128 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[September 15, 1881. 



sondcling bird, quietly dbaerveflt " All right, old fellow ; I 



MM) you had your back turned toward me 'when 1 fik " 

 The complete unconcern of habitual custom appeared to the 

 Captain to be here distinctly indicated, and put a finishing 

 touch to his already agitated nerves. The rest of the day he 

 devoted to keeping as near out, of shot a? Common decency 

 Would allow, and in the maiming was seized with a sudden 

 indisposition that compelled a return to his host's house. 



" The Qipt'n's a right good fellnh," observed one of that 

 famous party to a friend of mine, who was himself bunting 

 in the neighborhood the following year ; "hut, flprgonned, 

 if you can get him within a hundred yards of the dogs to 

 save your life." Riniswood. 



FOREST AND STREAM GAME TABLE. 



MFEN SEASONS. 



Tlie seasons, In Wnjjch It, Is lawful lo shoot game In the several 



Elates and Termini, s. n pen as aeslgjmted In the tollowlng table: 



Ala.'.. Oct. 20. 

 COIL*.. July!.. 

 <'ol,... Sept, l 



Conn 



Dakota 



Del." 



D. C.a . Aug. in.. 



Gi> .. OCT. 1 ... 



Idaho*. Ana. l., 



TU Sept; t . . 



Ind.. .. Oct, I... 

 Iowa... sept. :i.. 



Kan 



Ky" .... sept. 1.. 



Lft Aug. 1... 



Ma.li... OM. i. .. 



Mass, . Nov.i . 



Jlleh.'-. Oet. i ... 



Minn.. Nov. 1 .. 



SUSS. .. Oct. 1... 



Mo. d , 



Neb. ..Oct. 1... 



Nev.. ". Aug. i... 



N. lb. Sept. 1.. 



IS..]./.. 



;■;. Mex. Sept. 1.. 



Aua:. 1.. 



Ann. 15. 



oef. 15.. 



•I uly l .. 



Oct. i • . . 



.inn ■!. 

 •tulyl.. 

 JiflS l«. 



o 



Or 



Pa 



R.I.... 

 s. 0".... 

 Temi." 



man... 



vr. 



AM.'.... 



W.Ta.. 



Wis.... 

 Wyo . . . 



Sept, I . 

 tttg i . 

 Ail!-. I . 



July 4.. 



Sep l. 



Aug. 1.. 

 Oel. 1.. 



Au£'l! 



July 4 ! 



Aug.l.. 



Sept. !.. 

 Aug.! .. 

 Aug. 1 . 

 Sept. 1.. 

 sept. 1.. 

 Aug. 1.. 

 July ir,.. 

 Sent. ir.. 

 Aug. 15. 



.lulyl.. 



sept. 1. 

 Sent, i.' 

 Sept. 15. 



Sepv. 1 . . 

 Juiyi.. 



| J uly 10 '. 



sept. ir. 



Sept. 15 



, 

 Oct, 1 . . 

 Aug. 15. 

 NOV. I.. 

 Nov. 1.. 

 Oct, 1 . 



Bept i. 



Oel. 1.. 

 Oct, 15. 

 (let. 1... 

 Nov. 1. 

 OOt.r0., 

 Sept. 15 



ISSS 

 Oel. 15. 

 Nov. 1. 

 .Sept.. 1. 

 Oel. 1 . . 



Oct, is. 



IDt 1... 



sept, i.- 

 sept i.. 



Nov. 1 

 Sept. i . 

 Nov. 1. 

 Oct. 1.. 

 Nov. 1. 



Oct, IS. 



Nov. 1. 



'S',, . IE 



I .. 

 -.,,... I. 



{1-,-nir.T 



chirk- 

 en). 



sept. 15. 

 oet. I... 

 OCt, 1... 

 Aug. 15. 

 NOV. I .. 



Aug. 1.. 



Oel. 1.. Oct. 2(1. 



Sept. iGi 



Del. 1 



Sept. 1. ProU'ed 



Aug. 16 .... 



