228 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



|Oct. 19. 1883. 



TENNESSEE GAME NOTES. 



AFTER my Segal repast of bass, I got into.tho phaeton 

 Willi my friend Marsh Pinkard, and away we rjroyi 

 across the suspension bridge to the White's Creels pike. and 

 On il to I. he charming count ry lane which leads down to the 

 creek proper. I wish I had words to express the lovely : • 1 1 1 1 

 elevating influences the beautiful scenery produced upon 

 me. Tin' la! sleek, cm tie and horses grazing upon emerald 

 elad pastures, or resting leisurely under the shade of majes- 

 tic oaks .'oid sycamores, fields of golden-hued corn, adorned 

 with their rich orange-colored fruit (the pumpkin), birds 

 singing, Bob White calling, doves flying, and the domestic 

 gaHop.tr,, flitting around in the undergrowth, trees alive with 

 chattering squirrels, each and every one vicing for the 

 supremacy of Cheerfulness and contentment. The country 

 church bells were Summoning the devout to their holy walk's 

 to worship and return thanks to Him who cave us all this 

 world's goods besides the grand assurances for the hereafter. 

 Dear little children, on ponies, in cbar-a-banes, and on foot, 

 dressed in their gayi'sl Sunday attire, were skipping gavly 

 along, inspired by, if unaware of, their delightful surrouiid- 



Soon we reached the creek, and after crossing the first 

 ford came into a more densely wooded portion of our drive, 

 aud where game b.gan to be' more abundant. Among the 

 bluffs which at intervals occur along the meandering creels, 

 innumerable foxes have (heir holes, "and Knee started', the ad- 

 jacent country oilers the finest opportunities for rare sport 

 anywhere to he found. The cornfields swarm with doves, 

 fkldlarks, and occasionally wild turkeys. Squirrels by the 

 hundreds congregate in the vicinity of the same places to 

 fe.i-t on the bountiful corn harvest, while rabbits ;md quail 

 ' ' Scared Up from every thicket of briar patch met with. 

 "Possums are QUIBCTOUS, opt they are scarcely worthy the 

 "■ p n t, and are seldom seen in the daytime 



Col. Akcis says that he owned a dog not long ago which 

 had the novel way of running his tail down into a possum's 

 hole, ami when lire animal caught hold of it he would pull 

 him out. This is a new departure in •possum huutimr, v deli 

 I will not swear to. unless 1 see in the FoBEST AUD Stki: \m 

 a similar experience from other game contributors to its 

 columns. 



On our way home we passed the bouse in which the noto- 

 rious Frank James lived for two years. NpW that he is iu 

 custody there are many who lived in the neighborhood of 

 where he lived Who have vivid recollections of him. Jesse 

 James, and Dick Utile, lie was clever enough, however, 

 to escape detection, and now laughs at the apparent stu- 

 pidity of the citizens ami the utter worthlessncss of the de- 

 tectives who were after him. J, D. H. 



Pennsylvania Game. — Notwithstanding the early part of 

 the rail shooting season proved poor, take it all in alia number 

 of ftiri Is have been killed. We have had no extraordinary 

 run of big scores at any of the .grounds, but since the rii^h't 

 of birds came on. which was later than Li i yi ar, good steady 

 shooting has been hud, and 1 doubt if any one will complain 

 if he counts the number of rail lie has boated during the 

 season. The overflowed meadows on the Delaware and 

 Schuylkill still afford attraction lor the plover. In some 

 places the corn is under water. There have been mure blue- 

 winged teal shot on the Delaware this summer than for 

 many years, Snipe are now being shot on our maishes, 

 but there is so much open and uncovered feeding ground 

 for them that they are wild ant will not allow approach. 

 Reports reach me that quail will be very plentiful this s. ei- 

 son in the Cumberland valley, Pa. ' Especially in the 

 county of Franklin, near McConnellsburg, I am told thoy 

 are numerous. Wild turkeys likewise have bred well during 

 the past summer in the same section, bu 1 on the more ele- 

 vated portions, and two or three large droves have already 

 been seen at the foot of McConnellsburg Mountain. A young 

 Mr. Stinger, of the last mentioned place, is the most st'teecs" 

 fill turkey hunter of this section, last year seldom goimr out 

 without killing one or more, and on one occasion f'oui 

 doubt he would be pleased to show any sportsman who has 

 proper credentials where the wild turkeys live, for he is not 

 a professional. I am told just now the. ruffed grouse fairly 

 throng the lowej hillsides there, attracted thither by the. 

