450 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



tJASTFAEY 5, 1883. 



gun maker's name, and he will make you a gun that will do 

 it every time, guaranteed. Above, all, bo sure that your 

 powder is good; not necessarily expensive. 



In concluding this brief paper 1 should slate that the 

 charges named above are lor guns weighing from 7A to 8^ 

 pouuds. But I am sure that 1 have given the maximum of 

 shot for any gun that a gentleman ought to use. Pot hunters 

 have their peculiar guns and they load them to mil them- 

 selves. 



But I have found several very surprising things in my ex- 

 periments, " things which," as Lord Dundreary says, 

 " are past a fellow's finding out.'' 



With S drams of powder and I oz. of shot I obtained 

 Dearly or quite as good penetration at a target as I did from 

 3j drams of powder and If oz. shot. But when I tried the 

 same loads on game there was no comparison. Can it be 

 that the feathers and the wind would make this difference? 

 "Who will rise to explain? In the old muzzle-loading days 

 a man who would use 4 drams of powder was considered as a 

 mere pot hunter, and, indeed, the jar, smoke and general dis- 

 c jmfort precluded, as a general thing, the use of more than 

 2> drams. Now, the modification in bore, the pistol grip, 

 which takes more than half the recoil, and a better idea of 

 making guns, have improved the. modernbreech-loadersothat 

 but little improvement can be asked by the most exacting. 



If sportsmen will try the above named charges, now that 

 most good guns arc bored alike, I think that they will be 

 satisfied that they have obtained the true charge for game 

 shooting. St. Olatk. 



Editor Fwett and Stream : 



In your last issue (which, by the way, let me say in your 

 correspondent's judgment, is the best number he ever read) 

 is an article on "Loading." I was very glad to see it, and 

 hope the subject mny now be fully discussed as you invite. 

 In years gone by I had an associate," with whom I spent many 

 days hunting. He used an 81b. muzzle-loader, 13 or 14- 

 i gauge. Once I asked him, How do you load? "I always 

 load the same ; I would put, in the same charge to shoot a 

 robin as I would to shoot a bear." was his reply. This friend 

 had the most uniform success in killing of anv hunter I ever 

 knew. He was very careful about his gun, arid equally so in 

 the selection of his ammunition, and never varied the amount 

 of powder nor the quantity of shot, but would use different 

 sized shot as others do. His theory was, that when the ca- 

 pacity of a gun was found as to the quantity of powder it 

 would use to best advantage, to never vary from it. I have 

 had the opportunity of late to test a No. 12,S)!b. breech-loader 

 with different charges, and as I experiment, lean to the be- 

 lief that ray friend above alluded to was right. I have fol- 

 lowed in many instances suggestions made in yovir journal— 

 to use " plenty of powder"— using from three and one-half 

 to four and one-half dr ales to one ounce and one and one- 

 eighth shot. I expected to gel greater penetration from four 

 and four and one-half drams and one ounce than from 

 three and three quarters and one and one eighth, but as yet I 

 have failed to discover it, The recoil coming from the larger 

 charges was not at all unpleasant, but somehow both at 

 game three and three-quarter and OEe and one- 

 eighth' i work even at sixty yards. Why 

 there should not be a decided difference in penetration with 

 and i •' drama and one-ounce, over three and 

 three-quarlers and one and one-eighth, is something I cannot 

 accuunt for- Your valued correspondent speaks' of "im- 

 pact" in his article — that he considers a number of shot 

 driven with even less velocity more valuable than two or 

 three sent at higher speed. Peihaps he is right, but much of 

 our game must be shot for at long-range, and penetration 

 seems the great essential. So tar as my experience has gone, 

 I think guns of the game weight, bore and make, differ very 

 much as to the kind of loading each needs to bring out its 

 very best qualities. (Why this is so, let the gun-makers 

 tell ub.) What that load shall be is no easy thing to de- 

 termine, both as to how much powder, how much shot, and 

 the size, how coarse the powder shall be, how many wads to 

 use on the powder, how hard to press them down, etc , etc., 

 but. I leave this subject to abler hands, and trust to see the 

 whole matter thoroughly ventilated. * 



Quinoy, Ky. 

