NOVEMBER 8, 1581.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



267 



FLORIDA GAME RESORTS. 



Fditor Forest and Stream: 



The tiuie is rapidly appro iching when sportsmen, invalids 

 and tourists will flee froin "blizzards" and seels, the genial 

 climate of Florid i. 



Daring the past summer the facilities for reaching Florida 

 have been improved. In the past, travelers leaving Savan- 

 nah were forced to ttavel via Live Oak, and from Lake City 

 to Jacksonville over one of the roug nest roads in the United 

 Stales. With the enterprise so characteris ic ot the S. F. & 

 W. Railway, tnat company has constructed a new line of road 

 from Way Cross to Jackson vile. It is laid will heavy steel 

 rails, and the road bed bridges and tres les aro in excellent 

 condition. The company have placed the ruad from Way 

 Cross to Savannah in superior runnini order. The cars and 

 engines are new, and the former are supplied with air 

 braiies, patent buffers and coup ers an- 1 are luxmiously fur- 

 nished and supplied ivith every convenience and comfort. 

 Time, at present, between this city and aavannah, seven 

 hourn and a half but as soon as winter travel commei ces the 

 running time will be reduced to six hours Irom Bavaunab 

 and teu from Charleston ; time from New York to Jackson- 

 ville, about forty hours. The other day the passenger agent 

 informed me that they would exert themselves to accommo- 

 date sportsmen, and would transpo t and care f r sporting 

 d gs from Charleston and Savar nan for one-fourth of pas- 

 senger rate. Between this city and the St. Mary's River the 

 Way Cross road has been constructed through a sparsely set- 

 tled section, and quail are very plentiful. Sportsmt-n can 

 depart from this city after breaklast, and by leaving the 

 train from fifteen lo forty miles from this point they can en- 

 joy a day's sh ot ng and reach this city by the evening train 

 in time for supper. I have no official author, ty for stating 

 that special rales will be made for such trips, but feel as- 

 sured that satisfactory arrangements will be made to accom- 

 m date sportsmen. 



TheTran-it Railroad Company have constructed a direct 

 road from F< mandina to this city, and the trip from city to 

 city only occupies one hour and a h .If over an excellent road. 

 It crosses Nassau River near Nassm Sound. On this river, 

 sound and tributary streams excellent duck shooting will 

 be found. Heretofore the region througa which the road 

 passes was inaccessible and in the neighborhood of the Nas- 

 sau Kiver deer and turkey s visit in resp ctaile numbers. A 

 number of my friends who reside near or have fished in the 

 streams empty inn in the sound h ve assured me that sea 

 trout are caught in great quantities during Jauuary and Feb- 

 ruary, and the fly-fisher can indulge in capturing these spot- 

 ted beauties. Sportsmen can leave this cty at 8;20 a. m., 

 enjoy a day's shooting or fishing, and return at 8 p. m. 



Tue Florida Southern Railway have cmpleed a road 

 leading fiom Palatka to Gainesville, and as a consequence 

 have opened up a region studded with beautiful lakes. 

 From the best information I can obtain I am warranted in 

 staling that these lakes are stocked with bass and pickerel, 

 and during the winter months ihey are visited by coun less 

 numbers of ducks. 



Several years since, in one of my letters, I referred to a 

 sportsman's paradise existing in the Kissimm«'e and Oche- 

 chobee regiou. In a late issue of fciie Forest and Stream I 

 no ice that a party of sportsmen had acted on my suggestion 

 and descended the Kissimmee to Ochechobee, down the 

 Calevsahatchce to the Gulf and along the coast and ihr ugh 

 the islands to R y We«t. Hitherto but few persons have 

 ventured beyond Enterprise on the St. John'* R ver, and to 

 nenrly all the country beyond has been a seal- d book ; hut 

 at )as r the gates . f ihis extensive region are about to be un- 

 locked. The South Florida Railway will have a line of road 

 comple'ed from Sandfor I to Lake I'ehopekaliga by the mid- 

 dle of November. A town has been laid off on the shore of 

 the lake and nameM Kissimmee. At this point a hotel is in 

 course of construction, and will be ready to receive guestB 

 by Dec. 15. At the southern end of Lake Kissimmee is an 

 island named Brihnia; on this another ho el will be erected 

 and opeued on Jan. 1 for the special accommodation of 

 sportsmen. This region " is said to be a veritable paradse 

 for hunters, and ihe adj iuing country teems with deer, 

 bears, wild turkey and ducks, with a few wolves and an oc- 

 cafional pan' her by way of variety. Of course i he waters 

 abound wilh fish, while the inevitable alligator is as yet too 

 unsophisticated to know how to dodge a rifle ball." 



