204 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



tie sand bar in the brook, drinking. There are over a dozen. 

 There I they see us now. Hear their Utile soft, musical 

 "tee— tee— tee— tee " of alarm as tbey huddle Into a beauti- 

 ful medley of blue tails, -white and yellow collars, mottled 

 breasts and rosewood colored backs." What a chance for a 

 pot-shot ! The mercenary wretch who could fire into them 

 now, would smash up the Venus de Medici for soda water. 



As we gaze upon them in admiration they steal gracefully 

 away into the grass along the bank and disappear. We soon 

 start them however and they scatter in a grove of scrub oaks 

 and saplings further up the brook. Here we have a high old 

 time. Every second or third point of the dogs is on a grand 

 old woodcock, who goes whistling up through the trees on a 

 rapid cork screw course that tries our utmost skill. As we 

 swing from time to time toward the thickets of black haws. 

 and thorn apple along the water, a ruffed grouse s aids away 

 On whizzing wing. Nothing but the liveliest kind of morions 

 will do here. [Sometimes we have to drop suddenly on one 

 knee to get even a glimpse of the bird and shoot instantly in 

 that position. A woodcock darts upward to the top of the 

 tree, and just as we think the gun is on him he drops down 

 at a sharp' angle. A quail wheels around our heads, and as 

 we whirl quickly around, he darts off through the leaves at a 

 tangent, leaving us to recover our balance as best we mav. A 

 grouse goes with so rapid a rush and start at such a distance 

 that the gun must go off the instant it touches the shoulder or 

 it is of no use. But still we are marly equal to the emergency. 

 Many a charge goes tearing harmlessly through the brush and 

 scattering flying leaves in vain ; but all the greater is the sat- 

 isfaction when we do hit. 



God bless the man who invented quail shooting. Who 

 does not say Amen ? T. S. Van Dtkb. 



Miner's tianche, San Diego Co. , Cat. 



THE UPPER MAGALLOWAY RIVER. 



IT is the prevailing custom with most visitors to this region 

 to take from home all the paraphernalia for camping out, 

 including a tent, cooking utensils, canned meats, etc., etc., 

 ■which make a formidale array of boxes and bundles, and ne- 

 cessitate much trouble anl expense in transportation. At 

 the falls of the Magalloway the entire load and party are usual- 

 ly placed in a small boat with one guide to work them up the 

 river. W r hen a party of four or more are intending to spend 

 several weeks at one spot, this may prove the most economical, 

 but for a party of a less number it is far more pleasant and 

 also cheaper to depend on the different camps that have been 

 built ; and where experienced guides can always be engaged 

 to pilot to hunting or fishing places not generally known to 

 the "dwellers in tents." Having given both plans a thorough 

 trial, I must give the preference to the latter, and will mention 

 gome of its advantages. 



There are two seasons of the year for making this trip, both 

 of which may be equally enjoytd, free from flies, midges or 

 mosquitoes. The first is from the middle of May to the first 

 of July ; the second from the first of September until cold 

 •weather drives you home. During July and most of August, 

 insects of great variety, from the "moose-fly," over hi If an 

 inch long, to the midge, with itsmii.u'eness, infest the entire 

 region. Then, too, the chub is more eager for your cast than 

 the trout, ai.d there can be but little genuine sp rt or comfort 

 attained. In June the trout are in their best activity, eager 

 to rise, and cften splashing wat( r into j our boat in t h 

 deavors to free themselves— thry are also in better condition 

 for food than at any late r*gef. son. After the early fall rains, 

 trout -weighing from three to six pounds can te taken in the 

 eddies Of the river above the meadows and also at their spawn- 

 ing grounds m the lakes, but no hi nest sportsman will take 

 them after the first week in •October. The early season is 

 best adapted for rod, while the gun will be required in the 

 fall. 



InFarrar's " Guide to Riehardeon and Rangely Lakes," a 

 route is given to the Magalloway River, via., Upton, Me. 

