FOREST AND STREAM 
326 
tainty, showing caution as they approached it, and sure to 
get on a point if a bird was there. Such a dog, I fancy, 
would have made short work in a field trial against any un¬ 
fortunate outsider brought to that ground to contend against 
him. 
If agreeable, some time in the future I may give you my 
notions of the most desirable qualities of the quail and 
woodcock dog, of all dogs now in my opinion by far the 
most useful for first-class sport in this our eastern section 
of the country. Yours truly, Veritas. 
THE POT HUNTER. 
Shrewsbury, June 8,1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Have not most of us sportsmi n some knowledge of him? Many know 
him to their cost. If not engaged with the dogs entrusted to his care he 
generally may he seen in the bar-room or billiard saloon. His dress pro¬ 
claims his business—coat, cap and pants made of stout cordnroy, his 
pants inside of a heavy pair of high boots, and to the buttonhole of his 
many-pocketed coat hangs a dog whistle. Keen, cool and collected, with 
all to gain and nothing to lose, he is one who acts on. the principle that 
the world owes him a living. One whom it is hard to detect in law break¬ 
ing, and if detected and prosecuted, the party prosecuting generally has 
the privilege of paying the costs. One whose ill will is not to be de¬ 
sired. One who knows the country for miles around: knows exactly 
where to look for every bevy of birds; Knows on whose farms game may 
be killed with impunity, and where it is necessary for his companion to 
keep watch while he takes the deadly shot on the ground, and is cool 
enough to kill several of the survivors with the second barrel. Constant¬ 
ly in practi ce, he is a first-class shot, but will not take any doubtful 
chances at a single bird flying, if he can see it on the*ground. 
This is the man to be seen at pigeon matches, deep in the mysteries of 
trapping pigeons, ready to rick up a flat, or sell out a match. He will 
not wo” but gains a precarious living through the means of the encour¬ 
agement he receives in the different professions he follows. The mar¬ 
ket men encourage him to kill game in season and out of season. Next 
to the market men he is encouraged by the well meaning sportsmen , who 
purchase dogs from him, hire him to break their dogs, and in so doing 
are in great measure responsible for the acts of this class. Where are 
they not to be found? Is not every section cursed by them? Were it 
not for this class game laws would hardly be needed, and can it be won¬ 
dered at if land owners are looking to the passage of laws that will m ke 
shooting not a desirable business? 
We all have our share of duty to perforin in the preservation of game, 
and in this may we all work together; and to do this it is necessary to 
form sportsman’s clubs, and in the by-laws would it not be desirabl to 
insert a rule requiring members in no way to aid in the support and en¬ 
couragement of market shooters by purchasing dogs from them or hiring 
them to train dogs? 
The example of all true sportsmen is what is needed. He who is able 
to handle trained dogs should be able to train them. An ordinary-sized 
room is large enough to train a dog in. Do not confound training with 
hunting the dogs. 
Brother sportsmen, train your dogs yourselves, and hunt them your¬ 
selves, and by so doing you will stop one of the main inducements to 
shoot game for market. Check Cord. 
[We think “Check Cord” has made a very good point in the foregoing 
strictures.— Ed.] 
NOTES ON DOGS AMD GAME IN MISSIS¬ 
SIPPI. 
A valued correspondent at Corinth, Miss., sendis us an in¬ 
teresting letter,from which we take the following:— 
Editor Forest and Streami- 
Fox and deer hounds here are owned by different parties, tmt are all 
from the same stock. They are black and tans, and are good dogs for 
“hoof” or “claw.” The original pair were brought from Selma, Ala., 
by Major W. H. Scruggs, in 1866, and have been crossed with some 
other hounds of known good blood. We have nothing here but the gray 
fox, and we use the same pack to “drive” for deer. A bitch belonging to 
Mr. W. It. Borroum, of this place, pulled down the deer at the deer 
chase at Memphis the past spring. I am quite certain that there is not 
a Laverack in Mississippi. We had here a few years since magnificent 
shooting. Bob White bad multiplied and replenished the earth during 
the war, and the antlered monarch of the waste sprung from his heath¬ 
ery couch in haste, or got up leisurelv, as the exigencies of the case de¬ 
manded. Mr. Ggllopavo fera gobbled amatory or grasshoppers, as it 
suited his fancy. 