 wild grapes which are now ripe. The early appearance of 

 snowy or Arctic owls iu upper Pennsylvania, where three 

 or.four have lately been killed, would indicate we are to 

 have a severe winter this year. It, may be best not lo 

 attach loo much importance to their coming to us so soon 

 this season, when last year but few. if any, were shot ; bur 1 am 

 always inclined to argue that the appearance of a more than 

 usual quantity of ice-loving birds and fowl would indicate in 

 tense cold weather on the approach in the far north. When 

 brant appear, be on the lookoulTor the black-breasted variety 

 among ihe flocks, then, indeed, we shall have hiding froel 

 and closed water courses. An early migration from the. 

 north of all the goose and duck tribe 'would also point thai 

 way, but 1 am no prophet. 1 hope for an open winter for 

 the quails - sake.— Homo (Philadelphia. Oct. 14). 



The Flesh of THE Mud-Hen.— Chicago. Oct. 13, '83. 

 — It seems that several of your correspondents have been 

 carrying on a wordy war against the defenceless mud-hen. 

 1 therefore feel myself obliged to come to Ihe front and de- 

 fend this bird, " V B. H. P." especially berates them, say 

 that they are worthless for the tabb. I know many people 

 who prefer them to ducks as being sweeter and entirely 

 destitute of the oily taste of ducks. I have eaten them my- 

 self, and although I do not think them quite as good as 

 durks, still they are tirst-rate wdieu rightly prepared, f 

 never before heard of anyone getting sick from eating mud- 

 hen. Another correspondent claims' that (hi y are not ".amy 

 I see little, difference between approaching them and dolni 

 the same with ducks. One is as hard as the other. I neve 

 got nearer than sixty yards to n dock. It is also very handy 

 to always have them to shoot during the middle of ' the day 

 while waiting for ducks, if what "B. 11. P." and others 

 say is true, the mud-hen here is different from others, — 

 Blue Wing. 



Qtjail Shootinu Wasted. — Kingston, Ontario, Oct. 10. 

 — Will any of your correspondents kindly imform me 

 through the medium of vour journal, where self and friend 

 could get some really good quail shooting in November? It 



would be necessary that we should be aide to engage the 

 services of a native sportsman with one or a brace of good 

 dogs, us neither of us own setteis or pointers broken to quail 

 The man to show us the ground and hunt his dugs. Please 

 slate what such a nian and his (logs could be hired for per 

 diem, and give full directions by what route to get to the 

 place, and where we could be boarded ami for how much, 

 while there. — Quail. 



C"ot Snoo'i'iNG m New England.— New York, Oct 12.— 

 In the last number of Forest and Stkeaai "M. H. Able" 

 Ska il the ■•coots" which the Eastern .gunners work so hard 

 mud-hens of the Western Stales. 

 would convince our friend that 

 ens, but that big, sturdy scadncks, 

 tad, were carrying off ounces of 



she 



One day's 



he was 'no 



that were 



his No. -Is. just "for ballast.. The. ducks ... 



coots along the coast consist of three or four 



of his let 



lied skunkhead coots, and the 



its, Thevelvet scoter is known as the 



id the American scoter is the butter 

 rs, also, are dragged into the "genus 

 shooting do hunters ever get aroused 



male sulfa. _ 

 and children gr. ., _ 

 white-winged coot, au 

 billed coot. The sides 

 coot." In no sort of 

 to so high a pitch of i 



same seadueks. The I 

 stantlyon the move 

 1'he fresh ocean brecy, 

 of mil uly vigor, and a 

 gracefully as a swallo 

 roar of the surf anions ._ 

 gunners with the freedom of the 

 swinging on their long anchor-lines iv, 

 ducks are flying swiftly through bet 

 every moment the heavv ten-bores are 

 (dear, and the puffs of 'thick smoke arc 

 on the breeze. Here a whitewing. th< 

 stung with the No. 4s, baits and faltci 

 long into the wines-, there a skunkhead, i 

 wilts suddenly high ' ■ 

 Y flies 



pec 



•ailed 



The 



i the light bi 

 rv flouts thro 

 t the rocks < 



the 



If, The boats 



euty rods apart; 



veen the boats, i 



lit loud ; 



le rapid! 



ler of the dock, 

 id plunges head- 

 ktd in his speed, 

 • — down, down, down he comes, 

 „ direction as be surges heavily 

 into the water, while a few feathers float back on The breeze. 