 This necessitates a night ride of twenty-six miles by stage, or 

 the loss of one day by waiting over at Bethel until the next 

 morning ; then from Upton to Errol Dam Landing by stage, 

 from whence a little steamer makes tri-wkeely trips to Went- 

 worth's Location, N. H. There you are transferred to a 

 wagon to make the carry to Aziscoho's Fulls, thus ranking five 

 changes from cars to head of falls. A more pleasant and less 

 expensive way e>f making the Magalloway trip is one recently 

 taken by the writer, Noith Stratford, on the Grand Trunk 

 Railroad, being the point we desired to reach by rfiik Hav- 

 ing fixed upon the time for starling, we packed in cne box 

 easy to handle, such clothing and articles as would only be 

 needed alter our nrriyal at the falls; this was sent via ex- 

 press to Colebro< k, M. II. , there to await our arrival. What 

 was needed otherwise was taken in travelling bags and shawl 

 straps. Arriving at North Stratford at 8:20 p. m., we were 

 conveyed to Colebrook fully an hour in advance of the regular 

 stage. Having arranged for an early start, the next morning 

 we were awakened at half-past 4 o'clock, and by half past 5 

 had started for Aziscoho's Falls in a light two-seated top- 

 wagon, in which were placed our box, travelling tags and 

 bundles. The road to Errol Dam is in excellent condition and 

 passes midway through the celebrated Dixville Notch. At 

 Errol we turn tci the north, enter the forest and soon reach 

 the lower Magalloway above its junction with the Androscog- 

 gin, and by noon arrive at Mr. 'Mint's, in Went worth's Loca- 

 tion. The few scattered houses in this valley are called "The 

 Settlements." Mr. Flint, whose post office address isWent- 

 worth's Location, N. H., is the leading spirit in the section, 

 and his geniality and hospitality are unbounded. He has 

 several sons, who are active, muscular men, perfectly familiar 

 with the mountains, lakes and rivers for many miles around. 

 To secure either erne of them as your guide is the i-ine qua turn 

 for rare sport and plenty of game. The two eldest, T. 8., or 

 " Spoil, " as he is familiarly called, and Frederick, have ex- 

 cellent camps on the river. The one built by Fred this sea- 

 son at the head of the falls is a large substantial house con- 

 taining several rooms with nice beds aod all the comforts to 

 be found at the settlements, showing evidence of a woman's 

 taste and ca:e, for Mrs. Hint assists her husband here in pro- 

 viding for the guetts who are constantly arriving. Her cook- 

 ing car not be excelled, and one -will be surprised at the 

 amount <f food they can eat at her table. There is no dys. 

 pepsia here; 



We reached this last evidence of civilization about 4 p. m., 

 distant from Colebrook thirty-eight miles. The last three 

 miles, called the Carry, is quite rough, but will soon be put in 

 good order. Passengers can avoid this by taking a foot-path 

 through the woods, while the team conveys their baggage 

 around. We secured a boat, and also the services of a man 

 to accompany us up the river and bring the bo ; it back, as we 

 were bound for Spoil's Camp, thirty miles above, and he had 

 lighl boats at all the places where we should need one. We 

 thus avoided the expense of keeping the boat when not in use, 

 and the troub'e of taking it across the carries. We were up 

 early next morning, and donned our rough clothing At half 

 past six a., m. we commenced to ascend the river, using one 

 set of oars and one paddle. As there were three of us, one 

 could be resting while the others were at work, each in turn 

 doing their share at oars or paddle. The weather was all that 

 could be desired, with no lipple on the dark placid water, 

 and all nature seemed to be in repose. I will not. enter into 

 the. romance of this singular river, with its tranquil water and 

 picturesque effects, as I could not do the subject justice, bill 

 I recall what my friend Thad. Norris, in " Dies Pi=catoria\" 

 said of tho Magalloway .- "This river is crooked beyond de- 

 scription ; it is a practical exemplification of the ways of the 

 Evil One. One minute the sun is behind you, the next ahead ; 

 then rig' it and left, across the middle, up and down in every 

 imaginable position. You have to row three miles to get any- 

 where, if it isn't more than twenty rods off." Mr. Norris had 

 at that time been only a short distance above the falls. 

 Through the meadows the river is far more rrooked'than be- 

 low ; in fact there are 239 decided bends between the falls 

 ar.d mouth of the Little Magalloway, where the distance by 

 river is thirty miles, and by air fine about ten. It generally 

 requires a camping party over twelve hours to reach Spoil's 

 'ancling -just above the mouth of Little Magalloway— but it 

 wris accomplished by us at this time in seven hours and a 

 half without blistering our hands. This was said to have 

 been the fastest time in going up this season. I had been 

 down the river with a party of six in seven hours, assisted, 

 of course, by the current. 



Spoil's Camp is half a mile from the landing, on the carry to 

 Parmachene Lake, which is three miles distant. His camp 

 fronts on Sunday Pond, the shore of which is formed like an 

 Indian bow. The water i3 clear as crystal, and fed by numer- 

 ous cold spring*. Here is as lovely a spot as one could de- 

 sire, in which to secure rest and quietness, or to make head- 

 quarters, for now we are within easy distance of all the best 

 fishing and hunting grounds of this region. The pond con- 

 tains nothing but trout : some of them have been taken 

 weighing as high as six pounds, and visitors to the camp are 

 privileged to cast for them whenever they chose. 



