FOREST AND STREAM. 



289 



There is no column of air to lift. The air inside of the barrel and the 

 air outside is equal, and a perfect balance before the explosion takes 

 place ; and the explosion is so sudden that it doesn't give the air lime 

 to be shoved out of the barrel, but is compressed in the barrel and 

 packs hard, and, as it were, takes a hold of the barrel. Suppose, in 

 place of air. the barrel was filled up with a wooden rod that would not 

 compress' Then there would be a recoil the instant the expansion 

 took place, as the wood will act on the common atmosphere and cause 

 a repulse. All shooters know that if there is a ping of snow or any 

 other substance gets in the muzzle of a gun it will burst when fired. 

 A common wood plug stuck in the muzzle will burst a gun. Now, that 

 shows the air packs hard in the barrel to canse a rupture rather than 

 ill iw i ii' tiie flight obstacle. The flash of powde.r is so much harder 

 i ■ alt at the muzzle, ajid expands like a cone, that it will throw 

 an tfv.u pressure back on the shoulder. 



Another correspondent says : 



I will attempt a brief analysis to prove that the recoil does not take 

 place after the missilr leaves the muzzle of tin; gun. The strength of 

 powder depends upon the space in which I tie gas is confined. When 

 burned in i!s own volume powder exhibits its highest explosive en- 

 ergy, which is represented by nearly a cubic foot of gas compressed 

 into a space of one cubic 1 cb, and would create a preseure of about 

 30,0. lbs. per square inch with an ordinary charge of powder. Ah the 

 space is increased the pressure is reduced in proportion to the number 

 of volumes ; and, in the space of the whole barrel, it is evident that 

 the same amount of powder (by weight) must always create the same 

 pressure. That is, when the missile escapes the muzzle the gas is 

 driven into the air under exactly the same pressure, regardless of the 

 weight of the missile and the grain of the powder. Now, assuming 

 that the recoil occurs when the missile leaves the gun, and is caused 

 by the resistance of the air, we should have the same recoil to the 

 same charge (by weight) of powder under all circumstances. But such 

 is not the case. It will be found that it depends largely upon the 

 weight of the missiie and the grain of the powder. As inertia acts di- 

 rectly a3 trie mass, the impact of trie gun will be to that of the missile 

 as the weight of the mlssllo is to that of the gun. Hence, all other 

 things being equal, the heavier the gun and the lighter the missile the 

 less is the recoil. The finer grade the powder is, the quicker it bums 

 the higher the pressure is raised, the greater is the velocity of Hie 

 missile, hence the greater recoil. Either shot or powder, when large 

 charges are used, develops repercusBton. The shot produces itnot only 

 by the increased weight, but by lying at greater length in the barrel 

 the tendency to jam the pellets is increased. Powder produces it 

 from the following cause: It has been found that sand is the most 

 difficult substance to expel from a guu. Three diameters of sand, 

 fired over an ordinary charge of powder, will Inevitably burst a gun. 

 This arises from tho fact that the sand arches across the barrel and 

 prevents the escape of the gas. Powder closely resembles sand, and 

 arches in the same manner. When the arch forms, the pressure is 

 raised until the arch iB broken, when it produces a concussion in the 

 barrel, and a flattening and dispersion of the shot. There are a few 

 minor causes productive of recoil : 1. A ipace between wads, some- 

 times produced by the settling of the powder or the moving of the wad. 

 2. The striking back of a shell in its socket, or of the gun when loosely 

 held. These are produced by concussion. The great object to be at- 

 taned is to place the missile in a gradually increasing velocity from 

 the breech to the muzzle, without jar or conoussiou, when the least 

 recoil is produced with a given velocity. Delawakk. 



CONICAL CHAMBERS. 



Editor Forest and Stream • 



The communication in the Forest ano Stream signed "Edisto," 

 Oct, isth, in speaking of shells, says: "I believe the principle of the 

 conical base to be correct. I think they require less powder than 

 other shells, and the recoil of the gun does not appear so great.'' 



The invention of the conical chamber in the breech pin of a gun was 

 made in f778 by a gun-maker in England named Nock, w have searched 

 n vain in books on mechanics, philosophy and gunnery, and made en- 

 quiries of msny who should know, but have never been able to tlnd an 

 item, or hear any one confirm in any way the advantage that the in- 

 ventor of the conical chamber claimed for his gun. 



