April 87, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



247 



My brothers and myself would go with them to assist in 

 piling up the bark as thev cleaved it from the trees. On one 

 of these occasions we had observed for a Dumber of days our 

 old favorite, the red-headed woopecker, making very regular 

 nights to and from a number of maple, tree* that stood near 

 us. As if it were but yesterday, I remember the bright June 

 morning, my brother and myself climbed the trees and dis- 

 covered thai. Mr. Redhead was catching flies, in the manner 

 described in my paragraph to the Forest and Stream. On 

 several other occasions, I have noticed the red-headed wood- 

 pecker catching flies, but never in any other locality. — 

 Clifford. (Marion, Mass., April 8. 1882.) 



Cats for New Zealand Rabbits.— The necessity of 

 keeping down the rabbits which are eating up the colony of 

 New Zealand has led to a demand for cats for rabbiting. Ac- 

 cording to the PaU Mall Gazette, professional rabbiters, who 

 are paid a price ranging from Is. to 3s. for each dozen skins. 

 ling to their state, have been employing cats to aid 

 them in the capture, and the venture has been so successful 

 thai in some parts good rabbiting cats can command half a 

 crown each. That history repeats itself is an axiom often 

 brought to mind, and perhaps before long some enterprising 

 speculator, like the nursery hero who was" thrice Lord Mayor 

 of London, may lay the foundation of a colossal fortune' by 

 the export of cats. New York city can furnish one cat to 

 every rabbit in the world. 



A Destroyer of Birds' Nests.— A correspondent writes 

 to us, expressing surprise that he has never seen the raccoon 

 mentioned as an enemy of game birds, and affirms that, in 

 his opinion, it is the worst oue that they have. This is say- 

 ing a little too much. No doubt this nocturnal prowler does 

 destroy many nests of eggs in the course of a season, but 

 'coons* in most localities are not sufficiently abundant to do 

 any great amount of harm. That they do some is unde- 

 niable. 



Birds That Have Comb. — Brooklyn, April 19. — While 

 walking in the north end of Central Park, April 18, I was 

 surprised to see a-specimen of the cardinal red bird (0. virgin- 

 iamus.) The bird was a female, rather shy, continually chirp- 

 ing and flying from tree to tree. As to identification, of that 

 1 am certain, being very familiar with this species in the 

 South. I also saw specimens of the scarlet tanager, two 

 males and one female. — Geo. B. Badger, 



Sqcibkels ix Confinement. — New York, April 21. — In 

 regard to the question of "F. R. W.," in last week's paper, 

 would say that I have a gray squirrel which had three young 

 ones on the 6th hist. It was trapped, together with its mate, 

 which died a few davs after I got them, on February 12. — 

 H. T. W. 



\mi\z |^*# m\d 



The common air was thick with itreams. 



He told them to the toiling crowd, 

 Such music as the woods and streams 



Sang in his ear, he sang aloud. 



— Whither. 



MEMORIES OF A FLORIDA TRIP. 



I THINK it was in November, 1847, that I left home for a 

 visit to the .Mississippi Valley, and not being in an ex- 

 treme hurry to reach the particular place, concluded to take 

 the State of Florida in my route. It was not the nearest 

 way by any means, but some friends were going there about 

 that time and my curiosity impelled me to take the trip. 

 Indeed, I had hear! much of its mild climate, its beautiful 

 orange trees, its dense hammocks, and the game which 

 abounded. I took my gun along, hoping that an oppor- 

 tunity would present itself whereby 1 could display my skill 

 as a marksmau and get something'to add to the bill of' fare. 

 which I was advised was not the very best which was ever 

 set before a man for the gratification of his appetite. Facil- 

 ities for travel, either in or out of that State, were by no 

 means so good as at present ; so. after a ride of about seventy 

 miles in private conveyance and mail, coach, we got on the 

 train at Camden, S. C*, and went to Charleston. From the 

 latter place we took steamer to Savannah, and thence to 

 Palatka on the St. Johns. 



