FOREST AND STREAM 
73 
we have become more expert in the United States with our 
•weapons, we shall be glad to follow any improvements 
made at Wimbledon, if we do not invent something of our 
own, so that the delicate shadings of the rifle experts may 
be more nicely recorded: 
“It is no exaggeration to say that the conditions of rifle 
shooting of the high class alone seen at Wimbledon, ought 
to be as different from those which obtained a dozen years 
ago, as the latter would have differed from -snatches with 
Brown Bess. In theory, all “coaching,” all advice, even 
all “marking,’, ought to be abandoned. The Volunteer , 
fully equipped for the field, ought to be placed in front of 
his target, with no adventitious aid and with nothing 
except his own observation to tell him where he had hit, 
or whether he had hit at all. And of course, of two equal 
scores, that ought to be counted the best which is made in 
the’shortest time. Equally, of course, in theory the marks¬ 
man ought to have to judge his distance from the target 
for himself. The target itself ought, as Mr. Hemming 
conclusively showed years ago, to be so large as to take in 
all moderately good shots, and to be divided into a 
considerable number of concentric circles. We take it for 
f ranted that some improvement will be made in the old- 
ashioned and imperfect targets now in use, and that, if 
only in view of the monstrous absurdity of the strings of 
ties which have troubled all Wimbledon marksmen for 
many years, either an attempt will be made to subdivide 
the targets, if pasteboard targets with concentric rings can¬ 
not be used, or that at any rate the sizes of the targets will 
be diminished. Ties, as we have often pointed out, merely 
mean that the scoring is too rough, and all the devices 
which have been adopted for deciding them are not only 
wrong in principle, but most unsatisfactory in practice. 
We have very little doubt that with smaller targets, or tar¬ 
gets with more divisions, with the seclusion of the compet¬ 
itors and the disuse of private telescopes, the difficulty of 
ties would be got rid of, for the presant at least, to a very 
great extent.” 
-■»* » > 9 - 
A PLEASANT YACHT TRIP. 
A NY owner of a yacht, at a loss to select the proper 
“end and aim” for a summer trip, would do well just 
this year to try Iceland. The run from New York or Bos¬ 
ton ought not to be a very long one, and the far northern 
island, as is well known, is singularly rich in natural and 
historical objects of interest. The English yachtmen, for 
many years, have appropriated this field to themselves, and 
not a few craft flying the flag of the Royal Yacht Club 
find their way every summer to the land of the Sagas and 
the Geysers. Lord Dufferin’s “Letters from High Lati¬ 
tudes,” and more than one other recent work, bearing some 
such title as “A Yacht Voyage to Iceland,” bear witness to 
the favor in which this region is held by British yachtmen. 
But it happens that the Icelanders will this summer cele¬ 
brate at once the thousandth anniversary of their existence 
as a nation, and the re-establishment of their independ¬ 
ence. It was in 874 that the settlement of the island be¬ 
gan, and it is in 1874—this winter—that" the Danes have 
been forced to grant the free-minded islanders a constitu¬ 
tion, which fully recognizes their right to govern them¬ 
selves. The festivities consequent upon these two events 
will be worth witnessing. A trip thither ought to be so 
planned as to afford time for a fortnight’s stay at Reykjavik, 
the capital, which would amply suffice for excursions to 
the sulphur mines, Hecla, the Geysers, ,the' eider duck es¬ 
tablishments at Videy, and the wonderful plain of the 
Althing. This oughl; to be followed by a sail around the 
island, touching at one. or two points situated upon the 
most beautiful of the great fjords. The country affords 
the best of trout, salmon, and other fishing, and abounds 
in feathered game—some parts of it, such as the central 
portion around the. lake of Myvatn, being nothing less than 
natural aviaries on a magnificent scale. Let us hope that 
some daring American yachtman will soon carry the stars 
and stripes to the Icelandic sea. 
-- 
A SNOW SHOE TRAMP. 
