Novkmbrji 10,1881.] 



FOREST AJND STREAM. 



X 



289 



venture to do bo, Brave would wait uatil it was a sufficient 

 distance from cover, and then speedily make it a victim of: 

 misplaced confidence. The only time 1 ever saw him fright- 

 ened furnished the second exception I mentioned Of 

 creatures he would not immediately attack. On this occa- 

 sion I had gone to the post-office, distant fonr miles, fur the 

 mail. I started to return about nine o'clock in the evening 

 It was a clear moonlight night hut when I entered upon the 

 last half of my walk, which was through a dense, unbroken 

 forest, with only a winding and narrow path to follow, I 

 wis acd it was morning as devoutly as ever St. Paul did. 



Having my gun and dog, 1 plunged into the woods whis- 

 tling vigorously to keep my courage up. Nearly half the dis- 

 tance had heen passed without seeing or hearing anything 

 more formidable than an owl, with its solemn "to-bent," 

 when suddenly a large creature started up from its bed o£ 

 dried leaves, a few yards away, and came toward my path. 

 I could not plainly "distinguish it at first, hut knew at once 

 from the sounds made that it was a bear. 1 knew it was no 

 use to think of running, for, in the darkness, there was too 

 much danger of butting my head against a tree or falling over 

 some obstruction in my path ; it also occurred to me that if 

 the bear really intended to lastc my flavor, my running would 

 only precipitate that unwelcome event, for in the darkness 

 ho would be sure to strike a winning gait. As my gun was 

 only loaded with small shot, I decided that it would he folly 

 to fire except as a last resort, and the bear in close proximity. 

 So holding the gun in readiness, I cautiously moved forward, 

 not toward the bear, but toward home. I had taken but a 

 few steps when I stumbled over Brave, whom up to this time 

 1 had not thought of. There was au open space among the 

 trectops overhead, at this point, and in the increased light I 

 could see both the dog and bear : could see that the hairs on 

 Brave's back and neck were as erect as were ever hedge- 

 hog's quills, and that he was trembling as only a thoroughly 

 frightened animal can quiver. 



He looked into ray face, gave a low gTowl which seemed 

 to say, "He is more than my match, Master, but I won't 

 leave you." Had I given the command, I have no doubt 

 but that the faithful fellow would have gone to his death 

 with a spring and ringing cry of defiance ; but sp great was 

 my attachment for the dog that I preferred keeping myself 

 between him and the bear. Slowly, side by side, we moved 

 forward, and tramp, tramp, just at our right went the bear, 

 crushing the dry underbrush under his large, fiat feet. 



In this way we proceeded about a quarter of a mile, when 

 the bear, changing his mind, or at least changing his COJlrse, 

 made tracks for Racoon Mountain. Most willingly Brave 

 and I dispensed with his company and quickened our steps 

 when his could no longer be heard. A few days later a large 

 bear, perhaps our unwelcome escort, was seen in my father's 

 pasture not a quarter of a mile from the house. 



Poor Brave ! A year later he came home from a ramble 

 suffering terribly, and evidently from poison. The entire 

 family watched and nursed him, doing every thing that affec- 

 tiou could suggest for his relief, but all in vain. After two 

 days of suflering, as 1 sat near him, he looked into my face 

 with the old intelligent look, staggered toward me, and I 

 held him in my arms until he died. 



On a sunuy, grassy knoll, just back of the house, we dug 

 his grave. I made him a coffin, and the whole family fol- 

 lowed as mourners, when in it we carried him to his last rest- 

 ing place. 



I have pronounced many funeral orations since, but never 

 one with a sadder heart than that uttered at the grave of my 

 dumb companion and friend. 



As we turned away, my little sister asked, between her 

 sobs, "Do'oo fink we'll 'ave dear Bave in 'caven ?" and I 

 answered, "Yes, dear." 



Sometimes I think so now. 



Piltebury, Minn. J. Fkank Locke. 



MUD-INHABITING SWALLOWS. 