But the man and brother, liberated from his shackles, soon scraped up 
$3 and invested in a pot metal blunderbuss, or an old “war gun.” They 
betook themselves to the woods, they chased the antlered monarch with 
vile curs, they shot the does at breeding time.they gobbled up the gobbler, 
the setting hen on her eggs, or killed her and left her unprotected brood. 
They killed poor little Bob as he sat on the fence in the “gushing sum 
light of a sabbath morn,” or any other morn. They “broke up” Mrs. 
Robert’s nest and ate the eggs, and when stormy winter came they 
trapped Robert, his wife and family, and all his relatives, wherever dis¬ 
persed. And the white men helped them. And now game is scarce and 
■we have no game law. _____________ R. Y. 
ifle. 
GAME IN SEASON FOR JULY. 
Woodcock, philohela minor. Squirrels. 
Details of pigeon shooting and scores of rifle matches, and other interest¬ 
ing matter , should he mailed so as to reach this office on Tuesday morning 
in each week. 
—Saturday, the 4th, is the first day of the woodcock 
shooting. Better were it the 15th. 
. —Woodcock make a fine showing this season in Sullivan 
and Ulster Counties, and sportsmen are rubbing up their 
guns. 
—Recent reports from the Adirondacks are to the effect 
that hears and deer are unusually abundant, and fine sport 
is promised as soon as the season opens. On Moose River 
an old hunter reports the tracks make the shores of the 
lakes and rivers look like cow-yards. Last month he 
counted fifteen deer in sight one day. 
—We have been honored for the fourth time by the for¬ 
mation of a new shooting club bearing the name of “Forest 
and Stream Shooting Club,” a new club having just been 
organized in Philadelphia for the joint object of sport and 
the protection of game. We accept the compliment with 
thanks, and wish the club every success. 
—We are pleased to notice an organization of riflemen, 
formed at Plattsburgh, called the Plattsburg Rifle Associa¬ 
tion. The following are the officers: B. M. Beckwith, 
President; J. D. Wilkinson, Vice President; Dr. S.*V. 
Howard, Secretary and Treasury. 
—An association of gentlemen has recently been organ, 
ized in Morris county, N. J. under the name of “The Mor¬ 
ris County Sportsman’s Club,” having for its object the 
preservation of game in that county, and the strict and im¬ 
partial enforcement of the game law enacted at the last ses¬ 
sion of the New Jersey Legislature. 
The President of the club is Hon. Augustus W. Cutler, 
of Morristown, State Senator, to whose care and exertions 
the community are mainly indebted for the passage of that 
law. The other officers of the club are James Bryce Jr., 
of Madison, Vice President; Charles H. Raymond, of Mor¬ 
ris Plains, Secretary; Daniel D. Craig, of Basking Ridge, 
Treasurer; Francis Childs, of Morristown, Council; Stephen 
S. Whitney, of Morris Plains, and E. M. Quimby and 
Jerome L. Stout, of Morristown, members of the Execu¬ 
tive Committee. 
The club already numbers over sixty members, and they 
are determined to spare no proper effort to secure the con¬ 
viction and punishment of all violators within Morris 
county, of the State Game Law. Efficient and vigorous 
measures are already instituted under the personal direc¬ 
tion of the Executive Committee to discover and arrest 
and fine all persons killing or having in possession wood¬ 
cock before July 4th, and similar means will he adopted for 
the protection of quail, ruffed grouse and other game 
during the close season. 
The club will also give its attention to the important sub¬ 
ject of stocking with quail certain parts of the county 
where these birds are scarce; and also to introducing the 
pinnated grouse to the wide heaths and meadows within 
tlie limits of tlieir supervision. An effort will also be made 
to restock with trout some of the beautiful streams near 
Morristown, and the project of putting the game grayling 
into some of them is seriously entertained. 
The headquarters of the Morris County Sportsman’s 
Club are at Morristown, Morris county, N. J. 
