FOREST AND STREAM 
187 
The bird shooting is oyer for the season, the snipe and plover having 
nearly all left. There were six snipe killed on Wednesday (14th) by one 
sport. There has been a scarcity of the migratory birds this winter, es¬ 
pecially the water fowl. Usually the Alabama River has been a great re¬ 
sort for mallard, black duck, teal, wood or summer, and bull heads, so 
called here, but a very dry winter, no water in the ponds, has kept them 
off. Some of our shots have made quite a good hit during the season. 
One has over 700 game birds on his list, several others nearly up with 
him, although the highest number of snipe shot by any one on one day 
is 34. Yours, &c., Sec. M. S. Club. 
--- 
—The visitors in Florida came NTorth like a flock of birds 
during the warm term in March, but met a cold storm. The 
weather in Florida in April has been cold, and all who re¬ 
main are enjoying the amusements and luxuries of the 
Spring, with abundant room at hotels and upon the boats. 
_Sir George Gore, the English sportsman, is at the Grand 
National Hotel, Jacksonville, on his return ffrcm Indian j 
River, where he went with a large retinue of men, 22 dogs, j 
and a vast amount of modern hunting and fishing traps. j 
_Mr. John S. Beeler, of Hamilton, Ohio, writes to us 
that he wishes, for the benefit of the fraternity, to add his 
testimony to that of “R. Y.” of Corinth, Miss., in the 1 
Forest and Stream of April 16th, in support of Messrs. 
Clark & Sneider’s method of altering guns from muzzle to 
breech-loaders. He says: 
“They altered one for me during the past winter and I 
must say that it gives perfect satisfaction, both as regards 
appearance and working qualities. I think that sportsmen 
throughout the country, who have good muzzle-loaders, 
with which they are familiar, would do well to correspond 
with Messrs. Clark & Sneider before sacrificing their guns, 
in order to provide themselves with the much prized breech¬ 
loaders.” 
' Olney, Ill., April 22, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
With pleasure, on behalf of the Forest and Stream 
Sportsmens’ Club of Olney, Illinois, I acknowledge the re¬ 
ceipt of a fine portrait of “Belle,” also a “Comparative 
Table of the Close Seasons.” Our Club’s interest in the 
protection of game resulted in sending “an amendment” to 
our present defective laws. Our Club was organized too 
late to get a bill through this session of the Legislature, but 
will try to be in season next time. The principal defects 
are as follows:— 
Sec. 1. The penalty is not sufficient to prevent hunters 
from shooting deer out of season, for it is easy to pay five 
dollars for a deer if caught with it in possession. Club re¬ 
commended “not less than twenty-five nor more than fifty 
doflars.” 
Sec. 3 Allows game dealers “thirty days” to dispose of 
game on hand. Club recommended “ten days.” For all 
this time pot-hunters use to smuggle game to unscrupulous 
dealers. Coming in as they do long before day-light, they 
sell their ill-gotten spoil and are gone to repeat this until 
the last of the “thirty days” are past. 
Sec. 4 Gives only “one month” for the apprehension of 
persons who violate the game laws." Club recommends 
“eighteen months” for this season. Hunters from adjoin¬ 
ing States come to Illinois, shoot game out of season, and 
should they not be apprehended within a month, they are 
free to repeat the same depredation the following season. 
This has caused ruinous havoc with our chickens, quail 
and in fact all game. Hope you will succeed in making a 
general law for adjoining States. 
Yours, <fec., G. F. Center, M. D. 
Secretary F. & S. Club, &c. 
y -*-- 
—A letter from an old hunter, to whom we gave an or¬ 
der last fall for six live moose to be delivered this spring, 
is dated Wicklow, N. Brunswick. It says: 
Dear Sir: 
“I have to inform you that I cannot get any moose this spring, as we 
have not had snow, deep enough to catch them. It has been a very 
strange winter, not more than twenty inches of snow on the ground at 
any one time. I think I never saw a winter before this but what we had 
three feet of snow on the ground, and generally about four feet—that 
is, in the wilderness.” 