ABOUT the same period of time which I have referred 

 to above [1810], the small mill-pond in the village of 

 Woodstock was drawn off to repair a leaky dam, and in the 

 mud at the bottom of the pond were found great numbers of 

 twalluics, clinging with their bills to branchesof willows which 

 fringed the pond. This T did not see, myself, but I -heard it 

 testified to by agr'cat number of the people of the village. 

 You are therefore at liberty to believe, or disbelieve, as you 

 please. M. 



(The above note, extracted from a private letter written by 

 one of the oldest diplomats now in the service of the country 

 abroad, will be rcaei with interest, we are sure, by Dr. E. 

 Cones. The belief that swallows passed the cold weather 

 buried in the mud, just as the frogs and turtles do, is respec- 

 table chiefly on account of its great age, but is not believed 

 in by any scientific men at the present day. In fact almost 

 every recent writer on ornithology has, when he felt himself 

 in a combative mood, relieved his feelings by striking a few 

 blows at this ancient and once wide-spread belief. In con- 

 sequence of the unanimity of these attacks, the whole thing- 

 was fast taking a p'ace by the side of the story that the rails 

 turn into frogs, and that the brant geese were engendered 

 from barnacles, when suddenly about three years ago it was 

 slightly galvanized by Dr. Coucs, who, in his " Birds of the 

 Colorado Valley," declared that the thing was not impossible, 

 and that the evidence which had accumulated on the subject 

 could not be ignored. The same author stated at the same 

 lime his belie! that the chimney swifts hibernate in hollow 

 trees. 



' We have nothing to say on this subject, for it is one about 

 which we know nothing, and it. would be a waste of time to 

 repeat the arguments against the belief. We may hope, how- 

 ever, at some lime in the not very distant future, to hear 

 something more from Dr. Coues in regard to the matter.] 

 — . . — 



Snowy Owls. —Specimens of Nyctra scandium- have begun 

 to make their appearance along our Atlantic coast. During 

 the last week in October two were brought into a taxider- 

 dermist's (Wallace). One of these was said to have been 

 killed in Connecticut, and the other in this city, north of 

 Central Park. This dale is early for snowy owls, but many 

 collectors will remember that five or six years ago, when they 

 were so common all along the coast, they made their appear- 

 ance very early— that is, about the lust of October anil Brat 

 of November. We have just received from Mr. Chas. 

 Linden, Buffalo, N. Y.. a note saying that "A large white 

 owl was shot near Buffalo on Nov. 1. The bird m 

 appearance in the lal ter end of < letobcr, whirl; ista* 

 instance on record in this vicinily." 



Albino Quail.— Mr. P. Peterson, Little Rock, Ark., has 

 a white quail, which we Understand he will dispose of. 



(Jennie §n$ mid §utu 



V T?o* tebfc "/{/aine mbpns sa ( ■ ■■, i \ toft r 10. 

 STATE PIGEON TOURNAMENTS. 



Ma.. on, Mo., Oct, 24, 1 881. 

 /.'.'''-' >r Forest nnd Sfrcam .' 



I am much pleased to see that you have taken a stand 

 against pigeon-shooting at the. annual meetings of Stale 

 sportsmen's associations, styling themselves Game Pro- 

 tective Associations. I have always looked upon these 

 annual pigeon slaughters as a little, out Of place, and not in 

 keeping with the claims Of the gentlemen indulging in them. 



It must, be said to the discredit of Srn'e associations that 

 they frequently meet and trai inesa whatever, ex- 



cept to hold a "grand shooting tournament," elect new 

 officers and locate the plan for holding the next annual 

 meeting. If pigeon-shooting must be done, let it be dropped 

 from the State meeting, instead of being the principal 

 feature. It is my humble opinion that in our own State as- 

 sociation there are a large majority of the members against 

 the practice of pigeon-shooting at our State meeting. It is 

 true we have held Slate BhootS in connection With our State 

 meetings, but unlike some other States we have transacted 

 much other business of greal importance. It is through the 

 influence and efforls of our local clubs that our State has a 

 first-class game and fish law, and it is Ike fear of being caught 

 by some of the members of these clubs that deters persons 

 from violating these laws. A. member of our State associa- 

 tion at the last meeting offered a prize of $100 in gold to the 

 club procuring the greatest number of convictions for viola- 

 tions of the game and fish law, and at our next meeting wc 

 intend lo have a fine gold medal prepared to be contested for 

 by clubs in this maimer. 



