510 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jastjaev 26, 1883. 



twenty shots (breech-loading) only thirteen were where they 

 ought to be; one goes three iu. to the left, three two in. 

 high, and the other threw not quite so bad. 



I cannot think 'With Mr. Vim Dyke that there was "no 

 fault with the riilc, no fault with the factory ammunition." 

 One or the other or both must have been wrong somewhere. 

 If both were without fault, litis wild shooting at such a short 

 distance nould not, in my opinion, he caused simply by the 

 bullets being delivered with their axis at a slight angle to the 

 axis of the barrel. 



Too much grease on the bullets will frequently cause un- 

 even Bhbotine, particularly iu cold weather. The standard 

 fixed ammunition does not always fit all rifles alike. The No. 

 1 buckshot with patch might have fitted the bore just right, 

 while some of the conical bullets might uot have been large 

 enough to receive any impress from the lands, thus going out 

 without revolving. However it may have been in this par- 

 ticular case T am confident of this ; I can take any one of five 

 or six different makes of rifles, 32 cal., 30in. barrel, and with 

 standard fixed ammunition made by the W. R. A. Co., place 

 95 out of 100 shots inside of a ring, three-fourths of au 

 inch, in diameter, at 25 yards, loading at breech and firing 

 from immovable rest. The other five shots will go within 

 an inch of the centre of the other shots. N. E. M. 



CAUSE OP A PREMATURE EXPLOSION. 



Sombrvllle, Mass., Jan, 2, 1882. 

 Editor For&t and Stream : 



1 have a few words that I would like to say about gun ac- 

 cidents. Not about the idiots who "didn't kuow it was 

 loaded,'' nor the one who was careless with firearms. But 

 there are instances where accidents are seemingly unavoid- 

 able, and I once came near being a victim of such a one. An 

 old sportsman — and a good one, too — with wliom I used to 

 hunt once said to me, " Talk about gun accidents; I tell you 

 its all carelessness. A gun never goes off without some 

 cause or other ; and a man who gets hurt with one is a care- 

 lees fellow, to say the least." This 1 always supposed to be 

 true, and, as I have always made some pretentions to care- 

 fulness in handling firearms, have never had a premature dis- 

 charge. 



But to the story. Early in September last a trusty com- 

 panion, whom 1 shall call Jack, and your humble servant, 

 started for New Hampshire for the purpose of gathering in a 

 few birds and having a good time generally. We stopped 

 wilh an old man who lived alone on a iarm away from 

 "town" about three miles. One morning Jack and I hail 

 been out to try the grouse. We had been out perhaps an 

 hour or so when it began to rain and we went back. We 

 had just reached the house when it commenced to rain in 

 good earnest, and as we were wet, Jack neglected to remove 

 his charge before he entered the house. 1 was wiping out 

 my right barrel and Jack had his gun laid across his knees 

 and was wiping the outside of the barrels when there was a 

 deafening report and the room was filled with smoke, glass 

 rattled from, the window and things seemed lively for an in- 

 stant. "Jack, are you hurt?" 1 exclaimed. "No," he 

 replied. "Then what on earth is the mutter?" "I don't 

 know," said he; " only the gun went off in my hands." 

 Jack declared that it was at balf-cock and, as I knewhim to 

 be a man of truth, I was at a loss to account for the accident. 

 "Will the guu goat half-cock?" asked 1. "Try it." Jack 

 half-cocked it and could not pull it off. I tried, with the 

 same result. 



Here was a pretty mess of it; a hole through the door and 

 beyond, in the next room, a window smashed, and, woret of 

 all, a gun that would "go off " wi'hout a cause. I was not 

 Satisfied; I wanted to know the reason why that explosion 

 occurred, and I went to work to find out, if possible, the rea- 

 son. Upon examination I found that the rear or left-hand 

 trigger waB a little too long, and jusc touched the guard, so 

 that when the hammer was raised the trigger could not get 

 forward enough to let the "se^ir" catch properly and, conse- 

 quently, down went the hammer and the explosion followed. 

