Nov. •). 1863,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



289 



Mil 'inii.vN. —Fife Lake, Nov. 7. — Deer are quite plenty in 

 i his vicinity,- over fifty have been lulled this fall, within 

 ten miles of town. Tb'e largest buck ever killed ill tbis vi- 

 cinity was shot Within one mile of town, weighin" 2b'8 

 pounds dressed, He bad .six prongs on bis. horns; he wns it 

 noble buck. The controversy in your columns in regard to 

 the custom of bounding vs. still hi tntihg is interesting' to 

 read, but I don't think will make many converts on either 

 side. I give_you°an example of bounding, Twpweetaago 

 a partv went "from here a few miles out. "taking four dogs. 

 Deer were plenty when they went, and had been all fall. 

 These parties were gone ten days and got seven, six does 

 9Ud one buGk. Last week they tried it again, and came 

 back, With one small lawn and one dog. reporting no deer to 

 he found. 1 saw a "moss back" from thai section of the 

 country, who said that two of the dogs that he knew of 

 slopped, suMi >•--'>!■ ■■■an .1 were there yet; and 1 don't know 

 as I blame him f»r stopping them. 1 received a letter from 

 Game Warden Iligby jusl before the law expired, telling 

 me he would dc hero, 1 had written to him in regard to 

 coming. 1 bad two sure cases of violation of game law, 

 knew where the birds were, but be did not appear. One of 

 the cases is particularly n^ravatcd, namely thatof J. A. 

 Clark. He lias bunted and fished here for seven years, iu and 

 out of season, last year killing seven before the law expired, 

 and tbis year three. He is "well fixed" for this world's goods, 

 but prefers to bunt or fish for the market. He sold venison 

 openly on our streets the last week in September. A slight 

 fluiry'of snow fell here November'- 1 . Plenty of partridge, but 

 no ducks; song birds till gone— W. E. M. ' 



Some Gtrfi Baiirels Oobtajw Btcri..— Philadelphia, Pa., 

 Oct. 39. — To mv great regret, I find that my friend "Dick 

 SwiVeJler" thinks' that there is "no such tiling" as "D irriflS- 



eus steel" and "laminated steel," as steel is "kttcily unfit for 

 Shotgun barrels, as not combining lightness with "strength ;" 

 "highly dangerous to use in any climate." etc. ; "the tine 

 iron and the mild steel," when forged, gives us, iuiheresult- 

 itig "tubes, "iron. "The laminated steal figure in barrels can- 

 not be as safe as Damascus; * * * like, the latter, the steel 

 is reduced to fine iron." etc. Now, these statements are in- 

 correct. 1 wish no discussion with my esteemed friend. 

 The subject of "steel" and its manifold conditions is grand 

 and limitless. But let me. say: Possibly about one-half of 

 the metal in a pair of first-class "laminated steel" or "Dam- 

 ascus steel" barrels is steel We may call the whole "guu 

 iron "very properly; but the proportion of steel which went, 

 in comes 'out, steel — very mild steel, of course, but not "iron," 

 by a long shot. Steel as used (in its various forms) in the 

 finest weapons, big and l'ftle. which the world can show, 

 do combine "lightness with strength." It rules the world. 

 Barrels of the material known as "laminated steel" are not 

 "fine iron." but. ». i/.. half iron and half steel. They are 

 quite as safe as "Damascus."— W. McK. Hbatu. 



PsafHBYLTAMtA Notes. — Allegheny, Oct. 29. — A heavy 

 frost made its appearance here hist Tuesday, bringing with 

 it flocks of ducks to the water' outside of" the city limits, 

 and several bags of no mean proportion have been made by 

 hunters. The farmers in the rural districts, a few mile's 

 from the city, complain that the hawks and owls are present 

 this year in large quantities and are causing fearful destruc- 

 tion to game. Bas* fishing in Chartier's Creek is splendid 

 tbis year. I was paddling in its waters in a Rob Boy 

 canoe, some time since, and the bass almost jumped into the 

 boat. Babbits are present this season in legions, and will 

 serve admirably to resort to in case one fails to secure other 

 game. A number of loyal sportsmen, who have been "put- 

 ting in their time" at Kankakee during the. last few days, 

 claim that game there is very plenty, and they substanl iateil 

 their claim by dealing out ducks with a lavish band. Clay 

 pigeon matches are becoming cuiite frequent, and the frag- 

 ments of red clay on Heir's Island and the Exposition 

 grounds prove, without a doubt, that Pittsburgh and 

 Allegheny possess sportsmen who need not be ashamed of 

 themselves.— C. A. R. 