 Men are shouting, ten-bores booming; wings are whistling, 

 feathers Hying; coots are splashing, hounding, diving— while 

 the rush and He r,,ar of the breakers in the' rocks keep time 

 to the riding of the boats.— Mack Wkkt. | Additional local 

 names for "coots" along the Now England shore are— for the 

 velvet duck, "bell long 7 " coot, and for thy black scoter "cop- 

 pel '" We quit? agree with wdiat our correspondent 

 says— coot shooting in line is most exhilarating and exciting 

 sport.] 



Game Protection in Michigan.— Bast Saginaw, Oct. 



11. — Editor Forest and HI rami: 1 have excellent reports of 

 the work of our Game Warden, C. W. Higby, as you doubt- 

 less remember. The State Association hired" him' to act as 

 missionary to the heathens that regard no law relative to our 

 gime. ana in the past three weeks he has organized sixteen 

 game protective clubs, and prosecuted two different parties 

 for having red-coated deer hides in their possession. In one 

 of these prosecutions the defendants were convicted and in 

 default of payment of fine were locked up. We have no 

 sympathy for them, as they were lulling the deer merely for 

 their hides. We are eonfiden I. that the proper way to enforce 

 tin; game laws is to educate the people to their" usefulness 

 and the forming of elebs in the small villages of the 

 Slate is rnpiilily doing this. Mr. lligtjv savs, ami his labors 

 prove it, that he can form three to five clubs a week in the 

 northern part of the State. All we now lack is money to 

 keep the men in the field. G-amc is fairly plentiful this 

 autumn, deer plenty, ruffed grouse are reported scarce iu 

 this section. The few birds shot seem to be old cocks. But 

 quail — our col in — are in millions everywhere, the fields and 

 Stubblesare alive with them, and the shortening of the 

 season from Oct. 1 to Nov. f, will help keep them plentiful. 

 — Wm. B. Meushon, Secretary Michigan Sport-men's isso< 

 elation. 



Massachusetts. — Plymouth, Oct. 14. — The change of 

 weather the past week caused a great flight of coots along 

 cur shore. On the 12th and 18th, although the sea was very 

 rough, mam boats were in line at Burnt Rock and Mano- 

 met Point, just north and south of Plymouth, and obtained 

 from ten to twenty-five per boat. I "notice the inquiry of 

 your correspondent at Sandusky us to the identify of the 

 cool of the seaboard with the coot of inland waters. I 

 woidd say for his benefit that his coot or mud-hen. Wuliaa 



anuria k'ii, is the only coot proper, the so-called c >i li 



ccast comprising Hire: spc:; 's :;( sen .Li-ko the velvel 

 {Mektmem vetvetintm), the surf {P<M<r>vm perspidUm i and 

 the scoter! 6LW:»j(V' a mr rim mi), called by gunners respectively 

 whilewiug. skunkhead and eoppefiiosc coots.— F. C. 



BUOWNE. 



SqunsBELSiM Illinois.— Charleston. Oct., 1882.— Hunt- 

 ing has been very poor here during the last torn- weeks, on 



it the dryand hot weather." John Cartright has made 



the largest bags 'that 1 have heard of lately: On the 84th 

 tilt., twelve squirrels; 29th, nine sipiirels. and on the (ith 

 insl. nine squirrels. Cur! right says that Ihe squirrels are 

 fifty pet cent, less than Inst year, quail twenty-five per cent. 



leSS, Fox SqeUKUEL. 



: i; i i-ci'Uhe. — Our correspondent "Wells" tells us 



that one of the grouse killed on a recent hunt, described in 

 previous issue, weighed one and three-quarter pounds; a 

 young one weighed one pound. An examination of the 

 iiraw showed that they were feeding upon what :re called 

 gooseberries. 



New Yuuk. — Ilammondville, Oct. 14. — Huffed grouse 

 are more plenty in this section than for some years, and one 

 may secure a fair bag without very hard work"— M. H. T. 



PUBLISHER'S DEPARTMENT. 



itas off the track 



IB liiud leg of an 

 fotoape, 



OPES Seasons.— See tails of open mimis.for game aim ' jU/i, 

 FISH IN SEASON IN OCTOBER. 



FKGSU WATER 



Lake trout, ',,,,,,, ■■„iatj. 1 'ike-perch i Wall-eyed ntk») 8te 



Cash, _.,,:!, !!,:„,„. " ' 



SlKCOWer., I 'ristii:oul'-r sisanrcl . . Yellow perch, ['ere, Puvint/lix. 

 Grayling, Tlii/innltvx tricolor anil Striped bass (Rockfish), lioccu.l 



Blue -backed trout, Halve/;,,,,* White bass, SoCcm ckrysops. 



d, Arch08&rgu& proba*- 

 r .Barb, Meutlcirrus up.- 



sriltilinx. 