 Editor Forest mid Streams 



All the varieties of game we have here are geese, ducks, 

 grouse, quail, squirrels, and in the spring plenty of snipe and 

 a few woodcock. For all but the last two my favorite charge is 

 3 dm Hazard sea-shooting and 1 oz shot. In my gun, which 

 is a modified choke, I have no use for any shot larger than 

 No. 6. I once, while after geese, loaded some shells with 

 4.',- dra. powder, and li oz. No. 1 shot. I found my old 3 drs. 

 and 1 oz. No. charge much more effective. My gun is a 

 Parker, and on the card was this target ; "8| drs. powder, 

 i 1 No, S, 10 yi ids, 24 in. circle, 140 pellets in circle." 

 I Cannot get that pattern, but the gun is eniirely satisfactory. 

 Now my experience after trial is that the 3 drams and 1 oz. 

 is the best charge. With 3i drs. and I oz. I do not get as 

 much penetration ae with S are. In this part of the country 

 we can never tell what will be next to shoot at, whether a 

 grouse with his rapid whiz, a squirrel with his tough skin, 

 or a quail or woodcock, and we have to load to meet the 

 wants of litem all. I have owned and shot No. 10, No. 13 

 and No. 14 guns, and in none of them would ihe big load of 

 powder and Bhot fill my bag as well as the lighter ones. In 

 Ihe 10-tore I only used 3 drs. and 1 oz. ; the same in 13 bore, 

 and 2., drs. and | oz. in the 14-bore. The game is wild and 

 much "shot at in these parts, and it requires a nice shot to get 

 my game. D. 



Middlktown, Conn., December 24, 1881. 

 /'JUi/",' F ■• '"' ' ' "'on : 



_ 15th inst., you invite the relation cf 

 experiences of sportsmen in loading for game. 



I oope that bqz» of your correspondents will give their 

 i i i the proper proportion of powder to different sizes 

 of Shot. , J , ., , 



I have known the theory advanced and plausibly sup- 

 ported ".- of powder should tie less with large 

 shot than with Email. 1Mb theory is, I think, contrary to 

 the generally-received idea, but its supporters urge that the 

 greater momentum of large shot will give them sufficient 

 penetration, even at long distances with small charges of 

 1-. while large charges will scatter the shot too much to 

 ■ rtive at loug-iangc, and the argument seems reason- 



I find that (he best method of keeping a gun clean is to 

 •one, no water and a little oil, such as is sold 

 for use on sewing machines— SuBScniBflB 



FOUR QUAIL AT ONE WING-SHOT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Perhaps you may consider these two incidents of a recent 

 dsy's sport of sufficient merit for publication in your " val- 

 uable paper." Tuesday, Dec. 20, was a beautiful day for 

 out-door sport, and I took advantage of the opportunity and 

 enjoyed a fine day's shooting. Although late in the season, 

 the day was as pleasant, as in October, and all that remained 

 to make it equal to an October day waB the bright-hued 

 foliage on rough winds lately cast. 1 had been informed 

 where I could probably start a bevy of quail, and upon reach- 

 ing the desired locality my setter, Scout, made a fine point in 

 a stubble, and then commenced tracking, finding the birds 

 in the centre of a low swale adjoining. It was a large bevy, 

 and we raised them twice with goad success, they then scat- 

 tering in the edge of a wood. My dog worked w T ell, finding 

 two or three single birds and then made a staunch point in a 

 little opening. I stepped in ahead of him and flushed four 

 birds, which flew between bunches of brush. And here 

 comes the almost incredible part of my story ; but a young 

 man that was with me at the time will corroborate the fol- 

 lowing : As the four birds gathered in (heir flight, between 

 the brush, I fired, and with the contents of oue barrel killed 

 every bird. Two birds fell where they were when I shot, 

 about three rods distant, and the other two fell further on, 

 but perfectly dead. The gun 1 used is modified choke, and, 

 considering the short distance, I think the shooting was re- 

 markable. 



