288 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



This is from our most charming contemporary La Cham, 

 Illustrie, of Paris, France : "One day last week, a rich mer- 

 chant of Paris went out to Martz intent on sport. A. quail 

 popped off almost between his legs, as "did the gun in his 

 hands. The quail cleared a hedge, apparently in no ways 

 disturbed, save, perhaps, having lost a feather or so. 

 • The sportsman eagerly got over the hedge, hoping to stoop 

 down and pick up a dead bird. 



There was not as much as the shadow of a bird. A coun- 

 tryman was near. 



"I say, my friend, did you hear a quail fall anywhere about 

 here ?" 



"Not the least bit of quail in the world." 

 "That is strange— I could swear I saw the feathers fly !" 

 " I saw it, too— a feather or so, but those feathers flew 

 away on the liveliest bird I ever saw." 



A Misfortune— New York, Oct. 29.— Dear Forest and 

 Stream : The many friends of that prince of good hearted 

 sportsmen and crack shots, Fred Goodhue, will deeply sym- 

 pathize with him in his sad affliction, having lost the sight of 

 his right eye. Dr. Agnew, of New York, under whose care 

 he has been for the past month, hopes to be able to restore the 

 sight of the eye again. May the doctor's hopes be granted is 

 the wish of one who has known Fred for years, and a more 

 generous, whole-souled man never lived, always having a kind 

 word for every one, and ever ready to help a friend in need. 



Yours sincerely. J. B. A. 



Glass Ball Shooting. — That remarkable shot, Mr. Ira A. 

 Paine, commenced an engagement at Tony Pastor's new the- 

 atre on Monday last. To the sound of low music, there is the 

 accompaniment of the quick discharge of the breech-loader — 

 in fact, a kind of running bass. Mr. Paine breaks the balls 

 with the greatest ease, concluding by hitting two balls, sent 

 from the traps at the same time, with his right and left bar- 

 rels. "We, should suppose that in the theatre breaking glass 

 balls would be more difficult than in the field ; firstly, be- 

 cause the lights are not good, and secondly, the flight of the 

 hall is restricted. All the shots have to be very quick ones. 

 Those unacquainted with glass ball shooting would do well to 

 witness Mr. Paine's performance. 



SHOOTING AROUND MONTAUK. 



Shelter Island, L. I., Oct. 21, 1877. 



Dtar Halloch—A. gloomy northeast storm is to-day sweeping over the 

 hills and valleya of Shelter Island, and the scowl of the sky and the 

 tapping of the rain against the window panes, while they admonish us to 

 seek the sheltering roof, at the same time invite us to ponder oyer the 

 sporting success or failure of the few past months. The woodcock 

 shooting on the eastern part of Long Island has been rather a failure, 

 owing, perhaps, not so much to the scarcity of the birds as to the 

 coploua rains of May, June and July, which scattered the flocks over a 

 wide space of woodland and upland, and left but few in the swamps of 

 the brooks, where in collected numbers they are most sought and 

 found. The Hampton gunners were out in numbers on the openiDg, 

 3d of July, but, so far as we personally know, the birds were scarce, 

 the bags light, and the success much less than in former years. 



We have Just returned from a two-months' visit to once-famous 

 Montauk, so celebrated for its bird, duck and geese shooting, and onoe 

 so eagerly frequented by sportsmen who could And their way to that 

 remote locality. Such men as Mr. Koosevelt. Frank Forester, and 

 others of sporting fame who u^od to rejoice in their ancient successes, 

 would have been sadly disappointed in this year's sport after the birds, 

 nor would they now have enjoyed their usual triumphs against the 

 duck and geese conld they be present In the coming November and 

 December. The glory of Montauk, with its sunny plains, its grassy 

 slopes, its salt meadows, once swarming with the plover and bay- 

 snipe, has departed, and the wild geese no longer gather around the 

 Great Pond, Fort Pond and Fresh Pond in clamoring battalions as of 

 yore. The old stumps of trees and the hollowB dug out by the shore, 

 where they laid In ambush to thin out the flocks winnowing their way 

 from place to place, from feeding-ground to sanding-place, are still 

 there, but the noble game are absent. Great Pond, their once favor.te 

 haunt, with its wild expanse of nearly 400 acres of water, has been 

 drained off by the eelers, and the salt tides having been admitted 

 have destroyed the fresh-water grasses, the choice and natural food o! 