Second Bkoods of Quail.— Port Apache, Arizona. 

 Oct. 36.— The articles in your issues of Sept. 14 and Oct. 12, 



"on second breeding of quail," induces me to write of some 

 of mv own experience in Indian Territory and the Slate of 

 Texas. Let me first stale I have been a devoted lover of 

 "Bob White" for many years, have watched bis habits 

 closely, and many times have kuown a pair to raise two 

 bevies in one season. Twice in the Ten-itory, that is, two 

 consecutive seasons, I watched two nests in the first, and 

 one during the second season. In both cases -"I should say 

 the three cases — there was a second brood by the same pair 

 of quail. Five years' experience there convinced me that in 

 almost every, if not every, ease the mother bird lavsa second 

 nest of egg-. In Texas it is well known that two broods 

 are hatched each season, and some think three are, often. 

 My experience in Texas was very extensive, in the north, 

 southwestern and western parts. I always had fine clogs. 

 both pointers and setters, and "Bob White" has for years 

 been my favorite game, and many of them have fallen to 

 my gun."— fi. W. 8. 



BfjulKREi., Riflk. — Allegheny, Pa. — One of your corres- 

 pondents, some time ago, inquired for information iu regard 

 to a rifle that would be suitable for hunting in general, andfor 

 shooting gray squirrels in particular. I have been experiment- 

 ing with a .22 caliber first, and then with a .83 caliber, both 

 Remington rifles, and I find that 1 prefer the .8.3 caliber far 

 above the ,23, for although the ,32 c. will pick a squirrel 

 from a tree in a very neat manner, the .32 c. will do the 

 same with better execution, make a cleaner shot, and as it 

 carries a larger ball and more powder, its force is a certain 

 percent, greater and its trajectory correspondingly less in 

 an equal ratio, though while tbis change takes place there 

 ; ■■■ems to lie apparently no perceptible difference in the 

 mutilation of the game, while at the same time you have a 

 rifle that will kill much larger game, if need be, at longer 

 range.— C. A. R. 



Ohio. — Delta, October 80. —Ruffed grouse are very scarce. 

 in this section. Have been out several times and failed to 

 find any except a few old birds. Cannot account for it un- 

 less it was the cold, wet weather we bad last spring. Quail 

 are quite plentiful, and we expect some glorious sport in a 

 lew days, as soon as weather gets a little cooler.— If. II. Q, 



Pennsylvania. — Berwick, October 30.— Game is on the 

 increase here. Grouse arc mote plenty than for the last 

 four seasons past. Quail are quite plenty till oyer, where 

 there has not been any for several years.' Rabbit, plenty, 

 and I look for sport after .November' f— Slum rlbek. 



Cumveotii.'i t. - Plymouth, Nov. (5. — Game lias been and 

 is now quite plenty around ben- this fall. There nre gray 

 squirrels, rabbits, foves aud 'coons. Quail have been more 

 numerous than fora number of years, but partridge and wood- 

 cock arc not very plenty; the 'latter were quite plenty in the 

 early part »f I he summer, but after the law was off I could 

 not find one there or any where else. Ducks are very plenty 

 on Litchfield Pond. Men that have lived near the pond for 

 years say they never have seen so many in all the time they 

 iiave lived there as they have seen this year. We have bail 

 quite good sport killing gray squirrels; some da.;, s we get 

 fifteen aud never less than ten. and one day we shot an 

 albino squirrel. He was all white with the exception of a 

 light .gray streak down the back about one inch wide, just 

 back of the head, which narrowed down to a point at the 

 root of the tail; he bad pink eyes.— P. C. B. 