-- 
LETTER FROM “HOMO.” 
Philadelphia, April 24 ; 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Our spring snipe shooting is about at an end; thus far few birds, compar¬ 
atively speaking, have been killed in the immediate vicinity of Philadel¬ 
phia, although south of us in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland they 
have been unusually plenty and large bags have been made. Our own 
meadows, as a rule, when the snipe were on in numbers, were too dry 
and the long-bills fed on the drifts and river flats where the sportsman 
could not reach them. 
As May approaches our lovers of the gentle art are looking to their 
rods, flies and tackle. I hear of quite a number of sportsmen who intend 
trying fly fishing for shad on the Delaware River so soon as the run of 
fish will admit of it. I shall try my Norris rod on the new game and 
know it will prove as trusty as did Mr. Prime’s at Holyoke, providing I 
am successful in hooking one. I will report pro or con as to my efforts, 
although I am fearful the great lengths of nets used from the bay to 
Bristol and Trenton will prevent many fish from reaching the head of 
tide water on our river. 
I notice in the columns of a contemporary of your journal that they 
claim to have been the first to suggest field trials in this country. Surely 
they can not in justice do this when it is known and recorded that you 
were the first to reprint and publish the English Ipswich Field Trials, 
and at the same time called the attention of owners of pointers and set¬ 
ters to this interesting out-door sport; furthermore, it is a fact that you 
were the first and only journal that received the international challenge 
for field trials from Mr. Price. 
We are anxiously awaiting a reply of Mr. Laverack to Dr. Gautier as to 
the setter question. There is a mistake somewhere and it looks as if Mr. 
L. was in error. Homo. 
[It is evident Mr. Lave ack is laboring under some misapprehension, as 
Dr. Gautier, of New York, did purchase a setter of Mr. Laverack in 
person. See Forest and Stream, April 16th.— Ed.] 
Dayenport, Iowa, March 27, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I am now an old hunter near my three score years, yet attached to the 
wild and exciting scenes of the hunt, as when the young blood coursed 
through my veins. In the summer of 18641 came West to enjoy.the rod 
aud the gun, and to tramp out the seeds of an inflammatory rheumatism 
with which I had suffered severely. Suffice it to say that I have had but 
one slight attack during the last decade, and for the benefit of others in 
affliction, permit me to add that I never had an attack, except after 
wearing gum shoes or arctics. I have discarded them, and since, with 
exercise, have been exempt from the pains and penalties of inflammatory 
rheumatism. I notice that one of your correspondents has narrated 
some extraordinary shots. Permit me a similar privilege. Near West" 
minister, Md., I once made a shot that surprised even myself. I had a 
setter standing in a corn-field. The quail rose, and giving me a rak¬ 
ing shot, I emptied one barrel of my Greener, when a single bird curved 
toward me and I dropped it. Retrieving this I sought the product of my 
first shot and gathered six more as the result. One beautiful afternoon, 
when the sun was sinking upon the Iowa prairies, I had another extra 
shot, killing five prairie chickens, or rather pinnated grouse, with two 
barrels. About thirty yards distant, on the point of my faithful dog, 
sprang a covey of grouse in the stubble. I fired into the rising cluster 
and dropped three. A few minutes later I knocked two more with the 
other barrel. But after all, these were accidents. Give me the shot who 
kills his single bird, especially the ruffed grouse in the brush and tan¬ 
gled thicket. 