 the duck and geese. A few years since they collected there in spring 

 and autumn in immense numbers, making splendid shooting over all 

 that part of eaBtern Long Island, and around the ponds and bars of the 

 neighboring Gardiner's Island, but such is the case no longer. In 

 thoBe days the plover, the snipe, the greenbacks, the blackbreasts 

 gray plover, the yellow-shank, brant bird, dowitch, robin-snipe and 

 others, were found in countless flocks from the marshes at the head of 

 Napeague Bay on the west, to Gin Beach and Great Pond on the east ; 

 but during the past season, from July to October, we found but very 

 few of them in their old places of resort. They must all have taken 

 some other routs in their annual migration. It is true that the grass- 

 hoppers, the plover's natural food, were very scarce this year over the 

 plains, which may partly account for the scarcity of plover; bot the 

 salt marshes and pond holes were there as ever before, but the snipe 

 were not' feeding or flying over them as in years past. Yve patrolled 

 the plains and the aarsheB this year on frequent occasions, but the 

 expected flocks never darkened the air or uttered their shrill whistle' 

 though we arranged our set of bird stools in our most artistic manner, 

 and awaited impatiently for their approach. Let us hope that the next 

 year, and many more of them, will be more favorable to the sport with 

 the birds, and that the Great Pond may be enabled to shut out the in- 

 flowing bay tide; that the succulent fresh grasses may again take root 

 and flourish, and that the myriad of wild geese and duck may re-visit 

 their ancient haunts, there to enjoy their favorite food, and that the 

 fowler's gun may be again heard by the waters. 



Montauk, as you probably know, Is a long, narrow region of hill and 

 valley, interspersed with woods, extending from the little village of 

 Amagansett to Montauk Point, a distance of twenty miles. The light- 

 house is stationed on the extreme easterly point, and there are but 

 three other dwelling-houses throughout all that distance. These are 

 the comfortable homes of Messrs. Stratton, Conkllng and Osborne, who 

 will hospitably accommodate the fowler or fisher. These men culti- 

 vate many acres of laud, and have the general supervision of the great 

 herds of cattle, sheep and horses, which range over those miles of pas- 

 turage. A part of these herds are driven by horsemen, on the 10th of 

 October, from the summer-grazing places on the east as far west as 

 lasthampton, where their several owners come to claim and drive 

 them homeward. The balance of the herds are collecUd and driven 

 borne on about the middle of November. 



But a small remnant of the one* powerful tribe of the Moatauka still 



survive in their ancient possessions. They are dwindling away, year 

 by year, and must be e oon extinct. They are allowed by the trustees 

 to occupy, fence und cultivate as much land as they select ; but the 

 Indian is not fond of labor, and seldom vexes the land or himself with 

 the work of the plow. 



The whole Peconic and dardiner's bay shore, from Shelter Island to 

 Montauk, an extent of twenty miles, is lined with the stakes and seines 

 of the pound-fishermen, and those wide bays are whitened with the 

 sails of the bunker fishers. There are several fish factories along the 

 shore where the oil of the flsh Is pressed out, and the "scraps" pro- 

 pared for manure. Two large factories of that sort are located in Na- 

 peague Bay, and employ many laborers and flBhing vessels. They 

 have been unusually successful this season, bnt the fish have been of 

 poor quality. 



The wild fowl, such as the varieties ot coot, old squaws, shelldrake, 

 etc., are collecting in numbers now In Peconic and Gardiner's bay , 

 and aroand the shores of Shelter Islnnd. Our friend, Capt. Ben, Cart- 

 wright, a few days since, killed thirty of them in a short time, and If 

 you, dear Hallock, and myself had .been in the boat with Mm, I think 

 we should have enjoyed better sport than we had on that sharo No- 

 vember day when we laid In ambush together for deer in the noble 

 woods of Blooming Grove Park. Pleasant is the remembrance of that 

 period we passed together, in company with Giles, Scott, Whitehead 

 and other congenial spirits, famous with the pen, the gun and the rod. 