Midland Pakk, N. .1., Nov. 8.— Rabbits plentiful. Got 

 into several large bevies of quail and brought some to gun. 



($nmp $ire Jjlickev L in$!i. 



"That reminds me." 



ONE hot day in June we were catching haddock in 

 Anoplis Basin about a mile off the Dlghy, Nova Scotia, 

 shore. Chet. after taking a turn of bis line around his hand, 

 had lain down in the bottom of the boat with bis bat over 

 bis face, as a protection from the noon-day heat of the sun, aud 

 was fast asleep. George bad booked a "big skate aud by a, 

 good (ileal of give and take managed to get him alongside 

 without waking Chet. We pulled in diet's line aud fastening 

 his hook firmly" through the. skate's tail, then let him go. 

 Quickly laying down and feigning sleep we waited develop- 

 ments. We bad not long to wait, when Mr. Skalor-in the line 

 out and it brought up on Chefs hand over the gunwale, the 

 trouble began. Hefirstsung out "Let go." and began kicking 

 some imaginary enemy, hut when he got belt upright with 

 bis eyes fairly open and realized the situation, he let out line 

 with a "Jerusalem crickets! Great Ctesar! I've got him this 

 time! Get up here, bovs, I've got a hundred pound halibut 

 hooked. Heavens, how be pulls. Why don'tyou fellows keep 

 awake and tend toyourfishing. vou sleepy lubbers? See what 

 I get by keeping wide awake and on the* watch. When I go 

 fishing! fish. I don't spend half my time snoring. Come, 

 wake up and give aland here." 



After a lone- right, Chet thought his fish was about tuckered 

 and nearly to the surface, he yelled "Stand by with the gall', 

 boys; clear away bet ween the main and forward seats; put 

 both gaffs into him. steady, now. and we will show the natives 



at Bear River the biggest "halibut ever caught in" . Chet 



had run on thus far in his excitement wbeu the skate hove in 

 sight tail foremost. 1 bad commenced tbo second stanza of 

 the Comanche war whoop and George was rolling in the 

 bottom of the boat, when Chet, with the very devil boiling 

 from bis eyes, dropped Ids line and darted for the boa! hook; 

 bill divining bis intentions, I was too quick for him, and 

 forcing him back over the decking forward, George audi 

 held him until the fight melted out of his eyes and lie owned 

 up sold. 



liivet after if we.wanted Chet to comedown we. only bad to 

 say, "Chet, let's put both gaffs into him." II. L. M. 



Did any of you around the "Camp Pire" ever see white 

 woodcock? Ob, yes, I have. I saw a pair of very fine 

 ones once, perfectly white, and this is how it occurred. 

 Phil. L., as genial soul as ever lived, years ago had charge 

 of the messengers in the office of the old American Express 

 before the big tire. Phil, was a bachelor, fond of horses, 

 dogs and birds, particularly the latter. Canary birds from 

 ■the Black Forest of Germany, mocking birds and red birds 

 from the sunny South, none but the purest and rarest speci- 

 mens, were allowed to occupy the beautiful cages that 

 graced his bachelor quarters. Occasionally some cage, 

 carefully wrapped up and marked with the mysterious 

 "D. H. a. c. P. L." would be found among the out-bound 

 "run" of some messeuger and consigned to some far-away 

 agent, to be returned in due time labeled "Keep from cold," 

 "Please feed and water." These came to be known among 

 the boys as "Phil's pets" and were always well cared for, 

 so that when one arrived Phil, generally had quite a crowd 

 of lookers on about the office when the wrappings were 

 carefully removed from the latest and rarest specimen, 

 while all passed judgment upon size, plumage, color and 

 markings, and probable musical or other good qualities. 



One day one of the bovs on the Dubuque night run asked 

 Phil, how be would like" a pair of white woodcock, adding 

 that the agent out at Blanktown had a pair of beautiful 

 ones that be thought be could secure for him if Phil, would 

 like them to add to his collection, and would supply a cage. 

