856 



FOREST AND ~" STREAM. 



coos ten. How many of each kind oE game bad he killed to 

 thus bring the average to one shell to each head ? 



Occasional. 

 [We have the answer to th'13 problem. It is so instructive 

 that the successful student will feel sufficiently rewarded with 

 out expecting any prize.— Ed. F. & S.] 



Not Much of a Slaughter After All. — Although he 

 may not want to do it, your correspondent S, Nov. 22d, pai/e 

 314, needs information relative to the "side hunt" by mem- 

 bers of the Worcester Sportsmeus Club. A score or more of 

 gentlemen hold a meeting during the open season, unite upon 

 a day when they will po shooting, agree that ruffed grouse 

 (known in Boston and throughout this State as partridge) shall 

 score 25 points, woodcock 20, snipe 20, quail 20, weasel 25, 

 squirrel 15, hate 10; sides are chosen, fifteen men on each, 

 thirty in all. The day arrives— one of autumn's best— the 

 shooters po forth to duty ; the evening's full count is 63 par- 

 tridges, 17 hares, 8 woodcock, 6 quails, 3 squirrels, 1 snipe, 1 

 weasel- averaging, per man, 2 1-10 partridges, 17-30 hare, 

 4-15 woodcock, 1-15 quail, 1-10 squirrel, 1-30 each snipe and 

 weasel, a total of 1145 points for one side, 970 to the other. 

 What slaughter! what slaughter! ! even it all had been killed 

 in Massachusetts, which they were not. The game was 

 dressed, nicely cooked and eaten, long before it got " high" 

 or any of its partakers. To me, Mr. Editor, this seems alto- 

 gether a case of more fuss than feathers. K. 



Worcester, Mass., Nov. 26, 1877. 



Three Black Crows OtjtobSbeai, the American Eagle. 

 Our Barnegat correspondent sends us the following interest- 

 ing report (handed to him by Mr. Frank Green, of the Signal 

 Service) of an encounter between an American eagle and 

 three crows at Barnegat Inlet : 



At 12:30 p. m., Nov. 28, 1877, I watched, through a power- 

 ful telescope, a large eagle on the beach eating a fish. Around 

 him, hopping demurely, were three crows, who would pick up 

 smail pieces of the fish. The engle seemed not to notice them 

 much; but finally, weaned of their attentions, he seized his 

 fish in his talons and flew off some 100 yards. The crows 

 Immediately rejoined him, and two of them took position close 

 together some four feet in front of him. The third crow, a 

 small, "devil-may-care' fellow, went to the rear, reached 

 cautiously forward aud plucked his tail. The eagle, surprised, 

 jumped and turned sharply to the rear, when one of the two 

 in front dashed boldly forward, seized the fish and flew off in 

 triumph, followed by his companions. The eagle, after look- 

 ing around foolishly'for a few moments, flew off to forage for 

 another fish. 



A Sharp Game Bird.— Mr. George C. Harding writes 

 to the Indianapolis'-SeraM what he knows about the mallard. 

 We vaguely surmise that none of those birds graced the game 

 bag when the writer returned from his last hunt : 



Among the millions of ducks in this region (Illinois) are 

 found many varieties— the mallard, the piu-tail, the bluebill, 

 the spoonbill, the teal, the canvas-back, the red head, with oc- 

 casionally the great black duck— but the mallard predomi- 

 nates. Much shooting hath made all of them exceeding sharp, 

 and even the little butter-bali, which in our own waters is 

 comparatively tame, here acquires a habit of flying half way 

 between the earth and the moon. As the result of much 

 study and experience in the game birds of America, it is my 

 deliberate opinion that the mallard is the sharpest and most 

 vigilant of all. Talk about the eagle's eye I Its gaze is a 

 mere blink to the scrutiny with which a circling mallard re- 

 conoiters the topography of the country before alighting. 

 Around and around he goes, at an elevation carefully calcu- 

 lated to keep him out of range of the best English breech- 

 loader, his long neck turned here and there and everywhere, 

 and his piercing eyes noting everything. If a bunch of wil- 

 lows has been misplaced— if a suspicious lump of humped-up 

 brown is discovered among the reeds— he don't alight. What 

 a less observing bird would take for a harmless domestic ani- 

 mal, or a stump, or a log, he immediately recognizes as a man. 

