FOREST AND STREAM 
91 
Notary Public (or other officer having similar powers). 
At some time during July or August, to be hereafter 
designated, one or more matches will be held at Creed- 
moor to shoot for places in the team. Notice of these will 
be sent to all forwarding these returns, as well as to the 
regular members of the club, and all, whether members or 
not, will be allowed to compete at them upon equal terms. 
From the competitors making the best scores upon these 
occasions the Executive Committee will select a certain 
number who will shoot against each other until the best 
shots are definitely ascertained; and these, and these only, 
will be allowed to shoot in the team. The Amateur Club 
will provide the markers and pay all the expenses of these 
matches. Non-members of the National Rifle Association j 
will, under its rules, be required to join it before practic- f 
ing upon its range at Creedmoor. This, however, will cost i 
but $3, and will be the only expense they will have to ! 
incur. . ' 
The matter is one that appeals so strongly to your pride, 
not as riflemen, but as Americans, that it is to be hoped 
that the best shots in the country will come forward in 
this match. The gentlemen who have sent the challenge 
are very skillful riflemen (their average score in the match 
for the Elcho shield being 149.37 points out of a possible 
180, or 3.32 a shot), but there are many in America fully' 
as expert, and if they can be induced to engage in the un¬ 
dertaking the result cannot be doubtful. 
By order of the Executive Committee. 
Fred P. Fairbanks. 
Secretary Amateur Rifle Club. 
—We take the following from the Irish Times :— 
The International Rifle Match between Ireland and 
America will take place in the course of the coming jau- 
tutnn, and we trust it will be followed by a return match 
between the rivals at the Curragh, the Phoenix Park, or 
Dollymount. The contest, it will be seen, is not only be¬ 
tween the best American marksmen and the best Irish 
champion shots, but between the rifles made by John Rig¬ 
by, of Dublin, and those of the most celebrated American 
makers. It will be no trivial honor should our team suc¬ 
ceed in establishing on the other side of the Atlantic their 
own fame as unrivalled marksmen and the superiority of the 
Dublin Rigby guns. 
—On the occasion of the departure of Earl Spencer, 
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, for England, on the 26th of 
last month, he was the recipient of a most flattering letter 
from the Irish Rifle Association. Earl Spencer and Lady 
Spencer, it seems, have, by their presence and personal ex¬ 
ertions, did a great deal to encourage Irish riflemen. 
GALLERY RIFLE SHOOTING. 
What is Thought of rifle Tournaments or Small¬ 
bore Practice at Short Ranges in England and 
Ireland.— There is, it appears at New York a rifle gal¬ 
lery, at which much shooting of the most accurate description 
takes place at the range of seventy-five feet, This is, we 
suppose with that pretty toy, the Carbine Flobert, or as we 
call it, the saloon rifle. We conjure the American riflemen 
to give up such vanities, and to confine their shooting to 
the open range, and to something like reasonable distances. 
It may be very difficult to make bulls-eyes at a vibrating 
bullet at five and twenty yards, but such practice will never 
make a rifleman in any true sense of the word. 
The above appeared in the Volunteer Service Gazette of 
February 27th, 1874, in regard to the Conlin Tournament, 
full notice of which has appeared in our columns. Differ¬ 
ing from the opinions advanced by our English contempor¬ 
ary, one of the most distinguished members of the Irish 
Rifle Association has sent to the Volunteer Service Gazette , 
the following, a manuscript copy of which was also for¬ 
warded by the same gentleman to ourselves: 
Dublin, February 26, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
The proper object of criticism is the removal of error, and it usually 
precedes advice whose intention is to benefit the recipient. 
These remarks are suggested by a criticism in your gazette of the 21st 
inst. on Gallery Rifle Shooting in New York, as reported in an American 
sporting paper. The gallery rifle matches reported took place in the 
depth of an American winter, when the rifle ranges were closed and all 
out-door practice suspended. Under such circumstances the rifle gallery 
supplies an excellent means of teaching much that our position and aim¬ 
ing drill, snapping caps, &c., is intended to inculcate. The position, 
cannot be bad, the eye and finger must work well together, and the trig¬ 
ger pull must be almost perfect to enable a man to shoot as recorded. 