We left Savannah early Sunday morning, and to avoid the 

 effects of an open ocean trip, "took what, was called the 

 inland passage. Whilst the tide was up no difficulty was ex- 

 perienced and the steamer made fair headway through the 

 tortuous channels which lie between the banks and the main- 

 land. But at low tide the water was insufficient for naviga- 

 tion and we grounded. Going out on the deck I saw the 

 mate rapidly catching blackball, and hastily going to my 

 trunk I brought forth a line and hook — Sunday as it was— 

 and for the first and last time in my life violated the obliga- 

 tion which I had been early taught, to "observe the Sabbath 

 day." A near kinsman, who was traveling with me, thought 

 it his duty to rebuke me by telling me that my mother would 

 be shocked to hear, if she ever did, that I had forgotten the 

 precepts which she had earnestly sought to "chain in my 

 memory. ' I had caught several nice ones before the repri- 

 mand, and upon its being given, "truly repented and was 

 heartily sorry." But between the mate and myself over 

 thirty had been caught — enough to make an excellent dish of 

 a most excellent fish in most excellent condition. For be it 

 known, that he who has never eaten a fish killed and cooked 

 at once — the sooner the better — has missed a luxury good 

 enough for mortals. Dinner came on in less than an hour', 

 and at the center of the table was an immense dish of black- 

 fish nicely fried. My monitor stood looking wistfully, evi- 

 dently anticipating the joys of a splendid dinner. 1 mildly 

 suggested that as the flsh were caught on Sunday his scruples 

 on the subject, should prevent Ms "ratification" of the act by 

 converting the spoils to his own use. But he thought, per- 

 haps properly, that h- could not, inquire as to the time either 

 his bread or his meat had been seeured, and as he was fond 

 of fish, he would see how they tasted; and seating himself 

 opposite the dish, so soon as politeness would allow, lie had 

 helped himself to a choice one, and showed by the operation 

 of his jaws that the food, to his taste, was quite as good as 

 he desired. 



Not many years before this, what purported to have been 

 a sermon at Helena. Ark., by a flatboatman from Indiana. 

 who had carried down the river a load of whisky, had been 

 published far and wide, and striking the fancy of the writer 

 as an excellent thing in its way, he bad easily committed it 

 to memory. On several occasions, when passing along the 



highways, and coming to a store where several persons had 

 gathered, he amused himself, if he did not his audience, by 

 repeating the sermon. During his meanderings he visited a 

 little town in the interior of the State, stopped at a hotel 

 kept by Mrs. Blank, the wife of an ex-clergyman who had 

 gone to that country to convert the heathen (so it was said), 

 and finding a widow somewhat, advanced in life, who was 

 the owner of considerable real and personal estate, he con- 

 clude.] that her money was better than calling the "lost chil- 

 dren of the house of Israel," ami lie took her and her worldly 

 goods for "better and for worse." With him, at least, lie 

 did not enter these bonds "lightly and unadvisedly," but so- 

 berly, discreetly, advisedly, and 'in the "love of pelf." There- 

 after he had a home and she an object of support, He "hung 

 his ministerial harp upon the willow," ami contented himself 

 by listening to the music of her authoritative voice. 



Well, she kept the hotel, and during the night, in question 

 two kinsmen and inyself were her guests. We bad a sub 

 stantial supper, and after her regular boarders' had finished 

 their meal I remained alone and engaged in conversation 

 with the hostess. During the talk I made some sober reflec- 

 tions upon the state of morals of the count rv, when she 

 asked if I was a preacher. I replied that I had preached 

 several times since 1 had been in Florida, but was sorry to 

 say my Congregations had been much smaller than I desired. 

 She then told me that there was a church in the town; that 

 they seldom had preaching; that her husband used to "hold 

 forth," but had quit it, and if I was willing, she would have 

 the hell Tung, and I could have a good and appreciative au- 

 dience. I offered the apology for declining the use of the 

 church, that I had been traveling and was too much fatisued 

 for anything like a regular discourse. She then offered me 

 the use of a large parlor, and 1 accepted the special call. On 

 my part it was thoughtless humor, and I left the table, not 

 supposing I should hear of it again. 