 He is a civil engineer, is your mallard, and can calculate dis- 

 tances to a nicety. It is only by an occasional indiscretion, or 

 a bit of dare-develtry, that he comes within range of the hunt- 

 er's gun, except at his feeding places. The mallard is a great 

 gormandizer, and at the inexorable demand of his stomach he 

 takes lisks which with a full stomach he would consider sui- 

 cidal. But even then he is prudent. His feeding places are 

 usually impassable marshes, where even the high rubber boots 

 of the hunter are no protection. 



A Great Shooting Country.— The London World tells of 

 a battue in Bohemia. It says : " Bohemia, after all, is a 

 country to live in. In less than eight days a shooting party 

 on Prince von Schwarzenberg's estate have brought down 

 4.000 hares, 100 roebuck, 680'deer of otberkind, 48 boars, 250 

 pheasants and 1,600 partridges. Only fancy, four dozen 

 boars ! What terrible pig-slicking ! 



SPORT IN CLINTON COUNTY, PENN. 



OUR party consisted of Messrs. Adam Carnthers, or Linden, Pa.; W. 

 McVicker, Ray Smith ami John Bub, of Williamsport; Mr. Sulli- 

 van, of Philadelphia, and myself. We met at the hospitable mansion of 

 Mr.Carolherson Oct. an, where we were greeted with the news that 

 bears had come down from the mountains the night previous, and that 

 two had been Been about a quarter of amtle from the house.cauBing quite 

 an excitement amoDg the few residents of that part of the country. 

 We at once shouldered our Winchesters and sal'ifd forth in quest of 

 bears, which were presently discovered regaling themselves up a tree, 

 unconcernedly munching the tender nut. Their festive entertainment 

 was, however, suddenly interrupted and ended, and aoiidst a general 

 babel of dogs, shots, halloos and growls, we brought our game safe and 

 dead to terra jlrma. Inspection proved them to be two cubs, weighing 

 Irom seventy-five to eighty pounds each, and in prime condition. The 

 mother, as subsequently ascertained, was kiilwl the day previous, about 

 Ave miles from Linden, on the P. and E. It. R. The akin of the larger 

 cub I brought on to be t aimed. This little episode increased our desire 

 for additional adventure. # 



Bright and early Monday we started for the mountains, taking a 

 wagon and plenty of provender. We arrived at our destination about 

 1 p. m., having ridden a, distanoe of thirty-five miles over pretty rough 

 roads, about 8,000 feet above the level of the Susquehauua in the coun- 

 ties of Lyoomlng and Clinton. We found the country very thinly set- 

 tled; the next house beyond ours was fourteen miles dis-taut. The 

 people were very kind ard obliging ; gave us all the best points about 

 etc., known to themselves, and, I must say, we had a delight- 

 ful t'.me. We remained ten days ; the tlrtt part we had very bad luck. 

 all the deer seeming to run to the splash dam about seven miles away, 

 and were there killed and cut up before we arrived. This being my 



first trip after deer I was fearful of getting the " buck fever," but to my 

 credit be it said I did not experience the least nervousness, when a 

 large doe was chased opposite to me by a fine dog owned by Mr. Caro- 

 thers. I checked her with a bleat and took deliberate aim, sending a 

 ball completely through her heart— a splendid shot the old hands said. 

 My friends congratulated mo by seizing my hands and feet and bring- 

 ing the seat of my trousers in eudden contact with a large pine tree. 

 This I was Informed was the custom practiced on the party killing his 

 first deer. We killed six deer, which with the two bears made quite a 

 flue show. Let me advise auy one going on a similar hunt to take a pair 

 of "shoe packs" instead of boots or shoes, as 1 found them to be the 

 only things fit to wear on such tramps. They give plenty of room for 

 the feet to move in, being flat with wide soles. No blisters or chafing 

 I will always use them except for swamps. T. E. Harbison. 



— Glass ball shooting is fast gaining ground in England. 

 We have just been shown an order from Messrs. Williams & 

 Powell, of Liverpool, for thirty Huber's traps and several 

 thousand of Paine's patent feather-filled balls. This is the 

 second large order sent by this party to Mr. Ira A. Paine. 



Pix-fire Guns.— We publish an interesting defence of 

 pin-fire guns. We must, however, give it to be our opinion 

 that for pin-fire guns centre-fires have been properly substituted. 

 The trouble about pin-fire guns and cartridges, our corres- 

 pondent seems perfectly aware of. A pin-fire gun is more 

 complicated, and there is greater chance for escape of gas. 