 We removed the guard and fi led off the end of the trigger and 

 it was all right. Now, this gun was not an old, worn out 

 thing; it was uot one of the pot-metal gnus that are sold for 

 two or three dollars. It was purchased just before we 

 started and bran new ; it was made by one of the best-known 

 English gunmakers, and 1 feh that it was no better than 

 criminal carelessness on the part of the workmen to let a gun 



f> away from the factory in a such dangerous condition. So 

 would advise all men who own or handle guns to look and 

 see if the triggers clear the guards all right, and this precau- 

 tion may save some one a limb and possibly a life. If the 

 gun had been made with rebounding locks such an accident 

 would never happen. Too much cannot be said in favor of 

 rebounding locks, as far as safety is concerned ; and, if I 

 not have theoi replaced, 1 would not have them re- 

 moved from my guns for the full value of the arms, for I 

 consider the rebounding lock safe, and safety is something 

 that I aim at. The older I grow the more afraid I am of my 

 gun. 



The old gentleman that we stopped with was away from 

 the house at the time of the accident, but the "good-natured 

 old soul" took a common sense view of it, and we had no 

 trouble in fixing the damage with him. 



I would add, in conclusion, that I never saw ruffed grouse 

 so scarce as they were then. We were up there a week and 

 killed only two, and they were young ones and "poor as 

 crows." This was at Hancock, N. H. 



We had some fun with hedge hogs, and, as Jack had never 

 seen one before, it was amusement for him to send a charge 

 of No. 4 Newcastle shot at them and see the quills fly. We 

 killed seven while we were there. Ikon Ramrod. 



The Cayuga County Law— Corllandt, N. T.,Jan. 1882. 

 —The restriction placed over sportsmen forbidding the shoot- 

 ing of ruffed grouse and ^uail in Cayuga county for the term 

 of three years has been repealed. It proved too much of a 

 luxury to hunters that disregarded all game laws, besides an 

 aggravation to the founders. Can the supervisors pass a 

 special act in regard to this matter when it is provided for in 

 the Suite g ime luwa ?— " Mig." [Sec. 37 of the law provides : 

 "It shall be lawful for the boards of supervisors of any 

 county, at their annual meeting, to make any regulations or 

 ordinances protecting other birds, fish, or game, than those 

 mentioned in this act ; and also foT the further protection of 

 SUCll birds, fish, or game as are in this act mentioned, except 

 wild deer, and to this end to prohibit hunting or fishing in 

 particular localities or waters lying wholly within their re- 

 spective counties for limited periods and during certain 

 months of the year, and to prescribe punishments and penal- 

 tics for the violation thereof, and adopt all necessary meas- 

 ures for the enforcement of such punishments and collection 



of such penalties ; and such regulations and ordinances shall 

 be published in the papers of the county in which the session 

 laws are published, and a certified copy thereof shall be filed 

 in the office of the clerk of the county."] 



The Hunters' Tbaw. — Last, Sunday morning's train on 

 the South Pacific Coast Railroad consisted of four cars of 

 hunters, all filled, including those who went up the evening 

 previous, and all of whom returned on Sunday evening, 

 amounting to nearly two hundred and fifty. Debarkation 

 begins at Alvarado, and a few drop off at Newark and 

 Mowry's, but a large majority leave the cars at the draw 

 bridges, and none go beyond Alviso. Those who go up to 

 spend the night have had shanties erected near the road 

 wherein they can comfortably lodge and be ready for their 

 sanguinary work by the crack o' day. — Alameda Argus. 



A gentleman connected with a leading Eastern sportsmen's 

 journal, and who is evidently familiar with the hunting 

 grounds about, San Francisco, sends us the above, in a letter, 

 with the following comments: 



"Only think of it ! two hundred and fifty pot-hunters, each 

 armed with an old musket, a tin can of powder, a bottle of 

 shot (and doubtless two bottles of whisky) let loose every 

 Sunday during the winter to blaze away at every living 

 thing, be it sand-peep, cat, hen, or whatever else may show 

 itself within range of their gunshots. This is not exagger- 

 ation, but a true sketch of the Sunday Hunters seen in Cali- 

 fornia. Remember, also, that this is ouly one of the dozen 

 grounds near San Francisco that are thus overrun. Shooting 

 should be stopped on Sunday. I do not put it on any other 

 moral grouud than that it is an easy and pretty effectual way 

 to prevent the decrease of game birds." 