1 know of several experiments that have been carefully tried with the 

 eontcal Base paper shells. The account of two recent trials are published 

 in the Chicago Field, Sept. 22 and Oct. 20, showing results quite the re- 

 verse to those claimed by the manufacturers. 



Sh ou'.d " Edisto " or any other gentleman wish to make a compara- 

 tive test, I will send to the office of the Forest and Stream one hun- 

 dred or more paper shells in ado by the Union Metallic Cartridge Co., 

 and sufficient powder and shot of any description required for Ihe test, 

 leaving only tire conical base shells to be purchased. In that way the 

 comparative merits of tire conical or ordinary base for paper shells can 

 * be determined. A. C. Hobbs. 



Bridgeport, Oct. 23. 1STT. 



Fike-Htjnting Deer in Florida.—" Cedar Fly Rod," who 

 spent last winter at Crystal River, Fla , writes: My guide — 

 as every one else— I found, believed that, the moon controlled 

 the deer's action, just as it does the tides. "Too near the 

 change of the rnocui" was his reason for anticipating little suc- 

 cess in our projected fire-hunting. One bit of rny experience 

 may be of value to your readers. While on our way to the 

 woods, Steve, my guide, stopped and called me to go ahead of 

 the fire-pan and see.how a caw's eyes looked. They were cow's 

 eyes he had seen, but not being able to see more than one eye 

 at first could not tell for a certainty whether it was a cow or 

 not. I fouud the eyes of a very pale greenish color, and quite 

 wide apart ; whereas I afterward learned that a deer's eyes are 

 of quite a reddish color, smaller and noi farther apart than the 

 width of the palm of my hand. Steve 6aid if a man only 

 keeps cool and looks at the eyes closely, he need not make a 

 mistake and shgot horses and cattle instead of deer. His rule 

 is never to shoot at one eye unless he can see the body of the 

 deer, which can be done when near enough to shoot, by rais- 

 ing the pan well above the head so as to throw the light welL 

 on to the deer. 



A Missouri Pigeon Roost. — The St. Louis Republican, 

 Oct. 18, has this account of a big pigeon-roast on the Auglaize 

 River, near Dodson's camp-ground, Camden County, Mis- 

 souri : 



It is an annual roost, and disturbs the quiet of the people of 

 the section. The newspaper man finds it difficult to edit and 

 print his paper in a pigeon-roost. Millions of pigeons cover 

 the trees, and sometimes break them down. There is a fright- 

 ful confusion of noises in this pigeon pandemonium. The 

 crashing of liml is— the rearing of multitudinous pigeons, and 

 the cracking of shot-gurs sweeping the birds down by hun- 

 dreds and thousands all night long. Nobody can sleep in such 

 an uproar any more than they could amid the thunders of a 

 raging battle. Besides this, there is a darkening of the air by 

 the birds in their flight, which makes contin rial cloudy weather. 

 But the people, of this pigeon-roost are making the best of the 



situation. The pigeon has become a leading article of com- 

 merce in the country. Last year over 100,000 pounds of 

 pigeons were shipped from Stoutland, and the pigeon yield 

 this year promises to be as good. But everything else stops 

 in the pigeon-roosting season except the newspaper. 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



Massachusetts. -*77/.e.7??^toid Fiehl Day. — Sportsmen of 

 Worcester, Spencer, Oakhain and Rutland beld a glass ball 

 tournament with the following results, forty shots each, in 

 courses of ten, eighteen yards. Whole number of balls 

 broken, 505— Worcester, 154: Spencer, 129: Oakham, 114; 

 Rutland, 108. 



Spencer Club. 



9-BT A Putnam 7 10 8 3—34 



7-2!l U Brewer 8 S 7 8-31 



7— 2S BCLutlier 3 3 8 8—32 



5—26 J Holmes 5 



10-34 LM French + 



Rutland Club. 



8-SS C Pierce 6 



B— 20 A J fierce 4 



0— IS P \Vhee:cr S 



6—28 A B Fisher 3 



2— IT J Nocdham 6 



Worcester Cub. 



WS Perry s 10 10 



LK Ilud.-.ou B 8 8 



A Houghton 6 8 7 



AGMann 7 8 6 



AP Cutting 8 7 9 



Oakham Club. 