Look cut for Missouri to take the lead in abandoning 

 pigeon-shooting in connection with State meetings of the 

 Sportsmen's Association. 



Keep the ball in motion, let the subject he discussed, pro 

 and.v'/o The time for a change has come, and the change 

 is virtually made. Boedek Ruffian. 



yiOKSBCKJ, Mass., Oct, 25. 

 Editor Fared- ond Stream : 



I am gratified to notice the growing spirit of disapproba- 

 tion all over the country touching the tmsportsmau-like prac- 

 tice of slaughtering sick pigeons in large numbers from the 

 trap as a test of skill in shooting. 



The few pigeon shoots in which I have participated ap- 

 peared to test. rati i er the comparative toughness of the birds 

 and shooting qualities of Ihe guns lhau the skill of the 

 shooters. The poor creatures, being suddenly liberated after 



g c mfinement, knew not which way to fly, or whether to 

 fly at all, and in many cases did not fly, but remained 

 perched on the trap, or were ihrown off, to tumble on the 

 ground near it. Aside from the eruestiou of cruelly', about 

 which a good deal may be said, pro and con, in the abstract, 

 the spectacle of a useless slaughter of this kind on a large 

 scale certainly is very repulsive to the sensibilities of a great 

 many true sportsmen, as well as to the more respectable part 

 of the public at large, whose views and feelings, when in- 

 vited to witness these contests, and expected generally to 

 manifest some interest in sportsmen's affairs, demand some 

 ration at the hands of the sporting fraternity. 



On the other hand, there arc many artificial targets, as the 

 various sorts of glass halls, clay pigeons, etc., which afford 

 much more artistic tests of the skill of marksmen, and arc 

 free horn theobjections urged against murdering invalid birds, 

 besides being less costly. 



Let us hope thai the lacerated feelings of philanthropists 

 will have a rest, as well a3 the invalids. Makooseu. 



7-Vi'i. 1 '' :>'< 1 >, Gal., Fee, Oct. 2 



We heartily concur with our worthy contemporary, the 

 Fokkst a*d Stream, in the opinion, as expressed in its last 

 number, that pigeon-shooting (or any kind of trap-shoeing, 

 for that matter) should form no part of the bust 

 annual meeting of State Sportsmen's Associations. These an- 

 nual meetings arc he Id ostensibly for the; purpose of reviewing 

 the work ol the year in upholding game protective laws, 

 bringing Ihe members of the several clubs into closer rela- 

 tions, and cementing the bonds of friendship thai are sup- 

 posed to Unite them in a common brotherhood. These con- 

 ventions should be composed of the more intelligent members 

 of the several clubs in each State, and delegates thereto 

 should, therefore, be gentlemen selected for theirappreciation 

 of field sports and their superior knowledge of the habits of 

 game birds and fishes, the protection of which is the alleged 

 first cousideiation of all, or nearly all, sportsmen's clubs. 