In the absence of these qualifications no expenditure of ammunition at 
long ranges will ever make a man a rifleman in any true sense of the 
word. This very important consideration has been overlooked by your 
critic. 
The writer also overlooks the fact that the rifle is used for other than 
military purposes, and that in America its use in the woods for obtain¬ 
ing food and the sports of the chase is of vital importance to a large sec¬ 
tion of the population. A short range, the utmost economy of ammuni¬ 
tion, shooting from the shoulder, an extemporized rest, and extreme 
accuracy, without which the small, projectile would be inefficient, are 
the conditions of this kind of shooting. To cultivate it in a shooting 
gallery should not, therefore, be ex-cathedra condemned as “vanity.” 
To add that the excellent practice recorded was probably effected with a 
“Carbin Flobert” is much to over-estimate the powers of tlie French toy, 
and equally underrate the perfection to which American makers have 
brought their small bore rifles. To hit a three-quarter inch mark seven 
times consecutively at 25 yards, off shoulder, is little easier than to make 
seven consecutive six-inch circular bull’s eyes at 200 yards in calm 
weather; and we know that with the finest match rifles and any position, 
it is not very easy to do this. To do it off shoulder is a remarkable feat. 
I have the honor to remain your obedient servant, Ogils. 
[We agree perfectly with Ogils in his remarks. As may be seen, the 
best shots at 75 feet were those marksmen-who are always in the lead at 
Creedmoor. The rifles used at the match were the Remington and Bal¬ 
lard. From our own experience we are ready to declare that it was 
about as difficult shooting as we ever tried our hand at.— Ed.] 
-- 
BREECH-LOADERS. 
New York, March, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I was lately requested by a friend to examine for him a new kind of 
breech loader, which he was about buying. I complied, and found the 
action much like many of the hundreds invented in the last fifteen years 
—neither better nor worse—and no improvement on the system as orig¬ 
inally introduced. Still, it seemed safe, so far as I could judge without 
trial, and I told ray friend he might safely make the purchase without 
fear of endangering his life. During my examination the dealer—ap¬ 
parently the chief man of the establishment—interfered, trying to con¬ 
vince me of the superiority of his weapon, and asked me what gun I 
preferred. 1 told him, as I have told every one who ever asked my ad¬ 
vice, never having seen any reason to change my opinion, but on the 
other hand having found much to confirm it, that I preferred the I*efau- 
chetix principle. He coarsely replied that the Lefaucheux was behind 
the age, and that he could sell me one cheap. On my asking to see it 
the clerk handed me out a miserable, wretched apology for a gun, that 
was neither ever made by Lefaucheux nor even had the true action. 
That was the specimen kept by what is called a reputable house, in or¬ 
der to run down the credit of an established maker, and to induce igno¬ 
rant purchasers to buy their patented invention. I handed the weapon 
back to the clerk, telling lnm it was an outrage that he should pretend 
to palm off such an abortion for a Lefaucheux gun. When they found 
themselves detected, neither master nor manjattempted any defense. 
My object in writing this is to warn your readers against such trickery, 
which I suspect has been successfully tried in more than one instance. 
The reputation of a good gunmaker is sacred to honorable sportsmen, 
and should be so among reputable dealers, even if they have inventions 
which they claim to be improvements. To injure'auother maker by such 
a subterfuge is not only disgraceful in itself, but argues badly for the 
workmanship of the men who would resort to it. I have never had the 
least interest in any patent or style of gun, except to see that it had 
fair treatment, and if I generally endorsed the Lefaucheux, it was be¬ 
cause after having shot with it for nearly fifteen years, I have never 
found it to fail or leave me in the lurch, and in using that name I only 
do it to designate the character of break-off which, not being patented 
in this country, can be applied by any gunmaker here, and which has 
been adopted by so many of the manufacturers of England that one half 
of all the guns made there are on the same system. I do not propose to 
weary your readers with a repetition of the arguments on the question, 
but merely to request them,before they condemn a gun with this name to 
be sure it is a fair and honest specimen, and not kept as a blind. Yours 
very respectfully, Robert B. Roosevelt. 