• - ■ ■ ■ — 
—A letter from A. B. H., Peacedale, Rhode Island, 
says:— 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I am happy to be able to say that for years past there has been no such 
promise of quail (can’t we have a national name for it?) as there is this 
season. The birds have not packed, in a single instance to my knowl¬ 
edge, and the call of the male is to be heard in almost every field. They 
are unusually tame, too, and I could sit and shoot them from, my parlor 
windows, as for some days past they have been strutting over the sward 
in front of the house as if they were so many peacocks. 
Washington, June 26th, 1874.* 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
In your issue of June 25th yon quote a paragraph from the Alexandria 
(Ya.) Guzeite relative to slaughtering woodcock, and comment on it by 
saying “if the Sportsmen’s Club of Washington feel unable to bear the 
expense of .prosecuting these violators of the law let them apply to out" 
siders,” etc. It, is not for the lack of funds that these pot hunters are 
not prosecuted, but a want of interest by the members in the welfare of 
tht* club. We have a few real earnest and energetic men, who are anxious 
that the object for which the club was organized should he carried out. 
By our constitution, nine members are a quorum, and we have endeav¬ 
ored since the middle of May to hold a meeting, and cannot secure the 
attendance of that many members. Our annual shoot takes place in Sep¬ 
tember, and it is now time to commence to prepare for it, in order that 
it may be a success. It is to, he regretted that this organization seems 
likely to meet the fate of others attempted here, and that after a short 
spurt it givt s up. Our next monthly meeting is on the 13th of July, and 
we hope then to do something. We do not know of any organization 
that has a nicer club room.. Jas. N. Davis, Jr., Secretary. 
SPORT IN TEXAS. 
Galveston, Texas, June 10,1874 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Near Goliad, in Western Texas, last fall a party went out from that 
town and returned in three days with the feathers of 1,500 geese. The 
modus operandi of catching them was as follows: Com was soaked in a 
preparation of alcohol and opium, and then scattered around the shores 
of the lake, where the geese congregate. After devouring the corn, the 
geese tumble over and wallow in the mud like any other drunken goose. 
Well, now, do you think you could eat that goose? Would they live and 
thrive after their drunk, or would a real experiment have to be made 
and his gooseship cooked and served to be really known if healthy? 
Give us your opinion. The past winter game of all descriptions have 
been a source of plenty in our bay and adjacent islands and lakes. At 
what'is called the lakes, some twenty miles distant from the city, are to 
be seen some dozen professional hunters, who shoot away some hundred 
kegs of powder in a season, have a line of sail skiff boats, flat bottom, 2C 
to 25 feet long, cat-rigged, to the city. Some are very pretty models and 
fast sailers. It is an exceedingly hard and arduous task to navigate the 
intricate channel and find the city, especially in the night during fog and 
rainy and squally weather: they however make the trip and market their 
previous day’s hunt, which has been as many as 250 mallard ducks. 
They command about $1.50 pair; other ducks, when market is glutted, 
bring from 17 cents a pair to 75 cents. Snipe, curlew, plover are not much 
sold in our market, and the expense and trouble in killing them is too 
great for profit. At one small place in the lakes the mallard in the fall 
congregate by thousands, and are slain by hundreds with old time 
muzzle-loaders 10x42. Our professionals look upon breech-loaders as a 
Yankee invention of no earthly consideration. Every part would soon 
wear out in their hands, and the gun in a short time be utterly unfit for 
service; as regards the shooting qualities it is intensely inferior. The 
writer has recently heard more enlightened remarks, and he ventures to 
say ere another season rolls around a few will venture to lay down their 
hard-earned dollars for them. Ignorance is certainly a bliss where a 
professional goes against hi« own bread and butter in discarding breech¬ 
loaders. The professionals are probably the most obstinate set of men to 
deal with in existence. When once they take a notion that a certain 
brand of powder is bad, nothing can change them; remove the supposed 
bad powder into their favorite brand, and It is the best in the world, 
merely showing their intense ignorance upon the article and substance 
they every day use; and their opinion is utterly worthless the same 
way upon shot, being very vehement in their denunciations of certain 
brands. The lake is easy of access to the city in good weather, and is vis¬ 
ited by a great many amateurs, who go there with, full breech-loading 
apparatus, rigged in style, much to the urofessional disgust, to make 
game wild. They are usually rewarded by sundry messes of different 
kinds of fowl. On Bolivar is also a good ground for geese, teal and black 
duck, distant about seven miles, with innumerable ponds and sufficient 
protection to hide and creep on your game unawares. Many amateurs 
always shoot flying, take a stand and wait for the game to come along. 