We learn that the ducks are beginning to collect in great numbers In 

 Shinnecock Bay, and soon the broad-bills and brant and geese will 

 afford good sport to all who seek for them, in company with Will 

 Lane, the Pennys and the Fosters. Success to their breech-loaders. 



I have not yet sought to find a publisher for that volume of poems ou 

 sporting topics which I have prepared for the press, and concerning 

 which I asked your good advice a year or two since. Possibly, when 

 times Improve, you and I may find some one willing to usher it into the 

 world. Very truly yours, Isaac McLellan. 



"Montauk." 



SPORT IN IOWA. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



T have often longed to spend an Autumn on the prairie, whore I 

 could Bhoot the pinnated grouse, and the sand-hill crane ; and to know 

 something of the habits of the latter. In my boyhood clays I have lain 

 for hours at a time, on some bright September day, and watched them 

 as they circled slowly around, high in air-, above the reach of gunners' 

 hopes, and then sail away on their annual southern flight, till lost in 

 the blue of the sky. 



I have done considerable hunting since then, but not until the ptesent 

 season have I been lucky enough to .shoot a sand-hill crane. They are 

 so vigilant that it is almost impossible for a hunter to approach near 

 enough to shoot one while they are feeding, unless they alight near a 

 corn field. First one will rise from the ground to the height of a rod o.t 

 so, and take a view to see if an enemy is approaching, and after alight- 

 ing a few minute*, another of the flock will do the same ; and thus they 

 do all the time while feeding, unless they are on some knoll, or high 

 ground, where they may see all around them. 



I had the good luck to shoot two from a corn lied ; also, a white one, 

 which are still larger than the sand-hill. It was snow white, with the 

 exception of the wings from the first joint out, which were black. I 

 should like to know whether they are counted u game bird, and if any 

 of the States have laws to protect them or not. The farmers here think 

 them as good as roast turkey, and I wouldn't pass them by when served 

 the same way. 



This is a good place for game for about three months— from the 15th 

 of August (when the'law permits the killing of grouse) till the middle of 

 November. The prairie is covered with ponds or lakes, and from the 

 first of September until they freeze up, may be fouud most all kinds of 

 snipe and water fowl in and around them. 



Most of the smaller ponds are grown up with reeds and rushes around 

 the margin, so that you cannot detect them until close upon them, but 

 you may know where they are by the large number of hawks, which 

 are always sailing over their Burface, in search of a wounded dnckor 

 Bnipe, and, at times, the musk rat tail) a prey to their sharp talons, 

 Deer are quite plenty yet, but will soon be driven away by the hounds 

 the hunters are bringing in. I saw one party of hunters a few days 

 ago, with ten deer that they had killed by the aid of their honnds. 



Many of the farmers mako a business of trapping musk-rats in the 

 winter, as the ponds and most of the streams are full of them. There 

 is a law here that prevents the killing of them nutil the first of No- 

 vember. 



The ice broke up on Cedar Creek in February this year, and a 

 tra pper.in floating down a few miles on it in a boat, shot sixty musk- 

 rats, for which he received a shilling apiece for their pelts. If there's 

 anything in the sign of the muskrat building large houses expecting 

 a severe winter, I think the coming one will be so, as I never saw them 

 build larger ones than they are doing this fall. 



I hope to shoot game the coming winter on St. Mary's lake, in the 

 southeastern part of Missouri, where I spent the winters of 71 and 72 

 and by the light of the camp-fire, read Forest and Stream. 



Sandpiper. 

 Ceiar fV(".'.\ Cilhntii C). t fowl, Oct., 30, 1S77. 



[Sand-hill cranes are excellent eating, and considered rare 

 game birds. They are not protected by law. They si^em to 

 be able to take care of themselves. — Ed.] 



SPORT IN MEXIC 



°m 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



Under this heading one must not understand bull-fighting, cow-tail- 

 ing, cock-fighting, or other sports of like nature, in which the natives 

 of the Spanish- Americas generally Indulge ; but our own healthful and 

 exciting sport with the guD, which after comparison with what ama- 

 teurB enjoy her«, I cannot but say redounds greatly in favor of the 

 former. 



