410 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(Dec. si, 1882. 



ONE OPINION OF THE GRAB, 



Editor Threat md Stream: 



Your comments this weels upon the wretched misman- 

 agement of the Yellowstone Park are. entirely timely, and 

 as one wiin has kept up n lively interest in this gcajld 

 natural park 1 can only hope that your warning note 

 may be taken up by the press of the entire country until 

 Ine Secretary of the Interior may be forced by a' storm 

 of popular protest into carrying out the intentions of the 

 promoters of the legislation which gave to the peqple of 

 the whole United States, for all time, this greatest of all 

 game preserves 



It seems, however, that the wholesale slaughter of the 

 game is nut tin- onlv robbery lo which the people at lame 

 ■ i-, in li i nl.|i !.<!. Washington despatches of the. last few 

 days tell of the plan to gobble np Ike entire domain Until. 

 Hie public at. large is concerned, it Will become 

 little more than 8 private pleasUM ground, into which they 

 will lie permitted to come, provided they pay their way, and 

 out i '. loch no doubt they will lie promptly bust led as .soon 

 thej fail to be profitable visitor* lo the company who 

 will enjoy such exclusive and valuable rights in the 'Park. 

 SB air of mystery about the whole matter which 

 augurs very bad for all visitors, who, like myself, have 

 learned to know and appreciate the grand opportunities 

 which the Park affords, It is bad enough lo have a swarm 

 ol irresponsible skin grabbers shooting at everything which 

 has 8 bide to its back ; but this trouble could hare been cor- 

 rected. It needed but a few thousands of dollars annually 



properh policiug the domain to have made it in 



c harbor for what jfet emairj 



one of the West. The monopoly which, if 



i | i ad aright, the Secretary of tin Interior in- 



ti ' ben upon ttufPark may he much more destructive 



|| I'lyriient of the resort. It seems to be a virtual 



"i 'ii immense government trust to a group of 



Allien who will work the thing for "all it is 



„ at present every ear-mark, of a job of the 



i liar Washington type. 



It may be that' all these, facilities which the Yellowstone 



Improvement Company ire to give us can best be secured 



at the hands of a private corporation, but it certainly does 



not med so much secrecy in the setting out of such auenter- 



pii e. li snrely is a proper thing lo ask Just what this new 



company proposes to do, bow far it is to go in the opening 



of the region lo general travel, and what sort of it company 



of tourists tln-v arc to bid come and enjoy the place. There 



Is no doubt thai the opening Of convenient railroad facilities 



to points nearer the Park than those at present reached hv 



rail will land lo si lame tide of travel in thai direction, 



This is to a- expected, and I think thai the uext decade will 



-i' popular enjoyment ol this health-giving wilderness, 



such as lew people MOW dream of. II should' lie the great 



reudejtvous for lovers ol the gr. ml and wonderful in nature 

 the world over. It is a resort of whose beauties m pi r 



-rows weary, and 1, for one. though it inn) QQaSelflSll wish 

 would be glad to see it remain undeveloped, if that "tic 

 .■-■a a nent." is to mean the crectijti of hotels at every van- 

 tage point, disfiguring the grandest landscapes, with loco- 

 motives pulling about here and there, discharging train 

 ■ 1 1 lion.-, unnppreciative sightseers, who in then 

 merely because it is the correct thing to have done the Yel- 

 No. let us have something of its wild grandeur 

 where die toil ol Irawl may be repaid by the en- 

 joyment of rare sight.-, and glimpse, of uahire such as no 



other spot on the continent affords, 



\ie we. then. tO suffer a double loss?— lo have on the one 

 hand a ruthless desl ruction of these grand natural solitudes, 

 and on the other hand chaff, under the knowledge that 

 it is but. the outcome of a gigantic job, hatched h v dis- 

 reputable politicians and inflicted upon the patient good 

 nature of the American public! It certainly looks as if 

 something of this sort was about to come to pass, and the 

 only check, so far as 1 can see, lies in a thorough ventilation 

 of the plot. Give us the facts. Let us know'jnsl. whal we 

 may expect to see when next a much-coveted' respite from 

 tl tions of business permits a run to this region Of 



game and grandeur. A discreet system in internal improve- 

 i;M be an excellent thing for the Park, imt, it is 

 a ni tin— matter to pass the. control over to a group of 

 money-making speculators, who look upon it onlv as a rich 

 placer, to be exhausted if possible during their ten-year 

 lease. I inclose you herewith a clipping* from the I'iinuwr 

 Prest of this city, giving us some hint of what is going on 

 in connection with the scheme, f look to my favorite For- 

 est axd Stream to supplement this brief suggestion of 

 trouble with the full story of the true inwardness of Ibis 

 Yellowstone Park grab. " Mixta. 