Two steamboats are in course of construction and will be 

 completed by i he time the hotels are opeued, and will ply 

 on the river oetweeu Tehopekaliga and Ochechobee. 



The Kissimmee River and its lakes and tributary streams 

 are stocked with btss, and during the winter months, ducks 

 frequent it in great numbers. I referred to Lake Istokpoga 

 eighteen miles north of Lake Och ch obee. It is ten miles 

 lon.it and seven miles wide The country around the lake is 

 uninhabiied and has not been visited by sportsmen. A few 

 weeks since I interviewed one of the pioueers of this section , J. 

 Lummerlin, Esq., who has visited this locality on a number 

 of occasions in search of cattle. He assured me that the 

 region abounds wilh deers, bears, turkeys and an occasional 

 panther. Owing the presence of vast quantities of prickly 

 pears (Ojmntia vulgaris) the Indians let this section "severely 

 alone," aud as a consequence, game is plentiful and easily ap- 

 proached. The thorns of the prickly pear cripple horses Uy 

 piercing the fetlock joints, and cow-hunters avoid this region. 

 If parties visit the section referred to, they should be pro- 

 vided wilh leather leggings or boots. Sportsmen could 

 transport a boat to Sandford, by rail to Like Tohopekaliga, 

 and there secure a to*' behind a steamer to Istokpoga Creek. 

 Owing to the fact that the Kissimmee River is bordered by 

 maishes a sail can be utilized. From ihe Ktssimm e River 

 the boat c mid bo rowed up the Istokpoga I 'reek to the lake. 

 We predict for early visitors to this lake superior fishing and 

 exellent deer and turkey shooting. 



My friend Col. H. was engaged by the Surveyor-Oeueral 

 to survey some unurveyed lauds to Ihe east of the Kissim- 

 mee and n^rth of Ocheouobee ; aud I requested him to keep 

 a daily record of game noticed. I may remark that the noise 

 produced by a wagon will stirile deer and cause them to dis- 

 appear before thev are noticed, and when surveyors are run- 

 ning their lines ihey have but little opportunity to look for 

 game. But. I will uive you the figures furnished by C 1. H. 



"Left Titusville on Indian River on March 2, 18"(l for 

 Fort Capron. 2d and 3d March saw no deer ; 4lh, saw no 

 deer up lonoon; afternoon sa*» 7 deer. Distance 50 miles 

 souih of Titusville; 5th, in travelling distance of 20 miles 

 saw 50 deer; 6th, sa v 30 deer; 7th, saw 18 d er and arrived 

 at Fort Capr w\ 9th, 10 miles west n' Fort Capron, Baw4.leer. 

 Encamped on 10 mile lidge. Al 4 30 r. m. saw Indian (John 

 B II v '). sent him lo kill a deer for camp and he soon returned 

 with two; lOih, in Township 84 a R. 38 E. saw 3 deer; 

 11th, saw 3 deer and I turkey. John Billy (Indian) killed 



4 deer near c imp; 1 3th, aiw 5 deer: 14ih eaw4deer; 15 b, 

 saw 1 deer and 2 turkeys ; 16„h, sa v io deer; 17Lh, moved 

 camp to Ten Mile Creek. Caught a number of large black 

 bass. A parly of six Indians in one week at this poini killed 

 oyer 100 deer, and caught over 1,000 lbs. of bass. One In- 

 dian with grains (spear) caught in 2 hours 140 black bass; 

 and k lied nine deer same day; 20th, saw 4 deer, 1 turkey, 1 

 wolf; 22d, saw 6 deer. 6 lurkevs; 23d, saw 9dier; 24ih, 

 saw 6 deer; 25th, saw 4 deer; 20th, saw 6 deer; 27ih, saw 

 4 deer; 28 b, saw 3 deer; 29th saw 3 deer, killed two with 

 rifle; 30ih, saw 8 deer and 4 turkeys (uear Ochechobea); 

 31st, saw 12 deer. 