 J w stone 4 7 6 



JE Stone 4 5 H 



CCaklwe.il 3 8 6 



R Deane T 7 8 



CBothwell G 3 6 



a 



6— 24 

 3-18 



8 

 5 

 8 



a 



6 



9— 27 

 6-19 

 9—32 

 1- 7 

 7-23 



Long Island Shooting Club— Dexter Park, L, I., Nov. 

 9.— Regular monthly sweepstakes. The first sweepstakes had 

 seven contestants at $2 each, making a total of $14, which 

 was divided into three parts. They shot at three birds each, 

 35 yards rise, 80 yards boundary, \\ oz. of shot, H and T 

 traps; ties settled by miss and go out, the club rules to 

 govern. 



Gildersleeve 1 1 1-3 Murphy I 1 1—3 



Byrne 1 l 1—3 O'Brien 1 1 0—2 



Vac Kirk 1 1 1—3 Woods 1 0—1 



Ward ..1 1 1—3 



Ties on three. 



Giuietsleeve 1 1—2 Ward 



Byrne 1 0—1 Murphy 



Van Kirk l o— 1 



Same Day— Sweepstakes at $3 each; five competitors, total 

 $10, divided into three parts, at three birds each, 25 yards 

 rise, 80 yards boundary, and the other rules of the club to 



govern. 



Gildersleeve 1 l 1—3 Murphy 1 1—2 



O'Brien 1 1 1—3 Ward 1 w 



Woods 1 1 1—3 



Tie on three. 



Gildersleeve 1 Woods 



O'Brien 1 



Gildersleeve and O'Brien divided all of the money. 



Same Day— Trial match, at five birds each. The same con- 

 ditions to govern this as the other two. 

 Ward 1 1 1 1 1—5 O'Brien 1 1 1 0-8 



The time of shooting, one hour and fifteen minutes. 



Nassau Gun Cltjb— Dexter Park, L. I., Nov. 12. — 

 Monthly shoot of the Nassau Gun Club, for the Champion 

 •Silver Cup, shot for at five birds each, 25 3 r ards rise, 80 yards 

 boundary, 1^ oz. of shot, H and T, traps, the club ruies to 

 govern. This had seven competitors. 



JAbrams Ill 1 1—5 Mr "Dunham 1 n I 0— 2 



H Van Wicklen 1 1 1 1—4 Mr Slover 1 10 0—2 



Mrl.ort 1 1 1 1—4 MrBergan o 0—0 



JVan Wicklen 1 111 0—4 



Same Day— Sweepstakes of $2 each, with twelve competitors, 

 making a total of $24, divided into two parts, at three birds 

 each, 30 yards rise, and from five traps; ties miss and go out. 



Mr Dunham 1 1 1—3 J Abrams 1 I 0—2 



Mr Burroughs ' 1 1—2 Mr Bargan 1 0—1 



JVan Wicklen 1 1—2 Mr Wo 'ds 1 0—1 



II Van Wicklen ..I 1--2 Mr Slover 1 0—1 



D Van Wicklen 1 1—2 



.Ties on twc. 



Mr Burroughs II 1—3 D Van Wicklen ..o 



JVan Wicklen 1 1 0—2 J Abrams o 



HVan Wicklen '. 1 0-1 



Messrs. Lott, Smith and Ferguson missed all. 



Mr. J. Adams was referee; time ofshooting, one hour forty minutes. 



New Jersey — Bergen Point, Nov. 0. — The Bergen Point 

 Amateur Gun Club held their first Gyro shoot to-day. The 

 followiug are the scores, ten wings each : 



Moore 9 WHDay 5 



C H Davis .8' Curry 5 



Melliek 7 S L Davis 4 



Kansas — Rosedale Game Protection Club. — The last monthly- 

 shoot of this club resulted in the following score : 



B Rees 10 J Hines 2 



WBowen 8 HWhite 5 



D S Matthias 7 T D Jones t 



Fountain Gun Club — Brooklyn Driving Park.— Monthly 

 shoot for the championship medal. The birds were all strong 

 flyers — young English blue-rocks. 



Brown's dog Shot gathered the birds. One of Helmstead's 

 birds alighted in the grass about twenty yards from the traps, 

 and Shot started after the bird and caught it by leaping into the 

 air. The dog brought the bird in, and the refereesang out 

 "Dead bird !" At the moment the dog dropped the bird, and 

 the pigeon, not having been struck by the shot aimed at it by 

 Mr. Hempstead, soared high in the air and sailed over the 

 boundary. 