""■' "aul, Minn., Ilea 17. 



,,i.i,,, an 

 t they will 

 lOthing will 



Will Goose Noam — Loekport, N. Y., Dec. 10.— In 

 your issue of November 16, "W." says "a farmer sportsman 

 in Minnesota," found a wild goose nest containing six eggs, 

 from which he raised birds ,/iiieh he uses as decays. A 

 Niagara county farmer, Kr. Pomroy, living about four 

 tbtS City, did still belter, lie has a baker,- dozen 

 (18) wild geese -that during a severe storm alighted in his 



flock of t.'vno geese, and till yen QUietlJ 



marched into the barn, the doors of which were open, when 

 they were secui I am wing.* clipped. Occasionally during 

 i -hot in this county, but this is the 



be i ina t) a a been latlc for years.— J. L. D. 



OJl l D \iloli:;a.— Highland, BlaCOU County. Dei 



This pITiec is4,000 feel above I 

 healthful, I comprises thirty or forty f 

 Northern and Western States. Sqllil 

 and trout are plentiful; wild turk 

 tolerably abundant out a few miles. D 

 than usual; one shot a. few days ago 



ut. — W. B. 



10 



bly 



. mostly from 

 ulfed grouse, 

 er, and bears 

 ire numerous 

 lill yard three 



NOTES FROM CAPE CHARLES, VA> 



Till' season for brant has opened auspiciously, there are 

 a great many birds in and around Chesapeake Pay, 

 mostly young. The weather as vet has not been suitable 

 bi Bting. 



Captain Fowle. of Staunton, .Tim Fox, of Richmond, and 

 myself, all from Virginia, are here waiting forfhe flood tide, 

 a blight sun and a high wind all combined, so that we can 

 make our guns heard over the decoys. Will notify you later 

 of the spoil. 



Klkenny Cobb, of Cobb's Island, a professional gunner, 

 always anchors off this place for his game, there being but 

 poor shooting around Cobb's, lor the reason, as 1 w rote you 

 before, of the oysterman keeping up a constant tusliade 

 against the ducks. Fortunately there are but. tew oysters 

 and clams iti the immediate 'vicinity, hence the unusual 

 Quantity of birds. The black ducks arc plentiful, but to-day 

 all the geese rose high in the air and headed their flight due 

 south, and there is not a single one to be seen now. Whether 

 their migration southward is the harbinger of cold weather 

 i cannot tell, not being up on signs. 



There are hardly any snipe this fall, where, the) trass 



hundred lasl winter there is about one now, Ch.vsskhk. 

 Cape I'hahi.gk, Vii.. Dee I'.' 



Pmi.ADET.rm \ Notes. — I have written you that quail- 

 shooting in our section of the country— and 1 include in this 

 New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland— has at best been only 

 fair hi Ike most favored places, ' Of course i have not lie ' 

 from every locality, but to-day took a tour among the gc 

 dealers, as we are'eoming to the cud of the open season, and 

 gathered from their reports the following: Quail fron 

 Pennsylvania and New Jersey this year have been ver 

 scarce; from Maryland and Delaware not up to the average 

 Ruffed grouse have been scarce, and few Pennsylvania bird;. 

 aed Philadelphia. Canvas-back ducks from the 

 Chesapeake grounds— 1 refer to the. wild celery fed fowl— 

 made n good showing at the first of the opening mouth, 

 bin since that time, excepting for a day or two last week, 

 tlave been rare. It seems that the great body of fowl is 

 now in (he Currituck waters and southward. Caiivas- 

 backs and redheads from Currituck are coming into our 

 market, hut the fowl are inferior and bring n much lower 

 price than Chesapeake fowl. I take it that all varieties of 

 migratory birds made early and more extended flight 

 southward this year than last, the early cold weather in 

 the far North promoting It. 1 am hearing daily of snow- 

 birds having been shot, ami our taxidermists are having 

 l lain frequently sent to litem for mounting, Last winter 

 not one m:,s seal lo K rider's. The snow geese have again 

 this year appeared in the Delaware .clow tJnntay Hook.' and 

 have been molested but lill lc so far as f can leiirn. About; 