LOADS FOR RAIL SHOOTING. 
Philadelphia, March 9, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I do not agree with you that for rail shooting oz. of shot and 3 dr. of 
powder is the best load to use, for this reason that all rail are mostly shot 
within thirty 'yards of the boat, if at a greater distance it is difficult for 
the pusher to find, and as the rail is easily killed, I recommend the load 
I use myself, namely, 3 dr. of powder and f oz. of No, 10 shot. You 
will notice I use more powder in comparison to the shot than yon. I do 
that as I have found out it is not the powder that makes a gun recoil but 
the shot, and to shoot about 100 times in several hours, It is better to 
lessen the recoil as much as possible. I will shortly anfewer my friend 
“Monmouth’s” Virginia shooting with No. 10 shot. Capt. 
- * -- 
Lookport, N. Y., March 9, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
The Locksport Shooting Club was organized June 1st, 1868, with six¬ 
teen members, having a handsome club room. The winter following the 
building m which the club room was located was totally destroyed, includ¬ 
ing all the property of the club. Upon the rebuilding of the block, club 
rooms were fitted up expressly, and are now occupied by the members. 
During the first five or six years of its existence the club flourished 
bravely, and its members were nearly all good shots in the field. The 
winter of 1867 and 1868 was a very severe one, with large quantities of 
snow heavily drifted, and the quail (that had been unusually plentiful 
the fall previous) were almost exterminated, so that since thut time the 
club has had no annual shoots, and have discouraged all persons from 
shooting quail. The numbers of this game bird are now increasing. 
On the first of December, 1870, the name of the club was changed to 
Lockport Shooting Club, and rifle shooters were admitted as members. 
The club has an excellent barricade about twenty feet long, eight feet 
high, and three feet thick, filled with brokeu stone, a good shooting 
house; range, forty rods, and its members generally use the Maynard 
rifle. With guns of this manufacture a turkey’s head or a target one 
and a half inches in diameter, at forty rods is hit so often that with tur¬ 
keys at $1,00 each no one can afford to set them up at ten cents a shot, 
and out iu the country turkeys are set up at 100 to 120 rods and no money 
made at ten ceuts a shot; 40-100 bore is the size used. The club has 
Bussey’s patent gyro for trap shooting, and has one of the finest grounds 
to shoot on in the State, and is at present in good healthy condition. 
The following is the list of officers for 1874: President, L. J. Peck; 
1st Vice President, L. W. Bristol; 2d Vice President, W. A. Arnold; 3d 
Vice President, James Caster; Treasurer, J. R. MacDonald; Secretary, 
M. E. McMaster. This club has about thirty active members. 
M. E.McM., Seeretary. 
Portland, March 6,1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
The charter members of the “Maine Sportsman’s Association” and 
their associates, to the number of twenty-three, met Thursday evening 
in the rooms of the Forest City Shooting Club, at Portland, to effect 
their organization. 
Jonas Hamilton, Esq., President of the Forest City Club, was chosen 
temporary chairman and F. W. Smith temporary secretary, and Messrs. 
Manasseh Smith, Wm Lenter, Jonas Hamilton and F. W. Smith were 
appointed to form a code of laws, with instructions to report at an ad¬ 
journed meeting. 
There seems to be a rapidly increasing interest in sporting circles in 
regard to the protection of our game, and the passage by the Legislature 
of the stringent game law proposed by the Forest City Club, and of 
which Mr. Manasseh Smith of that club is the author, is a fair sample of 
the general awakening on this subject. 