The other incident which I mentioned above was not as 

 disastrous to quail as the the foregoing one, but was quite 

 laughable. My dog made a good point, after the birdB were 

 well scattered in the edge of the wood. The bird lay close, 

 rising almost under the dog's nose ; it flew right into his 

 mouth. Scout held the bird until, in my excitement, I com- 

 manded him to " loose." He obeyed, and the imprisoned 

 quail made good his escape, notwithstanding the volley of 

 shot we sent after him. 



I wonder if any of your readers ever did better than to 

 raise four birds and kill every one with a single shot, at 

 short range ? Nlmrod. 



Moodm, Conn., Dec. 26, 1881. 



Killing Wounded Wild Fowl,— Deeriug, Me., Dec. 26. 

 — Editor Forest and Stream : To kill wild fowl that have 

 been wounded in the head, I have found the following to 

 answer as well, if not better than any other way, and I have 

 tried them all. Take a long and rather slim-bladcd knife, 

 open the birds bill and run the blade up through the roof of 

 the mouth into the brain. A little practice will enable you 

 to touch the right spot without trouble. Or if " Bay Ridge" 

 does not wish to practice on a living specimen, let him take 

 a dead bird. Split the head open from the top down : then 

 open the bill and introduce the knife, and he will see at 

 once where to put the steel. I should hardly want to try to 

 press the life out of an old drake with my thumb and fore- 

 finger as "Early Bird'' suggests. — Jack. 



Answers to Correspondents. 



E. L.— Rabbit season in Stew York State will closs Feb. l, 

 IUr.— The 'possum story was published in this paper long ago. 

 vy. N. T., Belatre, Jtlch.— Wild rice, way be procured of Mr. chas. 



W. B., Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.— The gentleman you refer to 

 Is the regular act ledlred American agent, for the guns, and has a 

 wide reputation tor square dealing. 



J. B. T., London, Ont.—l. We should Infer from the pattern that 

 the gun was a choke-bore. ■>. See our game columns 01 last week and 

 to-duy lor hints on loading for different, game. 



G. H. B., Watertown, N. Y.— Where can I purchase cartridges for 

 a Snyder sporting rifle of Kngllsh manufacture V Ans. Made by IT, 

 M. Cartridge Co., and ror sale by New York dealers. 



Toovo Naturalist, Greenville — Manton's Taxidermy without a 

 Teacher win help you to learn to make up ornithological specimens. 

 For Lui'oruiatlon as to where to get Dr. Coue.s' works sea onr Natural 

 History columns. 



W. A. F., Lcnnoxvllle.— See hints on loading in our game columns 

 Kst week and to-day. Buck-shot should be chambered to tit the 

 choke of the gun, This may be. done by pressing a wad down Into 

 the choke and laying tho shot on to It. 



Denbigh, Abingdon, Va.— The rifle fell flat on the market, and the 

 company manufacturing It wen; . itimpclkvt to close out for what thev 

 could get The breech-action Is clumsy. Should. advise you, If you 

 want a rifle, to get one of the approved patterns. The cost Is imma- 

 terial compared with the superiority. 



Subscriber.— I have a half-setter half-shepherd puppy, both par- 

 ents lull blood Will he make a squirrel dog, bird dog, or can he be 

 made to lollow rabbits? Aim. tour dog in iy— If properly taught— 

 make a good squirrel or rabbit dog, although we should greatly pre- 

 fer a pure bred animal. He should inako an excellent farm dog. 



w., rcimtra, N, Y.— In a rllle shoot tie on third prize n 

 that In shooting off the winner has third and his competitor fourth? 

 Or docs the winner of the fourth prize remain undlsun bed ? This ap- 

 plies to match with lour cash pilzes. Ans. Sec answer to •• w. t; i >. • 

 In our last Issue. Draw up your conditions bciore shooting, then there 

 can be do dispute. 



E. P. T., Norfolk. Ya What, can I do to make my dog go Into brier 



patches? lie Is a highly bred black pointer and Is thoroughly broken 

 In all other respects. Bnt I cannot coax or make him go into The 

 briers. Ans. we bavo ever found— if our dog was possessed of life 

 and courage— that ho would soon take to the briers if we but set him 

 the example and showed him the way. Instead of remaining outside 

 and trying to send htm In. You will probably And this course suc- 

 cessful, especially If you take him to blids. 



w. U. 11., Wauseon, O.— 1. Will it hurt the shooting qualities of B. 