The handicap was as follows : Madison, C Williams and 

 Eddy, twenty-eight yards ; De Fraine, Whitney, Miller, Cap- 

 tain F H Hanson, Dr. Race, Sheridan, MacMahon, Hender- 

 son, Walters and Helinstead, twenty-five yards; Mr. Williams, 

 W R Hunter, W Cleaver, Byrne and Edwards, twenty-one 

 yards, and Goodwin, eighteen yards. The medal was" won 

 by E H Madison, who killed all his buds. Mr. Walton, of 

 the Long Island Gun Club, acted as referee, and Mr. Gill 

 scored. 



Madison 28 yards 1 1 1 1 1 1 



1110 11 



1 110 10 



1 110 11 



,.tl 110 11 



1 



1— 

 1— 



1— 



0-6 



0-5 

 1-5 

 1-5 

 1-5 

 0-5 

 0—5 



Sheridan. 



G Helmstedt 21 



Whitney 25 



H Miller 25 



W Cleaver 21 



Eddy «S 



Byrne 21 



McMahon 25 



C Williams IS 



WR Hunter 21 



Wallers 25 



De Frame -,5 



Henaeraon 25 



Goodwin 18 



Captam F W Hansen 25 



M Williams 21 



DrRace 35 



Edwards 21 



• Fell dead out of bounds. 



t Killed witli In bounds by outsiders. 



This is the second time that Madison hag won the Club 



(I 1-4 



1 *0 1 1—4 



,i u i o o o i— a 



..1*0 "0 *0 1 *0 1—3 



1 



10 







*0 



tl 



0-2 



0—2 



1 0—2 



1 0-2 

 tl— 2 



medal. The medal.was first won in May last, and it becomes 

 the property of the member winning it the greatest number of 

 times during the year, and it is to be shot for by such mem- 

 bers of the club that care to compete, monthly. The medal 

 has been held by C Williams twice, Madison twice, and once, 

 by Josephs, Cleaver and McMahon. 



Captain Bogardus at Providence.— Captain Bogardus 

 has been showing the Providence people how to shoot. His 

 first exhibition was the breaking of 300 glass balls in 21 min- 

 utes and 43 seconds. His next feat was to break 300 balls in 

 the extraordinary time of 19 min. 34 sec. In the first hundred 

 he missed two balls, in the second hundred six, and in the third 

 hundred, four — or twelve balls in the three hundred. He 

 aimed at three hundred and sixteen, broke three hundred, 

 missed 12 and the gun missed fire four times. When the 

 extraordinary time of 19 min. and 34 sec. was announced 

 by the official time-keeper every one was surprised, but none 

 more so than the champion himself. He bad beaten the best 

 record he ever made. 



A match between Bogardus and W. E. Horton, of Phila- 

 delphia, resulted in the following score : 



Bogardus-l lionilllllll ill 1111011 I 10111 1 

 11001111111011011. Total— 42. 



Horton— 1 111 11 111 111 1 10001001001 lllll 11 

 11110011, Total— 30. 



fox nnd Eiver 



FISH IN SEASON IN NOVEMBER. 



31ack Bass, Micropterua aalmoides; Weakfish, Cynoscion regalia 



M. nigricans. 

 Mascalonge, Esox nobilior. 

 Pike or Pickerel, Esox liiciua. 

 Yellow Perch, Perca flavescena, 

 8ea Bass, Scicenopa ocellatua. 

 Striped Bass, Soecua linneatua. 

 White Perch, Men-one americana. 



Blueflsh, Pomatomvs saltatrix. 

 Spanish Mackerel, Cybium macula- 



turn. 

 Cero, Cybium regale. 

 Bonito, Sarda pelamya. 

 Kingflsh, Menticirrus nebvlosus. 



Fisu in Market.— Fish in good quantity. Codfish very 

 plenty and caught off Long Island. Bass, 18 to 20 cents a 

 pound ; smelts, 20 cents ; bluefish, 15 ; salmon, frozen, 35 ; 

 mackerel, 18 to 25 ; white perch, 15 ; Spanish mackerel, 35 ; 

 green turtle, 18 ; terrapin, $15 a dozen ; halibut, 18 cents a 

 pound ; haddock, 8 cents; codfish, 8 to 10 ; blackfish, 10 to 

 15 ; flounders, 10 ; lobsters, 10 ; sheeps head, 25 ; scollops, 

 $1.50 per gallon ; soft clams, 30 cents per 100 ; white fish, 

 18 ; pickerel, 18; salmon trout, 15; hard crabs, $3.50 a 100 ; 

 blue-back trout, 50 cents a pound. 