I joined my companions in the parlor, and it was not a 

 great while bsfbre the "neighbor lads and lassies," with 

 her servants, came in, the candles were duly lighted, a small 

 table brought in, and there were placed upon it, ' 'the biff 

 Ha Bible, ance her father's pride." and a hvmn-book. When 

 I saw all this, I decided that I had gotten rather more than I 

 bargained for, and told my friends that I was in a decided 

 scrape. They reprimanded me for the indulgence of a dispo- 

 sition to humor, and consoled me by Baying that they were 

 both glad and sorry. There was. it seemed to me, but one 

 way to g e t out of 'the dilemma, and that was to go throua-h, 

 and so % determined that they should have, a sermon. Pretty 

 soon the old lady approached me. and stated that the notice 

 being so short the congregation- would be small, and all were 

 present who could be expected to attend. "Now. Parson," 

 saidshe, "where will you have the candle stand placed?" 

 It is almost needless to say that as I had been educated in the 

 belief that I should not deal light! v with holy things, nor 

 make a mockery of the "Book of Life." my conscience re- 

 belled at the bare idea- of having a Bible near me, when I 

 delivered the sermon I was about to pronounce ; so, thanking 

 her for her courtesy, I told her that I was so very familiar 

 with the portion of Scriptures upon which I proposed to de- 

 scant, that I had no use for a book. So, going into the 

 darkest corner of the room, I solemnly surveyed a congre- 

 gation who showed by their looks that" they were devoutly 

 inclined. Even the ex-clergyman had a serious face. And 

 then, I commenced repeating the Helena sermon upon the 

 text (?) "And he played upon a harp of a thousand 

 strings— sperrits of jest men made perfeek." 



After announcing my subject as contained in these words, 

 I saw a faint smile upon the countenance of Brother Blank, 

 but, all others appeared as if they thought a "candle of the 

 Lord" had been kindled in their midst, and was soon to send 

 forth its blazing light, to dispel the moral darkness of the laud. 

 When I described the different kinds of "sperrits" the world 

 contained, they still looked solemn. And so they looked 

 when I spoke of "foa Are ami camphire, and fin- in 'the front 

 and fire in the rear, and fire and fall back, and tire away 

 Flanagan." I had an intelligent and appreciative audience, 

 who hung spellbound upon the flowing eloquence which 

 issued from my lips, making them think they had been 

 "touched with fire." At last, when I got to the "closing part. 

 of the sermon devoted to a, vindication of the doctrine of the 

 "final perseverance of the saints," and illustrated it by a 

 "possum up a 'simmon tree," the old lady discovered, for 

 the first time, what manner of preacher I was. At the con- 

 clusion, seeing her husband indulging in laughter, she came 

 forward shaking her finger at him and exclaiming: You 

 needn't laugh, for it is a better sermon than you can preach." 

 I indulged the hope that as it was a custom for preachers and 

 railroad men to be charged half rates, the old lady would 

 give me the benefit of it when I p:ud my fall in the morning. 

 But she did no such thing. 



In Florida I took my first "fire hunt," It was near Orange 

 Lake. The party consisted of Major Tola, James Ferry, 

 Dudley Task and myself, and a negro man whom we carried 

 along to assist, in cose we got any venison. A little stray 

 bound had followed us, much against our will, but we 

 managed to keep him under control. Tole, Task and I had 

 guns, while Ferry carried the pan, and Granville, the 

 darkey, the axe. I insisted upon having the first shot, and 

 as it was conceded, after walking about a half-mile from the 

 house, I took my position just behind the light. We had 

 gone but a little way when Ferry whispered that he saw eyes. 