April 1st, 3 deer; 2d, 9 deer; 3d. 7 deer and 3 turkeys; 

 4th, 3 deer ; 5th, 18 deer ; (Jth, 17 deer ; 7 h, 9 deer and 3 

 turkeys ; 8lh, 19 deer and 1 turkey ; 9th, deer and 1 turkey; 

 10th, ldeer; lib, 1 deer; 12th, 4 deer aud 3 turkeys; 13th, 

 6 di er and 1 turkey ; I4ih, 4de-r; loth, 1 turkey; 1'i.li, 1 

 deer and 1 turkey ; 17ih, 1 turkey. Caught large quantity 

 of black bass in Taylor's Creek. Hoiked two alligators ; 

 hooks and lines ton small to land th. m. April 18th, 4 dter ; 

 10th, 5 deer and 1 turkey; May 2d, 3 deer; 3d, 15 deer. 



No further record kept of game. 



During the 'ime the party were out they traveled over 600 

 miles, and saw but one lattlesnake, aud this was a small 

 ground rattler with two rattles. To illusrate the quanti y of 

 dei r in the section adjoining the lower Ktssemmee and Oche- 

 chobee I need but state that the Indians kill them for their 

 hides, and with the proceeds supply themselves with com- 

 fortable clothing and ihe necessaries of life. As an evidence 

 of how easily deer are ai proached, the Indians use a cheap 

 rifle with a nore of 90. The rifles I saw in use by them 

 would c >st at wholesale about seven dollars, and were of in- 

 ferior quality. 



If sportsmen are provid'd with a light aud transportable 

 boat they can ascend Fish Eiting Creek from Lake Ochecho- 

 bee to New Fort Centre. At this point the old m litary road 

 leading io Fort Thompson will be noticed, and if this is fol- 

 lowed for ten miles some settlers will be found from whom 

 a team can be obtained to 'ransport a boat and dunnage to 

 Fort Thompson on the Caloosahatchin River. By descend- 

 ing this stream Punta Rassa will be reached. At Ihis point 

 the wanderers can lake pnssaue on one of Miller and Hender- 

 son's steamers to Cedar Keys or work the coast to the north 

 in their boats. Ax. FitESOo. 



Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 17. 



"ROUGHING IT IN RUBBER." 



Yankton, Dakota, Oct, 24. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Ca.pt. Paul Boy ton, or world-wide fame, reached this city 

 Friday morning about 10 o clock, "padd ingh sown canoe," 

 all the way from G lend ve on ihe Y'ellowstone River some 

 two thousand miles above this place. He left here at 1 

 o'clock this i>. m., a large concourse of people being as- 

 sembled on the river bmk to see him off. Hetookth" water 

 like a duck, p (Idled out a short distance wilh " Baby Mine," 

 a lilll- tin boat about thirty inches long, towing afler him, 

 threw himself into an upright position in the water, took 

 fr m "Baby Mine" a large detonating rocket, fired it with 

 the cigar he was smoking as a trood bye, and was off, cheered 

 uy ihe loud hurrahs of the p ople. 



The Cq aain had many narrow escapes from death during 

 his voyage down ihe Yell .wstone and Missouri Rivers from 

 whirlpools, suck holes, snags and last but no' least from the 

 rifles of huuters, trappers, ranch men and Indians. 



In one instance an Indian came down upon ih« bank and 

 covered him with hts rifle. The Captain rapidly hauled 

 " Baby Mine" between himself and the redskin, shouted and 

 blew his trumpet, but the fellow never dropped his gun until 

 the ' aptain whirled upright into the wacr, when with a 

 loud yell he scampered off as though the devil was after him. 

 Another time a trapper d ew a bea I upon him, bat upon the 

 Captain's hallooing 1 1 him, "tumbled to the racket" an I 

 wished him ' ' bon voyage " He had lo bo c manually upon 

 the watch for fear some fellow would puncture his suit if not 

 his holy with a bullet, but happily he e caped nil Dangers 

 and reached here as b fore staud, Friday thoroughly tired, 

 in the midst of a rain storm. He has about oue thousand 

 miles still lo navigate before he r aches St. L mis, his h me 

 port. We mo3t heartily wish him success, for he made many 

 friends while here by his gentlemanly manners and de- 

 portment, and we shall look anx ously for his projected 

 book, "Roughing it in Rubber," in which he will detail his 

 many trips in his suit adown the many rivers of the world, 

 in all voyaging some twenty thousand miles. 