 Phil, was delighted, but almost doubled the truthfulness of 

 James, because in all bis cxpei fence iu the woods he had 

 never heard of such a rarity, though he had heard of white 

 deer, aud even white quail "and while blackbirds, but, pure 

 white y oodeoek, and two of them! That settled it. VV hen 

 the run went out that evening there was a good cage bear- 

 ing the mysterious ciphers "D. H. a. e, P. L.," and tagged 

 for the agent at Blanktown. When it came back, a day or 

 so after, the usual curious crowd of messengers and Office 

 clerks gathered about while Phil, carefully untied the 

 strings "which held the paper with which the cage was 

 wrapped to protect the birds from the cold, ard there, 

 Curled up in a warm nest of soft moss, lay, sure enough, a 

 pair of real whitewood cocks! — beer faucets. The roar 

 that followed the discovery is often echoed to this day 

 whenever some of the old hands have retold the story. But 

 don't you tell who sent you Ibis. Dorsal Fin. 



We. were sitting around the tire just before turning in, 

 and relating experiences, telling stories, etc. , wbeu Chant, 

 one of the parly, said, "One of the greatest stories I ever 

 heard was told me by a hunter I was talking with one day. 

 An old man wanted his son to become a crack shot, and got 

 a rifle for him. But the boy. was afraid to shoot it, so the 

 old man got him an air 'rifle that carried about a B shot. 

 The hoy practiced on shooting frogs, but could never k:'l 

 any. On*- day be saw an old Irog sitting on a log, and be 

 took fair aim and fired. The frog .sliuht.lv turned bis head, 

 but uo more. The boy shot several times with the same 

 results. Finally he caught the frog with red flannel aud a 

 hook and i'oiuifl all the shot inside of him. Come to fiud 

 out, the frog saw the shot coming, thought they were flies, 

 and swallowed them all." Osiolio. 



jftw mid J£itw Jjlizhinq. 



Open Seasons.— See table of open «£QSoft?f<*r r/<nue </n<lfi<h 

 in ixsve of Jvly 30. 



FISH IN SEASON IN NOVEMBER. 



Grayling, ThynittlUa Uieotor and 



21 montanus. 

 Black bass. Microptei-ux, two spe- 



Mnslcin.mge. E*o.r aobiliur. 

 lake (N. y. plckereli, Esnx luciu*. 

 Pickerel, Knox rrtimlntns. 

 Pike-perch ("Wall-eyed pike) M- 



Yellow perch. Perot flitumfilh. 



Striped bass (liockflsh), Race 



White l«ii /.'.»,■».; ch.-g.mps. 

 it. !■■!-: lui — . .1 mhhiplit ■ x. 2 spec 



Cnippin (Strawberry bass, etc, ) 



I'omoxys nicromrtculntus. 

 Bachelor", JPomoityi annularis. 



Chub, Semotihi.v bullarw. 



lo- 



Stiluril I hiss, Biiviu I/ui-olns. i Smelt, 0,i„i.-ni.< mordax. 



White perch, Moronrmm n'cmle. | "Sen trnut," I'lni u. ■ri/on. mrolmeti- 



M . n !■,'■' ■■■ .;;,..-,. I - 



Bhieflsh or taylor, Pomatomus ; Drum, Pogoiiiass chromis. 

 saltatrix. , Red bass, etc., b'ci<snovsacellntvs. 



Eg~ This table is general. Forspeclal laws In the several States 



fS- This table is general. For speeial 

 e table of Open Season* in issue of July 2 



And first, I shall tell yon what some have observed, and I have 

 found to be a real truth, that the very sitting by the river's side is 

 uot only the quietest aud attest place tor contemplation, but will in- 

 vite an angler to it. and this seems to be maintained by the learned 

 Pet. l)u. Moulin, who, iu his discourse oa the fulfilling of prophe- 

 eie-, observes thai wbeu Ciod intended to reveal any future, events or 

 high notions to his prophets he then carried them either to the deserts 

 or the seashore, that having so separated them from amidst the ess 

 of people and business, and the cares of the world, he- might settle 

 their mind in a quiet repose, and then- make them (it for revelation. 



