44 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Feb. 16, 1882 



down in squads and taking them out of the wet. Secret 

 baits and charms, such as oils, scents, etc., are not half as 

 good as spitting on your bait. 



ins the Bowman. The man is on one knee and is 

 drawing the long bow. Anglers never draw the long bow. 

 That is an old slander ou the craft that we must live down 

 by underrating our powers and surprising the slanderers by 

 showing a big string after telling them that we had poor 

 luck, and are not first-class fishermen any way. 



Capricorn us the Goat. When your friend has a big trout 

 hooked, remember this sign and advise him loudly to do what 

 the goat is doing, "give him the butt." The goat, you may 

 notice, has two homs, like the bull. Don't take but one. 

 Eat your lunch oh the grass without the goat— you can do 

 without the butter. 



Aquarius the Waterman. He appears to have a jug and 

 is pouring out what is alleged to be water. Don't take him 

 along. Too much of a good thing. If he upsets his jug in 

 the boat you may realize what a fisherman's luck is. 



Pisces the Fishes. These are the fish that you are to buy 

 at the market, on return, and the big one will do to illus- 

 trate the wonderful elasticity of your new eight-ounce rod. 

 "The tip rapped my knuckles several times, and I thought 

 every moment the strain would be greater than it could 

 bear," etc. You know how this is to be worked in without 

 prompting; so, as there are no more signs in the zodiac, we 

 must content ourselves with the old dozen, until in the march 

 of science new ones are discovered. But that anglers will in 

 future consult the calendar in the light of our revelations 

 there is no room for doubt. 



A QUESTION II? ETHICS. 

 X\7"HETHEB to "shoot em settin' " or not, appears now to 



' ' be troubling the minds of a number of our correspond- 

 ents. The decision of the question as to whether or not it is 

 permissible to shoot a ruffed grouse out of a tree, is a delicate 

 one in the ethics of shooting, and must of course, be left to 

 the consciepces of individuals. Yet, for the sake of the ex- 

 ample to younger and less advanced sportsmen it seems 

 scarcely desirable to advocate this course, and we imagine 

 that most of our readers will sympathize very heartily with 

 the sentiments expressed by "Look East." 



If we may shoot grouse out of trees, why may we not with 

 equal propriety kill quail on the ground? It is difficult to 

 see the difference in morals between shooting at the huddled 

 bevy about to rise, and at the slim, graceful bird which 

 stands with erected crest upon the limb of the hemlock above 

 us. Perhaps two or three times in a season's shooting one is 

 fortunate enough to behold the very pretty sight of a wood- 

 cock or a quail crouched on the ground just before the dog's 

 •nose, but we imagine that to very few of our readers would 

 it occur to try to shoot the poor little thing's head off in 

 order to make sure of securing it. 



Most of the men who carry a gun desire to become good 

 wing shots, and this end is certainly not to be attained by 

 pot-shots at sitting birds, whether on the ground or in a tree. 

 Then, too, when a man brings in his bag of birds, it is as- 

 sumed that he has killed them while they were flying, and if as 

 a matter of fact, he has shot a part of them on the ground or 

 in a tree, he is sailing under false colors, and unless he states 

 the way in which his birds were captured, cannot help feel- 

 ing uncomfortably about the matter. 



Although we are all of us eager to kill our birds and to 

 make good bags, it must be remembered that the men who 

 form the great majority of the readers of Forest and 

 Stream, do not go shooting for the meat that they can secure, 

 but for the excitement of the sport and the calmer, but not 

 less enjoyable, pleasures of the concomitants of a day's shoot- 

 ing. The opinions of such men have, as they should, weight 

 in the community, and it is through them that we must hope 

 to educate public sentiment up to a point where the game 

 laws shall be respected and enforced, and game shall once 

 more become so abundant that there may be shooting enough 

 in its season for all who love the sport. Good bags, plenty 

 of birds, are desirable to such men primarily as evidences of 

 their skill with the gun, and not for the price that the game 

 will bring in the market, or for the dollars and cents by which 

 ts capture may reduce the monthly butcher's bill. 