On the bluffs below our city I have had some sport in killing this noble 
game bird, but rarely in paying numbers. They are scarcer here than 
among the laurels and whortle bushes of the Alleghanies, where I have, 
in other years, had five birds lying dead before me. Our present winter 
has been exceedingly open, with no drifting snows to kill off the game 
birds, and we have the promise of a much larger yield than usual of 
American quail, ruffed and pinnated grouse. The latter will soon be 
whirring across our river to their breeding grounds in Iowa, and again 
we shall hear their music in the warmer-days of springtime. Six or 
eight deer have been killed within ten miles of our city, along the bluffy 
shores of Rock River, and one along the Wapsie—a stream famed for 
ducking and fishing. Many a splendid day’s fishing have I enjoyed on 
its rich, uncultivated bottom lands, among the mallards and Wilson’s 
snipe. The wild turkey has an occasional representative in this region. 
They have been plenty in our market, brought here on the Southwestern 
Railroad from northern Missouri. 
I may hereafter give you some notes on the Canada goose, brant, and 
various wild ducks which, in properjseasons, abound. If you are curi¬ 
ous respecting our fishing, I cherish an ardent love for old Sir Isaac, and 
have explored to my heart’s contents the waters where the black bass 
leap and thrill the fisherman. Rock River, emptying into the Mississip¬ 
pi just below Rock Island, is one of the finest bass streams m the Union. 
Yours, _ _ J, H. B. 
Hamburg, Berks Co., Penn. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
It seems to have been but yesterday that the old citizens of this 
county talked of the olden times relating to the adventures on our moun¬ 
tain s with Indians, deer, wolves and other wild creatures, which abound¬ 
ed in plenty. Their favorite resort is stated to have been near the 
Schuylkill River, along the base of the Blue Mountains, near the line of 
Berks and Schuylkill counties. These two counties are thickly studded 
with mountains and hills, which were also a favorite resort for the 
wild creatures which abounded in our State. In the year 18—, one cool 
morning in autumn, several men (middle aged) might have been seen 
starting or leaving home, near the lovely village ot Hamburg, who, with 
dogs, guns, &c., presented quite an interesting sight to the general ob¬ 
server, as the entire “rig” was what is termed complete, and all expected 
to feast for a few days on their return home. They travelled onwards 
and onwards without getting as much as a glimpse of game. However, 
on the third day they were agreeably surprised to meet a monstrous rat¬ 
tlesnake, which was game, and after much labor the monster gave up the 
battle and was soon stretched out, full length, w’hich was ascertained to 
be nearly six feet. The rattles were taken along as a trophy, not, how¬ 
ever, merely as a curiosity, but as a sample piece of their snake-killing 
propensities. During that entire night was the march continued, and the 
result was three deer, five wolves and other small game in abundance. 
The hunting party were unable to carry all their game at once, so they 
were jogging away in a truly marvelous manner, until a road was reached 
where they were met by a team, which conveyed the results of their la¬ 
bor to their residences. On their return home they were received with 
cheers from the motley crowd who had heard of the hunting expedition. 
But at this present time hunting expeditions are at a discount, as the 
weary hunter will perambulate the mountains for days without meeting 
game of any description. If fortune favors, he or they will perhaps be 
able to secure one or two rabbits, but this is seldom the case. Space is 
too limited, and we will therefore not continue longer in speaking or 
writing of the game of Berks county, Penn., but will promise to give the 
readers of Forest and Stream an essay on the fish and fishing of the 
county hereafter. Oliver D. Schock. 
Cincinnati, April 20,1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream :- 1 
I noticed in your last issue a letter from “R. Y.,” relating to the chang¬ 
ing of his muzzle-loader to a breech-loader. Hesayg; “It works ad¬ 
mirably, and I bincerely trust that sportsmen in their section of the 
country, who have good muzzle-loaders and want them altered, will send 
them to Clark & Sneider, for they can make such change without injur¬ 
ing their shooting qualities or adding to the weight of the gun.” 
