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THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL. 



Entered According to Act ot Congress, to the year 1881, by the Forest and Stream Publishing company, to the office ot the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



Torm '" , ^Sr» r tu^. t8 - aCopr '} NEW YORK, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1881. {*„». 39 andVl^Mw, w «w v«». 



CONTENTS. 



Editobial : — 

 Thaddeus Orane Banks ; The Field Trials ; Vicious Military 



Practice ; Bye-Ways of the Northwest 388 



Our Christinas Number ; Notes 395 



The Sfobtsman Toubist :— 



In " The Mash ;" Cruise of the Nipper ; a Western Trip in 

 a Hunting Car ; Autobiographical Fragments 385 



NatubAL Histobi:— 



The Babbit Nuisance in New Zealand ; Habits of Woodpeck- 

 ers ; Coloring of Buffed Grouse : Snow Geese in the 



Delaware 367 



'Game Baq and Gun :— 



The Valley Quail of California as a Game Bird; Old Times 

 at Moutaulc ; Reducing Expanded Shells ; The Mobile 

 Gun Club Dinner ; More About Turkey Calling ; A Missis- 

 sippi Camp Hunt ; More About Bust-Spots 368 



Sea and Biveb Fishing :— 



Angling Quotations ; Fresh Water Fisheries at Berlin ; An 

 Angler's Guide ; Tennessee Fish Notes ; Night Fishing. . 391 

 -PlSHOUXTtTBE :— 



Distributing Carp in Tennessee ; Bainbow Tront of Cali- 

 fornia.... 371 



The Kennel : — 

 National Field Trials j Pennsylvania Field ^Trials ; Daisy ; 

 Care of Field and Hnnting Dogs 872 



Bifub and Tbap Shooting 395 



Answebs to Oobeespondents 395 



Xachting and Canoeino : — 

 Measurement ; Type ; Bice Lakers 396 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



The Fobest and Stbeam la the reoognlzed medium of entertainment, 

 Instruction and Information between American sportsmen. 



Communications upon the subjects to which Its pages are devoted 

 Me Invited from every part of the country. 



Anonymous communications will not be regarded. No eorrespond- 

 fent's name will be published except with his consent. 



The Editors cannot be held responsible for the views of correspond- 

 ents. 



Subscriptions. 



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 Bm. Terquem, 15 Boulevard, St. Martin, Parts, France. 

 Advertisements. 



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Address: Forest and Stream Publishing Co., 



Nos. 39 and 40 Park How, New York City. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



Thursday, December 15. 



A Disgrace to Journalism.— We have never felt called 

 upon to notice the malicious attacks, which certain journals 

 have from time to time made upon the Forest and Stbeam, 

 or upon individuals connected with the paper. This course 

 has proved so satisfactory that we propose to continue it. 

 We are impelled to make a single exception to it now by our 

 indignation, which all who know the facts share with us, at 

 the nature of certain articles, published as leading editorials, 

 in a New York sporting paper. These articles have been 

 onslaughts upon the character of one individual— he a sick 

 man, on his dying bed. We make this simple statement, 

 that the facts may be understood by the friends of the 

 assailed man and by the public. There is no need of com- 

 ment. If their own consciences have not already told them, 

 we shall not attempt the unwelcome task of showing the 

 authors of these gross attacks that their impotent attempts 

 to blacken the reputation of a dyitig man have been out- 

 rageously indecent, as brutal as indecent, and as cowardly as 

 brutal — a diegrace at once to journalism and to mankind. 



An Added Interest attaches to the story of the " Hinkley 

 Bunt of 1818," given last week, from the fact that Garfield's 

 birthplace was just eighteen miles east of the hunting 

 ground ; and at the time of his birth the country was still 

 * howling wilderness. 



THADDEUS CRANE BANKS. 



A FTER a lingering illness, Thaddeus Crane Banks, Busi- 

 ness Manager of this journal, died of consumption at 

 his residence in Brooklyn, Wednesday morning, December 

 H. 



It is with the prcfoundest sorrow and a sense of personal 

 bereavement that we make this announcement. To all in 

 this office, Mr. Banks was much more than a business asso- 

 ciate; he was an intimate personal friend, for whom, during 

 the years of our business connection with him, we had come 

 to feel the warmest affection. This feeling had become 

 deepened and intensified by our solicitude for him duriDg the 

 past weeks, after it had become only too evident that his. 

 death could not be long averted. 



Thaddeus Crane Banks was born at Danbury, Conn., Jan- 

 uary 5, 1829 ; and was therefore at the time of his death al- 

 most fifty-three years of age. Like so many other successful 

 newspaper men, he had, before entering the publishing world, 

 already achieved a decided success in other fields of labor. 

 He was by profession a dentist, and for more than twenty 

 years held a very high place in his profession in this city. 

 With the unremitting devotion to his work, which was 

 characteristic of the man through all his life, he applied him- 

 self so closely that his over-taxed constitution gave way, and 

 his failing health obliged him to surrender the place of dis- 

 tinction which he had attained, and to abandon for the time 

 his office work. He removed to Wallingford, Conn., where 

 he soon won the respect of his fellow-citizens by the public 

 spirit which he displayed j and he was twice sent as repre- 

 sentative of his district to the State Legislature. 



In 1871 he undertook the business management of the 

 American Sportsman, and began its publication at West 

 Meriden, Conn., the editor being the late Wilbur F. Parker. 