Sept, 1 



Get. 15. 

 Autr. 15. 

 Sept. 1 

 Sent. 1. 

 Nov. 1 . 

 Sept. 1 . 

 Sept. 1. 

 oet. 1 . . 

 Sept, i. 

 June 15 

 Oct 1.. 

 sept, l . 



Sept. 15 

 sept. 15 

 sept, l . 



Oct. 15. 



sept, i: 



Sepi 

 Oct 

 Aug. 1. 



ept.i. 



iig. i.. 



■;i||Li 



Sept.1. 



Oct I.J ocui.. 



sept. t. 



Aug. 16'sept 1. 



sept, is 



Oct. 1.. 



Sept, i 



Aug. 1 



Sept, 1. 



Sept. i 



Otlkl. 



Nov. 1 . Sept. 1 . 

 Julv 1 . Aug. 1.. 



ow. 1.. sept l 



sept. 1 



NOV. 1. 



Oct.'is'. 



July 1. .... 

 sept is 



:;:::.::;te 



Allg.1..| 



sept, l.'Sent. l 



Aug. 15 'Aug. 1 



Antfltmt.—coL, Sept. 1 ; Idaho, Aug. 1 : Ncli., Oct. 1 ; Kev., Aug. 1 

 N. Mex., Sept, l ; Wall, Aug. t ; Wye,., Aug. 16. 



Enjfuhi.-y olo., S.-pi. 1 ; Neb., Oel, 1 : N. Alex., Sept, 1. 



Carili ..„.— We..i >el. i : X. II., Sept 1 •. 



Die'-. -.— \ln., Aug. 1 : Cat, July 1 : Oa., OCt 1 : Kan., Aug, 1 ; », 

 Sept. 1.5: Wo, Aug. 1 ; N. C.Oet. i t s. , ..on. 15. 



]ilk.— Colo., Sept. 1; Idaho, Aug. 1 ; Minn., Nov. 1; Neb., Oct.1; 

 Nee., Aug. 1: N. Mex., Sept. 1 ; or , July I ; Utah, Aug. 1; Wyo., 



' K-Ma, Oct. 1 ; N. II., sepl. 1 <■ ; ore., July 1. 



MtHuHaiK Sheer. (01., Sepl. i ; Neii , Oct, 1 ; Nev., Aug. 1 ; N. ilex., 

 Sent, l • Utah. Aug. 1 ; Wyo., Aug. in. 



..,■-]< .' ,-,'it. i- Me., \n°. i; Mo.,Aug. l;Hev., Sept. 1 ; N. 

 H.. Aug. 1 ; l'a.,Julv 15: R. I., -Mil,. I. 



1 1.-. -■■ :i '■■: ■■:. .'., Sept. ; l';i., Sept, 1. 

 a, - _] „■ ' g -ii .. ! D. (■•, sept, i : N. J., Aug. 26 ; Pa., Sent. 1. 

 ■,,..',, —DafcOta, Lug, 5- D. C, Sept, 1 ; Nev., Sept. 1 ; N. 0., Oct, 16. 



* In tlies" Stales there are special e.i 

 piles to sale or possession. '< w ilrlio 



In i mo:' Peninsula deer :-vih,: mi 

 proteuieil ".J i- ■-:.. ■■ Pi ' -"--, County d 

 and Cavil . Be it .- I 1'i-t open v. 



. 1 , ,-,- Aug. . ■ l."i:i - - moting pr 

 tles 01 Montgomery, bciienectady. Sai 

 season 1n Long Island waters open 

 female deer only. 



only laws, a The deer law ap- 



. l iii.i pnil.i'1'li'..l iia liii' '■"!-<-,!. 



wed by them ; but 

 inty-mile club, has 

 will think of sonie- 

 imble servant into 

 ning of this " on- 

 ;ht to deprive their 



ARE THEY MONOPOLIES? 



