28 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[■Feb. '■ 



ood many elk aud deer, But probably 

 not many mOret □ eededtd feed the ntefl and dogs 



of the company. 



The next fall an Englishman who has hunted a great deal 

 in Africa, cante over and entered the mountains late in 

 October. An agent hud made preparations before his arrival 

 and he was soon in the field with numerous servants and 

 b tses. unongo hi rs be employed two local game butchers 



,i ■ the country, the game and its haunts thoroughly, 

 and they did most of "the killing. The slaughter lasted rive or 

 idth bag was between sixty or seventy elk, a large 

 number of deer and antelope, two or three bears, one cougar, 

 or mountain lion, a glutton and some smaller animals. They 

 failed to get any mountain sheep, at which our English friend 

 was much chagrined. Here was the destruction of ol least 

 fifteen tons of good meat, worth in our local markets not less 

 than two thousand doEsrs. The hunters cef rr 9 to had per- 

 mission to get it out aud sell it. and I think did succeed iu 

 selling two wagon loads: probably a couple of tons. The 

 balance rotted where it fell This man paid high prices; pre- 

 sented each of his hunters a latest improved Sharps rifle to 

 begin with, and when he left the field the outfit procured for 

 the hunt, even to saddle horses, was divided among his men. 

 It would be hard to collect a shooting license of him, if it 

 had to he collected in that neighborhood, unless he chose to 

 pay, for reasons that are very obvious. His object was to 

 secure "heads'' and make a big score; of course by the time 

 I tied home ;dl of this slaughter by several' men was 

 counted as his own. Why not? They were hired by hiin 

 and well paid for the bloody work. Since that date t have 

 not heard of a foreign sportsman killing game, enough in this 

 State to brag much about. However, i have scarcely been in 

 the hunting grounds for three years past. 



If the Englishmen are left to' their own devices there is not 

 much danger to the game. As -a local hunter said to me last 

 summer when we" were discussing this question, "Oh 

 pshaw! English hunters don't destroy the game. Turn them 

 out alone to hunt for a living and they'll starve to death.'' 

 This is a good general illustration, but not always literally 

 true. But it is the local hunters who are sweeping off the 

 buffalo, elk, deer, antelope aad-hig horn of the plains and 

 Rocky Mountain regions; Englishmen count a few of the 

 dead and show an occasional head, but they pay well for all 

 they get. True, much of the slaughter is instigated by them, 

 and a proper license law might save many valuable animals. 

 When the local hunter hunts for himself he is notr so destruc- 

 tive, and generally spares what he does not need or cannot 

 readily sell. 



The elk is now the chief Sufferer in this State. Under 

 certain circumstances it is a most stupid animal and may be 

 slaughtered like cattle in a pen. It ranges a great dea 1 in small 

 bands, or families, of from three to" eight head. An ex- 

 perienced hunter, finding one of these bands, will first shoot 

 the leader, when the others are at his mercy, and he piles them 

 all in a heap at his leisure — of course keeping himself hidden. 

 Sometimes he will drive such a bunch for miles before he 

 begins shooting in order to get the meat near home, or to a 

 place from which it can easily be taken out. 



W.m. N. Bye its. 



Denver, Col. 



MIGRATORY QUAIL. 



IN order to complete the record of importations of migra- 

 tory quail which has been kept in the columns of the 

 Fokest and Stream, 1 send herewith a statement of the im- 

 portations of June, 1881. There were 1,000 birds imported, 

 which were distributed as follows: 



Boston .,, ..tool 



Haskell town . N. J 8Q0 



Orange, K. J ..- 900 



I am in receipt of advices, under date of Jan. 15, 1882, 

 from Mr. Carl F. Braun, who has furnished the birds for the 

 importations of the last three or four years, and who has ex- 

 ercised remarkable care and skill in" selecting and boxing 

 them and in providing for their health aud comfort during 

 the passage. He informs me and requests me to make public 

 announcement that he will during the coming season put the 

 birds on board steamer at Messina at the rate of $24 per 

 cage of 100 birds, furnishing also, without extra char ;e, f ) i 

 sufficient for the birds during the passage to Nei Fork, 

 Gentlemen ordering birds from him are requested to send 

 with the. order to him sterling bills on London or Paris, to- 

 gether with full instructions for shipment, giving name of 

 party who will take charge of the birds upon their arrival in 

 Kew fork, aud to whom they shall be consigned. 



