen a sign of quail. Seven batteries of regiment encamped 

 here for summer.— 8 