 The cartridges are harder to load, take up more room in pack 

 ing, are more readily exploded, and public opinion among 

 sportsmen for these reasons is against them. We may be said 

 to be fairly familiar with pin-fire guns, having used one in 

 France as early as 1850, an excellent pin-fire gun of Le Pauch- 

 cux's make. It was an admirable arm, and good for the time, 

 but we have done better since with later inventions. As to 

 the second portion of our able correspondent's letter, we beg 

 to remark that omissions of the names of States, in hunting 

 reports, are accidental : 



Baton Rouge, La., Nov. 81, l&n. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



Sir—In. your Interesting paper there has lately appeared several de- 

 rogatory remarks on pin-Are shot-guns. As the question of the com- 

 parative merits of sporting guns is one which is interesting to all sports- 

 men I wish to write a few lines about the subject. To commence with— 

 not from any egotism, but to show that I know something about what I'm 

 writing— I will say that I have used pin-fire guns when breech-loading 

 shot-guns were first introduced to any extent in this country, eleven 

 years ago, and that I have used many guns, English, French, American 

 and Belgian, not only breech-loaders but muzzle-loaders. I claim for 

 the pin-fire positive action breech-loader: 



1. A simplicity in its make and a durability not found in the ordinary 

 fashionable centre-Are gun. The pin-fire positive action gun has no 

 more springs than the muzzle-loader that is, its only springs are those 

 in its locks, while the "modern" centre-fire gun, snap-action, has 

 springs for its firing pins (generally) and springs to lock the barrels. 

 Any mechanic will tell you that springs are an element of weakness lu 

 a piece of machinery. Break or disable your locking spring and where 

 is your fashionable gun ? 



2. Tbe pin-fire gun requires no additional machinery to extract the 

 shell, as in centre-fire guns. They are pulled out by the hand. If, as 

 often has happened [start not, young sportsmen, with yournew patented 

 snap-action, rebounding locks, pistol-grip and other humbug new in- 

 vention, fashionable gun. Such things do happen, though you may be 

 too new in shooting to have seen them], the extractor Blips by the head 

 of the shell a great deal of trouble ensues which iB not found inthepln- 

 flre gun. The additional machinery is a sign of weakness In the centre- 

 fire. 



3. You can always tell at a glance whether the pin-fire is loaded or 

 not, which you can't do without opening the barrels In most centre- 

 flreB. This is a g eat advantage. Every season numerous accidents 

 happen from people not knowing whether their guns are loaded or not. 



4. In the pin-fire gun the hammers stand up above the barrel, like In 

 a muzzle-loader, instead of being low down and below the barrels as In 

 most centre-fires, thu3 giving a better and quicker aim to the sports- 

 men as they guide the eye in taking aim. 



It has been objected against the pin-fire that— 



1. The cartridges are hard, or rather soon will bo hard to get. 



2. That gas escapes sometimes by the pin. 



3. That they (the cartridges) are harder to pack and to carry than the 

 centre-fire. 



4. That the pin-fire is old fashioned. 

 I will refute these objections. 



1. The French use nearly universally the pin-Ore. -And France is the 

 country where the breech-loading shot-gun, in its modern form, was 

 first adopted. Over ninety-five per cent, of French guns are pin-fire. 

 As long as there is a sportsman left in France, or there Is a game-bird 

 left there to shoot, pin-fire guns and cartridges will be used. And this 

 holds good also of Spain, Portugal and the Latin nations of Europe 

 generally. I do not, Mr. Editor, speak from hearsay, but from having 

 been in those countries and seen guns used there. I am also credibly 

 informed that the majority of guns used In Germany and the North t f 

 Europe are also pin-fire. The French use pin-firo not only for their 

 shot-guns but for their rifles aud revolvers. It has been my fortune to 

 have owned many revolving pistols, and the best I ever shot or saw for 

 accuracy, surpassing our famous Colt, our improved Smith <l Wesson, 

 and the English Trauber & Adams, was a French metallic pin-fire re- 

 volver. It is said pin-lire cartridges are harder to reload. I will grant 

 thiB when metallic cartridges are wed. But in what relates to shot- 

 guns I refer to paper cartridges as I have found them, even when but 

 once used, much more satisfactory (if a little dearer) titan metal ones 



2. The old muzzle-loader most of us veteran? believe to be fully a^ 

 good a gun, as far as shooting goes (and some of us even think a harder 

 shooter), than the breech-loader. Yet there was much more escape of 

 gas at the nippies than there is with a pin-fire cartridge. The advant- 

 age of a breech-loader is in safety and general handiuess, not in its 

 shooting powers. 