The question is one which each man must decide for bim- 

 Belf. There are many individuals representing the best class 

 of sportsmen, who feel themselves justified in shooting the 

 sitting grouse, but it is no doubt higher art to confine oneself 

 wholly to wing-shooting. To say, however, that the man who 

 shoots from a tree is necessarily a pot-hunter is to take a 

 position that is by no means tenable. 



The difference between the so-called pot-hunter and the 

 man who shoots for recreation lies in this, that the former 

 shoots for meat and the latter for the innocent and healthful 

 ■I -mem of the day afield. The former kills his birds as he 

 would butcher a Jiog, while to the latter the killing is only 

 one episode of the day's delights. The meat hunter will kill 

 all that he can, his greed knows no bounds; the self-respect- 

 ing shooter is satisfied -with a fair bag. The wealth, social 

 standing, and education of an individual afford no indication 

 as to which of the two classes he belongs in. We have known 

 men of high culture, whose equipments excited our admira- 

 tion, who were the veriest meat-hunters ; while others, who 

 can barely read and write and who still carry most ancien t 

 muzzle-loaders, have commanded our unqualified respect by 

 the wholesome and manly view which they hold of game and 

 the way in which it should be brought to bag. 



BATTLE OF PORK AjYD SEAW8. 

 "VTARY a nibble, or practically that, had been the result 

 -^ of our piscatorial efforts for the day. but the wading 

 and tramping had whetted our appetites until our stomachs 

 could well believe that our throats bad been cut, and a for- 

 midable party of gormandizers it seemed to be as we tramped 

 into the dining-room. 



It was a thoroughly organized, well disciplined force, 

 composed entirely of veterans, who had seen service in the 

 Rocky Mountains, along the shores of Barnegat Bay, on the 

 Mississippi, in the Adirondack*, and in New York boarding- 

 houses. Veterans we were, who never quailed when the 

 order came to attack our rations. 



Our leader was a warrior bold, and armed with knife and 

 fork or tablespoon he feared no foe. Dyspepsia might hurl 

 its legions across his vomitory, but carefully he'd masticate 

 them all, "chew them up," aud leave uo sign. His capacity 

 was as subhme in the hour of plenty as it was anxious in the 

 moments of scarcity. 



The scene was a large square room, the ceiling formed of 

 unhewn logs, blackened by the smoke from the open hearth, 

 but the floor shone like polished mahogany, and every pail 

 and pan, scoured to a lustrous brightness, helped to make 

 more glaring the contrast between peace and the impending 

 battle. The wainscoting on the side of the room opposite 

 the fireplace was regularly pegged with supports for rods, 

 reels, landing-nets and creels, and well-filled were they with 

 bamboos, lancewoods, greenhearts and ash, every rod of its 

 kind first-class. 



The commander of the defence was "fat, fair and forty." 

 Captain Cuttle would say of her, "she is a woman as is a 

 woman;" and she handled her forces like the veteran 

 she was. Every detail was under complete mastery, 

 and the experience of a thousand former victories gave her 

 the confidence that assured her final success. 



There was a savory smell pervading the apartment, a smell 

 of fragrant coffee, of delicate trout, of flaky biscuits, and 

 crispy spuds, not only exquisitely served, but enough to 

 have victualed a famishing regiment. There were no light- 

 weights like ginger snaps and pies marshaled to oppose our 

 onslaught; but the choicest substantiate were ready to do 

 battle with our capacity and digestive organs. 



We soon found the main body we were to attack. It con- 

 sisted of two immense platters of trout, flanked on either 

 side by crisp potatoes, flaky biscuits and golden butter, the 

 rear well guarded by a pot of steaming Mocha, red-hot, and 

 burning to be brought into action. 