Now, the great trouble in changing guns is, that the barrels are not 
made of metal sufficiently thick. The “hooks” of the muzzle-loader 
must necessarily be taken out, the barrels cut off and a chamber be 
bored. Now, if the gun was not of sufficient thickness at the breech, 
after the chamber had been bored, the gun would be unsafe. In the 
stock great alteration is necessary. The false breech must be removed, 
and the hammers on the locks changed, as it is no longer necessary, 
since the introduction of the breech-loader, that the stock, when load¬ 
ing, must rest on the ground; the heel plate is done away with and re¬ 
placed by “tips” at the corners of the stock. This requires another re¬ 
moval from the old stock. 
Therefore, it is not safe to send any and every gun to be altered, but 
only those guns which have thick barrels and,, as muzzle loaders, fine 
shooters. To those having such guns, I would say with “R. Y.” send 
them to be altered. W. L. 
FISH IN SEASON IN APRIL. 
Salmon, Salmo Solar. Salmon trout, Salmo'covfinis. 
Trout, Salmo fontinalis Shad, Alosa. 
Land-locked Salmon, Salmo gloveri. 
Black Bass j grystes salmoides. 
I grystes nigricans. 
—Key West turtles have been arriving of late in New 
York in large quantity. Last week a monster weighing 
five hundred and sixty pounds, blocked up one of the pas¬ 
sages of Fulton Market. Imagine a London Alderman 
coming across such a treasure. What rapturous ideas • of 
callipaslx and callipee, that turtle’s presence would engen¬ 
der! We should suppose these big fellows were hard to 
sell. Query: How many gallons of green turtle soup 
would the large one we have given the weight of, make? 
—J. S., a correspondent at Midway, Woodford county, 
Kentucky, speaks of Point au Pelee, an island in Lake 
brie, about twenty-five miles from Sandusky, and just 
across Uncle Sam’s boundary, as a locality that cannot be 
excelled for its black bass fishing. It is accessible easily 
from Buffalo and Cleveland. The only objection to the 
place that the writer mentions is the superabundance of 
fish. He says a party of six, of whom only one half were 
anglers, went there last May, and in eight days’ fishing, 
with light rod and reel, took fifteen hundred pounds of bass 
that weighed from two pounds to three and a half pounds 
apiece, each day’s catch ranging from 150 to 200 fish. Often 
the music of three or four reels could be heard at once. 
Hotel accommodation is poor, but the camping ground is 
superb. Minnows are used for bait, and the bass are not 
known to take the fly except by trolling. If desired, splen¬ 
did accomodations can be had at Put-in-Bay, fourteen miles 
distant, and a steam tug will take you to and from the fish¬ 
ing ground each day. We are rather inclined to recom¬ 
mend this place to the luxurious angler who does not care 
to rough it in the bush, for superior fishing is rarely found 
in connection with the comforts of civilization. Moreover, 
splendid duck shooting can be enjoyed here in the fall, as 
there are about 5,000 acres of marsh land covered with 
wild rice, upon which the lhallard feed, and any bungler 
can bag from ten to twenty of an afternoon. There is 
also fox hunting, if the sportsman will only bring his 
hounds, for the island is full of red foxes. The best time 
for an excursion is the middle of the months of May and 
September. Taken all in all, the Point au Pelee is excep¬ 
tionally attractive. 
—A correspondent, S. S. W., calls attention to the northern 
portion of Indiana, especially the counties of Noble, Steu¬ 
ben, and Whitley, as containing numerous small lakes,, 
varying from fifty to three hundred acres, which abound 
in fish and wild ducks. Of fish the principal varieties are 
the black bass, rock bass, pike, and pickerel. A favorite 
mode of taking these fish, in vogue among the Hoosiers, is 
by spearing at night, and the season commences as soon as 
the lakes are clean of ice, and continues until tlie “splatter 
dock” shoots up its long stem and broad leaf from the bot¬ 
tom, to which the fish take refuge from their nocturnal 
enemy the spearer. Often, as the boat moves noislessly 
over the water, huge flocks of ducks start up, frightened 
by the light in the boat. 
