•Ian 26, L88S.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



503 



eertainlj to prevail. TJiercare certain civiliilii marksmen 



who may prefer tile cleaning out after each shot,' and it 

 might be better to have the aoa-cjesning pro-vision inserted 

 in the conditions of numerous matches, rather iiiun baivo an 

 indexible general rule passed on Hie subject, The Amateur 

 Rifle Club at its annual meeting decided to havesticib 

 match put on its lists of competitions; and with or withoul 

 id legislation on Ihe subject it would SCOW to be 

 the duty of the Directors of the National Association, forthe 

 furtherance of rifle practice, to give this non-cleaning feature 

 a lull prominence in the work at Greeduioor dining 1889. 



Who Owns thk GrAME?— We have been asked t lie mean" 

 ing of a sentence In the report of the trustees of the Cuvier 

 Club, published in our last issue. The sentence is this: 



'Tin' doctrine of exclusive possession upon one's own laud, 

 and also upon the waters which cover ihe laud, has thus 

 been fully affirmed." We do not believe that the writer of the 

 report means to assert that the owner of a piece of land has 

 "exclusive possession" of the game on that land, for such a 

 doctrine is in direct opposition to (he established principles 

 upon which game laws are established. He probably means 

 that the owiiit of the soil has virtually exclusive possession 

 of the game by reason of his power, if he avails himself of 

 the trespass laws, to keep ail otlier men oif from the soil. 

 The game, wherever found, is public property until it is 

 reduced to possession by capture in a legitimate manner, no 

 matter whether the captor he the owner of the soil or not. 

 Tt is high time that this principle should be well understood. 

 If the captor of the game be a trespasser, he can lie punished 

 for that offense, but it is important to notice that the law 

 inflicts (lie penalty not for the killing of the game, but for 



i.i trespass. We, do not hesitate to say that in our belief 

 tin- only satisfactory .olution of Ihe much-vexed game pro- 

 tection question will lie found in the rigid enforcement of 

 suitable trespass laws. 



Scotland's FisirEiurcs.— Tn another column we print a 

 very valuable communication relating to the fisheries and 

 tishcullure in Scotland. It. is gratifying to see that not only 

 in Scotland, hut all through Hie British Islands, there is an 

 awakening on the subject of flshcultnre. They have led the 

 world on fish protection, but in propagation they have been 

 far behind, and are just beginning to realize it. The ap- 

 pointment of Mr. Archibald Young as Inspector of Salmon 

 Fisheries carries an assurance to fishcullurists all over the 

 world that Scotland has the right man in the right placi, 

 and if he has proper support in the way of appropriations, 

 there will be no retrograde movement. WO are informed 

 that Mr, Young will make an inspection of the Scotch sal- 

 mon fisheries in the course of next year, which will be fol- 

 lowed by a repori to ihe new fishery hoard. There has been 

 no inspection sin. •<• 1 Sin, when the late Mr. Frank- Buck- 

 land and Mr. Young carefully examined all the salmon fish- 

 ings, in the river and on the sea coasts, and in the following 

 year published a report on the effect of recent legislation on 

 the salmon fisheric in Scotland, which contains the latest 

 and fullest official account of these fisheries. 



Ottawa Bench Show.— Everything is looking well for 

 a big show at Ottawa in Match The premium list contains 

 over -$1,300 in the regular classes and about $800 in the 

 specials— thirty-eight in number— some of the latter being 

 for English and American dogs only, this as a courtesy to 

 visitors from England and the ! inited Slates, The club has 

 secured a magnificent building, the Drill Hall, well lighted 

 both night and day and ventilated by skylights in the roof. 

 The hall is built of brick, floored with plank, and is 85 xl8o 

 inside, without a post, pillar or obstruction of any kind, 



An Exceedingly Fkigid Tbmpbkattjbe.- One of the 

 projectors of the Yellowstone Park • 'Improvement" Com- 

 pany's attempt to seize the National Rark is said to have 

 remarked, last September, "Well get it, boys; it's a cold 

 day when /get left." Well, come to think of it, it has been 

 pretty cold daring the past few days; and, according to the 

 latest despatches from Washington, the indications are that 

 the mercury may touch a still lower figure before spring. 



