30 i 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[N»VEMBeB 17, 188l 



Shore. We had supposed that these men had more intelli- 

 gence than to advocate any acti >n which meane such cer- 

 tain destruction to their business as this. Can they not fee 

 thatby "ic turagingtbisc onsta >t himmeringof the birds they 

 are culling tlv ir own throats? When the birds have been 

 driven away where will heir occupation lie? 



We are informed that the prospec 8 for fowl-shooting on 

 the South Shore were i ever belt' r than at the opening of the 

 season, but tsat the birds have since been so harassed thatth 

 BhOOt'ng Ins been uuusually poor. We know of a number 

 of men who have been down to Shinnecock, and have come 

 back disgusted They had the same old story told them of 

 excellent shooting "last week" or 'the day before yester- 

 day, " but they g >t no bins themselves. 



If the people along the South Sh re do not manifest more 

 r gard for ibeir own iniere-t they will make that coast so 

 unpopular that no one will go there to shoot, and they will 

 have to amend 'he Lord's prayer so as to read "'give us this 

 day our dai y stranger." 



A WORD TO THE NEW YORK YACHT 

 CLUB. 



WE feel strongly thai some notice ought to be taken of 

 the more than q 'eslionable course pursued by the 

 owners of the yacht Graeie in startng their boat as a racer in 

 the recent inei national matches between the Canadian jacht 

 and the champion of the New York Yacht Club, the Mis- 

 chief. It was a most uncalled for exhibition of ill-feeling 

 such as has never before been witnessed in this country, and 

 we trust never will be seen agin. 



When the under aking to defeat the Canadian was dele- 

 gated to Mr. Duck's yacht, it became the duty of every one 

 conn cted with the Nuw York Yacht Club to do all in their 

 power 10 aid and assist him, and while we know he is too 

 good a yachtsman and loo cl ar-headed lo allow any outside 

 issue to intern re with the task he had on hand, still the mere 

 inducement to diive his boat h<rder than there wis any neces- 

 s ty for in an attempt to beat the Graeie, and thus incur the 

 ritk of a breakdown, was forced in a most indecent fashion. 

 W e were much pleased to see. however, in the first 

 day's race that Mr. Busk fully realized the nature of the 

 undertaking, and, remembering that he bad a "play or 

 pa\" race before him the m-xt day, he put himself under easy 

 canvas in his run out to the lightship. As there was Ihe re- 

 mains of »n old head sea on outside, and a« he had the Cana- 

 dian well beaten a' that period of the race, he took in his 

 b'C jib topsail at the point of the Elook, and went out under 

 plain sail only ; in fact all through the race the Mischief was 

 Sailed against the Atalanta and against the Atalanta only. We 

 fully concur with the i pinion expressed in a letter to a daily 

 cont' nporary 'bat had the Misf hie F b en driven to try and 

 beat the Graeie, and had she broken down in the attempt, the 

 blame would have justly been laid upon Messrs. Flint and 

 Earle. Nor can we arquit the Regatta C anmi'tte of all 

 resp onsib lily in the matter, as by agreeing to take the time 

 of the Gr cie they, thoughtlessly, no doubt, gave their coun- 

 ti nance 1 1 an inlerlop r, and are in a degree responsiule for 

 the unseemly ehibi inn. 



We do not propose hereto enter iuto Ihe merits of iheat'ack 

 made by interested parties on the America Cup Commi>iee 

 owing to ihe selection they made of a representative yacht. 

 In such matters the selection must be left to some one, and it 

 is impossible for 'he Committee to please everybody, but this 

 faci fior.ls no excuse or palliation f r personal abu-e or the 

 suggestion of un vorthy m 'lives. Fortunately, n > attacks ot 

 thi-i kind can toll h the rupu ation of any member of the 

 AmTici'a Cup Committee, composed as it is of gentlemen 

 noted r or their practical and theoretic 1 knowledge of yacht- 

 ing, as well an for ther upr ghtnesa aud d termination to do 

 what is just without fear >r Tavor. Tno wisdom of their 

 choice was euionslraled ny the result of the races, and we arc 

 much mistaken in our estimate of the gentlemen in authority 

 in he Ne« York Yach' Olub if Ihey fail to take s ich steps 

 as mav be ue^ossary to oliijially iudorse the action of their 

 Committee. 