The first flock of wild geese passed over on Wednesday, March 4th, 
and the preparations for the spring campaign are in active progress. 
F. W. 8. 
Elkhorn. Wisconsin, March 7,1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
The “Elkhorn Greenhead Club” was organized in July, 1867, with a 
membership of twelve sportsmen. The organization was truly stated 
in the preamble to our constitution, as follows: 
. ‘".The undersigned hereby form themselves into an association, the ob¬ 
jects of which _are mutual improvement in the theory and practice of the 
sports pertaining to the gun and rod; the elevation of those sports to a 
higher known standard; the enactment and observance of such laws as 
will effectually preserve the game of the State from wanton destruction, 
and tor the pleasures of social intercourse.” 
Our organization lias been pleasant and from the’sportsman’s point of 
view, profitable. We have been able to secure a much wider observance 
of the laws for protection of game birds and fish than obtained formerly; 
although I regret to say that we have not accomplished all that we 
wished in this direction. We have a very nice collection of stuffed birds, 
a specimen of very nearly every variety of' game bird killed in this sec¬ 
tion; these of our own capture, put up by a skillful taxidermist in Mil¬ 
waukee. We keep a game score and have a record of each season’s and 
each member’s performance with gun and rod. Unfortunately, some of 
our most accomplished and enthusiastic members have acted upon the 
advice of H. G. and gone “West, young man!” which reduces our num¬ 
ber, means and achievements somewhat; but there are still a few of us 
left, who strive to maintain the honor of our club. We get Forest and 
Stream regularly through our newsman, and like it immensely. It has 
our best wishes for complete success. At lasL election of officers 8. F. 
Bennett was elected president, H. S. Bunker, vice-president, and E. B. 
Dewing, secretary and treasurer." 
Ours is a small club and this country is too old for game, but I am sat¬ 
isfied that the effect of our organization has been good. ThereJs much 
less shooting of birds out of season and a consequent increase of birds 
in season. Our example seems to have more effect on comparatively 
lawless shootists than the law had before. The formation of sports¬ 
mens’ clubs should be encouraged, for thus only in my opinion can we 
help to preserve our game birds and game fishes. Yours very truly, 
E. B. D., 
Secretary Elkhorn Greenhead Club. 
Huntingdon, Pa., MarchlO, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Yesterday was the time fixed for a match at rifle shooting for the 
championship of Central Pennsylvania, between McCarthy of Blair 
County, and Conrad of Huntingdon. The match was shot at Altoona. 
The terms of the match were twenty shots, off hand, open sight, at 100 
yards, for $200. The weather was fearful. Snow had, fallen on the pre¬ 
ceding Saturday to the depth of six inches, and the hurricane that pre¬ 
vailed yesterday whirled the snow in all directions, making the targets 
at times invisible, and as there was no protection from the storm, the 
strings were fully double what they should, have been. Conrad won 
easily, his twenty shots measuring 61 inches, while McCarthy’s was 88 
inches. 
The Blair County men were still not satisfied, and made another match 
for $100 on the same conditions, for ten shots. The wind had now stead¬ 
ied down into a plain, strong blow, and its effect on the balls could be 
better calculated. Conrad’s ten shots only measured 12| inches; McCar¬ 
thy’s, 30 inches. We do not shoot in this section much over one hun¬ 
dred yards, and our guns do not throw a large enough lead for the Irish 
Team at 1,000 yards, but if any of them, when they come over, feel like 
a match at 100 yards, we can accommodate them. Wishing success to 
Forest and Stream, Yours, “Standing Stone.” 
xnd <$ighiqg. 
FISH IN SEASON IN MARCH. 
Speckled Trout. Land-locked salmon 
Salmon Trout or Teague. 
Exception is made in the State of Pennsylvania, where the close sea¬ 
son does not end until April. In New York, the season begins on the 
15th of March and in Massachusetts on the 20th March. 
SOUTHERN WATERS. 
Pompano. Trout, (Black Bass.) Shespahead 
Snapper. Drum, (two species.) Tailorfish 
Grouper. Kingfish. Sea Bass. 