Mr. Flint never tires in bis endeavors to give his gues's all 

 the sport they want. No Indian can excel his skill with the 

 paddle, and his services are consequently much in demand 

 for s'ill or jack hunting. He is acknowledged to be the best 

 guide in all this wilderness, so that a party with him need 

 never return unsuccessful. There are a number of large 

 ponds within a few miles of this camp, where tie flies have 

 never yet been cast. It is only a year since Linct.ln Pond was 

 known to contain trout of any large size. Farrar refers to it 

 in this year's Guide as " stocked with small trout weighing 

 from a few ounces to a pound each," while I have never s,en 

 a trout caught with a fly from that pond which weighed less 

 than one and a half pounds, and I have taken them weighing 

 from three to four pounds. One that I took at sunset near 

 the outlet was twenty-two inches long. Mr. Flint has a camp 

 and boat at this pond, and by next season he will probably 

 htve the same accommodations at Hunter's Pond, which has 

 not yet become known to the public. To the lovers of the 

 gemle art I can assure a spot of surpassing loveliness, where 

 those who love to be quiet can " go a angling.' - 



W. C. E. 



AN OCTOBER MEMORY SKETCH. 



THE day is one of those bright golden gleams of the past 

 and faded summer. Early morning finds the ground 

 covered with the grey, glittering hoar frost, which the warmth 

 of the noon-day sun disperses. The face of nature is be- 

 witehtngly brilliant in her autumnal dress. Ash, oak and 

 map'.e vie with other for the mastery. The air is clear and 

 bracing. Off we plod for a day with the fall snipe. We have 

 been keeping a sharp lookout for these unreliable fellows, and 

 only yesterday, which was Sunday, we found the meadow 

 well populated. Still there is no certainty of catching them 

 to-day. They may have stopped over Sunday only. Per- 

 chance they had religious scruples against traveling o'the Sab- 

 bath. Still a few tardy stragglers may have lingered and we 

 shall tiy to stir them up. We are accompanied by our young 

 Irish setter Dash. A tyro is he in simple hunting, barely fif- 

 teen months, having passed over his heat, but he has shown 

 excellent qualities during the summer cock-shooting, and our 

 disappointment will be great if he falls short of the maik on 

 the snipe. 



We have reached the river— one of those New England 

 streams celebrated for its picturesqe beauty, whose valley and 

 that of its principle tributary afford illimitable scope for the 

 artist's brush and the pen of the romancer. The immediate 

 confines of the. streamare often extensive meadow lands which 

 are occasionally overflowed by the high tides of spring and 

 fall. These wet lands present to the snipe their favorite haunts 

 for feeding, and here they stop in considerable numbers dur- 

 ing their migrations. But the Wilson's snipe is proverbially 

 an unreliable bird, .-pending to-night with us and to-morrow 

 a huudred miles away. Thus its successful pursuit is largely 

 a matter of chance. 



As we row up the river various birds sail swiftly by us on 

 their long journey to the sunny South. The industrious os- 

 prey is seen perched high on the overhanging pine, his keen 

 eye ever watchful of the finny tribe below, while myriads' of 

 small birds fill the air with their musical calls and the shadows 

 of their wings. At no season is nature so lavish of her bounty 

 as during this gold n era when, crops harvested and garnered', 

 she takes a brief respite from her long labor. 



As we touch the opposite shore of the stream a bunch of 

 wood ducks spring trom the mouth of the creek near by. 

 How they cleave the air with their wings, seemirg to use even 

 their feet in their frantic eff >rts to escape. Recovering our first 

 surprise the guns roar simultaneously and one of the hand- 

 some birels floats lightly on the water. In a moment Dash is 



overboard and the duck retrieved. We now drag our craft 

 high and dry rn the meadow and hating secured all outmw- 

 pedimenta we start for the other end of the marsh in order that 

 the breeze which is lightly blowing from the south may be at 

 our backs as we beat the ground. Dash trots behind at our 

 heels full of enthusiasm, but not looking for game in the open 

 meadow. Chancing to glance around, lifter having traversed 

 a hundred yards or so, v?p notice that the clog has stopped quite 

 a way back and is making furious game close by the path we 

 have been following. Before we reach him he has come to a 

 haif point, but looks rather confused and nervous, both head 

 and tail slightly. The birel had evidently been lying close by 

 our path within a few yards of us as we passed, and the scent 

 coming to Dash warm and fresh sent him searching for the 

 cause of it. The bird was, after some trouble, flushed and 

 bagged and proved to be only a rail (P, Carolinenxis) which 

 had been running in front of the dog and had perplexed him 

 not a little. We were disappointed, of course, for we had con- 

 fidently expected a jack snipe to skitter up and away. 