Capt. Boyt n is accompanied by Mr. James Creelman, of 

 the New York Herald. Mr. Creelman has one of the cmvas 

 boats made by Osgood & Co., of Battle Creek, Mich., I be- 

 lieve, which he has rowed from Bismarck to this place. I 

 am not interested in said tirm, but iu the interests of sports- 

 men generally, 1 can ssy that a boat that cm stand the treach- 

 erous currents and snags of the Missouri Kiver must be just 

 what the fraternity of duck hunters have long wished for, a 

 light, strong, safe portable boat. 



It is easy enough to speak of the enterprise of the Herald, 

 but what shall I say of the pluck of Mr. Creelman in making 

 Buch a voyage ; "he's got smd," as our frontiersmen say, aud 

 pk-nty of it, for he can't swim. I. E. West. 



Game is the Property of the .statu — Baltimore, Oct 

 29 — Editor Forest and Stream : A friend and myself have 

 recently had a dispute as to the legal right of one to kill 

 birds on his owu land, even though the law forbid. Thus, 

 the law of this State is that it shall be unlawful to shoo', 

 kill or have in your possession a partridge or partridges be- 

 tween December 25 and November 1- Now, my friend says 

 that this i3 done to protect a man's birds from outsiders, and 

 that at any time the man wished he would be at liberty to 

 kill (on his own place) as many birds as he chose. I would 

 be ot'liged to you if you would not only give me your own 

 opinion on the subject, but also, if possible, refer me to 

 some rt corded case, either in this country or in England, 

 which is applicable to the subject. My own opinion is that 

 they are /me nMurm, and the Legislature has a rght to for- 

 bid him or any one else to kill them within certain monlhs. 

 — M. 



[The common law relating to game, both in England and 

 America, is based upon ihe principle that the wild game is 

 the pioperty of the Slate, and not of the individuals upon 

 whose land il may be. The simple existence of the law is 

 sufficient evidence for you to cite. If the partridges belong 

 to the individual landowner, then the State has no right to 

 say when they shall or shall not be killed.] 



rpu 



NEW ENGLAND BIRD LIFE. 



IHE present work is one which will prove very useful 

 to collectors and students of ornihology, and will 

 be convenient as a reference book to all who are interested 

 in birds. Notwithstanding the fact that the birds of New 

 England have been more carefully studied tnan those of any 

 other sec ion of our couu'ry, no satisfactory hano-book has, 

 up to the present time, been publish d. This, of course, has 

 not been due to any lack of men well qualified to compile 

 such a volume, for indeed there are many by whom th s work 

 might have been undertaken with every prospect of having 

 it done in such a way that it would be a real help to the stu- 

 dent. 



The different "lists" which have from time to time _ap 

 peared have, many of them, been most valuable contributions 

 to our knowledge of the birds of New EngUnd, and have re- 

 flected credit on iheir c anpiTws. Some of ihem, indeed, have 

 been mod Is of their kind, but they were only what they 

 professed to b-', that is lists, aud as such could never occupy 

 the place of a complete history such as was needed. Samuel's 

 Birds of New England is utterly without va'ue as an aid to 

 study, but in New England Biid Life we have a work which 

 bears the stamp of Dr. Coues' authority, and which is brought 

 up to date. 



The preface of the work in hand states very clearly i'spur- 

 pose, and we cannot do better than quote frost it as follows: 

 "It is the object of the present volume to go carefully over ihe 

 whole ground, and to present in concise and convenient form 

 an epi'ome of the bird life of New England. The claims of 

 each species t ) be considered a member of the New England 

 Famia are critically examined, and not one is admitted upon 

 insufficient evidence > f its occurrence within this aria; the 

 desgn being to give a th. rougly reliable list of the birds, 

 with an account ot the leading facts in the life-hist ry of each 

 species. The plan of the work includes bief descriptions of 

 the birds themselves, enabling one to identify any spximen 

 he may have in hand ; the local d slribution, migration and 

 relative abundance of every species ; togi tter with as much 

 general information respectiugtheir habiisas csn convenient- 

 ly be brought within the eompiss of a hand-book of New 

 England Ornithology." It carrot be taid that any portion of 

 the pan here laid down has been neglec ed. The descrip- 

 tions are so siu> pie and clear that even beginners cau com- 

 prehend them, while the lists of references to previous rec- 

 • rds give the work a value even to the most advanced stu- 

 dents. A very valuable feaure of the work is its Introduc- 

 tion, which includes General Definitions (of a bird and its 

 parts) Preparation of Specimens for Study, The Subject i if 

 Fatmal Areas and the Literature of New E igland Ornit lology. 