Hy so doing the Glu ■ will s'rongly mwk its disapproval 

 of the disreputable attacks which have b -en made anony- 

 mously o i in l Viinmitiee, and will prevent in future any re- 

 currence of the exit I) tion of bad taste which we have now to 

 deplore. Messrs. Flint and Earle should be brought, to ac- 

 cinirit by the New York Y. C. and made to substantiate 

 their charges of ba l faith against the Committee, or else 

 withdraw their ungemletnanly abuse in as public a manner as 

 they have se n fit. t i give vent io their unjustifiable alt iclts. 



The club owes tlr» much to itself and to its appointed com- 

 mittee. A proper disciplining of members who have gone be- 

 y«nd the limits observed am< ng geDtlemen, and who in their 

 spite ul comtnunica ioi:s to the daily press have stooped to 

 mi representation, will.be espeeia ly wholesome. 



among the bulrushes of that famous Egyptian river. We 

 saw the craft at the establishment of Mr. Squires before it 

 a as shipped, and it was a mode] of grace and beauty. We 

 venture to say that after this no winter on the Kilo will he 

 complete without a Rushton b at. 



Tun Interesting Account o' the Hcring Gull and the 

 Ring- Bill on G( gi&JB Bay, from the pen of the Rev, J. H. 

 Liiiigiii. wi ich we publiBh in another column, will form 

 one of ihe ch pt* rs uf a new work on ornithology soon to 

 appear. We mufcrotftnd hat this work will contain some 

 featuies new to li enlure of this* description. 



The Ame Joan Fi.ah in Egypt —An American pleasure 

 boat will he added 10 the rnoily craft on the Nile this win- 

 ter, iMr. Rushton has built for Mr. August Belmont, Jr., 

 of this city, one of his famous boats, which will be launched 



Ety M#or L tsmnn S£owi$L 



LEAVES FROM A LOG BOOK. 



I.— THE MoDEkN ABZ, 



' < T7'-A-PEI wake up, boys! Daylight!" called 



_JL Captain Noah, of the " Modern Ark," as he stood 

 hy the stove, raking out the ashes of tne last night's fire, his 

 teeth chatt' ring with the co d. 



"Jimmy! No.ih, how's the thermometer?'' came f-om one 

 hunk, where a noise and a pur of eyes were visible for o. e 

 seconil above the thick blankets, and were hastily covered 

 up again as their owner felt the piercing cold. 



" Watei's frozen in the tea-kett e, Suera ; but Brewerton 

 ain't in s'glit, and we've got to make Frenchman's Island by 

 noon. So tumble out." 



"All right, old man," and in a few minutes ai three are 

 busy at work; so while Noah makes the fire, and Shem and 

 Japhet are putting up the bunks and stowing away the 

 bla keis. let us take a survey of ihe odd-looking craft that 

 serves as the r h JnlatLn. 



The Modern Ark is a flat-b^at or scow, twenty feet Ion? 

 by eight feet wide, aud two feet deep, and decked over at 

 echend for four feet, the remainder being occupied by a 

 house built of light stuff, seven feet in height from the floor, 

 haviug a Doweit, wooden roof covered with painted canvas. 