Our friend is partly right and partly wrong. He is right, 

 at least, in depn eating the helter-skelter style of shooting 

 that such an army of wild hunters are apt. to indulge in when 

 they find themselves let loose upon the fields and marshes. 

 Of course they cannot, all be gentlemen, nor most of them 

 likely to have much consideration for the rights of the coun- 

 try people over whose lands they roam. But we doubt 

 whether they kill so many ducks that the number will be 

 noticeably depleted the following season. These birds are 

 migratory, and each year's new broods seem to be quite as 

 numerous as the preceding one. The Alameda marshes are 

 convenient to the metropolis, and so long as "the army" 

 coufinrs its operations to that section, comparatively little 

 barm can be done. But we can readily understand how dis- 

 astrous might be the result if this shotgun brigade, when it 

 swarms, should happeu to alight on a section frequented by 

 the native cjuaila. In that, case we might, well contemplate 

 the situation with alarm. As for the Sunday exodus, it is 

 probably that that is the only day in the week on which these 

 men, or most of them, can leave their business or labor to in- 

 dulge in rural recreation. In such case their action can be 

 regarded with a considerable degree of leniency. At all 

 events, if no stones were cast at them until by some one who 

 is himself without sin of that kind, the shower of rocks 

 would not, we opine, be an alarmingly heavy one. — Sacra- 

 mento, Cal., Bee. 



Beass and Paper Shells— Philadelphia, Jan. 7.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream : As it seems to be generally admitted 

 that brass shells are superior to paper ones in the matter of 

 penetration and pattern, it would be interesting to know pre- 

 cisely what the percentage of gain is, and as Mr. Greener has 

 probably fired as many experimental shots as any man in 

 the world, will he give us the exact figures, taking as an 

 example a 9 to 10 ground 10 gauge gun, using as a uniform 

 charge 4£ drams powder and l\ oz. No. 4 shot, with 32 inch 

 barrels and choke bore. Also will he state what the highest, 

 possible pattern is at 40 yards, using the above charge and 

 No. 4 shot, soft or chilled. Another thing; would he advise 

 the use of brass shells unless the fore cud of the barrels are 

 especially heavy to withstand the strain consequent upon 

 driving No. 8 wads through them ami quite likely Ely's best 

 or hardest felt. In other words, is there not great danger of 

 the barrels bulging at the choke if wads are used two sizes 

 xarger than the gauge of the gun, as would be the case in 

 using brass shells. I would not be afraid of this using the 

 Parker, Colt, or almost any American mule gun, a« llv y ate 

 left heavy at the muzzle with a view, I presume, to the dan- 

 ger suggested, but with most of the English guns I could, 

 though they will no doubt stand any wad the paper shell 

 would take without bulging. For field shooting I regard 

 brass shells as a first-class nuisance, but for duck shooting, 

 or any shooting in fact where there is great exposure to 

 dampness, they are par excellence and that they are superior 

 topaperonesinpenetrationIhave.no doubt, but just how 

 much is a question I will ask. — Pink Edge. 



Columbia Countv, West Wiusted, Conn., Jan. 9, Editor 

 Forest and Stream : Three weeks ago I hati the pleasure of a 

 trip into Columbia county, N. Y, partly for sport with the 

 partridge. On the way stayed over-night at Great Barring- 

 ton, and had the pleasure of a talk with Mr C. H. Sage, a 

 noted sportsman, and doubtless well-known to many of your 

 readers. His dog " Zac " is a beauty to look at— and doubt- 

 less a grand field dog. Mr. Sage is a genial, pleasant man 

 to meet. Partridge, in the regi m of East Chatham (where 

 Mr. Granville Hills' dog " Tillie," was unfortunately shot 

 last fall,) are not so plenty as in former years. Yet one. in 

 a day's tramp, by hard work, can put up twenty or thirty 

 birds. I am fully converted to the practice of using heavy 

 shot, say 4's or 6's, in shooting grouse. Heretofore I have 

 used 8's. These may kill in an open shot ; and will, if you 

 hold on the bird and shoot within a reasonable distance, but 

 they w >n't mow down a pine tree and then kill. I go on the 

 principle of shooting at every bird that rises within gun- 

 shot. It's a poor shot that is afraid of missing. The grouse 

 is the noblest game-bird in these parts. He's a royal fellow ! 