Niagara Falls. — The JNiagara Falls Association issue a 

 pamphlet relating to the preservation of the Falls, with a 

 petition for legislation on the subject. The petition should 

 receive the signature of every citizen of the State of New 

 York. Copies may be had upon application to the Secre- 

 tary, Mr. .1. B. Harrison, Franklin Falls, N. H. 



Mkn or Mode hate JIeans who want to preserve for 

 themselves the opportunity of getting a few days' shooting 

 per year without, paying a small fortune for it, ought to be 

 specially' interested in seeing to it that the game laws are en- 

 forced. So much of the best shooting country is being 

 captured by proprietary clubs, that sportsmen outside of 

 these clubs may well view the situation with alarm 



Thb Makion's Puma, mentioned by Mr, John LVismond 

 iuhis story of the shipwreck of the Trinity, is to come, to the 

 Central Park Managerie, this city. The animal is said to 

 be as tame as a kitten. 



Quit Keadebs are earnestly requested to give us early in- 

 formation of all proposed game law amendments, which 

 may be brought up in the respective States and Territories; 



The fyoi1stt(m (![ouri$t. 



AROUND THE COAST OF FLORIDA. 



T37 Dli. .1. A. 1IKNSH.U.I, 



First. Paper. 



ABOUT Ihe middle of December. ISM], my wife and 1 

 arrived in Jacksonville, Florida, on our way to 

 Indian River. Proceeding to that model hotel, the Windsor, 

 we were at once made comfortable by the debonair Orvis. 

 who has that happy, peculiar and inborn faculty of making 

 evi ry one feel at, home. Here I found mv friend Jordan, ol 

 Texas, who had arrived several days' previously. The 

 weather was warm and pleasant, anil Jacksonville never 

 looked, more lovely. The grand old water oaks along the 

 streets never looked so. stately, while the gardens were 

 never more profuse of bloom, nor more ledolonf of fragrance. 

 I found your genial correspondent, Dr. 0. J. Kenworthy 

 I il Fresco), as busy, as courteous, and as enthusiastic as 

 ever. 



We left Jacksonville with regret, and embarked on the 

 little steamer Yolusia, on which"! had made a, trip to the 

 head waters of Ihe St. Johns, three years before. Of course 

 I was at once at, home with lei versatile and ubiquitous 

 master. Cap!. Lund, who never seems to sleep, and who 

 seems to be in every pari of the boat at one and the same 

 time. Our sail up the St. Johns was made exceedingly 

 pleasant by the company of Mr, N. II. Bishop, the famous 

 canoeist, and his wife, of Lake George. N. Y 



Arriving at Salt Lake, two hundred and seveutv-ii re miles 

 south of Jacksonville, TVC found the old wooden tramwav, 

 connecting Salt Lake with Titusville, a thing of the past. 

 Its pine rails were decayed, its rolling slock had vanished, 

 but its motive power, "the mules," stood calnilv and medi- 

 tatively, harnessed to "thimble and skein" wagons, wagging 

 their ears and whisking thejr mop-like tails in the same old 

 fashion, as who should say. Railroads may come and go. 

 but we go on forever As soon as the boat landed, a man 

 bailed me from the wharf house, whom! recognized at 

 once as my old Cracker friend, Tom Sellers of Sebastian 

 Kiver. 



"I lev vou got that long range gun with vou this linn — 

 ah?" asked Tom. 



This was in allusion to my twelve gauge I'arker, with 

 which I had killed a deer on the Sebastian. "three years he- 

 fore, at considerably lnoie than a hundred yards. 



"Yes, Tom, but (he least said about that the better. I 

 have already incurred the everlasting displeasure, withering 

 scorn and virtuous condemnation of the Great American 

 Big Bore and Intensely Practical Still-Hunter for that un- 

 lucky feat, and I don't intend straining my gun by any 

 more such shots." 