Bridgeport, Conn., Sept. 10. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



The question at issue seems to lie conveniently pushed 

 aside by the spokesmen of the opposition, and they rave 

 about railroads, potatoes, e'c„ etc., as if they had something 

 or other to do with shooting ducks. I simply mentioned mil- 

 roads in connection with the general tendency of mankind 

 toward monopoly and oppression, but thoy have no part nor 

 lot in this discussion. 



So far, not a solid argument has bee 

 lhat modest little organization, the s 

 not been heard from yet. Perhaps tin 

 thing that Avill ultcrly convert your 

 "smithereens." I admitted at the ( 

 pleasantness," that they had the legal 



brother sportsmen of any share in Ihe pleasures of Ihe field 

 —if they had money enough to accomplish their purpose: 

 but I also have the right to oppose tin ill, audi will, but I 

 mean to do it decently, and not get mad and throw potatoes 

 and ugly epithets, for that would only prove that I had no 

 arguments. 



One wicked man calls me a communistic cuss, or words 

 , that effect, antl says: "Let, everything be in common, 

 and thus return at once to the . worsl state of barbarism and 

 confusion." Now, that's g iod ! But I'm afraid it was 

 ' -wmle. sarcastic, "for that state of barbarism lo which he 

 wishes to nivrn is just what Ave had till the monopolists 

 began their work (though I never saAV any " confusion,") and 

 its "just what. v,t ought, to return 1" with some modifications. 



,; X " of Cleveland, says : "There are hundreds of such 

 clubs established all over ihe United States and Canada by 

 it of men and for the best of purposes— the protection 

 and preservation of game, etc." If these humane sportsmen 

 do any game preserving, they preserve it after it is dead ; 

 and if" they protect, it at all, they protect it from others so 

 that Ihey may have the exclusive, privilege of killing it. All 

 endeavors to suppress illetial shooting will meet a hearty 

 response from every one, but not one of these men would 

 raise a finger in that direction except in their own interests. 

 Their motto is -. " Protection and preservation of game for 

 our exclusive benefit." 



They have a game law in Connecticut, nod it permits 

 woodcock shooting from October 1, but in my travels 

 (hrmiRh tn»> Fttde tdna eurunier, I war, told that lawless 



loafers had been shooting them all over the State since the 

 1st of July, and not a person cares or dares to stop them. It 

 is much worse than no law, but it's the very thing these 

 rascals wont, for it gives them all the birds. It is pretty 

 well settled thai, no one but a paid game constable will arrest 

 a man for illegal shooting, and these game clubs arc no exeep- 

 ti on lo this rule, except on their own domains. 



My antipathy to game clubs is based on their selfishness. 

 They are not content to buy up enough for their purposes, 

 but they want to prevent all other sportsmen from ever 

 having a days' shooting. There arc never many members of 

 any club on the grounds at a time, yet they claim jurisdic- 

 tion over miles upon miles of shooting-ground. My hostility 

 to market-shooters is as great as theirs, and if I had it in my 

 power I would prevent, any one from making a bvsf.ne.ix of 

 what ought to be an occasional pleasure. A market-shooter 

 is usually too lazy to work, and is next thing to a vagrant. 

 There is where the destruction of game comes in; and in 

 looking after them, these clubs could find ample scope for 

 their anxiety to preserve and protect game without owning 

 the couulry for miles around them. 



It is generally conceded that to be a Christian or a gentle- 

 man, it iB necessary to believe in the " Golden Rule." Are 

 these advocates of moaopoly ready to say the Golden Rule is 

 all lush! Some of the "best of men" arc sportsmen, outside 

 the clubs as well as in them, but the clubs have the money 

 and can snap their fingers at them and ask, " What are you 

 going to do about it ?" I furnished them at the start with 

 their only available argument: "We have the right to 

 buy what we please and to do what we please with it" 



DlDy.Ml'S. 



WILD RICE. 



Port Hove, Out., Sept. 10. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



I sec in your issue of September 1st an article by "I/irtron," 

 in which he speaks of my rice as being of Ihe small kind. The 

 rice of which I wrote in my letter of the 18th had not fully 

 matured when I pulled it; it had but a very faint sign of a 

 head, and would have grown two or more feet in length. 