Having reached the southern limit of the meadow we turn 

 and allowDash to go in. At first he seems a little in doubt as 

 to what is required of him, but his experience with the rail 

 has taught him that there are bi-ds in the grass and weeds, 

 and he blunders along, snuffing here and there until suddenlyr 

 he seems to take a livelier interest in his occupation. He hes- 

 itates for a moment, then sickening his pace crawls slowly- 

 forward. The tail, which had been beating his flanks at "the 

 rate of a mile per minute, vibrates more and more slowly and 

 finally becomes rigid as a bar of iron. Surprised no less than 

 delighted that a dog so young should stand so staunch we stop 

 to gaze upon the fascinating picture. What a subject for 

 Landseer. There Dash stands all trembling with suppressed 

 excitement his head well in front, the forefoot poised and the 

 beautiful tail with its hanging fringe of feather so exactly in a 

 line with his back. Having held the good fellow for a 

 rm ment we walk for ward and from under his very snout, with 

 a hoarse squeak, the first snipe of the day darts up, but pitches 

 forward at the report of the gun which cuts him down at 

 thirty yard*. Dash makes a wild plunge in, as the bird flops 

 up, but comes to charge at a sharp call. VVe proceed to chastise 

 him for his misdemeanor. As the whip descends it is followed 

 by a cry from D, sh. The noise st arts a second bird from 

 the grass within three feet opens. The whip is dropped, the' 

 gun seized from the ground where it had been placed for a. 

 moment, and snipe number two drops with a broken wing. 

 Fresh cartridges are slipped into the em ty chambers and 

 Dash retrieves birds number one and number two in fine style. 

 They are found to be in excellent condition. 



We start again. Dash having learned where to look for his 

 birds works superbly and beyond our most sanguine hopes, 

 and we find the birds moderately plenty. As we approach' a 

 small creek winding through the nradow a solitary blue 

 wing' d teal springs from the water and is dropped with No. 

 10 shot at a good fifty yards. Within one hour we have se- 

 cured four snipe, four rail and two ducks. We cross and re- 

 cross the meadow; the birds get up just oftm enough to keep 

 us comfortably employed. 



As the day advances the snipe lie remarkably close and Dash 

 has some trouble in finding them. One of his points calls for 

 special mention. We were going slowly and trying to do 

 eveiy inch of ground. Dash was quartering to our right when 

 he was seen to stop short half a toss a beg and, with Jus fore- 

 legs far apart and his head held downward and a Utile to one 

 side, he came to a stiff point. The I i d proved to be unde-r 

 the ed_'e of a tissock almost directly beneath him and when 

 flushed got up under his body and wLiried awaj in great 

 fright. We continued to hunt the meadow, which was exten- 

 sive, and by three o'clock whin we returned to our boat and 

 lit our pipes, prior to pushing off, we had a bag of thirteen 

 snipe, pight tail, or mallard, teal and woodcock, tif aides hav- 

 ing had a glorious tramp under the warm 0_-t vic'r s in. 



BiMOS. 



For Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun. 

 A SPORTING REMINISCENCE OF THE 

 WARWICK "WOODLANDS. 



IT was in July, 1876, that my friend, Clarence, proposed to 

 me that we take a trip to the country and have a " bang" 

 at the woodcock, the prince of all game birds and the tit-bit 

 of the American table. The wamps in the vicinity of War- 

 wick, N. Y., were settled up ,i, for our campaign- not that they 

 afforded superior sport, but because it was easy i if access from 

 New York, and my friend had shot many a woodcock there 

 in days gone by- It did not take a days to prepare 



us for the field, for Clarence and I have shot for several 

 years together, and are always ready at a moment's no- 

 tice to start with clean guns and fresh elogs— generally too 

 fresh for much comfort the first day. 



We arrived at Warwick the next evening, and, after seeing 

 our dogs well careel for, we partook of a light supper and 

 turned in for the night. The sun was just conun&ncing to 

 peep through the window blinds the next morning, when 

 turning over in my bed I was surprised to see Clarence half 

 dressed. I was not long in making up for lost time, and soon 

 we were both prepared for the field. 



Everything bid fair for a hot, sultry day— too warm to 

 shoot with any comfort. But our stay was limited, so we 

 went forth without a murmur. Our drive down the valley 

 was very pleasant, and we soon reached the first cover, and 

 after tying our horse in the shade gave the dogs the word, 

 "Ili-on!'' An escaped convict could not have been happier 

 than those two dogs were the moment they were released. 

 Bounding through the thickest cover, crawling under fallen 

 trees, snuffing and snorting at every step; why, I thought 

 that they would go half crazy, and it was not until we had 

 done considerable scolding that they took well to their work. 

 Clarence and I watched with pleasure the young pup imitate 

 every movement of the old dog, for this w„s her first hunt 

 on woodcock. 



On and on we trudged, our dogs working faithfully and 

 beating eveiy foot of ground. No Lards! But see; the bot- 

 toms are full of -'borings:" "Yes, sure enough ; but look 

 there, and there!" said Clarence, at the same time poinding 

 out numerous dog tracks, and the ponderous foot print of no 

 small bey. We knew very well that we were too weeks be- 

 hind lime, but really three or four weeks COO early to enjoy 