 In each end of ihe house ae sliding doors and a wiudowone 

 foot square is set into . ach side. The interior, which is lined 

 with thctt draughting paper for warmth, is titled with long, 

 low h ckers, d vided iuto compartments, and running ne--rly 

 the whole length on each side of the liou^e. 'these serve for 

 stowing provi-tons and plunder, aud are used as sweats and as 

 rests for the bunks which are hinged to the walls. Near the 

 after-end is a small wood-burning cook stove, wi'h p its and 

 pan" hung around it, and from pegs and hooks in t >e walls 

 depend hunting garments, guns, rods & dog whip, a buck 

 t,an, ax. haicuei and other necessary utensils. The iwo 

 dogs, Bmy, a Ubtive English setter of smai] size, anil Bri-n, 

 an Irish water spaniel, occupy the space beneath ihe for- 

 ward-deck at night, and beneath the after-deck are slowed 

 decoys. canvaB, rope. etc. The motive power of the craft is 

 a sail hung on a mast forward of the house, aud, when wind 

 fulls, a p>.ir of paddle wheels attachi d to a shaft running 

 across the boat, and woiked hy a lever within, hand-car 

 fashion. The builders of the craft are its occupants. Soon 

 after its completion some friend dubbed it, "The Modern 

 Ark," and its captain came to be known as Noah, and the 

 other owners as Shem and Japhet. A " Hani" whs engaged 

 for one inp, but was Boon dispensed with, the owners 

 proving better cook* and smaller eaters (except Shem, who 

 was known as '■ Squ>ire-me«l Shem.") 



The pp sent trip had been begun in the afternoon of the 

 preceding day, and partly accomplished after dark. Tne 

 many windings of the Seueci and Oneida rivers had ren- 

 dered the nail useless, and indeed the doubtful bottom of the 

 Gaskin and Caughdenoy 'riffs" had made it necessary to 

 send one man ahead into the da kness with a t-kiff. Prog- 

 ress in thi< way was so slow that it was well al ong in the 

 night before the point was reached where we find the Ark 

 moored. 



"Boys," called Japhet who had opened the door to let the 

 dogs out on the decks, "there's a foot of snow, and an jw- 

 ing yet " 



••So there is." said Shem, "but I guess we are near Brewer- 

 ton, for I can hear a train crossing the bridge." 



Soon a comfortable fire was built, and one of Shem's 

 "►qusre meals," consisting of fried bacon, slaojacks and cof- 

 fee was put away, then~tbe Modern Ark was loosed from 

 shore, and with Japhet and N ah at the "pump" and Shem 

 steering they were soon under wny, ihe paddles threshing 

 the water at a great rate. As the first b ml was rounded 

 Shem shouted, "Brewcrion, ho!" and afier a half hour more 

 of pumping the Modern Ark floated under the two bridges, 

 and was lied to the breakwater at the river's m 'Ulh. Here. 

 a consul ation whs deemed neces-ary. Frenchman's Island, 

 the ubj -r.t've point, wa a about five miles distant in plain 

 sight, But to reach it the Modern Ark must be propelled 

 over the open waters of Oneida Lake, which was here from 

 four to five miles wid- — again-t a s'r ng east wind and a 

 fierce sea. It was evident that hy working the Ark with her 

 regular gear would be extremely difficult on account of the 

 Btromr. head wind aud irre^ul r waves, which would no' give 

 a "hoi " for the paddle wheels. On the other hand this 

 same wind made it dangerous to try to make the island by 

 >a 1 in sucn an unmnnageable craft. Af ersome consultation 

 the deciding vote to "make tne latter at empt was cast, by 

 Shem, who would raiher risk his life than overwork himself 

 at the "pumps," so the sail being rigged with the reefs tied 

 in 'he group of small boys on shore was ordered to "cast 

 off." 



"Fasten the lee board!" shrieked Noah who was holding 

 the sheet with one hand and steering with the other, while 

 his hat, which he could n t hold on, went sailing away over 

 the water. "Trim s ip, boys !" and the stove, anchor, guns, 

 dogs and all the movables were piled up to windward. Even 

 tiien the Ark careened So she sailed more on her side than on 

 her bottom, and 'he crew had ha;d work to keep the heavier 

 artic es from rolling over to leeward. 



"i au't you ease her up, Noah?" yelled Japhet. 



"No ; we've got to make Toad Hartior Point on this leg." 