 Then he stated that' they had disappeared We followed' the 

 direction, and soon came the welcome tidings, "I see them 

 again." And then the bad news that they had gone. And 

 so it went: first light and then darkness, until we had pro- 

 ceeded abaut fifty yards, when he said I had better get to 

 the front, for he "found he could get no nearer. Up to this 

 time I saw nothing but the blazing torch, but so soon as I got 

 before the light, I discovered the flaming balls, about one 

 inch apart. "My trusty gun was soon brought to the shoulder, 

 and off went the right barrel with a deafening report, which 

 reverberated up and down an adjacent savannah in repeated 

 vibrations. 



The two sparks had been extinguished, but we heard no 

 running hoofs nor the stumble" of death. Just then we 

 thought of our little dog. and whistling him forward, he 

 came at an eager pace, and soon told us that he was on the 

 trail. After a run of fifty or sixty yards, he stopped. We 

 went up, and there lay a peghorn buck, the result of the 

 shot, One pellet had gone through his ear, another had 

 fractured one of the spikes, and a third had struck on the 

 top of his rump, cutting the hair and skin for several inches 

 in its forward range, and then entering about the middle of 

 the back, near the spinal column. His tail was toward me, 

 and he had looked back over the shoulders. He was 

 strung, ahot-bag style, upon the shoulders of Granville, and we 

 went on our way' Soon we heard the wail of a panther, 

 I who had smelt, the blood, but we did not, see it. 



As we were wending our way through the pine woods, 

 Ferry motioned to me to come' forward and take, another 

 shot. But as I looked toward him. I saw the light, and 

 knew that, it was from fire. But to have a little fun at, the 

 expense of Task, I beckoned to him. He readily stepped in 

 front, leveled his gun. and just as be was about to shoot the 

 light blazed up, and we discovered it came from the chimney 

 of a cabin occupied by negroes, and was not „iore than 

 thirty yards off. We thought it was about a quarter of a 

 mile, and Task's shot would only have served to "adorn a, 

 tale" at his expense. If he had shot there would have been 

 no joke to tell . 



This country has, in many respects, greatly changed since 

 I saw it. Many of the hammocks have been cleared and 

 put in cultivation (the dry ones, of course, for many of them 

 are rolling, and have the same contour as the surrounding 

 country'). Orange groves arc to lie seen nearly everywhere, 

 and railroads offer means of easy access, where formerly a 

 Bandy road was the only facility.' 



From all reports, orange culture offers the best hopes for 

 a large income from capital and labor, of any avocation in 

 this country. _ That it is a good business, there is uo doubt, 

 and will continue to be, unless climatic influences shall prove 

 destructive to the trees, or these again become subject, to the 

 attacks of insects. It is a lovely" crop. Nothing which I 

 have seen surpasses the beauty of 



'•the orange irees. 



Whose fruit and flowers in Hie '■ 



Are wantoning together, free, 



like age at plav with infancy." 



Wells. 

 [The sermon alluded to by "Wells" was published in the 

 April number of the Century magazine, in Mr. Henry Wat- 

 terson's paper on the humors of the South. A " corre- 

 spondent of the Louisville Courier-Journal contributes to 

 that journal this note respecting the origin of the sermon : "I 

 am satisfied that the author of the Harp-of-a-thousand-strings 

 sermon was the Rev, Henry Lewis, formerly of Memphis, 

 but afterward, and, if still living, now, a citizen of Homer, 

 Louisiana, Mr. Lewis was a gentleman of rare ability, a 

 poet, a wit, and a humorist of the first order. He was also 

 a Methodist clergyman of the highest standing, of unim- 

 peachable integrity and veracity, and ttniversally respected 

 by all who knew him. He has hosts of friends all over the 

 South and Southwest, from Tennessee to the Gulf and from 

 Florida to Texas, in many parts of which extensive region 

 he labored as a preacher of the Gospel. When he resided at 

 Memphis, a few years before the war. I heard him repeatedly 

 say (or rather admit, in response to the direct question) that 

 he was the author of that sermon. In answer to an inquiry 

 of my own, he made substantially the following statement: 

 As a matter of fact, he supposed' that an old Hardshell Bap- 

 tist preacher, navigating a trading 'broadhoru' or tlatboat 

 down the Mississippi to New Orleans, away back in the 

 second or third decade of the century, did tie tip oue Sunday 

 at Waterproof, a, little Louisiana town below Vieksburg. and 

 did deliver a sermon something like, or rather haying a dis- 

 tant resemblance to, the one afteward written out by Mr. 