S NOW-SHOEING is a favorite pastime in Canada, and 
Snow-shoe Clubs composed of both ladies and gentle¬ 
men, are common. The Canadian snow-shoe or raquette is 
an elliptical hickory frame some three feet in length by twelve 
inches wide, rounded at the toe and pointed at the heel, and 
crossed with a net work of buckskin thongs. A cross bar, 
one third its length from the toe, strengthens the shoe and 
supports the foot of the wearer, whose toe is thrust un¬ 
der a deer skin strap, as if into a stirrup, securing it firmly 
in position. The heel is prevented from slipping out of 
the stirrup by a strap which passes around the heel. These 
shoes are used in deep soft snows into which the traveller 
would sink without them, and it Vill be readily preceived 
what an advantage they give the hunter by enabling him to 
pass with comparative ease over the surface, while the ani¬ 
mal he pursues is obliged to flounder through leg deep. 
They are also convenient and oftentimes indispensable to 
the inhabitants in the ordinary course of travel and traffic; 
without them locomotion would be impossible where the 
snow lies several feet deep. In walking the traveller shuf¬ 
fles along with something of the lateral movement or side 
step of the skater, but with a sort of jerking lope which 
can scarcely be described, and is only acquired by prac¬ 
tice. Nor is the process by any means easy, especially 
when the snow being light and feathery, the shoe picks 
up a big shovelful on the toe at every step. [ And if a novice 
. should happen to lose his equilibrium and fall, getting up 
is no joke except to bystanders, for at each attempt to raise 
himself, the victim thrusts his arms to the elbows into the 
yielding snow, and being without any means of support 
whatever, is unable to rise except by a helping hand. 
On occasions when the clubs are out for a day’s sport, 
the ludicrous mishaps that occur to both ladies and gentle¬ 
men give rise to continuous merriment, and no doubt con¬ 
stitute one of the chief charms of the ‘pastime. To see a 
fur-coated and muffled gallant floundering in the frosty 
element with his feet higher than his head, and looking as 
though he had been floured and cottoned, presents one of 
the most comic of aspects; and there seems a general dispo¬ 
sition on the part of the more fortunate to let him flounder 
until they have laughed their sides sore and the tears have 
formed in icicles down their cheeks. If ladies fall, a dozen 
of course come to the rescue at once, and the picking up 
and shaking out from wrists and neck and ears becomes an 
earnest and assiduous duty, to which the tenderness of the 
beaux and the reddening cheeks of the damsel add a feature 
most striking. Experts, however, find little difficulty in 
recovering their perpendicular status in case of mishap, 
and many a mile of snow-shoe travel over mountains and 
through forest is performed by the hardy Canadian whose 
necessity or vocation calls him to wilderness journeyings. 
Snow-shoeing is one of those experiences of life which 
being necessary, are made the most of, and so, as we have 
said, the Canadians have many a merry tramp in lieu of a 
sleigh-ride, and the belles of Montreal and Quebec think 
nothing of a dash of a dozen miles out into the adjacent 
country to some favorite hostelry, where hot punch and a 
blazing of the fire awaits their arrival. 
We had in mind to recall some experiences of our own, 
indeed we had applied to that vigorous descriptive writer, 
Le Moine, of the “Maple Leaves,” to send us a sketch, when 
fortunately we discovered in the Montreal Gazette, a brief 
account of a tramp, not portrayed exactly in the glowing 
colors we should wish, but nevertheless interesting in its 
novelty to those of warmer climes, and herewith we give it 
just as we found it:— 
“Evergreen Hughes has perpetuated in rhyme the re¬ 
miniscence of an attempt made in the early history of the 
Montreal Snow-Shoe Club, by a number of the “fathers,” 
to reach St. Vincent de Paul, a village on Isle Jesus, about 
twelve miles from Montreal, and how, owing to various 
circumstances, they 
“Went fifteen miles astray.” 
The present generation determined to remove this reproach, 
and last Saturday morning a telegram was sent to the jolly 
young landlord of the Ottawa Hotel, Mr. Truteau, to “ex¬ 
pect the Club in time for tea.” At 3 o’clock a fair muster 
of the “Tuque Bleu” started from the Gymnasium, headed 
for Durocher street, and, after crossing the country a few 
miles, struck a bee line for their destination. 