S. I have never found any difficulty in this respect. By placing them 

 alternately heads up and heads down they can be a3 closely packed as 

 the centre-fire. And I know they are as safe, from years' experience 

 with both. 



4. "They are old fashioned." Ah, Mr. Editor, tu this matter, as in 

 many more important, this is tbe grea", the must, damnable charge that 

 can be brought in this present age of (pretended) progress and Im- 

 provement. The people of to-day look for nothing but new fangled 

 things, forgetting that change is not aecesaarily improvement. In their 

 mad career after what is new they have abandoned the fine sense of 

 honor, the integrity, the gentilhoiuerie or their fathers. And It is mostly 

 the people of this country that are to blame in this matter. Eut let me 

 remind them that even their boasted "Great Republic" is only an ex- 

 periment, that has been tried before and will probably be buried in the 

 ashes of the past ; when " old fashioned," but true, substantial govern- 



ments will be in existence when the "Best government the sun over 

 shone on" will be dead and gone. But I m afraid I'm getting into the 

 province of politics in which " our paper" has nothing to do. So I'l 

 stick to the guns. It would be folly to suppose that pin-fire gnns will 

 ever be adopted in this country. The rage for new fangled things ha» 

 swept them away. But I cannot see a good thing— if it is old— abused 

 without raising my feeble voice in its defence. 



To refer to something else, lu No. 12 of the present volume there Is 

 a letter signed D. H. S. requesting some changes in the paper in re- 

 g«rd to " Letters from sportsmen." I also have a suggestion to offer. 

 I do this all the more freely as f have subscribed to your paper from the 

 start ; before that to the Rod and Gun, and before it commenced to the 

 Spirit of the Times. So you see I'm an old subscriber to sy >rting papers 

 My suggestion is thl3: that you publish at least the name of the State 

 (if not that of the place) from which your letters and communications 

 are sent. In a large country like the United States where there are all 

 kinds of game, from those of tne sub-arctic to those of the quasi tropi- 

 cal, and where various and different kinds of hunting are in use, it is 

 not only interesting, but absolutely necessary to know from what State 

 the letter is sent. Much the more bo as two great sections of the country, 

 vis?.: the Northeast and the gouthand so different In 



feeling, in thought, in ways of looking at things, in belief, customs and 

 manners that it becomes imperative for a clear nndei standing to know 

 where the articles are written from. I make this remark only from a 

 wish for the complete success of the paper, as it is the paper, so far, 

 that most devotes its columns to the interests of the lovers of field 

 sports. Bonnie Blue Flag. 



DUCKING ON THE ST. CLAIR FLATS 



Toronto, Nov. 24, 1S77. 

 Editor Fokkst and Stream and Rod and Gun: 



I have just returned from my autiual fall holidays, which I have 

 spent in the same | lace for the past seven years— viz., the St. Clair 

 Flats— and I thought you would like to hear a little about the doings of 

 the various gentlemen who were at the same place this fall. A year 

 ago I was fortunate enough to have had a share in the St.. Clair Flats 

 Shooting Company offered to me, and when 1 took everything into con- 

 sideration, I came to the conclusion to take possession of that same 

 share, and my experience this fall has led me to the couclusion that I 

 did a very wise thing. The company control the shooting over 20,000 

 acres of marsh, and were very careful in seeing that there was no 

 spring shooting done upon their preserve. The company have hnd a 

 very fine club house erected especially for the mem 



The shooting this year hes D2en better than any previous ;.ear since 

 I have been going up there, showing thereby that when the preserva- 

 tion of the marsu is properly curried out, it an'" I rs most 

 excellent sport. Especially is this so in regard to the big ducks. as 

 the following incident will prove; Last vtir Mr. Geo. rt arin, our 

 one-handed champion boat builder, killed and brought into we club 

 house U7 big ducks, 'this year, on tie 29th of October, he killed 17T 

 bi g ducks, consisting of mallard, blac^ grey, and a few pai-tuls. On 

 Nov. tith he had another very good day. killing 123, all big one*, oiher 

 members of the club succeeded m getting the following bags, which, 

 although not so large, are considered a good day's sport- 49, 54, SB, 53, 

 55 5a 61, 41,88, besldea any number of bags under 30 and over 20. 