 !.. shotgun, :«-!n. barrel, to cut. off two inches from the muzzle? 

 2. What will It cost? 3. Would It be well to choke after rutHDg 

 off? 4. What expense ? 6. in choking are tho barrels rebored or 

 contracted at the muzzle? My gun Is muzzle heavy ami I want II 

 lepalred. Ans. l. No, If It Is a cylinder-bore. s. From 12 to $3. 3. 

 If yoo want It to shoot, closer, yes. 4. $3 or $4. 5. See Game Bag 

 and Gnu " columns next week. 



l a turkey hunting expeditt 



§£* and Eiver 



FISH IN SEASON IN JANUARY. 



FRESH WATER, 



Pickerel, Esox retictctotua. 

 Pike or Pickerel, Euox lucim. 

 Pike-perch (wait-eyed pike) 



Sliznifthium americanum, H. 

 l/riseum, etc. 



Yellow Perch, Perca flucicauu. 

 War-moiu.n, Vha notryttutiiii" '• "■ 



' " ' ■■■■.■■.■. ■'■,.. 'IV ■. 



Bachelor, Pcmwxys annvlaria. 



SALT WATEB. 

 Smelt, Osmerus nontax. I While Perch. Murone. americano. 



Striped Bass or Itocktlsh, Rectus \ Pollock, Pollachvm carhtmartwi. 

 linealun. 



A riCTiBK of the past visiting the present, as time, glides od, 

 making more perceptible the cruel changes which come to mortal 

 strength. now now do his feet touch i he heather? Not as of old, 

 with a bound, but with slow and unsteady step, supported on the 

 oue hand by his slick, while the other carries his rod. The breeze 

 gently moves his locks, no longer glittering with the light of life, 

 but dimmed by Its decay. Yet are his shoulders broad and unbent 

 The lion-like presence Is somewhat BOftcned down, but not gone. 

 lie surely will not venture Into the deeps of the water, for only one 

 hand Is free for a cast, and those large stones, now slippery with 

 moss, are dangerous stumbling blocks In the way. Besides, he prom- 

 ised 1.1s daughters he would not, wade, but on the contrary walk 

 quietly with them by the river's, edge, there gliding at Its own sweet. 

 wllh Silvery bands of pebbled shore, leading to loamy-colored pools, 

 dark as the glow of, a Southern eye, how could he resist the 

 temptation of near approach? In he goes, up to ihe ankles, then to 

 the knees, tottering every other step, but never railing. Trout after 

 trout he catches, small ones certainly, bur. plenty of them. Into his 

 pocket with them, all this time maneuvering In the most skillful 

 manner both stick and rod ; until weary ho is obliged to rest 

 on the bank, sitting with his feet in the water, laughing at his 

 daughters' horror, and obstinately continuing thu Bport In spite or 

 all remonstrance. At last ho gives In and retires. Wonderful to 

 say, he did not seem to suffer from these Imprudent liberties.— The 

 bast Cast of^Cliristovlier .\n/(/i,' ! hi Memoir of John WiUon. 



■ 1, In: 



breech -loader? I have been using Orange Fg. and llupont's Kg, and 

 Bed. with the shooting qualities of either. An-, t. Your 

 gun can be righted Uy a competent gunsmith without Injuring it in 

 the least 2. Try Orange ducking No. s, or Duponfs ducking No. 2. 



GAME FISHES. 



IN our isaie of November 24 we noticed the work entitled 

 " Game Fishes of the United States,''* basing our re- 

 murks mainly up in an inspection of the truthful and elegant 

 plates by Mr. Rilbourne. The character and importance of 

 this work demand I hat the text accompanying tho plates 

 should receive more than a passing notice, for, instead of be- 

 ing a mere compilation of what others have written, as is too 

 often the case in fishing books, Prof. Goode has given us 

 much new material from his studies of fish life and habits. 

 The fact that the text was prepared by him is a sufficient 

 guarantee that this portion of the work is of a high order. 