With good understandings well secured, and that fine 
esprit de corps which has' always characterized the tramps 
of the Alma Mater club, tlie tassels of the blue tuques 
dangled on, and the long, quiet pace kept up, until 
the hearty “whoop” and wild yell of the start subsided in¬ 
to the quietness of steady work. The wind blew keen and 
biting, and soon transformed whiskers and hair into fantas¬ 
tic ice pendants that would have taken the breath away 
from a barber and defied the keenest air to remove. With 
such “lung protectors” covering their mouths, and perspira¬ 
tion from every pore, with the usual varying incidents*and 
laughable accidents, leaping fences or rolling over them in 
a lump,, moulding a nose occasionally in the “beautiful 
snow,” or coquetting with the bump of inhabitiveness in a 
a deceitful drift, through bushes and over brush, up hill 
and down vale, scorning ready-made tracks of human feet 
or sleigh, keeping time with the leader, in regular Indian 
file, they reached the top of a hill on the Island of Montreal, 
a hill about on a level with the high-lands of Isle Jesus, 
and there before them, as some one graphically observed, 
“lay the promised land. ” The bright spires of the church 
of St. Vincent de Paul, the long line of the village, the Ot¬ 
tawa River frozen, the panorama that opened up on every 
side giving a bird’s eye view of from ten to.twenty miles, 
evoked a lusty cheer that scared some half-grown habitans 
into dwarfdom for ever, and whose echoes rang through 
the valley. A steady run, a strong tramp across the frozen 
river, a bit of a pull up hill, and with a‘boisterous shout, 
they soon hove in sight of the Ottawa Hotel, where mine 
host stood to welcome them with the sight of his own jovial 
face, and the flutter of a Union Jack hoisted for the occa¬ 
sion. Of course, our cynical citizen will sneer and call this 
“Utopian,” and possibly may verge on the profane, or per¬ 
haps take a middle course and call it “bosh.” Let him 
drive out—if not walk—just once, and be in at the entree 
of the club, and if he can ever raise a sneeze again, we 
give him up. 
The tramp occupied about two hours and a quarter, 
though, of course, fast time is never aimed at on these 
tramps. 
-- 
OUR OCHECHOBEE EXPEDITION. 
S INCE the letter of our correspondent of 11th February 
was printed in last issue of Forest and Stream, we 
have received the following note from headquarters at St. 
Lucie:— 
“St. Lucie, Brevard Co., Fla., } 
February 18th, 1874. f 
Chas. Hallock, Esq., Dear Sir: — Our mutual friend, 
Fred. Ober, left this point for Lake Ochechobee last Satur¬ 
day morning, February 14th, in good spirits and with ex¬ 
cellent company, a party from the north having arrived 
here a few days previous and joining his party. This party 
consisted of Prof. Jenks, of Brown University, Providence, 
R. I.; a Dr. Palmer, I think, from Ohio, and two young 
students on a collecting tour. There is also a gent from 
New York who has been quite a traveler, and whose ex¬ 
perience will be of great advantage to the party. If Mr. 
Ober has an opportunity he will send you a note from out 
near the Lake, which I will forward. 
Yours respectfully, A. D. Trowt.” 
The same letter speaks favorably of the fitness and capa¬ 
bility of the boat which the expedition is hauling through 
the woods and jungles, and which it expects soon to launch 
on the broad expanse of Ochechobee. We have received 
maps of the whole coast from the Halifax River to south of 
Jupiter Inlet, a distance of some 160 miles; besides this, 
we are notified that valuable information bearing upon the 
early history of the country has been collected, with fifteen 
* I 
photographic views of places on the river, and groups of 
Indians. The camera goes on to Ochechobee with the 
boat, and if the expedition succeeds, the Forest and 
Stream will be able to give its readers the first views ever 
taken of this mysterious and undiscovered country. This 
enterprise is regarded with great interest all over Florida, 
and independent parties are essaying to reach the lake from 
various points. Prof. Jenks is a valuable acquisition to 
the expedition, as he has promised full information re¬ 
lative to any fish, plant, bird, or animal he may procure. 
Upon these coflditions alone was he permitted to accom¬ 
pany our correspondent. We shall look for a second letter 
with interest, for the information sought is not only of the 
highest value to science, but the journey is not unattended 
with danger. 