 Mr. Banks remained with the paper after its removal to New 

 York, where it was published as the Rod and Gon. In 1877 

 when the Rod and Gun and the Fobest and Stream were 

 combined, he continued in business control of the paper; 

 and held the position up to the time of his death. He brought 

 to the exacting demands of newspaper life great business 

 energy, with an unwavering devotion and enthusiasm, which 

 compelled success in whatever he undertook. It is very 

 largely to the untiring labors and the business ability of T. C. 

 Banks that the present position of the Forest and Stream 

 is due. His whole thought was given to the paper and its 

 welfare. During the last months of his life, although wholly 

 unfitted for any work, he came daily to the Forest and Stream 

 office, overcoming by his determined will-power the weak- 

 ness of his condition, and through his interest in the paper 

 keeping up his strength and courage. His patient face and 

 silent, gentle bearing among us, touched the hearts of all who 

 saw him, and prompted, almost unconsciously on our part, a 

 feeling of tenderness for our friend. 



Mr. Banks had traveled extensively over this country and 

 abroad ; and was widely known in newspaper circles, and 

 among public men. He had hundreds of warm personal 

 friends who will mourn his death. 



The funeral will be held from his late residence, 453 Lafa- 

 yette avenue, Brooklyn, next Sunday, Dec. 17, at 2 p. m. 



The Children's Aid Society (George J. Coe, treasurer, 

 No. 128 Broadway) has issued its annual appeal for Christ- 

 mas-time contributions. The appeal deserves, and we trust 

 may receive, a hearty response. 



Doo Training.— The sixth chapter of the regular series of 

 articles on this subject now running in our Kennel depart- 

 ment is unavoidably deferred until next week. 



THE FIELD TRIALS. 



LAST week we gave our readers a synopsis of the running 

 at Robbins' Island, from Wednesday morning to the 

 finish. The weather was all that could be desired, and much 

 better than the most sanguine dared to hope for. The at- 

 tendance, while not so large as we had expected, was very 

 fair, and composed of well known sportsmen from all parts 

 of the country. The character of the work performed by 

 the dogs was, in many instances, superior to anything of the 

 kind that has ever been witnessed at Field Trials in this 

 country. The handlers, with one or two exceptions, worked 

 their dogs in an artistic, as well as sportsmanlike manner ; 

 in fact, to our eyes, they were ideal sportsmen, who ap- 

 peared to be not only conscious of the faults as well as the 

 merits of their own dogs, but who could also see, and were 

 quick to acknowledge, superior merits when shown by their 

 competitors. In very many instances the one who lost the 

 heat would be the first to indorse the decision of the judges. 



The Derby brought out a rare lot, and never 'before, in 

 this country, were so many young dogs shown whose per- 

 formances would show so high an average. The All-Aged 

 Stakes had many starters who had before appeared in public, 

 as well as a number of new aspirantsforfame, and the quality 

 of the work shown would in many instances compare favorably 

 with that of any previous meeting. The judges were par- 

 ticularly fitted for the position, and more competent and fair 

 minded gentlemen it has never been our good fortune to 

 meet. Upon the whole, the meeting was a very successful 

 one, and we congratulate the Eastern Field Trials Club upon 

 the abundant success that has crowned their efforts. We 

 were not a little disappointed that the Members Stake — which 

 should have been the prominent feature of the meeting— did " 

 not bring out a larger number of competitors, and after wit* 

 nessing the magnificent heat between Brock and Bessie, we 

 were more than ever convinced that this event— if properly 

 supported — would do more to popularize these Trials than all 

 the other stakes combined, and we trust that the next meet- 

 ing will show at least twenty-five starters to compete for the 

 honor of winning the Members Stake. 



Of the Louisiana Field Trials not so much can be said. It 

 was the first meeting and the entries were but few in num- 

 ber, aud the character of the work was as a whole by no 

 means remarkable. With two or three notable exception?, 

 the dogs run failed to distinguish themselves. Gordon, how 

 ever, owned by Mr. MtGinnis, has since made for himself 

 an honorable record as the National Trials, and there were 

 other good dogs shown at Amite and Areola. 



The National Trials have brought out what we may call 

 the very best canine talent in the country, and the work done 

 at Grand Junction appears to have been in all respects worthy 

 of praise. Dashing Novice, Bess and Shadow in the Derby, 

 Peep o' Day, Nellie, Breckenridge and Lad in the All-Aged 

 Stakes are all good ones. KiDg Dash has not now to make 

 his reputation as a field dog, nor has Belton III. The 

 Pennsylvania Trials opened on Monday, and with every 

 prospect of being successful. We refer our readers to our 

 Kennel columns for details of the running, which is still in 

 progress. Next week we shall give details of the heats 

 throughout. 



Real Off-hand Shootisg. — The letter from a Worcester 

 rifleman, published last week, represents very fairly the 

 opinion on this whole question of short cuts to high scores. 

 There is too great an ambition to see high figures, and not 

 enough care to see that these stand for excellent personal 

 endeavor. The Englishman who shoots at 200 yards lying on 

 the ground has no right to compare his score with those made 

 on our rifle ranges, where the men stand erect ; and so, in 

 only a smaller degree, the score of a man who shoots with the 

 left arm free of the body should take precedence over a 

 record made with the hip-rest. We want a test of men in 

 rifle shooting, and not a gauge of how far clever trickery has 

 been made available. 



The Earl of Du.mraven in Nova Scotia. — We have re- 

 ceived from the Eirl of Dunraven a communication in refer- 

 ence to his experience with the Nova Scotia game laws. 

 The letter reaches us too late for insertion this week ; It wil 1 

 be published in our next issue. . 