"But we're shippi' g barre's of water." 



"Can't help it. Get the pails and hail her out." 



Sba-lesof r»eptune! How the old ark flew! The pierc- 

 ing wind and icy sleet beat bitte ly "gainst Noah's face, as 

 he held on valiantly to he sheet and idler, his uncovered 

 hair flying in the wind, while anon a crash from witlrn, or 

 the agonizing yelp from a dog, told of the struggles of the 

 crew to keep the ba last whe e it belonged, and to preserve 

 an equilibrium in spite of he lopsy-turw condition of . the 

 cabin. But the old crafr hore the storm pretty well, consid- 

 eiing all ihings, and ploughed her way gallantly up 10 T ad 

 Harb r Point, where some riutk shooters left theft blind to 

 get a closer view of the orange, uncouth-looking vessel, and 

 stared open-mouthed as the Ark was put ahoir, and head d 

 away on the home Btretch. It was easier riding now, and 



the crew "had time to think," as Shem expressed it; and in 

 a few minutes the Modern Ark was run inlo the narrow pas- 

 sage separating Fren3hmau's aud Dunham's Islands and 

 benched in a sheltered cove. 



While Shem went ashore with the ax to cut some wood, 

 Japhel and Noah baled the waier out of the cabin, where it 

 was ai kle deep, and reconnected the stove with its pipe. 

 Then a rousing fire was built and the doors closed, and as 

 the genial warmth diffuses itself through ihe little cabin, 

 sending the steam un frjm the wet clothing of the crew, the 

 threat men huddled close around the s'ove, gave three cheers 

 for the staunch old "Mo lern Ark," accompanied hy such a 

 lustv " tiger!" that the dogs slunk away in the furthest cor- 

 ner of the boat, evidently thinking their masters had sud- 

 denly become crazy. 



"It's worth all the wet and cold of the sail lo enjoy such 

 comfort as this after it," said Noah, as he sipped his coffee 

 hot from the fire. 



" May be it is," replied Shem, " but a good deal of money 

 wouldn't hire me to try it over again. Why, Noah, if the 

 Ark bad capsized I'd never got out of the cabin in the world 

 with that stove a top of me." 



" We'd have all been drowned for the profani'y you fired 

 at ihe dogs," said Japhet slyly. 



After a thorough thawing out the three took the duck boats 

 and proceeded to the north aide of ihe island, where bru-h 

 and tu-hes were cut and a bough house built, and the decoys 

 set out. Ducks were flying in fair numbers, and soon a 

 bunch of blue-bills were enticed to the blind, a-d four 

 dropped out at. the report of the gun3. Then a pair of pin- 

 tails escaped after s<x barrels had been emptied at them. An- 

 other bunch of blue-bills left three, of the r number, followed 

 by the killing of two single birds by Japhet Eight whistlers 

 out of a flock that huddled together over the decoys com- 

 pleted the bag for the day, and the sportsmen were "glad to 

 abandon the fre> zing atmosphere of the point for the comfort 

 of the warm cabin. "One duck apiece," was the rule on 

 board the Modern Ark. and the crew being experts in pre- 

 paring them for cooking, three ducks were soon picked, 

 cleaned, beheaded, well salted and peppered inside and put 

 whole into the oven in a pan. In twenty minutes they were 

 pronounced "done," and served up, one to each man, arcom- 

 panied by boiled potato, s and fragrant coffee, and even Slietu 

 could not complain that anything was lacking to make, the 

 repast what he continually prayed for, "a square meal." 



"Boys," observed Shem an hour later, as he set akefle of 

 newly-made mush out on deck to cool for the dogs, "itsirikes 

 me that that ark they ti ll about in the Bible never struck 

 such a squall as we had to-day, or it would have taken more 

 cussin' than Noah and those three sons of his could do to keep 

 all them animals on the windward side of the flat-boat." 



Sbseoa. 



AMERICAN SPORTING LITERATURE. 