 I love to see one boil out of a, cover in front, of a dog, and 

 then I love to empty both barrels at him, and then, perhaps, 

 watch him go right on like an army with banners. You 

 have the sport of hunting him up, seeing him boil and shoot- 

 ing again. I also had the pleasure of visiting Hudson and 

 some of the sportsmen (here, If appearances go for any- 

 thing, Hudson may be proud of her sportsmen. They are 

 gentlemen Mr. Granville Hills is the owner of as fine a 

 pair of red Irish pupB as oue can find in a week's travel. 

 Daisy and Snap, 5-mo.'s old, out of Tillie by Max Wenzel's 

 Chief. It was a treat to see their intelligent and accurate 

 performances. Quail in the region of Winsted, Conn., are 

 not numerous, bur, the prospect for next; fall is good. Very 

 few have been killed, — Rbgulus, 



Dogging Dbbe.— Aaron Taylor, of the "Bog," was ar- 

 rested by Officer King, of this village, on Wednesday of last 

 week, upon a wan ant issued by Justice Bugbee, charging 



Taylor with pursuing deer with dogs in the South Woods. 

 Mr. Taylor appeared, in common with a great many other 

 persons, to be of the opinion, that dogging deer was not pro- 

 hibited by law. At the trial, which took place on Thurs- 

 day and Friday, the evidence was plain enough to justify a 

 conviction, which 'Squire Bugbee did not hesitate in award- 

 ing, and Mr. Taylor was fined $25 or the alternative of 

 twenty-five days in jail. Mr. Taylor, having the money, as 

 indeed he ought, for according to ids own statement he had 

 killed, with the aid of his dogs, $75 worth of venison the 

 previous week, forked over the fine and was allowed to de- 

 part. This conviction is a seasonable one, and it is expected 

 that others will immediately follow, for the ice being once 

 broken, evidence in other cases will be more easily ohtained. 

 'I his is the first conviction in the. county, we believe, under 

 the new law, but, it is uot likely to be the last, prosecution. 

 Enough should follow this to break up the unlawful practice 

 of pursuing deer with dogs In St. Lawrence. It, was mainly 

 through Ibe efforts of Assistant District Attorney Ellsworth 

 that Tavlor was arrested and brought to trial.— Canton, N. 

 Y. Advertiser. 



Wisconsin Shooting Grounds— Chippewa Falls, Wiscon- 

 sin, Jan. 17.— A moose was killed by the " boys" at one of 

 the lumbering camps to the north of us a week or two since. 

 The animal is said to have been a large one, the antlers hav- 

 spread of over three feet. Moose were years ago 

 plenty above here, but to see one now is rare. Deer have 

 been numerous the past season, and large numbers have been 

 killed, mostly by professional hunters. This section offers a 

 good field for sportsmen in search of such game, as well as 

 having a liberal supply of the smaller varieties in the 

 catalogue of game animals and birds. The section of coun- 

 try between Ihe Wisconsin Central and Northern Wisconsin 

 roads is mostly wilderness, and abounds in game and fish. 

 A railroad is being built from here northwest to strike the 

 Northern Wisconsin some seventy miles up, affording an- 

 other means of transportation. — Badger. 



Michigan's Fire-arm Law — Grand Rapids, Mich, Jan. 21, 

 1882, — Editor Forest and Stream: In you issue of Jao. 

 12ih inst. (vol. 17, page 470). under the caption, " A Whole- 

 some Fire-arm Law," you give an abstract of the law of 

 Mississippi to prevent the careless use of fire-arms. It, gives 

 me pleasure to know that one more State has fallen into lino. 

 In I860 Michigan enacted a similar law, which may be found 

 on Page 88 of the transactions rf the Michigan Sportsmans' 

 Association for 1881. It. seems strange that the various so- 

 cieties for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should be so 

 solicitous to keep sportsmen from killing pigeons for food, 

 and yet have no care as to how much they shoot themselves 

 or others by carlessness. Perhaps man is not of as much 

 value in their eyes as the lower animals. I hope similar laws 

 will be enacted and enforced everywhere.— E. 8. H. 