For the past three years I have acted as forwarding agent, 

 to transmit the money to Mr. Braun, and to receive and for- 

 ward the birds upon their arrival to New York to their re- 

 spective destinations, I find thai the correspondence and 

 trouble of so doing demand more time than I can .w |] 

 from the requirements of my business, and having stood mv 

 trick at the wheel for three years, during which" time Mr. 

 Braun has shipped and I have forwarded about )J,000 quail, 

 I think I am now entitled to my watch below, and so will 

 request gentlemen who desire to import to direct their orders 

 to Mr. Braun himself, who will give them prompt and cour- 

 teous attention. His address is Mr. Carl F. Braun, A T ia Mad- 

 dalena No. 93, Messina, Sicily. Orders should be sent early, 

 and before March 15 at the latest, HoEAOfe P. Tobet.' 



Boston, Mass,, February, 1882. 



distant from the nearest place oi liberation. Many nest:, with 



eggs were found. Some of these 



machines, some nests were deserted after being mowed over 



and left exposed, and many birds were captured by the 



dorm ■ cats. Vet it was fair to 'Vest u liai goo 



number escaped all these evils and migrated South in the 



autumn. 



In the Maine " Report of the Commissioners of Fi ri 

 and Game*' for the year 1880. I gave an account of the 

 migratory quails, their introduction to Maine, and results so 

 far as then observed, also some description of their nests, 

 habits, etc. I looked forward with interest to learn if my 

 confident prediction of the return of some of these birds ami 

 their native born progeny would be verified in the spring of 



id fe 



ration in Maine' in 1-381, 

 Ill re then, they could 



(he South, through 



SiouX City. Iowa 100 birds. 



' lUT-bee. Canada CVi •• 



Montreal, Canada. 



1881, as none were import 

 It was known (hut should 

 only come by return mig 

 FoSest ats'o Stream am 

 persons who might observe any of these quails to report the 

 facts to me, and I would be grateful now, or at any future 

 time, for any information concerning the migratory* quits in 

 America. As migratory quails were observed in Maine dur- 

 ing the spring of 1881, and at dates earlier than the liberation 

 in other localities of any newly imported birds, the fact is 

 established that the quails have' returned. 



I have received reliable evidence of their appearance in 

 various parts of this State, from the Saco River valley in the 

 West, to the St, Croix River on the Eastern boundr 

 quote from a few of the reports received. 



"Dayton, Me.. May 2, 1881.— The quails that nested on my 

 place last summer have returned this morning. Five in 

 number. — G. W. Rumcry." 



"Bath, Me., May 2, 1881.— Mr. W. T. Dunton saw two 

 quails last week oii his farm, within the limits of this city. — 

 C. H. Greenleaf." 



"Wiscasset, Me., May 9, 1881.— The quails that I liberated 

 last year have returned. They were seen for the first time 

 on May 5, in the very field in which they were hatched. — 

 W. G. Hubbard," 



During the latter part of April, Mr. W. W. Castle, of Bel- 

 fast, Me., reported finding several quails, while accompanied 

 by his setter dogs, in the. immediate vicinity of that city. 

 These were the first arrivals reported, and a. comparison of 

 dates fixes the early part of May as the date of their general 

 appearance in Maine, for that season, (1881). 



Samuel Atwood, Esq. writes from Winterport, Me., under 

 date of May 24, 1881: "I have for the last two weeks looked 

 early and late, and this evening was rewarded with the sight 

 of two quails, and the sound of quite a number." 



The notes of the migratory quail are unmistakable and not 

 to be confounded with the notes of any of our native birds, 

 and their general appearance and flight differ widely from 

 those of any other birds found in Maine. Sometimes, when 

 flushed, the migratory quail repeats a low, trilling note as it 

 flies away. This note resembles the ordinary cry of the 

 pectoral sandpiper, (Tringa mamddta) but is softer, and only 

 to be heard when uttered within a few rods of the ■ listener. 