 The members never leave the duo house until 8 a. m., ami generally 

 stop shooting about 5 p. it., sometimes earlier, just according to the 

 distance they are away from the, house. 



For some unaccountable reason red heals, bine bills and other river 

 ducks were not su plentiful si in former seasons—at (east not so in the 

 e I might, in conclusion, add that we employ no punters, and 

 that the above bags wei e all made by the members personally. 



. — ~»~— « 



tBUAK Rapids, Iowa, Nov. 31, 1877. 

 Editor Foekst and Stsbam and Rod and Gun : 



In youri-sue of 2Zd inst., W. 11. S. Lynn inquires for a "good single 

 barrel breech-loader." He can procure just, what ho wants of Nichols 

 & Lefever, Syracuse, N. Y. I know whereo! I write. W. 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



Mniss—Foxcroft, Nov. 29.— A glass ball match. ; the fol- 

 lowing is the score : 



WniLee 1 111110 1-7 



J C Weston 1 llllllll 1—10) 



LAverill <> 000001 10 1-3 



Wm Waterman 1 1 " 1 1 1 1 1 1 1— 9 



c Paul i loiiniooi— a 



JTLougee 1 1 1 1 1 o 1 1 0-7 



J W Campbell 1 1 1 1 1 0- 5 



j H Shaw •« 10001111 i_a 



JKOhase 1 11110 11 1-8 



CC Weston 1 11110 111 1—9 



RHill ! 110 11111 1-9 



OHurd I 1 1 l 0—4 



WH Norton 01101110 1—6 



F Sartrent 1 1 o o o o 1 1— I 



Ties for second money— shot off at 21 yards. 



Wm Wateraau 1 111—4 R Hill o 1 1—8 



C C Weston .1111 0—4 



Messrs. Waterman and Weston tieing again, shot 5 additional balle. 

 Waterman 111—3 Weston l 110 1-4 



New Jeeskt— Riverton, Nov. 29.-25 yards rise, 80 yards 

 boundary : 

 Ogden 1 llillllio i—io 



Co»k.. 



11 Ellison... 



Biddle 



Carpenter.. 

 W Ellison.. 

 Frishmulh.. 



Dreer 



Flanagan... 



1 1111110 11 1— 10 



1 1 1 l 1 1 1 1 1 1—10 



1101111111—9 



1 0011111111—9 



1 10 10 11111—8 



1 1 U 1 1 1 1 1 1—8 



1 1 1 U 1 1 1 1— T 



1 0110010010—5 



Tie on ten. 



t 11 H Elliton o 10 



Ogden 



took io 



Same Day— Pigeon match between Messrs. R. H. Wells, 

 R. Wells, Jr., J. B. Ellison, C. C. Reinhard and G-. W. B. 

 Roberts/all members of tbe Riverton BUooting Club; 21 

 yards rise, ground traps, 80 yards boundary, at 15 birds each, 

 with the following results : 



K II Wells 1111111111101 1—13 



R WeUs Jr ••• 1 0011 11 10 till 1—11 



aw BSoberts o iioiiininoi o-io 



JEEdiSO! 1 1110 110 110 10 1-10 



CCReiuhard 00001101000100—4 



Fountain Gcn" Club.— Brooklyn Driving Park, Parkville, 

 Xj. I. — Pigeon shooting. Fountain C4un Club, Nov. 29; con- 

 test for a gold pencil and pen presented by Mr. White ; shot 

 for at 7 birds each ; handicapped distance, SO yards bouudary ; 

 Fountain Gun Club rules. 



O'Connor 25 yds 1 1 



Eddr '-« 1 



"Williams" 27 l 



Madlrou M 1 1 



Miller 25 1 



Jbui"s 26 1 1 



De Frane SI 1 1 



Byrne 23 



White 25 



U-i mated ,25 



McMunn 36 



M Williams 23 



1 o 











I 



1111 1-7 

 11111—6 

 1111 1— « 

 1 1 fl 1 1-8 

 11111-6 

 111 1-6 

 1 1-5 

 1 1-5 

 1 0—4 

 1 1-4 

 1—4 

 1-4 



Same Day— Sweepstakes, $3 each, at 3 birds each, at 30 