 Although the bed from which I pulled the stalk was growiug 

 in water six feet or more in depth, yet in the bays and some 

 of the lake beds it grows in less than the same number of 

 inches of water. All the rice in this lake grows from two to 

 six feet above the surface. Right here allow me to state a 

 fact : I never yet saw rice bear seed where the water had 

 gone down to such an extent as to leave ihe mots dry; it, 

 would have a large and apparently Avell filled head, but upon 

 feeling it you Avould find that the seed vessel had never filled 

 up, and that there was in fact no seed. I have seen places 

 where the mud to the depth of three or more inches had from 

 some cause risen to the smface, bringing the rice bodily and 

 erect with it. In a c se of ihis kind the seed would be good 

 and the stalks large and s'rong. 



Mr. W. P. Whitcher, Commissioner of Fisheries, wrote to 

 me Sept. 5th of some seed— about fifty bushels — he got from 

 me last fall. The following is an extract : " It (the rice) has 

 since appeared very thick and high : 1 expect a fine crop if 

 the water does not fall too low." The sample of rice 1 sent 

 you last fall was very plump and large. I have had some 

 samples of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan seed, yet none 

 were to be compared to Rice Lake seed. 



Most of those desiring rice wait until it is too late in the 

 fall to bow it, and have to wait for spring. It will grow even 

 if planted then, yet Mr. Whitcher and others besides myself 

 have proved by experiments lhat it, is not so sure a crop as it 

 would be if fall planted. To give it a fair chance, at least 

 several bushels fhould be planted. Wild ducks are apt to 

 find it and to eat up ihe greater quantity in Hie fall, and 

 where it comes to the surface aud heads up, tame geese and 

 blackbirds will feed upon it, and if only a small epiantity lias 

 been planted they are almost sure, to clean it out. If A larger 

 amount has been sown it gets a chance to sow itself, and once 

 it does that success is assured. 



By to-day's mail I send you a sample of rice stalk pulled 

 before it was matured, 5 et it is very large aud has several 

 stalks growing from one root. I also send you sample of new 

 seed, some of which is fully one inch iu length and very 

 plump. Chas. Gilcurist, Fishery Inspector. 



A WILD BUCK IN THE CITY OF VIQKSBURG. 



IN 1874 I was residing in the city of Vicksburg, Miss., not 

 far from the business centre of the town. The rear of 

 my premises looked out upon the shops of the V. & M. R. 

 R., a couple of hundred yards distant, with an intervening 

 common and a pond. 



One morning before breakfast, when in my back yard, T 

 heard a hue and cry over toward the shops and saw about a 

 dozen workmen, with hammers, axes and other tools, in pur- 

 suit of something, which 1 supposed to be a fugitive thief or 

 malefactor of some kind. I saw at the same moment a splash 

 in the pond and then the antlers of a buck above the water. 

 The deer swam through the pond and climbed the steep bank 

 on my side, the mon Panning around. I rat. iulo the house 

 and seized my gun, a muzzle-loader, which bad been stand- 

 ing some time, loaded with No. 8 shot. When I came out 

 the deer had gone over a spur, down into a small hollow and 

 was making his way over a low inclosure into the Episcopal 

 Rectory, on Cherry street, one of ihe principal I boroughfares 

 of the town. The rector, Dr. Lord, was in his gallery, in his 

 slippers, reading the morning paper, and was very much as- 

 tonished at the spectacle. The deer, being very much ex- 

 hausted, was cornered by his pursuers and I, taking up a 

 close position, snapped both barrels behind his ear. I then 

 took a pistol out of the hand of a negro and shot the buck iu 

 the forehead, but his nose being elevated the bullet glauced 

 over without entering the skull. He was then struck on the 

 head with an axe and tumbled to the ground. 



The machine shop men claimed the carcass, as he had run 

 through their shop and they bad found him. I claimed the 

 horns, which I have yet— a very pretty pair. 