 Philadelphia the snow bus disappeared but more will surely 

 com Homo, 



A Ci.nxa.vhln Beau Hum. (Jlendive, .Montana. Dee. B — 

 b'ditvr Fvmt find Stream: Last week three hunters wen 

 deer hunting 00 Cedar Creek, about twenty miles from thii 

 place. One morning they struck fresh trail of n cinnamon 

 bear that had eaten part of a deer that was tilled thie day 

 before! two of the party followed the trail ami in a short 



time found the hear in [I hole, wailing lor litem. The hear 



charged on the hunters, and as only four feet interv ned be- 

 tween him and John Cortnack twe'eall him Long John), the 



tusse] commenced very soon, and quite lively, John (lid 

 not have time lo raise lbs gun, and both bear anil John lolled 

 over each other thirty feet down a bank. Prank HardisOn, 

 the other hunter, dared not tire for fear of hitting John; but 

 the instant they stopped rolling he sent a slug info the neck 

 of the bear, and none loo soon, for his teeth were then into 

 John'ship about one and one-half inches. When Mr. Bear 

 felt the bullet he let go John and went lor Frank, who shin- 

 ned up a cedar tree, Then John gave the hear three shots, 

 and be shinned up a tree, and Mr. Bear skipped out. He 

 was as big as a three-year-old steer and very savage. Next 

 day tin 1 three hunters surrounded the wounded bear and all 

 got treed by him. "He was a cuss.'' He reared up on Ms 

 hind legs, chawed off limbs, tried to get at tin- hoys, and 

 growled and gnashed his teeth. The lads kept their Win- 

 chesters hot, and after receiving twenty-two bullets the cin- 

 namon gave up the. ghost, and the 1 oys came down. The 

 bear measured sixteen inches from tip" of nose to the ears 

 and sixteen and one-half inches between ears, lie dressed 

 about 600 pounds and was in prime condition. As all these 

 hunters wire rather tender on the feet, it is thought a lucky 

 escape for them. — II. S. 



New York.— Biughamton. — The sportsmen of Bingham- 

 lon state that they have had better quail shooting In the 

 neighborhood of their city this fall than for many years. 

 Just now, however, the country about them is covered with 

 now. and fear, are entertained the gain in quail will be lost 

 the present winter, Mr. Waldrqn, of Biughamton. is about 

 starting on a Florida snooting trip. — Homo. 



Montana. — Helena, Dec. 4. — I have been shooting part- 

 ildgcs and loolhens, high up in the mountains. We find 

 i, h le any swamps of spruce and willow. They feed on 

 the wild rose berries and on spruce buds. They are very 

 tame, and a dog can hardly flush them at this time of the 

 year.— W. M. \I. 



Dee ti in Con^ecticet.— Plymouth, Couu.. Dee. 4, 1888. 

 — A deer was killed about three or four miles from here on 

 the first day of this month, at a place called Poverty Hollow. 

 It was a buck, weighed 138 pounds, and was "killed by 

 Uollin Curtiss. I had some of the meat of it for supper, it 

 remains to lie seen where it came from. — F. C. B. 



Lom; Island. -It is slated that the resolution ol' the 

 Board of Supervisors of Suffolk county, prohibiting the 

 killing of wildfowl from boals in Northport Harbor, is 

 having good results. The birds now" come in the harbor 

 freely to feed, and large numbers are shot by the gunners on 

 East Beach, 



Mississippi.— Vteksburg, Dae. 5. — Weather warm here, 

 and ducks ampgeese not down yet in sufficient numbers to 

 make it. interesting. Quail abundant. If my legs dont give 

 out, my liammerless won't grow rusfy for want of use,— 

 Burnt H. Polk. 



Caiiled Wire Fence Devtce. — A correspondent tells us 

 that the Pendulous Barbed Block Co., of Williamsporf, Pa., 

 manufacture n "fence block," a device to render visible the 

 barbed wire fence, 



j|f»# mid j^iver fishing. 



WITH HACKLES AND GENTLES. 



VT. 



"Before, the fire we sit and sing, 

 Content and happy as a King, 



When winds of winter blow; 

 Employ'd upon our gentle themes 

 TiU spring unbends the frozen streams. 



And then to fish tfe go," 



BEFORE the lire! What peaceful memories do these 

 weirds awaken. What delightful and happy scenes lind 

 occasions do they recall! A glowing lire upon the hearth, 

 I mean, or, barring it, a tire of coals within the grate. (Jut 

 upon furnace and steam heat I There is no glory in bowii u 

 over, or before, a hole in floor, or wall, and being blown 

 upon by hot air. It is not like standing, face to face, with 

 a cheerful biSSc welcoming us 10 its comfort and driving tng 

 chill d.way like an arrant coward. Before SUCH, a fire We 

 may stand, rub our hands and say, "Aha! I am warm," with 

 truth and good will — before such a tire we may sit and feel 

 comfort, content and gratitude creeping over us till the 

 whole system glows and rejoices. A fire" is companionable 

 and seems the personification of good fellowship when the 

 winds whistle and roar without and the cold and frost lay 

 siege to every "coign of vantage" the least exposed to the 

 weather. To the tire in a sportsman's "snug harbor," what 

 charming accessories may be added! First of all, on the 

 rug, or the fur robe, there may — nay, there must — he a good 

 dog (one, at least), and on the' mantel, walls, or in corners, 

 we may look for all the arms and equipments, even lo miu 

 utiic, that suggest the forest, the moorland, the river and the 

 lake. With good taste in the grouping, and arrangement 

 of all these, and with plenty of books (the very best furnish- 

 ing and ornament for any room — even the kitchen should 

 have its shelves devoted to cook books, hooks of references; 