It was a powerful and admirably equipped force to attack, 

 but after a little preliminary skirmishing the battle became 

 general all along the line, and the whole room resounded 

 with the rapid and continued clatter of knife and fork, of 

 cup and saucer. A few well-directed shots caused a waver- 

 ing in the centre, and as one large platter beat a sudden 

 retreat our men turned fiercely toward the remaining one, 

 which they attacked in grand style. This platter showed 

 signs of wavering, when fresh reinforcements from the 

 biscuit and coffee corps w r ere ordered up, and for a time the 

 fortunes of war were evenly balanced. We stubbornly held 

 our positions while the fray thickened, but as potatoes and 

 bread and coffee fell victims to our prowess it promised to 

 to be a Waterloo for the table. We had almost achieved a 

 complete victory, when there reappeared on the scene platter 

 No. 1, which had been halted in its retreat, reorganized and 

 brought once more into the thickest of the fight; but it soon 

 followed its companions to annihilation. Yictory was with- 

 in our grasp. She was hovering over us, just folding her 

 wings and slowing up before alighting on our banners, when 

 unseen and unsuspected there appeared another battalion 

 ready to pour an enfilading fire upon us. A huge dish of 

 pork and beans had been ordered up, and came at double- 

 quick through the wood shed door. 



It proved to be our Bliicher. Our men became surfeited. 

 Tyro had been struck in the stomach two minutes before by 

 a volley of pancakes and retreated before the main body fell 

 back. A bottle of pepsin preserved his comfort and allayed 

 his pain. The rest of us made a faint show of resistance, 

 then laid down our knives and forks and surrendered, draw- 

 ing what smoke and consolation Ave could from our pipes, 

 which, through the generosity of a brave conqueror, we were 

 suff ered to retain. 3Iillabd. 



Hatching Codfish.— A short time ago Maj. Ferguson, 

 of the U. S. Fish Commission, conceived the idea of obtain- 

 ing ripe codfish eggs at Fulton Market, New York city. He 

 saw that if this could be done that they could be obtained 

 later in the. year than on the coast of Massachusetts, and also 

 much nearer the base of winter operations of the commission. 

 On Tuesday last, 14th inst., two men of the commission, 

 Messrs. Wm. P. Sanerhoff and Wm. Hamlen, arrived at the 

 market where Mr. Blackford had arranged to have freshly 

 caught cod from Fire Island in readiness for them. We 

 were present and saw the operations. The men were pre- 

 pared with appliances for taking the eggs to Washington in 

 three ways: First, on flannel trays; second, in hogs' blad- 

 ders; and third, in water. The eggs will be taken to the old 

 Armory building where fresh sea-water will be brought 

 daily, and if not successful, then the lot will go to Old 

 Point Comfort. If this plan is practicable, it will be of 

 great advantage to get spawners in New York and hatch 

 them near here instead of up the coast farther. The main 

 points will be to know if the eggs taken so late are good and 

 will impregnate, and if they will stand transportation by rail 

 or water. The men took over four mill ion eggs. 



An Albany Matter of Interest. — Senator Boyd, at 

 Albany last Monday night, prese nted a petition from Henry 

 Bergh, with a bill prohibiting the trap-shooting of birds, and 

 providing that it shall be a misdemeanor to use any live bird 

 or animal for the purpose of a target; also to rent a room, 

 yard or building for such sport, Nothing in the bill shall be 

 construed to relate to the shooting of any wild game in its 

 wild state. The petition citas the Coney Island tournament 

 of last summer as "a scandalous scene," and Mr. Bergh 

 draws from his fertile imagination a terrible state of affairs 

 subsequent to the meeting; he alleges that a pestilence was 

 threatened from .the decomposing blood and bodies of the 

 victims. As we have before said, there is a vast difference 

 between a quiet private trap-shoot and such a wholesale 

 slaughter and money-making scheme as that which last sum- 

 mer received the well-merited rebuke of an outraged public 

 sentiment. It is exceedingly improbable that Mr. Bergh, or 

 any one else, would have attempted to have a law passed 

 against the trap-shooting of birds, had not the Coney Island 

 tournament led to such a step. 