Eight miles of sandy road through the pine woods brought 

 us to Titusville, where we were warmly welcomed by Ool. 

 JSichols, of the Titus Hotel. Titusville washed a shadow ot 

 its former self, f missed its leading spirits. Col. Titus was 

 dead; S. J. Fox had gone to pastures new. Oh, Iehahod! 

 Ichabod! Its streets" were deserted, several of its stores 

 burnt down, its long pier dilapidated, and its railroad 

 crumbling away. 



' Whafisthc matter with Titusville y" I impaired of a 

 boatman leaning against a fence whittling. 



"Rockledge lias got the bulge on us," answered he, with- 

 out looking up. 



The hotels, however, are still alive, /•ml Ihe stores of 

 Messrs. Dixon, Moore, Weger and Smith still keep up a, 

 good show of business. But, I missed the old-time bustle 

 and excitement of "Sandpoint." Mr, Weger and his son 

 are doing all in their power to promote Qie -welfare of the 

 place, the former was erecting a new- store building, or 

 "block," and the latter had founded a weekly paper'; Ihe 

 Wlorida Star. Much is expected from the new railroad, 

 now in course: of construction, from Palatka to Indian 

 River. The Lund House is well-kept by Mr. Carlisle, and 

 the Titus Hotel was never so ablv managed as it is now bv 

 Col. Nichols, formerly of the Windsor of Jacksonville, anil 

 the Kimball of Atlanta. Titusville will always be a favorite 

 resortfor the sportsman on account of ii,-. contiguous hunt- 

 ing grounds. 



1 found Cap!, Btrobhar's schooner Rambler, in which we 

 were to make our cruise around the peninsula of Florida, not 

 quite finished in her cabin accommodations, but which were 

 being rapidlv pushed to completion bv her encrgeih |-e,|, r 

 and the available force at his command I Ic.wcver. with the 

 pleasant company of Mr. and Mrs. N. II. Bishop, Mr, ami 

 Mrs. B. A. Mayor, of Austin. Minn.. Mr. O. L. Jon l an and 

 olhc r guests of thehotel, the time passed pleasant iv. There was 

 aparty of young men from C azenovia, X. Y. . that had gone im o 

 cam]) just above the village, where (bey were building a. 

 boat while .waiting for their leader and guide. Mr. Oard of 



"rotary trap" fame. Cap!,. Burnham. of Cape Canaveral 

 Lighthouse, was over for a few days with his line sloop 

 Occala. t found that the quality and accommodations of Ihe 

 boats of Indian River were vastly improved since my visit 

 three years before, and that my prediction in reference to 

 the introduction of the sharpie had been verified. Skippers 

 Hamniou, Bowers, Heudrickson and Richards have now 

 fine boats of this model of from seven lo ten Ions, which are 

 admirably adapted to these shallow waters. 



Among the guests of the hotel wis an English naturalist, 

 whose daily occupation was the collecting of bird skins. 

 His room was a chamber of horrors to the servants, who had 

 a decided antipathy to arsenic and other "pizons," and the 

 peculiar odors of his apartment. The last straw was piled 

 on, one day. when he brought in several turkey buzzards; 

 there, was then great, danger of his being "boycotted" by the 

 entire retinue. He said to me one day: 



"I could get, more birds ye know, if I bad a boat, ye know; 

 but I cawn't sail myself, ye know, and 1 eawn't abide these 

 blarstcel boatmen, ye know." 