 and Charle, Lamb's "Essay on Roast Pig") on shelves and 

 tallies what mere charming place in the home domain carl 

 be found?' Even tilts may be enhanced by a loving wife's, 

 mother's or sister's cheerful presence and deft baud in help- 

 ing tt> "keep things in order," and especially pleasing is it, 

 If they are in sympathy with the master's pursuits and 

 pastimes. That many of my readers have such a retreat I 

 hope, that most have even such I doubt not, and that all 

 arc the better for it I very surely know. 



One such room, of several, I now recall, and though to 

 enter it. in imagination, will lake me a score of years hack- 

 ward in life's journey. I feel that 1 ninst "hark back" and 

 lighten this "blue" sullen day with its old-time cheer. 



There were Ibree of us (neveron earth "shall we three meet 

 again!") and we loved to sit a good horse, to tramp with 

 dbg and gun and to saunter In clear streams. The lime was 

 in the "inerrie May," but it Was a Xew England .May, and 

 so less "merrie" than its old country prototype. The day 

 ended in a cold drizzle intensified 'by the east wind, and 

 drenched and draggled We were glad of the cover of night 

 to "do" our remaining five miles. Even now I seem to see 

 and to feel the rain and the mud, and our crestfallen guise 

 as we met the first ray of gaslight on the forsaken streets, 

 We were weary, we were wet, too wet to ride, and perforce 

 must plod on. All plodding ceases at length (but how weary 

 the length often is!) and so did ours that night. We left the 

 pave and made short pause in hall and on stairway, 

 and rushed lot our several rooms and dry garments. 



Fellow fisher or shooter, is not ft change of clothing and 

 warm slippers a most comfortable provision of home Civili- 

 zation after a hard "heel and toe" tramp through wind and 

 weatherV 



After due attention to loilct necessities and luxuries— for 

 the sportsman doth appreciate these also — we satisfied our 

 gustatory desires, and with "sumnaut hot" (beside the fire) 

 at hand, and a goodly supply of 'baccy, we settled ourselves 

 "before the lire" and seemed "drowning in comfort." The 

 sensation cannot be described, but it can be remembered. 

 "The wind blew and the rain beat" a tattoo at the windows, 

 but the fire blazed the more brightly therefor, and the 

 weariness and dreariness of our homeward tramp made our 

 then comfort, more delicious and complete. 



We talked rather than sang — we talked of fish, and planned 

 excursions therefor. We tpok Walton, anon, and read a 

 page here and there, and we beard from the lips of one of 

 our number a glowing description of Doverdale and other 

 haunts of our beloved master in the gentle art. 



"How sweet, when night first wraps the world 

 Beneath her sable vest, 

 To sit beside the crackling fire, 



With weary limbs at rest; 

 To think of all the labors past 



That morn's bright hours employed, 

 While all that toil and danger seemed 

 Is now at home enjoyed." 



Thus might we have sung on that memorable night, so 

 swiftly and silently changing into a vision of the past, and 

 which stands out m bold relief, amid many yaried experi- 

 ences and vicissitudes. 



Before the fire! How many tales of love, of thrilling or 

 ludicrous adventure or mishap; how many talcs of cheer, 

 of trouble and of grief have been told before the fire! Be- 

 fore the fire men and women unmask themselves and doff 

 the triple coat of mail, and are wont to bask in their true 

 characters. To be sure, it is not always so; but the influ- 

 ence of a fire is genial, and not saturnine, and, like the 

 sweet, gloaming hour, hath a hallowing hold on the sensitive 

 and emotional nature. 



Of all times and places, give me a rough night and a fire- 

 lit room for the making of flies and "looking over" tackle! 

 While the body glows with warmth the mind flits hither 

 and yon at the sight of u favorite fly, a veteran "leader." or 

 a strained or broken joint, of a rod. Retrospection and an- 

 ticipation revel and wrestle with each other as the past or 

 the future are suggested. The minutes, the hours speed 

 fast away and still' the fingers are busy with feather, fur 

 and floss, with silk and "hog's down," and all the treasures 

 which swell the angler's dubbing-bag. 



But my pipe is "out," my fire sulks, and lest my reader 

 may likewise do, I will "hold hard." 

 "Thus all that is fairest 

 And sweetest and rai est. 



Must, shortly be severe,! mid eall tor a tear; 

 Then lei each emotion 

 Be warm with devotion, 

 And anglers be thoughtful, for winter is here."' 



O, W. R. 