Moccasins. —Since our first mention of caribou-hide 
moccasins for sportsmen, we have had many letters of in¬ 
quiry whfere to procure them, and also the hides them¬ 
selves. We have used endeavors to interest manufacturers 
here and in Canada to undertake to supply the demand for 
them, which would be large if such were offered, but find 
that moccasins or shoe-packs of caribou hide are a scarce 
article, as well as the hides. We learn, however, from an 
old hunter at Belleville, Ontario, that the Canadians are 
manufacturing an improved kind of beef-skin moccasins 
or shoe-packs, which have good stout legs that reach to the 
knees. They combine much comfort with- extreme dura¬ 
bility, and with care can be made quite impervious to 
water. On purchasing a pair, the first requisite is to steep 
them in brine well up the legs for about twelve hours. This 
will v keep them soft, and prevent their ever frosting on the 
feet. After steeping them in brine, hang them up to dry, 
•rub them with neatsfoot or tanner’s oil, and repeat each 
time after use, before putting them away. After wearing 
them one season it is important to have a light, broad sole 
and heel put on, and shaped over a large last. If these di¬ 
rections are followed the sportsman will have a perfect fish¬ 
ing and shooting boot, very light and easy to walk in. The 
best shoe-packs will cost seven -dollars in Canada, and if 
those of our correspondents who have signified a desire to 
obtain them will send us their names, to the number of a 
dozen, we will send to Canada and purchase a case .and dis¬ 
tribute them by express to all applicants, express charges 
to be included. 
-- 
Meeting of the New York Association for the Pro¬ 
tection of Game.— The usual monthly meenting of the New 
York Association for the Protection of Game was held last 
night, at the residence of Royal Phelps, Esq., President of 
the club, No. 22 East Sixteenth street, Mr. D. H. Haight, 
at whose residence the meeting was to have taken place, 
being indisposed. There was a large attendance of visitors, 
and among the invited guests were Recorder Hackett and 
Mr. Charles Hallock, of Forest and Stream. The Presi¬ 
dent gave an interesting account of the operations of the 
Association since the previous Meeting, and the disburse¬ 
ments which had been made for the payment of detectives, 
lawyers, and others. There were seven suits now pending, 
and the Association had just commenced another against 
an extensive dealer in Fulton Market who had once before 
been sued and who was again found to have violated the 
law. He alluded to the fact that the season for partridge, 
quail, and prairie chicken had closed on the 1st of March, 
and stated that the strongest evidence of the success of the 
labors of the Association in protecting and preserving 
game was the fact that not one of these birds could 
now be found exposed for sale in the City of New York. 
This was a very satisfactory state of affairs, and spoke 
volumes for the change which had been effected in the 
tastes of the community through the labors of the Associa¬ 
tion. The President also stated that he was glad to an¬ 
nounce to the sportsmen present that the season for trout 
would open on the 15th inst. Mr. Hallock, of Forest and 
Stream, was invited to address the meeting, and called 
the attention of the members to an original plan of his own, 
for the more efficient preservation of game throughout the 
United States, the adoption of which, he claimed, would 
.tend naturally to the accomplishment of that much desired 
object. The project of Mr. Hallock met with much favor 
from the members, and was ieferred to a committee. 
After some remarks on the same subject from Hon. R. B. 
Roosevelt, the meeting adjourned. The supper rooms 
were then thrown open, and after partaking of the delica¬ 
cies which had been provided by Mr. Phelps, the guests en¬ 
joyed themselves until a late hour after the fashion pecu¬ 
liar to the members of the association.—A. Y. Times. 
—We learn that the Smithsonian Institution at Washing¬ 
ton has arranged with Michael Carroll, Esq., the New¬ 
foundland naturalist, to furnish a complete collection of 
the great variety of seal peculiar to Newfoundland waters— 
the ranger, jar, hood, doter, bedlamer, harp, blue* square /■ 
flipper, harbor seal, etc., and that a room will be specially 
assigned to the same. This collection will include speci¬ 
mens of both sexes and all ages, from whelps to adults 
and will be quite unique in its character, and of the great¬ 
est scientific and economic interest. In this way material 
will be brought together for an exhaustive work on seals. 
It seems that there are now no specimens of Newfound¬ 
land seals in the Smithsonian. The Institution is now en¬ 
gaged in gathering a similar collection from the Pacific 
coast, from which region it has already secured a large 
number. 
—Sixty thousand shad were shipped from Portsmouth, 
\ itgiilia, Saturday, for the New \ oik and Boston markets. 