 The descriptions of the fishes and their habits were originally 

 intended to be subordinate to the plates, and, with this in 

 view, they are limited to two pages for each fish pictured, 

 which Prof. Goode has filled with matter mainly new. 

 Wisely omitting discussions of tackle and other questions 

 over which anglers dispute, and which can be found in, ex- 

 terna in any angling w 7 ork, he has taken higher ground and 

 given au array of facts and observations on the life history 

 of the fishes of Which be treats that places this hook far 

 above any popular work on Ihe subject ever published. He 

 has kept it as free from technical nrais as possible, iu order 

 to make it truly a vvoik for the people, and yet he has not 

 impaired its value for scientific readers. 



In the introduction we are told that a definition of the 

 term " game fishes " is particularly difficult, and that Izaak 

 Walton's carps and bleaks, upon which he discoiuses so lov- 

 ingly, would offer few enticements to the anglers of our day 

 and nation. The meaning of the term varies from year to 

 year, and few would be likely to share the enthusiasm, of 

 Capt. John Smith, perhaps tlie Bret patron of this art ou this 

 side of the Atlantic, who wrote iu 1816: "And is it not 

 pretty sport to pull up two pence, six pence, and twelve 

 pence, as fast as you can halo and veare a line f" A study 

 of Ihe Ameiican authorities shows opinions much atvariance 

 iu their choice of fishes to be considered "game," and after 

 formulating their views Prof. Goode proposes this definition : 

 " Game fishes are those which, by reason of their cunning, 

 courage, strength, beauty, and the sapidity of their flesh, are 

 sought for by those who angle for sport with delicate fishing 

 tackle." It. was the design in preparing this book that twenty 

 species only should be illustrated, and after consultation 

 with several prominent anglers the selection was made. The 

 fishes chosen belong to both salt and fresh water and to sev- 

 eral families. No technical descriplions are needed with the 

 admirable pictures of Mr. Kilbourne, but the habits and geo- 

 graphical distributions are the prominent points in the es- 

 says. Acknowledgment is made of assistance from Prof. 

 Baird, Mr. Charles G. Atkins. Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, Mr, 

 Eugene (r. Black foid, Mr. J. Matthew Jones, Prof. David 

 S. Jordan, Mr. Fred. Mather, Mr. James W. Miluer and 

 Mr. Barnet Phillips. Other acknowledgements appear in the 

 body of the work. 



THK EASTERN SALMON AND KED-SPEOKLKD TBOTJT. 



Part I. contains plates of the salmon and brook tTout. The 

 plates of all the fishes are of uniform size, 92x28 inches, and 

 we have before spoken of them as being the best illustrations 

 of fishes yet made. The salmon (,?. salary inhabits iheNorlh 

 Atlantic and its tributary waters far beyond the Arctic Circle 

 One hundred years ago the salmon fisheries were one of the 

 most important resources Of Southern Hew England, but in 

 1819 the Rev. David Dudley Field stated that they had 

 scarcely been seen in Ihe Connecticut river fur fifteen or 

 twenty years. In 1878 five hundred large salmon were taken 

 in that river, the direct result of the labors of the State Fish 

 Commissioners in 1874 A curious fact is noted by Mr. At- 

 kins, who calls attention to the absence of great runB of 

 grilse in the rivers of the United States, which aie so frequent 

 in the streems of Canada and Europe, our own fish not return- 

 ing froipt) I he sea until they have become- adults ; also that 

 with us the male grilse only is sexually mature, while in Eu- 

 rope the male parr and female grilse are found in that condi- 

 tion. Mr. Kilbourne's paiuiiug represents a dead fish of 30 

 lbs. weight, drawu on a scale of three incl.es to a font, lying 

 on a bank near a stream; and the artist has perfectly delin- 

 eated this noble species. 



The Eastern brook trout/or, as often called in localities. 

 •■-peekted trout," "mountain trout," etc., is now called Sal- 

 teltnus fontinallt by Gill and Jordan ; the former nomencla- 



• . ime a I the United States I by I B. a. BUlhourne | Text by 



.- Brown Goodi INewyork: tPobtishedby Charles Sorlbnei'a 

 sods. 1 1S79. i j copyright isrs, by Charles ocrnmer'e tsona.] 