 But the ordinary notes of the male quail, so frequently 

 uttered at morning aud evening during the months of May 

 and June, (later the bird is comparatively silent) are clear and 

 penetrating, and on a still day may be heard at a distance of 

 nearly a half mile. I can best exp'ress these notes in words 

 by the syllables, icho-caf, wheat, mheut! The crescendo, 

 "'//•//"," oi' the first note, can be heard only when very near 

 the listener. The call may be easily imitated by the whistle, 

 but when uttered by the quail, it is' of a veutriloquei n a ;.,;•.■ 

 aud the listener who hears the rapidly repeated 

 ioheaff' of the two terminal notes at a distance oi -■■•■ reral bran 

 dred yards, is apt to be misled into the belief that the bird 

 is at a distance very much nearer than a search will prove it 

 to be. Previous to 1880 all the quails imported to America 

 were divided into small lots, sent to widely separated dis- 

 tricts, and in very many instances were liberated in numbers 

 of but a few pairs to each locality selected; But the experi- 

 ment in Maine was made by a systematic distribution over a 

 definite territory, of a sufficiently large number of birds to 

 warrant a reasonable expectation of success. Besides the 

 2,600 quails distributed in Maine in 1880, i here were 1,700 

 distributed in other States, and 800 in Canada. Col. Win. 

 Rhodes, a public-spirited gentleman and sportsman of 

 Quebec, has liberated a number at his own prival i expense, 

 and in a recent letter informs me that he will re] he 



experiment this year. In an interesting letter giving me 

 memoranda of the quails liberated in Canada, Col. Rhodes 

 expressed the hope that these birds may find "the great 

 barrens of the Laurent ides," suitable for their breeding. It 

 is my belief, however, that the cultivated fields of the all 



•ill be 



the 



of Ihe St. Lawrence Rive 



and in character !l!i *' lat 

 wants of the migratory quails. 



It is impossible to predict with certainty the ultimate suc- 

 cess of these attempts to make the migratory quails a per- 

 manent addition to the fauna of America; but already it has 

 been demonstrated that these birds can find an abundance of 

 suitable food here, that they aiv hardy and do not lack that 

 instinctive love of home pertaining to all living Creatures 



The importation of the common quail (Co/t/i ,it.r c&mrtittrds) 

 of Europ.: for the -purpose of adding to the fauna of Noil I 

 America, a bird worthy of the esteem of sportsmen, farmers, 

 epicures, ras commenced in 187 1 ? by Judge Martin G. 

 Everts, Esq. of Rutland. Vermont, by the purchase and libera- 

 tion of 200 quails. In 1878 there were 5,000 quails imported 

 alive to America and liberated in various' localities. In 1879 

 there were about 3,000 imported, and of these there were 

 lit) rated in the State- of Maine. 

 My interest its ornithology and field sport; prompted me to 

 introduce thi si b'jecl ! tan address deliveredbefore tjhe "Sjag- 

 ioii" at Brunswick M ■ . i . h hi he object 



of raising a fund by general sidjsr-rtpiio^w.-uilie-iLnt to purchase 

 alarge number of quails for liberation iLiroughott this State. 

 As a result, general contributions were received within a 

 short time, ancTeaj in June, L880< j i i dyed 1,600 Siigra- 

 tory quails from Italy. (More than one-half the whole im- 

 m fcp America for that year.) These birds arrived in 

 good eondition and with lull slight loss in numbers, and were 



: tribul li i ... mntyof our extensive State. I 



recommended that' nut less than fifteen or twenty quails 

 i i ... a liberated in each lot, and this was generally done, 

 although their numbers were divided into smaller h . 

 oe of these birds 

 the ti ieini of .1 ich I ... . . . , nested '-a 



] ; uu 



Which is the prime incentive to romp 

 return to the place of their nativity, 

 belief that these quails can be permanent! 