There is a resident, taxidermist at Titusville, Mr. Scrima- 

 geour, who is a genius in his way. He bad some really fine 

 specimens of mounted birds and mammals. He hail just 

 returned from a hunt in the scrub, where be killed five deer 

 and a panther. While I was in his shop a woman and a boy 

 brought in a fresh panther's skin for sale; the boy had 

 shot it. Mr. S. had a stock of the beet fishing tackle for 

 Florida waters that I had seen. His trolling bails were not 

 ihe insufficient pike or pickerel spoons usually sold, but sub- 

 stantial squids, and heavy block tin spinners revolving their 

 entire length on large and strong single; hooks, such as are 

 required for the large marine fish of these waters. Being an 

 old New York angler, be knows what to provide for" the 

 wants of sportsmen in Florida. 



The day before Christmas we went to Rockledge, twenty 



miles down the river, and were most hospilabh entertained 

 by Mr. Wilkinson, formerly of Richmond, Ta, Mr. AY. 

 has purchased the orange grove and buildings formerly 

 owned by Mr. Hatch, and has ereetedfl fine roomy hotel, 

 and though not entirely completed, we were nevertheless 

 made quite comfortable.' In the evening there was a Chrisl- 

 ruiis tree for his pretty grandchildren, and a bonfire on the 

 lawn. 



The scene was a be&utlfuland romantic rme,; the long 

 tongues of flame leaping upward, the myriad of sparks sail- 

 ing through the broad green frondsof thcpalmettoes, and the 



whole reflect! il and i. Hen. ilied on the placid bosom of Indian 

 River formed a spectacle both pleasing and grand. Bui 

 even with the accompanying salvo of 'small arms, it was 

 difficult lo icalize. on so balmy and pleasant a night. Ihe air 

 heavy with the fragrance of (lowers and foliage, that il was 

 a "Christmas" jubilee. But, nevertheless, when the lire had 

 burned clown to abed of glowing coals and embers, and we 

 retired into the house, the benison of Tiny Tim found an 

 echo in our hearts; -'God Bless Us Every One." 



Rockledge had improved very much since my last Visit, 

 The orange groves were all now in full bearing — new houses, 

 several stores, and a schoolhouse had been built, and a 

 wooden tramway was being constructed to Luke Poinsett, 

 the head of navigation on the St. Johns, and hut three miles 

 distant, to which point a steamer made three trips a week 

 from San ford, connecting at the latter place with the DeBarv 

 fine for Savannah. The produce' of the lower country was 

 being shipped by this roulc, and supplies brought back— all 

 of which explained why Rnckledgc had "got the bulge on 

 Sandpoint." Rookie,,;,,, is remarkable as being one of the 

 very few places in Florida where the. people are not anxious to 

 sell their homes. Her people are prospering and value their 

 orange groves too highly to sell them even at extraordinary 

 prices. 



1 would here caution the public against the mauy land 

 agents anil laud swindles in Florida. Millions of acres of 

 the poorest pine, scrub, and swamp lands are being exten- 

 sively advertised in glowing colors and at low prices, bill, 

 which arc not worth "t he taxes paid on them. Beware of 

 the man or company whose lands an- represented to be high, 

 dry. and rolling, and located in the "heart of the orange 

 belt," and which are offered at ten or fifteen dollars an acre. 

 II is all a delusion and a snare. There are good lands in 

 Florida suitable for the culture of sub-tropical fruits, early 

 vegetables, etc . but they are not advertised for sale and e-au- 

 uot be bought for a song. Good wine needs no bush. Gooel 

 land in Florida, like good laud in any other State, does not 

 go begging for customers and always commands a good 

 price. Where there is one acte of good soil inFlorida there 

 are a, thousand acres of worthless land so far as the culture 

 of semi-tropical products i- concerned. 1 feel constrained 

 to say Ibis now, from v, hal 1 nave -een in that Slate, and on 

 aeeoiini of the many blighted hopes disappointed ambitions, 

 and impoverished purses to be laid up against the land swin- 

 dlers, petty and grand, of Florida,, 



We spent Christmas Day (Sunday) very pleasantly at 

 Rockledge with old friends, and on the next day sailed for 

 EauGalTie, where we arrived after nightfall and found u 

 Christmas hop in progress at ' the college." in which we par- 

 ticipated and had a most enjoyable time. There was a. Christ- 

 mas tree with n present for each guest. Bethel Stewart, of" 

 Merrill's Island, was the recipient of a large "gopher" 

 (land tortoise) which had been swung up to" one of the 

 lower limbs of the tree. My present was a half-dozen 

 roasting ears of green corn. "Think of it— Christmas and 

 green corn! We acknowledged the corn, however, and min- 

 gled in the mazy. 