The crack of the breech-loader is constantly heard, and those parties 
generally kill as much, and more, sometimes, than they conveniently can 
carry; and are regarded by the professionals with different respect from 
the others. Onr friend, the light-house keeper, can, in a very short time, 
but a little way from his house, kill his 20 or 25 ducks: is heavy with an 
\hot (Bun and 
Allen, and his distance-well, I hardly will say, but it beat any North 
sportsman’s yards all hollow. In the Western Bay is the sporUrn * 
paradise, a bay not much frequented; feather above and fin beneath 8 
sport their idle and dreamy hours away in perfect security, a plea« t 
place for the sportsman in the dead of winter. Always warm, free fr 
storms, yacht protected from the most violent gales, and came™™ 
plenty, no effort to kill. As the place is not known to any extent and 
rather hard for sail boats to visit on account of intricate and shall 
channels, and an out-of-the-way place generally, game of all description'! 
seek it as their refuge in safety. The writer remembers one time while 
on a hunt after duck that he came near losing his life. There bein<r tv 
of us together, and walking through the grass a little way from * 3 onr 
boat, we suddenly came upon a fine buck. There he stood, a noble ani¬ 
mal. Both looking at each other, we fired, and having nothing in our 
barrels but small shot, as a matter of course, our noble buck hoisted tli 
white flag and away he went. We had no more than brought our pieces 
to a position to reload, when we heard another cracking, and up came 
charging a bull—a wild one—perhaps never saw a mortal man before 
Being in the old time of muzzle-loaders, we took to our heels and ran for 
dear life towards the boat. The old fellow took after the writer, and in 
the chase came near upsetting him; by giving some sudden wheels to the 
right and left, we were enabled to baffle our pursuer and reached the boat 
in safety. His lordship, baffled, walked quietly away. My companion 
in the meantime, having picked up gun, powder-flask, and pouch, was 
quietly coming up in another direction. We held a consultation’ and 
concluded that discretion was the better part of valor, and hoisting sail 
proceeded higher up the peninsula, where we found quite an abundance 
of game. This happened a good many years ago, when we were boys 
More anon. T T 
PROTECTION OF GAME. 
Baltimore, June 13, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
The deep interest you have taken, through the columns of your valu¬ 
able paper, for the preservation of game, has awakened throughout the 
country a corresponding sentiment, which will bring forth great results 
The key-note had to be sounded to bring the whole fraternity into accord' 
and loud and deep has been the response. The music sounds harmon¬ 
ious to the lover of rural sports, and its refrain will echo from every val¬ 
ley to mountain top throughout the land. 
A society was organized in this city on the 8 th of May last, called the 
“Maryland Association for the Protection of Game and Fish,” consisting 
of the best men in Baltimore. The following are the officers: George 
S. Brown, president; Thomas Poultney, 1st vice president; Henry T. 
Weld, 2d vice-president; B. W. Jenkins, secretary; Robert Hodges' 
treasurer; John Stewart, counsellor; Committee at Large, P. P. Pendle¬ 
ton, R. C. Thomas, R. B. Bayard, T. C. Clark, C. D. Fisher, T. W, Lev¬ 
ering, and an auxilliary committee named from each county in the State 
all of which have pledged their “most sacred honor.” This means busi¬ 
ness. They have met with much opposition, as was expected; for every 
encroachment on “vested rights,” long indulged, is an innovation the 
thoughtless and unscrupulous angler will not submit to, at least without 
a growl. A few vigorous examples, and eternal vigilance will do the 
rest. b. 
•-- 
Lawrence, Kansas, June 20, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream;— 
Enclosed please find score of the “Winkles,” of Lawrence, in two 
pigeon matches recently shot here. 
June 16^.—Match at 21 birds each, 15 at 25 and 6 at 30 yards; 80 yards 
boundary; ljoz. shot. 