—The continued rains and high water have made the 
black bass fishing in Kentucky much better this season 
than for several previous years. Generally speaking the 
angling in Kentucky amounts to nothing, the rivers having 
been depleted by seining and the erection of dams and 
locks. The necessity for the establishment of an efficient 
Protective Society in this State is most apparent, and we 
trust that the efforts now being make to form one will be ' 
in all respects successful. 
—One of our corps dropped in et Bradford & Anthony’s 
Fishing Tackle wareroom 186 Washington street, Boston, 
on the 25th inst., and he was shown some very fine speci¬ 
mens of flies for shad fishing, by Mr. Prouty. A basket of 
beautiful trout was also shown him which had been sent 
in from Monument River near Cape Cod, which Mr. Rich¬ 
ards of Attleboro had caught the day before. One of them 
weighed over two pounds, and the fish were in fine table 
condition. 
—Herring fishing has rarely been as successful in Eng 
land or Scotland as last year. In money the total catch 
was estimated to be worth £2,000,000. In fish, as near as 
figures will allow, 400,000,000 of herrings were caught in 
England, and in Scotland almost 700,000,000 more. The 
measure used is the cran, each cran containing 840 fish. If 
the herrings weigh four ounces, then each 100,000,000 of 
fish represents about 25,000 tons of solid food fit for man’s 
consumption. From what this great increase is due, no one 
can tell. Tremendous, however, as the quantity may be at 
present, old fishermen, who talk about the herring catch, 
such as their fathers told them about, declare that they are 
not as plentiful as they were seventy-five years ago. There 
is a story told of a miraculous shoal of herrings, which ap¬ 
peared in 1808 off the Coast of Fife. The fish were in such 
quantity that they stranded. The town crier went through 
the town proclaiming “caller herrin’, forty for a penny.” 
But still the fish swarmed in and the public crier altered his 
note to “caller herrin’ a shilling a cartload.” On came the 
fish until the shores were covered with them, then people 
were begged to take them for the asking, and it ended by 
the corporation offering a shilling a load to have them cart¬ 
ed away. 
—A correspondent at Little Falls, New York, says:— 
“An old and valued friend, who has spent the past three 
summers in the Adirondack^, in July last year killed a 
brook trout, supposed to be the great grandfather of the 
species, length 27 inches, weight 9^- lbs. It may be con¬ 
sidered rather charming to a man’s reputation to talk of a 
9i lb. brook trout, but not more so than “Piseco’s” article 
on “Men with Tails.” 
This is a trout of unusual size. The largest we ever heard 
of was one caught at mouth of the Wabanash, Lake Nepi- 
gon, which weighed 17 pounds. We have the sworn affi¬ 
davit to this statement of Henri Le Ronde, the Hudson’s 
Bay factor at Nepigon House. 
—A correspondent at Reno, Nevada,- of April 20th, 
says:— 
“Tons of trout are being taken now from the Truckee. 
My neighbor took out a ten pounder. Why don’t your 
fish commissioners send to Lake Tahoe and get a stock for 
your lakes? I don’t know why, do you?” 
—The Newburyport Labrador fleet this year will con¬ 
sist of only two vessels. This fishery once employed seventy 
vessels from Gloucester alone. It is said that the star fish 
destroy $200,000 worth of oysters annually in Norwalk 
Harbor. 
Under the influence of the treaty at Washington the fish¬ 
ing fleet at Provincetown has diminished thirty-three per¬ 
cent. 
Messrs. H. & S. Cook & Co., of Provincetown, have 
leased eligible premises at St. Peters, Breton Island, N. S., 
for the purpose of pursuing cod fishing from that place, 
and will move their fishing fleet there. 
Thirty-three fishing vessels, all but five or six of those 
sailing from Boston, have signed the agreement to sell at 
retail as well as wholesale, in spite of the wholesale dealers’ 
agreement not to purchase from them in case they sell at 
retail .—Cape Ann Advertiser . 