An Excursion to the Pacific coast will be made in one of 

 the Worcester Excursion Car Company's cars, leaving Wor- 

 cester, Mass., April 20th. The trip will extend through two 

 months, and the route includes all of the points of interest on 

 the Southern, Central, and Union Pacific roads. Full infor- 

 mation regarding the exclusion may be had upon application 

 to Mr. Jerome Marble, Worcester, Mass. 



Disgusted Gunner (who is missing the ducks right along 

 as they come up to his stools) soliloquizes : "I can't see what 

 is the matter; I think my gun must need choking." Equally 

 Disgusted Tender (sotto voct): " Your .gun — or you?" 



Muzzle vs. Breech. — Several letters on this subject, 

 muzzle-loading rifles vs. breech-loading, will be published in 

 our next issue. 



Sawdust in Mill Streams.— A decision bearing on thi3 

 point has just been rendered by the Vermont Supreme Court 

 in the case of Zadoc H. Canfield and others against Caleb 

 Andrew and others, which is important to mill-owners and 

 riparian proprietors. The court decides that a mill-owner or 

 manufacturer has no right to dump into a stream upon which 

 his mill is situated sawdust or any kind of waste, except what 

 is absolutely and indispensably necessary in the beneficial 

 enjoyment of his water privilege, to the injury of others below 

 him on the same stream. A perpetual injunction and decree 

 of ascertainment of damages are granted against the defend- 

 ants in this case. The opinion of the court is delivered by 

 Chief Justice Royce. 



-Xew Hampshire is much excited over her new crow law. 

 A bounty is given for the destruction of ihese birds, and the 

 law provides that "the ears" of the crows shall be cut off as 

 evidence, before the bounties are paid. So far no ears Have 

 been presented, 



W*e fymisnfm ^oumi 



PISECO AND T LAKE FALLS, 



BY THE REV. HENRY Ii, ZIEGENFUSS. 



A CROW-FLIGHT of one hundred and seventy-five miles 

 north from New York city, cuts the southern boundary 

 of a county sixty miles long by thirty wide, where arable 

 land can be purchased for fifty cents an acre; where there is 

 not a single mile of railroad or canal; where there is no 

 banking house of any sort ; where, as a rule, there are no 

 locks to the inner or outer doors of houses; where the Board 

 of Supervisors reported for the past year a county tax of 

 seven thousand dollars, and taxable personal property to the 

 amount of only eight hundred and fifty dollars; where there 

 is no poorhouse, and where the jail usually stands empty. 



In the southern portion of this county lies Piseco, a lake of 

 remarkable beauty, perhaps the most picturesque that can be 

 found in all tire Adirondack region. It has a length, running 

 from the northeast to the southwest, of somewhat more than 

 six miles, with an average width of about one mile and a 

 quarter. This superb mirror of nature is held by a magnifi- 

 cent setting of emerald. On all sides the dark green forests 

 come down to touch these waters, forests into some of which 

 one may press on for days and days without; finding any limit 

 or any "trace of civilization; only the primeval haunt of the 

 v. nil. the panther, the lynx, the bear, the deer, the otter and 

 the marten. Overhead on leisurely-lifted wing sweeps by the 

 eagle, the osprey and the crane, whilst loon and owl fill night 

 with (he weirdest cries. All around the lakes the wilderness 

 comes to the water's edge, two small places alona being ex- 

 cepted. Midway down on the east side is a clearing of about 

 one hundred acres, on which, surrounded by three or four 

 smaller dwellings, stands Walton Hall., the fishing lodge of the 

 once famous Piseco Club. 



The Club was organized in 1842, with the following officers 

 and members: 



President, Henry Tail, Troy, N. Y. 



Vice-President, George B. Warren, Troy, N. Y. 



Secretary, Alfred Brooks, Boston, Mass. 



JohnB.'Duane, Scbenectadv, N. Y. 



George W. Bethune, D. D., Philadelphia, Pa, 



Isaac Gibson, New York city. 



George Trott, Philadelphia, Pa. 



So were they captivated by the beauty of the lake, the 

 grandeur of its surroundings, "and the abuudanc* and excel- 