 But the introduction of shooting contests at the annual 

 business meetings threatens to change their character and 

 destroy their usefulness. We find nowadays that the first 

 qualification of a member of a club, to entitle him to become 

 a delegate to his State Sportsmen's Convention, k- thai he 

 an expi rienced trap-shot. The club which has the temerity 

 tQ send a delegation c imposed ol r ed members 



soon Hods itself badly left beoind in the great "event" of the 

 year thei u g toun amcht— simply for the reason that, 

 as a general thinir, this class of gentlemen are not experts at 

 the trap. What is the result i Sip. ply thai club delegations 

 ire t i "i>'i largely from an ■ ■ one partloular class— the 

 shooters. No matter whether a man is able to read or write ; 

 no matter whether he is capable of forming an intelligent 

 opinion regarding ihe justice or injustice of any particular 

 clause of Ihe game law; DO mailer whether lie' is a - '' 

 man or a " duffer — if only he can shoot he is the man that is 

 wanted. Indeed, it is no uncommon thing lor Blups to take 

 into their ranks, lor these especial occasions, market-hunters 

 and other outsiders who may he good shots, in order that 

 their representative^ may make a good showing in the 

 tubus Oft [delegations are largely composed of 



the vi ry classes of men who have the Utmost contempt for 

 game -protective IttWB. The result of all this is thai these an- 

 nual conventions of "sportsmen" mterly fail of the objects 

 for which they are called together, or which, at let 

 inspire every true lover of the rod, the gun and Die dog. 

 The " business ' is hurried through with, and all hall ll JO b 

 the trap to squabble and grab for all thernqnej 

 What wonder is if thai [amel ■ 



part of the country, and that the sportsmen's clubs take little 

 or no pains to firing the offenders to accounts bn 

 cassionly clubs fall almost entirely under the conn 

 who shoot for the market and for protlt. Fortunately eases 

 of tl I ■''. but they do exist, an 



prove it. So long as pigeon or trap-shooting is properly con- 



ducted and not allowed to interfere with the legitimate 

 business erf State Sportsmen's Associations and annual cyn 

 ventions, we shall have no fault to find with it. The ques- 

 tion of cruelty is an open one, and men differ widely upon it. 

 The better plan would be, in our opinion, to have no shoot- 

 ing at the annual business meetings of i : ,-,. Let 

 these be devoted to matters of more importance to dii 

 cussion of the game laws and the consideration of subjects: 

 that belong to the higher and better ort i tship. 

 Let them be composed of the wisest and best-iofOTlned 

 members of the several clubs belonging to ibe association. 

 Any time in the year will do for a shooting loumanient, and 

 for this particular business the club might nnd should send 

 their best marksmen. In short, separate trap-shooting from 

 Other and more legitimate affairs of the assooialions, and let 

 each he conducted by the persons best fitted thereto'. To 

 this extent, at least, our Eastern contemporary has our co- 

 operation. Here in California the State Association is not 

 yet a year old, but it has started out on the right, road by 

 prosecuting violators of the game laws without regard to their 

 Social Standing or "previous condition." We would like to 

 see it (and believe that it will) continue in this way, to the 

 end that the wild game of the Stale may be preserved for a 

 few years more and Ihe reckless greed of some creatures be 

 curbed somewhat. It has yet to put, in practice any par- 

 ticular plan lor the conduct of its annual business meetings 

 and shooting tournaments, and we therefore commend t I, 

 officers thereof the above suggestions. We have other 

 reasons to advance in their support, but will defer them till 

 another occasion. 



MAINE WARDENS AND VISITING SPORTSMEN. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