The nexl day we set sail for San Sebastian Giver, passing 

 Melbourne on Crane Creek, and stopping a. short, lime at 

 Turkey Creek, where Charles Creech is still living in the 

 cabin on the bluff, though he had taken unto himself a help- 

 meet since my last visit. We had a fair wind to Sebastian 

 and sailed up lo our old "Cabbage Camp," jus1 above the 

 mouth of the North Prong, a short distance above Mr. 

 Kane's cabin on Ihe main river, Here we jumped two deer 

 wi'hin a hundred yards of ramp. Jordan and I took the 

 dingey and our .shotguns, and knocked down several 

 ducks 



We saw a large llock ol coots, or mutlbeus, near the point 

 Ol a small mangrove island, rounding which, they rose at 

 forty yards, w lien we discharged I wo barrels each and 

 picked up twenty-four coots. The skipper carried a dozen 

 to Mr. Kane's family, while Jordan and f proceeded lo dress 

 the remainder, I gave him Ids choice, to take off the feath- 

 ers or dress them; be chose the latter, I had the feathers off 

 of twelve roots before lie had drawn three, and this is how 

 to do it ; I 'hop off I he wings close to the body with a hunt 

 ing i aife, attach a loop of twine to the limb of a small tree, 

 engage the bead of a coot in the loop, make a circular in- 

 cision around ihe neck, through the skill, then pull the skin 

 with both hands tlown lo the tail, where it is severed at one 

 cut of the knife, cul off the legs at the tarsal joint, and the 

 root, is read v for drawing, v. vshiug and the pot. The coots 

 of Florida are very fat." the skin -lipping off readily, and 

 with the skin goes the oily, tLhy Havor. When prepared in 

 this fPuj and baked brown, coots are nearij as palatable as 

 ducks, and are reallj preferred t>\ the natives ot that State. < 



One day uiy win.- .*.-., I, i done for a short time aboard 

 the Rambler, which was moored close to the. bank, to which 

 a gangplank extended She was engaged in pressing ferns 

 and wild llowei-, w hen a noise in the scrub attracted her 



attention. Catching a glimpse of several large, black ob- 

 jects, herflrsl thought was "b.'ars;" they were moving toward 

 Ihe boat, She is of delicate frame and nervous organiza- 

 tion, but "true grit," She succeedeel in Ihrov, ing the gang 

 plank overboard! and then procured a pail of hot water "from 

 the galley, and prepared to give flu an a. warm reception. 

 But her fears were soon quieted ;s three of Kane's long- 

 legged black h >gs emerged from the scrub. 



In the afternoon my wife and I weul fishing. I took an 

 eight-OUnee rod and black-bass tackle that I had been using 

 that morning up Ihe creek, and rowed out into the bay 

 abreast of Kinr's cabin. I nul on a golden shiner some 

 six inches long for bail, made' a cast or two, when I got a 

 tremendous strike. The reel hummed like a buzz-saw, and 

 the fish took twenty yards of line before I eouid check him. 

 I found then that 1 had caught tt Tartar. He lowed the 

 boarl around as 1 played him, but Occasionally woulel make 

 another tierce rush and take many yards of fines My wife 

 was an anxious and excited spectator of the contest, for the 

 fish was a very heavy one' and my tackle light. The' little 

 rod bent nearly double under the undue strain, but at last I 

 had him under control, within fifteen feel of the boat, where 

 I held him until he was exhausted, finally, after some 

 twenty minutes had elapsed, 1 had him alongside, I had no 

 gaff hook, and no way to laud him, I took the snell of the 