It seems the deer had been run by hunters out of Big Black 

 Swamp, some twelve mile3 distant, and got bewildered in 

 the suburbs of the town in an exhausted condition, having 

 been pursued all night by hounds. Makooner. 



Makitoca Game Notes— Toronto, Sept. 10,-Seemg 

 your recent note of game in Manitoba I send you this letter 

 from Winnipeg, written to the (flobe of this city under date 

 of Aug. 24 ; " We saw ( ecasional coveys of prairie chicken 

 over the whole route, and from information received from 

 settlers have no doubt thoy are very plentiful ; but at tb.tfj 



season the old birds are very careful to keep their young 

 hidden in the long grass. A dog ia necessary to insure suc- 

 cessful sport, but the sportsman will need to be careful to 

 look to the condition of the animal every night, as the ' wild 

 barley' slicks to the coal and, unless removed, draws Itself 

 into the flesh and eventually leads to death. Thinks are 

 plentiful wherever there is water. Every pond and little 

 lake wc passed swarmed with them, principally mallards 

 aud gray ducks. There were, ton, black ducks and blue- 

 winged teal of all ages and sizes, from the full-grown ones 

 down to the flappers and the little fellows in their ' yellow 

 fluff ' but a day or two out of the shell. Wo could quite un- 

 derstand what a settler im ant when he told us lie could not 

 look a duck in the face. Plover of all kinds and snipe also 

 abound in places, and in the autumn this must be the sports- 

 man's paradise. A few moose are found in the Pembina 

 Mountains, some of very large size. Elk arc more plentiful. 

 At Mountain City we saw the beads of two which were shot 

 last winter within a mile of that place, the horns of one be- 

 ing nearly five feet long. At Pembina Crossing we were 

 told of eighteen having been shot there last winter, and of 

 three having crossed in sight of the stopping place on Ihe 

 morning of the day of our arrival. There were no deer, but 

 we saw"both wolves and foxes, one of the former on the banks 

 of Ihe Pembina, not three miles from Brandon. Geese, 

 sand-bill cranes (of which wc saw a couple of dozen), and 

 pelicans make up the list of the game which came under onr 

 notice." 



TnE Saturday Clpb Eats Venison.— Last December, 

 Dr. Theophilus Parvin, of Indianapolis, who is au intimate 

 friend of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, tent to the latter a 

 saddle of venison . The characteristic reply from the poet 

 was as follows: 



BoriroN, Dec. 28. 

 Mil Dear Dr. Dm cm : 



The venison arrived in perfect order, f suppose that, 

 Mrs. Holmes and myself could have feasted on it for 11, monli 

 and found ourselves iu good condition at the end of it. But 

 I felt a solemn responsibility in the disposition of such a 

 monumental piece of game, and I thought the best thing I 

 could do was to have it served up at, the meeting of onr 

 ' Saturday Club,' which took place yesterday. This club, 

 of which I have been a member for more than twenty years, 

 has included, and still iucludes, many whose names you 

 know. In fact, it has counted so many distinguished per- 

 sons that I am perhaps a little proud in mentioning ihe names 

 of those whom we have met or still meet in the large club 

 room at "Parker's;" Agassiz, Longfellow, Hawthorne, 

 Emerson, Lowell, Sumner, Gov. Andrew, Motley. Chief 

 Justice Gray, Judge Hoar (formerly Attorney-General of the 

 United States;, Prof. Pierce (head of Ihe Coast, Survey, etc.), 

 President Eliot. Alexander Agassis, Francis Parkman (his- 

 torian), Howells, William Hunt (painter t, Asa Gray. ] 

 that a' remarkable list? Some, as yon k.ooe,'. are deal. 

 Emerson is too old and forgetful to come ; Lowell is Minister 

 to England, and so on, but we had President Eiior, Francis 

 Parkman, Judge Hoar, Alexander Agassiz, Profs. Norten, 

 Gibbs and Gurnay, and other persons of name and note less 

 widely known than some of these. I introduced the venison 

 in a very brief speech, telling who sent it and where it came 

 from. Very soon the blazers (or blazes — I can't find the 

 word in my dictionary) were aflame all round Ihe table. 