Weakfish or 



sqnetague, Oynus- 



latum. 



Drum. Po,/;, e',« ,l,n„,,i x . 

 Lafayette Uottomus obliquus. 



Smelt, Oirnimi 



morda.v. 



JUT This t 



ible is general. For speciil laws iu the several 



States see tab 



le of Open Seasons in issue of July 20. 



Spaniard says that '-rivers and the inhabitants of the 





smade for wise men to contemplate, and fools to 



pass bywitaot 



c amid tratfon,' Vrd though I will not rank myself 



Bittl the numb 



r of the first, i el »irfi Me leave to free myself from 



the last, by off 



ring to you & short contemplation, first of rivers and 



then offish, co 



uea-in'ng which I doubt not but to give you many ob- 



serrations that 



will appear very considerable. I am sure they have 



appeared so 1 o 



me, and made many au hour pass away more pleas- 



unity, as 1 hnv 



s sat quietly on a llo wery bank by a calm river and 



contemplated 



vhat I shall now relate to you.— Iznnh Walton 



THE FISHERMAN'S WISH. 

 T KNOW 'Ha no use wishing, 

 1 But if T had my wish, 

 1 would not be a-iishing. 

 But I would be a fish. 



For when yon think you'? 



And all but touch tier nr 

 A splutter in the water. 



A plunge and off she goes 



To liye at "rack and manger" 

 Upon the deep sea-ground. 



Without the slightest danger. 

 f * dread of being drowned. 



Whereas, some poor old sinner 

 Like me, who leaves the shore, 



And striyes to get a dinner 

 From ocean's finny store, 



Suppose he simply doubles 

 Across the bows; oh, dear! 



He splutters and he bubbles, 

 He feels so jolly queer ! 



lie gasps, and clings, and clutches 



At nothing in the dark, 



They hlessed such chaps a 

 Aud put in our dominion 



ission tails, 

 have gran tea 

 scales. 



•eiild liayefolloi 

 abject things, 



, and killed, and swallowed 



ike. real kings. Ran Fisnci.s > •: 



Tex;, 



TIM POND AND THE SEVEN PONDS. 



02s" the loth of A-Ugust I started with my family for 

 Maine, arriving iu" Mi. Vernon on the loth, f spent 

 the next few days "fishing, boating-, riding and iu forests 

 end fields, and gained in health daily. On the 28th niy 

 companion of last year, Simon, with his private team", 

 started for the ponds. The weather was favorable. The 

 scenery was not less beautil'al because we had seen it he- 

 fore. We had a gay chat and Simon cracked his best jokes. 

 We -pent iiir rirs! 'uiglit at a farmer's in Kingsfield. At 

 noon nexi day we arrived at Ihe Smith Farm. I need not 

 say ve were hungiv. Old Mount Bigelow, Saddleback. 

 Abraham, Eennebago and others iu sight seemed to give us 

 a heartier welcome through the clear air than ever before. 

 We put our horse in the stable, then partook of a hearty 

 dinner; after which our tackle and guns were placed on the 

 two-horse buckboard wagon, and driver Eackliif started 

 with us for Tim fond. The lawBfcill protected the ruffed 

 grouse; and as I was nut yet very strong, 1 rode nearly the 

 whole distance, and froiu the condHaonof the road and the 

 careful reining of the driver, it WW n reft siring ride of 

 nearly three hours to the Hew cabin of p, vied spruce logs 

 that Edgar had prepared for us. W - Si ifll hi 1 entice trout 

 thai evening, but had not great success. After tea we had 

 a merry hour or two with old friends from several Stales. 

 Next day w'as hot, uol a cloud or ripple, and all was 

 right for 'large strings, and large strings we all caught. 



Friday the driver started quite early with us for Seven 

 Ponds. " When we had gone a mile or 'two up went a flock 

 of partridges and we knocked down seven. Further on we 

 found more grouse ; some we got and some we missed. Soon 

 .-'in one o'clock Wt ttachetl our cabin, put in order for us 

 by Supt. Lambert. Here was our good home for one week. 

 iting to pur heart'-- eontent, principally on Big 

 Island aud 1.. ponds. During the time we visited Rock'v 

 Poud and vie.eo the dam and other work by beavers. 

 One day we look the trail from Big Island to Little Nor- 

 west Pond, then a short trail to Big ISoiwest Pond. Arriv- 

 ing ou its shore we were met by Mr. iiaines, of the firm of 