The volume before us is Fart I., and carries us through 

 Ostein's. Parr, II., to complete the work, is promised "as 

 i-don a^ practicable," which remark, we must say, has not a 

 very encouraging sound. 



The basis of the work is the manu=cript of Mr. W. A. 

 Stearns, and Dr. Coues appears only as its •' edbo ," but the 

 volume bears on almost every pige ihe impress •■[ the edi- 

 tor's hand, and indeed Dr. Coues expressly states that he 

 lias freely altered, emended and rewritten, and that he holds 

 himself responsible for the aiauracy of ties work and for 

 the views expressed in it. Mr. Stea'ns is. we believe, a 

 careful ob-erv'r and an enthusiastic Student of ornithol 'gy, 

 and whatever he has accumulated in his years of collecting 

 in i\la a saehus tis is to be found in these pages. 



On th' whole, it may be said tnat ihe wo k is conceived 

 a' d carried out in a very clear aud haopy style, and is, s ) 

 far as it goe^. eminently satisfactory. Of course it is open 

 to enteism in some respects, an I one of the most n ticaable 

 of these is, under ihe circums ances, th: hars mess with 

 which Ihe late Dr. Brewer is attacked. It should b ■ remem- 

 bered, however, lhat the pir.agiaphs to whtca exception 

 might be taken were probably written before the death of 

 the gentleman against whom they were directed N w 

 England collectors and oruithol .gists will pro jably decline 

 to accept some of the statements, wih regard to the breeding 

 of certain species, which are given in the woik, but on the 

 whole we may accept it as a valuable con ti button io the 

 literature of the subject, and offer to the author and editor 

 ihanks for a useful book. 



THE TAME MASSACHUSETTS PARTRIDGE. 



Oakham, Mass., Oct. 36. 



IT was about one year ago that an ar ode appeared in the 

 Fok-bt and Stream about a tame partridge. The placu 

 where ihe bird was claimed to be was at Colebrook Sp ings 

 which are 1 cated here. The story last year appeared io bo 

 well vouched for, and many were convinced that the part- 

 ridge could be tamed. 



The bird has reappeared iu the same locality this year, and 

 it has become tamer than last. It proves to be a mile bird 

 It has been watched parts of three open seasons, between Au- 

 gust and January. 



It was in D cember, 1879, that, it was first noticed. At 

 that time it was noticed to be about and to like company, but 

 no familia.nies. Later on Mr. Parker, of Parker Vlills, in a 

 measure secured its confidence, and could call it to him. 

 It w old light on his shoulder and eat from his hand. If he 

 made an effort to handle it it. would promptly fly away. 

 Things went on in this way, the bird becoming more and 

 more' intimate, until he was I to pet of the summer bnarders 

 at the Springs. Among ihem wasa deaf mute who attr .cted 

 the bird by c'apping two pieces of bread together. The in- 

 timacy increased between tbem until one day the mute suc- 

 ceeded in catching him, and plucked out some of its itia hers 

 probably as a souvenicr of the pet. Ibis uudue famllarity 

 the partridge resented, and it was feared at one time that he 

 would desert Ihe locality, but it returned after a month's 

 absence. After a while it again be-ume intiirate with tho-e 

 in the neighborhood of the Springs. It was seen frequently 

 during last winter. When spring re' uroed it mated and as- 

 sisted in ihe raising of a good-sized brood. They were 

 waiched with interest uutil the wife and children deserted 

 the home during the close season. The had of the flock, 

 however, remained, and still responds to calls even of 

 strangers in the locality. Sometimes it. will fly into thecarri- 

 age of a visitor when it is called. The bird is healthy and 

 fidl-fledged differing from others only in Us domestic habits. 