On the Northern frontier, bordering on the Eio Grande Eiver, game 

 abounds from the months of October up to March, comprising geese, 

 deer, turkey, duck of all kinds, jack Bnipe, quail, papabote (a kind of 

 plover) and the "chachalaja," of which bird I will give a slight des- 

 cription. 



It is essentially peculiar to Mexico, and only found In thickly wooded 

 parts of the country and also on banks of rivers. It is the nearest ap- 

 proach of any wild fowl to our domestic " cock and hen," about the size 

 of a spring chicken, with a longish tail, and of a dirty brown color. It 

 derives the name from its call or cackle, resembling much that of a wild 

 parrot, and which can be heard at nearly tne distance of half a mile. 

 It is prized as game ohiefly for its unsurpassed flavor for the table. 

 Its flight is slow.and to get after his game one has to beat his way through 

 the " inonte," or jungle, and then, with rare exceptions, be satisfled with 

 a " pot shot" from off the trees. One la generally satisfled with having 

 had a reasonable day's sport after bagging from ten to twelve brace of 

 duck such as canvas-backs, mallard, teal etc., with as many quail, 

 snipe, plover; and occasionally a brace or two of wild geese, and that 

 without necessity of having covered much ground. 



Duck are generally found in the ' ' resacas," or small ponds, where 

 water collects from the September equinoctials, but as the feeding is 



poor they deteriorate ut flavor by about January. Jack-snipe and quail 

 al*oare very plentiful, the former especially in swampy places, though 

 I have met with them in plowed fields. Sometimes about mid-day, 

 when the sun comes out hot after a cool morning, one is promised such 

 sport as generally to cause a postponement of lunch. 



If there were more facilities attending the transit to the country and 

 safety in going about and camping out, many of our sportsmen from New- 

 Orleans and other large cities of the South would undoubtedly avail 

 themselves of such sport where no game laws exist, nor license nor tres- 

 pass observed; and where, as I have frequently seen, if a covey of quail 

 fly too far one leaves them and proceeds in search of another. 



Matamoras, Oct. 1, 1877. Pedro. 



-#-~* 



MY FIRST SWAN. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The winter of '57 and '5S was a cold one, and we had anxiously looked 

 for spring and the birds. Where— Oh ! I've forgotten ; we were on the 

 then frontier in Northern Iowa where to-day is located one of the live- 

 liest towns in that section. The winter had been tedious indeed, and 

 spring had come at last, the Red Cedar, with full banks and strong cur- 

 rent was the restmg-plaee of thousands of weary wings which were 

 beating their way toward the lakes and marshes of Northern Minnesota. 

 The sloughs on the prairie, BO honest John Butler said, were " Jest live 

 with duck and geese, you bet." 



Charlie and 1 needed no second invitation to accompany him on an 

 expedition to a certain slough that he had in mind. John was a Rocket 

 River man, schooled in the woods and on the lakes and streams that 

 have since become the haunts of the angler and bis brother of the gun. 

 He was an unerring shot with the rifle, and a better woodsman I never 

 met. Peace to his ashes — he rests in a soldier's grave. The place 

 John was to take us to was six or eight miles from the settlement. It 

 was a little past noon when we heard John's whip crack merrily as he 

 approached the store with his ox team, for he said we could "jest git 

 rite onto 'em with the cattle." I had liunled on horseback and had 

 hunted chickens In a wagon, but not till then had I hunted with oxen. 

 The road was across the prairie, and we had to pursue a devious course 

 to avoid sloughs ; so it was nearly four o'clock before we were in sight 

 of the promised land, or rather water. We at length reached the crest 

 of the Prairie from where it rolled gently down to acres of flooded land 

 connected here and there by narrow necks, and stretching off to the 

 south for miles covered literally with water fowl, ducks and geese, 

 and In fact everything that could quack or gabble. 



After resting we concluded to lake a pond some hundred yards wide 

 and as many more in length, for our point of attack. John drove the 

 team so as to skirt the shore or the pond, while Charlie and I walked be- 

 side the wheels on the off-side. As we approached, the flock looked up 

 inquiringly, but did not. seem to be alarmed; and John was right, for 

 here we were "rite onto 'em." It was a right royal sight. I had noticed 

 one bird larger than the rest, that rested quietly on the surface of the 

 pond apparently undisturbed by the clamor around it. As we came 

 s; ill nearer John whispered, "its a swan; its pelt's wuth ten shillinY 

 I had a rifle, and as true a piece of metal as you could wish, and I was a 

 little proud of my ability to handle it— John had been my teacher. 