 North American fauna, even should the fin 

 bring ultimate success. In this connection 

 the fact that the first attempt, Of which there 

 to introduce the domestic sparrow' (Pyntng 

 Europe to this continent was made at. Portlai 

 The soarrows first liberated here were U-w i 



rds to 

 infident in the 

 added to our 

 t attempts not 

 I will mention 

 : public record, 

 mUai) of 



i numbers, but 



' Yet all 

 ted subsequent 

 in ll y sue- 



aitenipts that their ititrodnetJOD '• can 

 eessful. 



As regards the migratory quails, it should b< ; i 

 mind that they are rLrnrtiu :i b:;' Is ran h aligning e'.-.e- 

 Where than on the ground, toad their buff brown : 



b bit of- hiding in the grass, or running swiftly 

 the approach of danger rath r ihan seeking sii'ety by flight, 

 renders therh no eas observed. Hence but fewmigbl h 

 seen even v. .. h at, and to become appree-iiihly abt ad 



ant fhirongh'oUl a territory so wide bs that extending I 

 Atlantic Ocean io the M'.-i-iprii i;i\ r ilu-ir , ,; , I - - 

 be millions, "these qUails ate 'so prolific (Iayin 



teen eggs in a u -a ; that q few y ars 01 - u c< . sful 

 breeding would yield a compound inter t ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ 

 ands distributed as seed, and their numbers would 1 

 great as now attained by the domestic sparrd 1 j, 

 the success of the introduction of the Oi 

 America could l> ... consid- 



erable ihimi i in Payori rtftj 



I i . 



I will again ask all pais ■.<- who may Icara ol the o-tiirn of 

 pvrhdly if in 

 i, to inform me by mail 

 It is now a matter of record that after n< 5ting aud hatching 

 their young in Maine and migrating r-";u m in lb 



■ ; ' m the spring. Smith, 



18, 1888. 



LOADING FOR GAME. 



|MIE replies thus far published to the (pii-iy. How 



ply the results of 

 information that 



■ .. ' test ... d 



appear to 



i be utilized f 



load fo 



individual expericiu ., 

 Will permit that experlena 



by others. la this, as in all other matters, thi bebl D ul 

 arc attainable only through a knowledge of the underlying 

 principles involved, and the application of them to the pariicu- 

 lar cases in point. In loading for game no less than five variable 

 factors enter into the Question, These arc, 1. the man; 2. the 

 gun; 3. the ammunition; 4. the manner in which it is 

 arranged in the shell; 5, the kind of game sought and the 

 manner of seeking it. That which follows is intended to 

 relate simply to breech-loaders and to loading for field work, 

 not to blind, boat, or punt, shooting. 



1. A fnan in good physical condition should be able to 

 tramp the fields or forests where walking is ordinarily good. 

 and to carry without undue fatigue a gun weighing- not more 

 than one-twentieth of his own weight; ft //..an 8ll;i. gun for 

 a 10011). man. A gun much heavier than this wiLl, before 

 is out. prove a burden rather than a source of 

 while one much lighter, other things equal, will 

 e average secure us much grunt 1 , 

 gun chosen for field work' will he either a 10, 12 or 

 the 20-gauge has hardly come into fashion with us 

 and 4-gauges are reserved for wild-fowling. The 

 be either cylinder, half or full choke; and 

 Excessive recoil a charge of rather quicfe 

 ie drachm (avoirdupois) for every two 

 - may be taken as the maximum I i g 

 s shot With Comfort forty <■■:■ fifty times 

 fusions a -mailer charge is preferable. 

 Powders vary as to quickness of eom- 

 iomposition. mode of manufacture', sec 

 Oral - li ghtni ng maybe taken as the 

 i and comparison both as to character 



the day 

 pleasure, 

 not on th 



& The 

 lO-gauge; 

 yet. and a 

 gun will 

 should burn without 

 powder, equal to oi 

 pounds of gun. Thi 

 that can ordinarily hi 

 a day. For most oc< 



3. 'Ammunition, 

 bust ion. due to their i 

 to the size of grain. 

 basis of computatioi 



and sfz< 

 In usi 



maker: 



other 



: folio 



big remarks win apply to this brand. 



ils, whether of the same or differenl 



antes should be made. Shot vary in 

 size, and equal measures of two different sizes being taken, 

 the fine shot will weigh more than the large. 