 Lewis and published in a Mississippi paper, At all events, 

 such was the purport of an anecdote that circulated from 

 mouth to mouth for a long time in that region previous to 

 any publication. That anecdote was simply the serin, and a 

 very small germ it was, from which the sermon as published 

 slowly grew. At last, after having heard it told in a hun- 

 dred different ways by a hundred different, people, Mr. Lewis 

 concluded to write it out and improve it as much as he could 

 —that is, make it as absurdly humorous as possible. After 

 having done so, he read it to the editor of some country pa- 

 per on the circuit he was traveling at the time, who not 'only 

 insisted on publishing it, but afterwards, finding it such a 

 grand hit as a piece of humor, actually claimed its paternity 

 for himself, ignoring Mr. Lewis altogether. Bui Mr. Lewis 

 cared little for that; his ambition WailB do good to his fellow 

 men. not to win renown as a humorist."] 



CONNECTICUT RAIL LAW. 



1 NOTICE that a correspondent in last week's Forest and 

 Stream writes "Perhaps uo State in the Union has had 

 more tinkering done to the laws that relate to the taking of 

 fish and game than Connecticut." That is the case even now 

 in regard to fish laws, I think, and formerly was as to game 

 laws, bin since 1M77 the genera] "Act Concerning the Preser- 

 vation of Game" (a copy of which I inclose) has not been 

 changed, though many bills have been introduced each ses- 

 sion of the Legislature for that purpose, almost all to permit 

 the summer shooting of woodcock. Two bills relating to 

 game wen- passed the present session — one is the "Non-export 

 law," which was printed in last, Forest and Stre\m, an ex- 

 periment, directed chiefly to arresting the extermination of 

 the ruffed grouse, which" are snared in great mini 

 sent to the New York and other markets out of the State; 

 the other is an "Act to regulate the killing of rail," passed 

 in accordance with numerous petitions, because the last of 

 August and first week of September, when the rail are not 

 in a proper condition to eat, and the weather too hot to pre- 

 serve them any length of time, they are slaughtered by the 

 thousand by visiting sportsmen (?) and the larger part thrown 

 away. This is more especially the case in the lower part of 

 the Connecticut River, where 'there are many fine rail covers 

 and which are easy of access to yachtsmen. The rail act 

 provides that "It shall be unlawful 'tor any persons or person 

 to hunt or kill, destroy or attempt to destroy, any Sora (com- 

 monly called rail) between the first day of January and the. 

 twelfth day of September in each and every year, and every 

 person so offending shall for each offense be' deemed guilty 

 of a misdemeanor, and on convictitn thereof shall be lined 

 not more than twenty -five dollars.'' A. 



"The Corn on the Cobr. "— Editor Foreotcmd Stream: "I 

 think, therefore, I am" — i. p., we are nothing if we are not 

 logicians. Take, then, this syllogism. Major pr&nise: "No 

 sportsman wastes his ammunition on a loon or a coot" (see 

 "Chasseur's" note in Forest and Stream of April 15). 

 Minor premise: "Chasseur" shoots loons and coots (see hi i 

 article in Forest and Stream of March 23.) Gondumon: 

 "Chasseur" is no sportsman. — II. P. ['. 



Shooting Grounds Wanted.— "I. 11. MeC." wants good 

 fall duck shooting between Cleveland and Sa 

 "Green Horn" wants a September camping ground with 

 good wild fowl shooting and some fishing on the St. Law- 

 rence River in the vicinity of Eel Bay. A Chicago man 

 wishes to be posted in regard to other grounds than the 

 marshes about South Chicago. 