I had never seen a swan so near before. John wanted its pelt, and I 

 was under the eye of my master. John stopped the cattle about ten 

 reds from the magnificent bird, which momentarily grew bigger and 

 bigger to my vision. Ducks were plenty; geese were thick ; but I saw 

 nothing but that swan. " Fire 1" says John, "or he'll git scat." I drew 

 the rifle with which I could shoot off 'the head of a chicken or partridge 

 at half the distance, to my shoulder, and rested over the wheel and fired. 

 I distinctly saw the bullet strike the water at least ten feet from the 

 swan (John said "ten rods," but I never believed that). Arnshof 

 wings, a discordant noise, the report of Charlie's gun as he brought 

 down two out of as many hundred geese, a sharp crack from John's 

 whip, and an ejaculation which for force of language and absence of 

 compliments was a gemtn its way, and my eyes lost sight of the swan, 

 from which they had not beeu removed after he took his flight, aud 

 rested on the disgusted countenance of John. My looks must have 

 touched him, for he never afterward referred to that swan— Charlie 

 does, however. 



Reader, have you shot (at) yo-nr first deer? Then I need not appeal to 

 your sympathies In vain ; for the llrst swan resembles the first deer in 

 this particular— yon seldom hit it. Mus-qua-qua. 



HOW TO CLEAN A GUN BARREL. 



Editor Forest and Stream : My chief incentives are to express my 

 approval of.snch communications as that of ' ' Edlsto's," in your issue 

 of Oct. 18, and to ask him what kind of cheaper powder he finds satis 

 factory. Will he be so good as to tell me? Tears ago I used to find 

 the Hazard Kentucky Ride powder good enough every way. It was 

 cheap, aud at the same time clean and strong. But dually I could not 

 obtain it good and was compelled to try other makes with no better 

 success. I believe that any of the leading manufacturers can make a 

 good article of powder when they wish to ; but I do not think that gen- 

 erally they regard it to their interest to make a good, cheap article, 

 though their profits on the higher grades must be extremely large. 

 No false notions of propriety or of self-interest ought, to prevent sporis- 

 men from knowing who makes the best powder. Asl have had some 

 experience with dirty powder 1 will tel! your readers how in a great 

 measure to obviate its defects. The plan may be new to Borne of them 

 at least, aud could, no doubt, be employed to advantage with the bet- 

 ter gradeBof powder, as well. In using a muzzle-loader, when the 

 gun begins to load dry and rough, charge your barrels with powder, 

 carefully wadding with one or two wads, to prevent the water from 

 reaching the powder, then pour, in, and quickly turn out enough water 

 to thoroughly wet the inside of the barrels ; now fire off the charges of 

 powder and the gun is ready to reload for use. But as being more con- 

 venient, and, so far as I can see, practically just as good, I have gener- 

 ally loaded with both powder aDd shot, putting the water to on top of 

 this, turning it out quietly, and going on my way ready for a shot. But 

 in this case care should be taken to carry the muzzle downward until 

 there is an opportunity to shoot ; as sufficient water might remain In 

 the barrel to reach the powder if carried otherwise. By repeating till 

 process as often as may be necessary it is wonderful how long a gun 

 may be used without cleaning. So far as the shooting qualities of the 

 gun are concerned 1 find them much improved by this means. No doubt 

 it would be of equal advantage In breech-loaders, and could be applied 

 to them with much greater facility. Splasher. 



RECOIL THEORIES. 



Of explanations of recoil there is seemingly no end. Many 

 of these, which appear positive demonstrations in the eyes of 

 the authors, are really but crude guesses at what might be the 

 truth of the matter, and we drop them aside. It would be in- 

 teresting and satisfactory to have a solution of the problem, 

 but it must be wrought out through more exact met hods and 

 more scientific modes than many of our correspondents em- 

 ploy. A Toronto reader says: 



Any recoil that can uk» place must be at the delivery of the »hot. 