4. The relative proportions of the powder and shot, and l he 

 mode of wadding exert an important, i-vflimnrc upon the 

 results. To facilitate an understanding of this, the most. 

 difficult factor in successful loading, we give a table shov ing 

 the ratio of powder to shot, through the rutin list of practt 

 cable loads, for guns varying between 16 and 10 gauge and 

 weighing from 8 to lSfbs. ' 



RATIO OF POWDER AND SHOT. 



Ratio. 



1-5 

 1-6 



Ui% 

 1-53-5 

 1-51-11 

 1-59-11 



w 



1-57-13 

 1-3 1-7 

 1-55-7 



TtattOi 



i e 



I -:a:, 



s 



. 



1-5 1-5 

 1-53-5 

 1-i-t-U 



I 



; 1 ' 



In reference to the foregoing it will be noted that with 

 three exceptions the ratios given vary between 1-6 and 1-5. 

 Of these the former (1-6) is the proportion universal! . 

 as the standard for testing guns for pattern, and in 13-gaugC 

 guns the load employed is 3 drachms of powder and l-\ 

 ounces of shot; and' this particular ratio has been 



experience has shown that (other things being equal) 



it gives the best pattern- 

 portion of pellets in a 30-ir 

 alone, however, is not all that 

 Projection of the shot bey( 

 gethtr with lethal peneti it 

 tain these additional powdc 

 certain limits, undoubtedly 

 with detriment of pattern — 

 portion of powder you inc 



posits the lar ." 

 •ircl" al 40 yards. Pattern 

 quired in loading ('organic, 

 :■ die tnoement ionutl, to- 

 ... . ■ . _ L ..1 tp ,,',. 



i b i. '■ ii b within 

 res these advantages, but 

 is, if you increase the pro- 

 se the range and penetral I 



the charge, but you increase its scattering. When you reach 

 the proportion o'f 1-5 you about reach the limit of thinness of 

 pattern that is safe to depend on under ordinary eir. nu;- 

 stances. Most sportsmen, howevvr, make an effort to com- 

 promise ihe matter, and seek neither extreme pattern on the 

 one hand nor extreme range and penetration on the other, 

 and have adopted for ordinary Bhootinj a m. 

 drachms to 1-?- ounces for 12-gauge guns, ivhichg 

 of l-5- : -.,. The writer, however, must ei •eferenoe 



for n little more powder, and to Obtain the maximum Of kill- 

 ing power would employ S't drachms to 1| : ounces fi . 

 gun— that is, n. ratio of r-;> J. It will be Been, thei 

 gun may be made to shoot with a thicker or a thinner pat 

 arying the proportion of the powder to the shut. 

 The pattern, however, is modified by manner of loading. 

 , ior i istani j two pink-edge wads over powder and a Card- 

 board over shot arc- ei ' i: 

 tamed, while if card -.■•, 



■■.,. i ;. k '..s, b be placei i\ er (she a taoi i •• p 

 pattern will result. It is evident, therefore, that a Ehooter 

 may modify his pattern in two .. .: . , , , : 



be powdc aldal be consid- 



I ii'd ;i : - a general prQpOsiliion tliat ihe 



jrai the thinner will be itspq.ttern, 



I this factor is rarely taken h t acoounl 



1 . ill depend rather on the calibre of 

 tiiegun; tire smaller the gun the finer the powder, and th« 

 iz> mos! i'requently adopted will h< --pond to 



No. 4 O. L. for a 16-gauge, No, 5 for K'-gauge, No. a 

 ... . . i ,_, ,.:,..;... 

 din topat tern. This is thequalit yo tb 



der employed. If a high-grade rapid powder is' used the pat- 

 ' _ with a cheaper and slower powder. 



Lastly, we come lo really the most h,:: u that in- 



fluences pattern This is the shape of the 



barrel, whether cyli effects of this 



. . o wai, tood llu t they here neetl only be 



alluded to. 



penetration I baivTnash ■ 



■ 