25 30 
Name Gun yds yds 
Harris.Powell, c. f. 8 2—j 
Carpenter .F. J. Abbey, c f. 8 2—10 
F.S.Earle.Powell, cf. 6 5—11 
Boswell.. .Powell, c f. 7 3—10 
J.D.Earle.Scott, cf.10 3—13 
1 
25 
30 
j Name Gun 
yds 
vds 
Stuart.Gibbs, c f.. 
.. 10 
1 
11 
L.E.Earle...Daly, cf.. 
.. 12 
2 
14 
Dr.Wheeler.Powell, cf. 
.. 11 
0 
11 
Thompson. .Davis, cf.. 
.. 12 
1 
13 
Dr. Patter son-m.. 
.. 11 
5 
16 
Total..'. 
65 
Stuart’s side won by 11 birds. 
June 20th.— Sweepstakes, 25 yards rise, 80 yards boundary, first miss 
out, li oz. shot. 
Name ist Sweep 2d Sweep 3d Sweep 
Stuart—W. C. Scott & Son, c f. 4 l 3 
Thompson—Davis, cf. 3 5 3 
Harris—Powell, cf. 2 3 2 
Carpenter—F. J. Abbey, cf. 1 3 2 
F. S. Earle—Powell, c f. 15 1 
Dr. Wheeler—Powell, c f. 1 0 4 
Ben Akers—W. C. Scott & Son, c f. 0 2 2 
Boswell—Powell, cf. 0 0 1 
L. C. Earle—Daly, c f. 0 0 1 
Stuart won first sweep, shooting Thompson out on fourth bird. 
The second sweep was won by Thompson, who, after tieing with F. 
S. Earle, shot off the ties in connection with the third event, and won on 
the seventh bird. 
Owing to a lack of birds, the third sweep was not completed. 
A. H. S. 
PISTOL PRACTICE. 
Peoria, Ill., June 15, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
Having been a careful reader of your paper for some time, I have read 
with more than usual interest that portion which relates to the use of 
the rifle. Having had some experience with that arm I would like to ask 
why it is that the “six-shooter” is neglected in the columns of your 
journal? Twenty men in every one hundred are supposed to be the 
possessors of a “shooter” of some sort, and nineteen out of that twenty 
could not, were they required to do so, hit the size of an ordinary man at 
a distance—say forty yards-with a six-shooter nine times in ten. Yet 
there are those who carry and shoot revolvers that would put to shame 
some of the crack rifle shots at short range, say 20 to 50 yards. The re¬ 
volver, although worn in this country, is a neglected arm both in the 
army and out of it. Were more attention paid, to this arm by our Gov¬ 
ernment and less to cumbersome sabres, more execution could be done 
by our cavalry in the Indian country. There are in this country some of 
the best fire-arms of this character in the world, and at the same time 
some of the most worthless. It is no hard matter for an expert to take 
any of the three standard make of revolvers, i. e., Remington, Colt and 
Smith & Wesson, and fire at a target say ten inches in diameter all day 
long at a distance of thirty paces and never miss it once. Of course this 
could not be done with the smaller sizes, nor could all who possess or 
carry revolvers do this. But the art could be easily acquired by almost 
any one. Since the introduction of cartridge revolvers the market has 
been flooded with all manner of worthless shooters, which would, nine 
cases in ten, disgrace the scrap iron pile of either Colt, Remington, or 
Smith & Wesson; and we think that even sometimes our best makers do 
not put all the care on these weapons that they require. 
Would it not be a good idea for some one to offer a premium (say a pair 
of first-class revolvers) for the best shooting—amateur, of course— with 
the six-shooter, at distances ranging from 10 yards up to 50? Which fac¬ 
tory will set the ball rolling? They all claim to make No. 1 shooters. 
The revolver is being sadly neglected. We are not losing our reputation 
as a nation of marksman with the rifle, I trust, yet, though we never did 
make much pretentions with the revolver, I arti afraid how to use it skill¬ 
fully is becoming a matter of the past. Let us try and see what the re¬ 
volvers of this country amount to. If they are worthless we want to 
know it. Amateur Six-Shooter. 
Montreal, June, 1874. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Province of Quebec Rifle 
Association : 00 k place on the 18th of June, for the purpose of drawing 
up a prize li, >t for the annual meeting and fixing the time of the same- 