Thb Gbddbs Cltxb— Geddes, N. Y., Jan. 19.— The Geddes 

 Shooting and Fishing Club held their third annual meeting 

 Tuesday, January 17, 1882, a', the office of E. M. Klock. The 

 following officers were elected for the ensuing year i Preai- 

 „....,. -0.1 j -c— ii- Tri„„ president, Vincent, Case; Secre- 



dent, Edward Earll; Vice 1' re; 

 tary, George G. Cotton ; Trea-u 

 ecutive Committee, Edward M 



■, Edward M. Klock ; Ex- 

 M. Belden, Horace Bronson, 

 William H. Burrill. The treasurer reports the club in a 

 prosperous condition, all debts paid and some -$50 in his 

 liunds. The cltil) has forty-two active memb-rs. We have 

 held monthly glass ball shoots for a gold medal (the property 

 of the club) to 'belong to the member who wins it three times 

 in succession, but so lively has been the competition that but 

 two members have held it twice in succession in two years. 

 We find this has done much to keep our club together and 

 interested. We have your paper on file, and it is read wilh 

 much interest, and sometimes provokes a good deal of dis- 

 cussion.— Gbddks Shooting, and Fishing Club. 



A National Association— East Saginaw, Mich., July 20. 

 Editor Forest, and Stream: At. the seventh annual meet- 

 ing of the Michigan Sportsmen's Association, he'd in this 

 city 1 tiesday and Wednesday of this week, the Secretary was 

 instructed to confer with the secreiariesof other State associa- 

 tions, with regard to calling a meeting of representatives 

 from as many States as possible to take action towards form- 

 ing a National Sportsmen's Association. We therefore re- 

 quest, the secretaries of the different State associations, as 

 well as all other parties interested, to send their names and 

 addresses to the undersigned as soon as possible, so that this 

 excellent idea may take definite form at once.— Wm. B, 

 Mbahon, Secretary Michigan Sportsmens' Association. 



Lake George Sportsmen's Association -Chicago, Jan. 



18, 1882.— The annual meeting of i he Lake George Sports- 

 men's Association of this city was held last Tuesday evening 

 at 43 South Clark street, Vice-President Gillespie in the 

 chair. The members present were Messrs. W. G. Pay son, 

 H. B. Foss, E. S. Douglas, E. T. Martin, F. Barnard, S". and 

 W. Woods, II. Goodman, I'erry, White, Burroughs, Kim- 

 bark, Jones, Worthington, Thomas, Pearch, Hunt, Darfing- 

 tona&d Farmer. Professor R. A, Twitt e was elected Pres- 

 idem for the ensuing year, Mr. Darlington Vice-President, 

 E. T. Martin Secretary, Mr. White Treasurer, Mr. Hunter 

 Assistant Secretary. Directors, Turtle, Martin, Woods and 

 Foss. — Ten Bors. 



Tennessee— Port Royal, Jan. 14.— The quail season does 

 not expire in our State until March 1, but there will not be 

 much shooting done from now on. A few more grand final 

 shoots will wind up the season. We will have a fine lot of 

 birds left over for breeding- 1 went to a pond last Saturday 

 duck shooting and en route flushed several fine, coveys. I 

 bagged four. 1 intend to give the ducks a round late this 

 evening. If I had a boat I could make tine bags. 1 intend 

 to get a boat, ami anticipate fine Spott. What a fine evening 

 this is for squirrels I But never mind ; I will give them a 

 round soon. 1 do dearly lovo the sport. — Birdo. 



Despoiling the Adieondaoks.— The Ilion (N. Y.) Cittern 

 remarks: "Some wealthy Boston tauuers have purchased 

 the hemlock bark on 28", 000 acres of timber land in the 

 Adirondack region, and purpose soon to strip the bees. We 

 thought the Legislature had contracted to preserve the great 

 northern wilderness for the purpose of promoting the rain 

 fall of the Stale, and of supplying thu Erie Canal and Hud- 

 son River with water enough to float boats. We can't spare 

 hemlock bark for tanning purposes any longer. Let some 

 I one invent a substitute." 