After my return from the Maine woods last week, on look- 

 ing over toe copies of your journal, which had accumulated 

 during my absence, I read in your issue of the 10th inst. a 

 letter from the Commissioner of Fisheries in Maine, Hon. R 

 M. Stilwell. 



As I have had the pleasure, for a number of years past, of 

 being one of the "visiting sportsmen from other States" al- 

 luded to, I cannot suffer to pass unnoticed the aspn 

 made by the honorable gentleman, without qualification, up- 

 on the character of all tourists and campers who may ehunce 

 to take game outof season for use at their scanty tables, and 

 who conscientiously lake only what they can use. That the 

 gentleman should term this a "very dirty path of atoueenj n 

 causes no little surprise to those of us" who have learned to 

 look upon and respect him as a fair-minded man. The 

 jective he uses in the absence of qualificaliou applies to many 

 persons, who inhigh-mindedness, conscientiousness ami hon- 

 esty of purpose are certainly his peers, and who are SB much 

 interested as he can he in seeing the game laws fairly inter- 

 preted and impartially enforced. The gentleman couples 

 with his denunciation the statement that wfr' J becomc poachers 

 and tempt others to assist" us. I have had guides in the M line 

 woods, both white and Indian, most of whom in Ihe winter 

 are, or have been, hunters and trappers, and among them 

 some of the most respectable and influential in their several 

 communities, and I never yet saw the time white camping 

 out, but that at sight of game my guides would be the first 

 to say, "Shoot it! Shoot it!" and would lake every means 

 in their power to effect its capture, be it in season or out of 

 season. They well know that the mantle of success covers 

 their shoulders emite as much as it does those ol the tourist 

 with them — that their reputation and future capacity to earn 

 their daily bread as guides is enhanced or diminished by 

 their ability or failure to lake their employers Within reach 

 of game. Nay, I have known instances where g tides would 

 be the first to jump for a rifle, and shoot a moose or caribou 

 before the sportsman knew what, they were doing, and these 

 guides are by no means "drunken poachets" ti- 

 ers," but honest, bard working farmers, the hont 

 of the laud. 



Not many years ago in the month of August n guide in my 

 employment, who now is clad in the rig iteoi i aCJarae 



Warden, carried one of the only two rifl in fly, and 



tried his best to shoot a caribou. That stone niaj 



ereel with sins against the game laws committed pro 



his appointment, to office (hat he dare not prosecute parties 

 in his own town for flagrant breaches of the law for fear of 

 retribution in kind, and rumor says— and she speaks loudly 

 and plainly — that his own brother openly breaks the law 

 o,,l is allowed to ply his vocation undistm b 



1 know of a case, and, unless I am gietoly :.,. . do-n, this 

 statement is not new to the honorable Commissioner, where. 

 within the past f our years, a then moose- war. leu acting OH 

 guide to a party if campers helped them kill two moo8e 

 together, and in the close season. It is true that this man 

 may not now be a warden, as the Commission i : : Vol 

 was one then. I have never heard of his dismU&s 

 office nor punishment for the part he phiyeo i . 



Some few cases there are where inks . 

 been prosecuted for killing moose, the most notable one in 

 the writer's knowledge being that of a prominent huntei 

 guide, who was charged with having unlawfully killed sev- 

 eral in one season. The conduct of his case happ o 



i uoiiiitted to a certain warden, who had in his hands the 

 list of witnesses to he summoned, and oilier evidence of the 

 offence. Now, what became of this case '{ Shortly after his 

 indictment this guide went to a third parly— a near relative 

 of the prosecuting warden — and told him that if fh 

 WetC pressed to trial ho, the relative, would in turn be prose- 

 cuted, as the guide knew several instances where lie had 

 broken the law. Tnis relative, win. told me the above cir- 

 cumstances, ended his story by remarking, innoceutlv, that 

 " When the cuurt opened and Ihe o -. ■. /to be 



reached, was busy down river, and could'nt go in court, 



so he gave the papers to so-and-so, ami asked him to attend 

 to the matter. I don't know how it came out, bul I 



T got off free." As this ease involved i !■■ 



nearly twenty moose (so 1 was informed), it is not hard to 

 believe that some pressure had been brought to bear 

 somebody. 



From these, and many other "straws," it see 

 parent, and the words of the honorable Commission! I 

 out the inference, that it is only "vi-. . 



States" upon whom ihe wrath of the law is to be 

 poured Why do not lie: authorities put oo o 

 of hounding decry Why are. hounds to I ,u lit i i r E 

 twenty^seven, as reported to me last weel i ■ 



allowed to range I lie woods, driving del I 

 a hundred miles from Bangor? WTjyare respci 

 chants, who keep their hounds near the hunting grounds; in 

 ■f servants, almost the entire son ■ ' ■ o ■ i 

 doer — why are [hey allowed to break the law 

 openly, while we, who bring our mom , 