— The first of theRangeley Lake blue-back trout have come 

 to market from Maine, and will be as usual at Mr. E. G. 

 Blackford's stall in Fulton Market. It may be remembered 

 that these peculiar fish have the honor of being the single ex- 

 ception to the general rule in regard to the close season, as fat- 

 as trout are concerned ; and sometimes amusing incidents have 

 occurred on the part of the officers of State associations for the 

 protection of game, who through excess of zeal have inter- 

 fered with the selling of the blue-back trout at this time of the 

 year. 



New Hampshire. — Joshua Haynes, of Newbury, for taking 

 six trout from a brook near Sunapee Lake, has been fine $60 

 and costs, amounting in all to $71.25. 



Movements of the Fishing Fleet.— The nuniber of fish- 

 ing arrivals reported at this port the past week has been 51, 

 viz., 11 from the Banks, 8 from Georges, 1 from the Bay St. 

 Lawrence, and 31 from Shore rnackerelina: trips. Receipts — 

 200,000 lbs. Bank cod, 100,000 lbs. Georges cod, 117,000 lbs. 

 halibut, 70 bbls. Bay mackerel, about 1,750 bbls. Shore mack- 

 erel. The mackerel fleet have nearly all arrived, and the 

 stock on the market will not be materially increased by later 

 arrivals. Market firm. The Bank fleet bring in light fares, 

 and the Georges fleet is small and meeting with indifferent 

 success. 



Prof. Spencer F. Baird, U. S. Commissioner of Fish and 

 Fisheries, says that the failure of the fisheries on the North 

 American coast is no exception. All parts of the world show 

 a great falling off ; most of all, in some parts of Europe, the 

 almost total failure of the fisheries has been accompanied with 

 great loss of life and property, The short catch of mackerel 

 in our waters this season, and the poor quality, he cannot ac- 

 count for, as he has carefully examined the fishing grounds 

 and finds mackerel food has been plenty all the season. He 

 says we have no room to think another season may not be as 

 favorable as any year. — Cape Ann Advertiser, Nov. 9. 



Rhode Island— Newport, Nov. 7.— Bass and blue fishing 

 is about over. Porgics are plenty again, and are very fat. 

 Some fifteen or twenty steamers fishing out off our harbor, 

 one steamer, a week last Tuesday, the catch was over 1,000 

 barrels. 



I Florida— Bay Port, Nov. 2.— This is one of the pleasant- 

 est situations on the Gulf Coast. The shoal water and out- 

 lying islands make it free from high seas or breakers, and a 

 secure place for sail boats. There is an abundance of fish and 

 fowl and accessible hunting grounds, and as there are some 

 three or four northern families who take boarders visitors al- 

 ways leave this pleasant place with regret. Speaking of the 

 abundance of game : two colored men went up to the old 

 military field, some six miles up the river, and being away 

 only a part of the day returned with seven wild turkeys. They 

 saw three bears and some deer, but their indifferent gun failed 

 to go off. Yesterday a colored man invited.me to go up the 

 river in his boat, I Avith my guns and he with his fish grains. 

 The river abounds in mullet, sheaphead, snappers and red- 

 fish. He was very expert in spearing fish while I found sport 

 in shooting. Passing along he espied an alligator on the bottom 

 and said he was going to spear him, I begged him not to, but 

 spoke too late. He plunged the spearinto the " 'gator," which 

 dashed into the middle of the river, making things lively' and 

 nearly upsetting the boat. I was glad when the rope broke, 

 but my colored friend was exasperated at the loss of his spear, 

 and returned home a sadder and a madder man. The orange 

 crop, though very fine, is unusually late this year ; the froit 

 as yet green and sour. G. F. W. 



Beautieul Flies — John Haily, fly tyer, of 320 Henry 

 street, New York, has just filled an order for us of a few 

 dozen trout and salmon flies of the following patterns, selected 

 as general w r orking flies orfy ■. 



Salmon fw<m.— Jack Scott, Silver Doctor, and Cork Robin. 



Truut Flies.— Cow Dung, .May Fly, Green Drake, Professor, Blue Pro- 

 fessor, Coachman, Sione Fiy, Black Gnat, Ibis, and Grizzly King. 