Rockfish. Striped Bass, 
The annual opening of the trouting season on Long 
Island is as great an event^to the anglers of New York and 
Brooklyn as the exposition of spring bonnets is to the la¬ 
dies expectant. In former years it occurred on the 1st of 
of March; now it happens on the 16th, and as regularly as 
the blustering month comes around scores of the piscatory 
fraternity betake themselves to their favorite resorts along 
shore, arrayed in complete panoply of auglers’ outfit, brist¬ 
ling with rods, and hung with fish creels [roundabout—it 
is truth to say not so much in the expectation of taking full 
baskets of fish as for the sake of seeing and being seen, 
and to enjoy the sensation of a holiday reunion. For March 
is by no means proverbially a balmy and genial month. 
Sunny days are exceptional, and it often happens that the 
blue-nosed and benumbed disciples of Walton find the wood 
fires crackling within the cosy hostelries and club houses 
more conducive to comfort and general satisfaction than is 
a profitless whipping of ice-choked creeks and streams. 
Nevertheless, it is difficult to find an angler candid enough 
to confess that the opening of the season was not a success, 
or that he returned home empty handed. If he is asked 
by an inquisitive friend “what |luck?”,he will invariably 
answer half abstractedly that lie had two pairs, a full hand or 
three of a kind. If questioned as to the kind of flies he used 
he will be likely to reply that he used a bottle fly, or possibly, 
that he occasionally saw a cork fly. For, be it remarked, 
that while trout everywhere are distinguished as a game 
fish, those of Long Island are a peculiar kind of game. 
Hence, the fascination of fishing, and especially of fishin°- 
on the 16th of March. We have heretofore habitually at¬ 
tended at'these opening seasons, and with varied experi¬ 
ence. This year we were engrossed with business that de¬ 
manded self-denial, and it was not without some feeling of 
disappointment and envy that we witnessed the departure 
last Monday of several scores of genial fly-tossers, bound 
east on a jollification. However, we venture to wager that 
despite all disadvantages, we had just as good trout fishing 
in our sanctum, and equal luck; for we had scarcely eif- 
tered the first stage of mourning over our adverse fate when 
lo! the express brought us an elegant eight ounce rod, man¬ 
ufactured especially for us by that careful rod maker C. 
F. Or vis, of Manchester, Vermont. As Orvis does not sup¬ 
ply the trade, but only fills orders, each rod is made under 
his own supervision, and so far as careful selection of ma¬ 
terial and accurate shaping and balancing are concerned 
they seem to be as perfect implements as can be made of 
the kind. The one we have is a three jointed rod, German 
silver mounted, with ash but, and middle joint and tip of 
lancewood. Thus equipped, we required only the oppor¬ 
tunity to test its merits, when presto! came a goodly box 
of genuine speckled trout from our friend Blackford, of 
Fulton market, fresh caught, and nicely packed in moss! 
\Yhat angler could have done better? On whom did pro¬ 
pitious fate ever smile more graciously? The first trout of 
the season! How the sight thereof thrills the senses and 
sets anticipation all aglow! It is like the renewal of an 
old love. First strawberries, the first bud of spring, are 
nothing,to it. The instant the prohibitory bonds of 5 the 
law are loosed what a demand there*is at once from all the 
epicures; what a rush from hotels and restaurants to all 
the markets! Early in the morning of Monday we saw 
at Blackford’s great baskets filled with them, all alive too 
splashing in the water, and gleaming with iridescent splen¬ 
dor. Others were temptingly displayed on beds of fresh 
green moss; and of three hundred pounds which we saw 
thus exposed, one hundred and fifty were disporting in 
Long island ponds at sunrise. Furman, the trout cultur- 
isl of Maspeth, furnished the larger proportion; some came 
from the Richland trout farms, in this State, and others 
from Reedsburg, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania. A great 
many came from Montreal in a frozen state, and the lesser 