Izaak Walton, 



CARP AND TENCH-- ON THE TABLE. 



A H, those were joll^ days of old, ' 

 -^- Wheu feudal earl an f I baron bold. 

 And princely guest of high degree, 

 Vassal and serf and henchman free, 

 Assembled at the chieftain's call 

 To banquet iu baronial hall. 

 Tho toesin sound from battlement 

 O'er bill and dale and wood was sent. 

 The banner'd turret called to anus, 

 The castle bell rang out alarms. 

 That all should gather at the board 

 Ere they should brandish spear and sword. 



The liveried servitors would place 

 The boar-head slaughter',.! in the ehase. 

 Set venison-haunch on silver plate, 

 Bring great sirloin in pomp of state, 

 Bear flagons of the frothy ale, 

 Briug creamy mead-bowls to regale, 

 Bring blood-red juices of the vine. 

 The ripe, the old, the rosy wine; 

 But chief of all, on mighty dish, 

 Was plac'd the carp, the prince of fish 



Kight well did dainty churchmen know- 

 To rear fat beeves, rare fruits to grow, 

 To breed iu convent moat and trench 

 The bulky carp, the luscious tench, 

 To fill their ponds with pike and dace, 

 And all the wealth of. finny race . 

 At matin hour, at vesper chime, 

 And at the mid-day feasting time, 

 IIow pleasant at the festive board, 

 Where capons smok'd aud wine was pour'd 

 The brown-baked dish of carp to share, 

 The epicure's delicious fare. 

 Go6d trenchermen, I ween, were they, 

 Ready to gormandize or pray, 

 To patter prayer, or tell the bead, 

 Or riot, in luxurious feed. 

 A stalwart race, those monks of old 

 Of wondrous bulk, of mighty mold. 



When sumptuous board was duly spread, 

 The portly abbot at it's head, 

 Boasting for guest the mitred priest, 

 i >r learned prelate at the feast, 

 Would grandly bid, in accents sharp 

 The servhig-meu bring in the carp. 



Ah, hooded monk and cowled friar, 



Carousing by the blazing lire, 



Ami feeding on all viands rare, 



A cjelicnte, delicious lure, 



Draining the cup of brimming ale, 



Your thirsty palates to regale, 



How grand your state in priestly stall, 



In peasant's bid or noble's hall! ' 



Ah, little, of such joys remain 



For you, in England's modern reign ! 



Isaac McLcllan. 



THE FISH OF CENTRAL LAKE. 



Editor Fbmt oiid Stream: 



Since reading in your issue (.of Aug-. 8d, 1 think) of the 

 loads of "herrings'' which could be dipped up in pails, 

 baskets, etc., at the betid of Central Lake, I have wondered 

 if "Kingfisher" would put in an appearance on the tenth of 

 November, prepared with a dipper, aud desirous of laving 

 in lus winter's stock of American sardines. I should have 

 thought little of the matter, had not the writer expressed (i 

 desire that the multitudinous migration of these fish should 

 be explained by scientific men. 



The facts are that the thing is overstated. I heard that 

 old herring story years ago, but my observation has failed 

 to confirm it. I have kuown the place for some years, and 

 it has not been possible within my knowledge for anyone to 

 dip up these fish without some carefully contrived" appli- 

 ances, and even then no one has been able to lake them in 

 large numbers, though 1 have seen several persons try it, 

 1 think about half a barrel was the largest quantity taken 

 by anyone within my knowledge. 

 "The migration of these fish is analogous to thai, of the 

 "bluchacks" in the Kangiley Lakes in Maine, at least they 

 moved up the streams about this time of year when I was 

 there, in 1857, aud the same thing takes place with a similar 

 fish in Souam Lake, N. H., and probably in most of the 

 other northern lakes of any size. 



The want oflimc has prevented me from aUumjptiug to 