SIXTY-FIVE years ago, when the writer cauaht his first 

 trout in Massachusetts' streams, theie was no sporting 

 literature aud few sportsmen. 



A man of business or of the professions whosh'-uld have 

 taken his two weeks' in the woods with rod and gun would 

 have been considered unsafe to do bu-iness with. 



There were indeed a few rersons who ventured openly 

 upon field sports. M>-n like Daniel Webster were able to 

 d- fy public opinion, and enjoy themselves in shooting and 

 tishing, but. it is probable that these innocent amusem-nts in- 

 jured them more in ihe public mind man more serious indul- 

 gences would have done. In tbe town of Boston at that pe- 

 riod one might count upon his fingers the names of all those 

 who fish' d and hunted for amusement. 



As 10 books upon these subjects the few we had were Eng- 

 lish. Walt 'n's Angler, Davy's Saltnonia. Kit N Tin's Rec- 

 reations in Blackwood, Hawker ou Shooting, and the Eng- 

 lish Sporting Magazine are all that I remember, the lat r er 

 mainly dev' ited to fox hunting and racing. A volume of it I 

 use I sometimes to get from a circulating library when my 

 BaanceS permitted, and I dared to face he severec ountenance 

 of Colonel P., the librarian, whom I looked upon as the hap- 

 piest man on earth, owner of that treasure, a full set of ihe 

 Sporting Magazine Two young men of that d y, rich and 

 independent, used, I remember, to make an annual visit to 

 Scotland in pursuit of grouse and s tlmon, but this eccentric- 

 ity ahnost fitted them in public estima ion for tue lunalic 

 asylum. 



The first sporUng periodical published in America was, I 

 think, edited by Johu S. Skinner, of Bal'inmre, and c lied the 

 American Sp uting Mag -zine, about 18J0 30. It appeared 

 in octavo form, was well editid and printed and w.i-< tllus- 

 tiated with coppei-plate engravings of race horses It died 

 in a year or two for want of support, being in advance of its 

 time. 



Dr. J. V. C. Smith, of Massachusetts, published a work on 

 ihe fiShes of that State, with angling notes, perhaps about 

 1833 to 1810. Readable to hungry minds, though full of 

 errors. 



About 1841 Thos. Doughty, the painter, published a work 

 in quarto form in numbers upon American Natural History 

 and Field Spins, illustrated with excellent original drawings 

 of animals and scenery. It reached, I think, twelve num- 

 bers, and is an interesting and valuable work. I am uncer- 

 tain about the da'es of the ah .ve works, my copies of them 

 having been destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. 



We a gler« of the early pari of the century had to get our 

 knowl dge of the gentle art from p -rsoial experience, not 

 from that of others. With the recluse of Arden Forest, we 

 found 



"Books in the running brooks." 



Sportsmen being few at that period, game and fish 

 were abundant. Iu Ne-vton, near Boston, where my boy- 

 hood was pis ed, quail, ruifed grouse and rabbits were con- 

 stat residents iu th-; extensive woods. Woodcock, snipa 

 and clucks were always to be found iu their snaS'in by those 

 who knew where to lo k. and almost every brook in the 

 town contained trout — well ed icated fish and not ea ily be- 

 guiled. The last, brae- killed by me in that town, about 

 1825, were taken in an almost inaccessible swamp with very 

 light tackle, and weighed two poun Is— very larje for that 

 region, where 1 have heard it doubted by an lers whether 

 any trout in the United States weighed hreepou 'ds. Maine 

 and Michigan waters wee then unknown, and Cape God 

 furnished the heaviest trout known to the eitv anglers. 



In ihese days, half a d izen excellent sporting j mrnals, be- 

 sid b a whole/library of volumes devoted to all branches of 

 American field sports and guide books to a'l hunting aud 

 fis'iiug grounds, rend T8 the pursuit of game easy, and should 

 make the modern American a linished naturalist and sports- 

 man. >■■>■■ $• G. C, 