 Then ensued a remarkable silence, each diner being occupied 

 with his volcano for a while, aud then with the product of 

 his culinary art. Well, the venison was voted more than ex- 

 cellent. I should say it was the best I ever tasted. The 

 company drank your health with great enthusiasm aad loud 

 applause, aud I felt that I could not have done better m the 

 disposition of your most acceptable gift. For my own part, 

 I beg you to accept my very sincere' thanks, and to assure 

 you of the great pleasure you have afforded me by your 

 kindness which enabled me to extend lo others. Believe me, 

 my dear sir, very truly yours, O. W. Holmes. 



Wisconsin Dee b Slacqu tbred the Yuar Ahocnd— Chi- 

 cago.— I have just returned from a two-months' trip through 

 Wisconsin and Michigan, and I was greatly surprised to find 

 that iu some parts of the former Stale the game laws were 

 entirely ignored and openly violated. The opeu season tea 

 deer commences Sept. 15 iu Wisconsin, but to my certain 

 knowledge deer were slaughtered by the hundreds during 

 the months of July and August of this year. Deer meat is 

 kept on hand the year around at the butcher's shop in Pesh- 

 tigo. Wis., and tlie citizens of the latter place are never hap- 

 py except when they are butchering fawns and does out oE 

 season. Their plan of shooting is to go out iu large pirties, 

 accompanied with a score of hounds, and set the dogs on a 

 fresh deer trail. If they are lucky, and. they generally arc, 

 they run the deer to the river, where pickets are established, 

 aud when the deer attempts to swim across he is met with 

 a volley from the shotguns and muskets of the "pickets" 

 which 'is liable to end his days. In the vicinity of Marinetle 

 and Oconto the same state of affairs exists, and unless the 

 game laws of Wisconsin are rigidly enforced the deer will 

 soon be all exterminated.— C. V. T. 



Illinois Game Notes— Quincy, Illinois, Sept. 4. -A few 

 days ago, my Mend H. S. and 1 went to Bay Island, a few 

 miles above" here, after woodcock ; had only about three 

 hours' shooting, and bagged seventeen woodcock, besides 

 three blue wings. Wc had very high water this spnog, and 

 all Ihe old seeds were washed up high, causing the shores of 

 the rivers, lakes, etc., to be covered with a fine growth of 

 grass where, last summer we had yards upon yards of pasty 

 mud to go over before we came to the water's edge. This 

 made fine woodcock ground. The birds are plenty, bid most 

 of the shots are snap shots, as the birds have but a few 

 yards to go before entering the tall weeds from ten to twelve 

 r hi li, resembling a Teal old-fashioned canehrake. The 

 fall shooting near here will be unusually fine, consisting of 

 quail, prairfe chickens, ducks, geese, etc, We also look for 

 - '-'-'h" ■:!■ '."'i ." , . „ , 



Over in Missouri the outlook is even better, especially lor 

 fall shooting, includiug turkey. Wo are going over there 

 chicken shooting as soon as business permits.— J. A. B. 



Rah, Scores.— Chester, Pa„ September ll.-Iuclosed you 

 will find the score of birds killed for the week ending Sep- 

 tember 11. 1SS1, which I think iB good :— Sept. 4. B. Harris, 

 52 ; C. Goff, 45 : Ike Rothwell. 48. Sepl. 5. P, Allen, 45; 

 C. Goff, 47; Harris, 34; Driskot, 23; D. Brown, 28 ; Sept. 

 0. B. Rump, 23 • O. Goff, 47 : B. Harris, 41 ; Rothwell, 

 88 Sept. 7. Allen, 38 j Harris, 48; Rump, 35; S Preston, 

 23: 0. Goff, 86.; D. Brawn, 8U Sept, 8. B Rump, 59; 

 S. tVietoti, 68; P. Alien, 30; J. Rothwell, 51 j B. Etwrte, 



