March 27, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



167 



much powder. Twelve buckshot, that a No. 12 paper she]] 

 will chamber four of, only weigh an ounce, and hardly that 

 unless they fit too tight. So that why should one put a great 

 load of powder (4 to 5 drams) behind an ounce, of buckshot, 

 and only 3 to 3* drams behind 1£ and l£ ounces of bird shot? 



Whack. 



Staunton, Va., March IS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In jour issue of Feb. 7, 'Buckeye" asks: "How much 

 further will a 10-gauge kill its game than a 12, both guns of 

 same grade, and bored on same principle'/'' 



Under ordinary circumstances, 1 say, not an inch. The 

 greater number of shots are at single birds; and a 12 choke- 

 bore charged with 3 drams of good powder and 1& ounces of 

 chilled shot, No. 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, will kill a single bird, sitting 

 or flying, duck, quail, prairie chicken, snipe or woodcock, or 

 .with No. 1 or BB a goose, just as far as a No. 10 will, 

 charged with 5 drams of powder and 14 ounces of shot. For 

 close" strong, hard shooting, and long range, the 12 gun need 

 not be more than 28 inches long, not heavier than 7£ pounds, 

 while the 10 would require to be 30. 32 or 34 inches long, 

 and 9 or 10£ pounds in weight, necessitating a waste of 

 strength to carry it about, and an unnecessary waste of am- 

 munition—a nuisance to carry — in its use. I have given the 

 weight and length of my own full-choke hammerless Greener 

 above, the shooting and killing qualities of which are at 

 least equal to the better class of choked guns. At from 20 

 yards up to 80 yards, I find my gun, when carefully and 

 properly loaded, always equal to the occasion, and its execu- 

 tion singularly free from accidental or wild shots. Speaking 

 from my own experience, I would just as soon think of firing 

 a field piece loaded with grape or canister at a wild turkey, 

 as to discharge 41 or 5 drains of powder aud 61 ounces of 

 shot at a single bird of any of the varieties enumerated 

 above, excepting, perhaps, the wild goose. If I want to 

 shoot at a flock of ducks at 100 yards, I can always manage 

 to reach them effectively with No. 1 or No. 3 shot. Further 

 still, if you tie the 10-bore down to 3 drams of powder and 

 l£ ounces of shot, in competition with the 12 at long range, 

 the former will be simply nowhere. Lightness, combined 

 with necessary solidity and safety, and a minimum of charge, 

 sufficient to lessen expense, and* moderate recoil, yet com- 

 pletely effective, are among the chief characteristics of a 

 good cun. All these desiderata can be found in a first-class 

 No. 12 of at the outside 8 pounds in weight. Too much of 

 a good thing is sometimes objectionable. For the informa- 

 tion of our friend "Buckeye."" who, perhaps, may not have 

 taken the trouble to experiment backward, I wish to say 

 that I have done some capital shooting with my gun with 2 

 drams of powder and half an ounce of Tatham's American 

 chilled No. 6 shot, up to 45 and 50 yards; but, as a matter 

 of course, at birds on the wing, the calculation and precision 

 would require to be drawn to an extreme nicety. For flying 

 shooting I cannot recommend such small charges. "In the 

 multitude of counsellors there is safety." I need scarcely 

 say that I am in favor of the hammerless gun, in my opinion 

 the ne phis vttra of breechloaders. Algonquin. 



Ottawa, Canada, March 10. 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



I have used shotguns ever since I was big enough to be 

 trusted with one, and have owned several, but w T hen I got 

 my first double barrel, the climax was reached in my esti- 

 mation. This was a 14-gauge 34-inch barrels, and was really 

 a good shooting gun. To prove this, I was once barred in a 

 shooting match in company with a friend whose, gun was 

 same size bore as mine, with 32-inch barrel. After each of 

 us had got a chicken, we were not allowed to shoot anymore. 

 The conditions were to put two shot in a 6-inch circle at 80 

 yards. Two years ago I got the fever for a breechloader, 

 and so sold my old favorite, themuzzleloader. and purchased 

 a breechloader with all improvements, aW. Richards .12-28- 

 8fV I immediately commenced to experiment with my new 

 gun, and in a short time I found that my old gun was no- 

 where, as the breechloader would discount it in distance, 

 penetration and distribution. I once shot against two 10- 

 gauge guns, breechloaders, distance respectively 60, 80 and 

 100 yards, two shots each at each distance, and my score 

 was the best every time, which proves conclusively,' to my 

 mind, that the 12-gauge is superior to the 10 for all ordinary 

 shooting. I use the Winchester brass shell, and for wood- 

 cock, partridge, etc., I use 3 drams American Dead Shot 

 powder, one wad on same (Winchester pink edge) 1J ounces 

 Tatham's chilled, No. 8 shot, with tbin black-edge wad on 

 same. For squirrel shooting the same quantities, only No. 

 6 shot. 



I have experimented a great deal in loading, and I find 

 that the above method gives the best results. If any one will 

 use the same quantity of shot that they do of powder (in 

 bulk) for brush shooting, I think that they will agree with 

 me. I know that a great many use two wads on the powder 

 •and claim better results, but 1 claim that one good thick wad 

 that will not blow to pieces in the barrel is better than more. 

 If two wads are better than one, why would not three be 

 better than two, and so on. I would like to hear the ex- 

 perience of others on this point, especially those who have 

 experimented the most, and if two wads are better than one, 

 please give the reason why, Westley. 



New Market, N. H., March 17. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have an 8-pound Parker gun, 12-gauge, 28 inch barrels. 

 I loaded four metal shells for target practice on Saturday, 

 15th, as follows: 3^ drams of Hazard's No. 5 ducking 

 powder, and 1£ ounces of shot, I placed two No. K) pink- 

 edge wads with a Barclay loader firmly on powder, and one 

 of the same thickness on the shot. At a target 40 yards dis- 

 tant and 30-inch circle I obtained the following result with 

 very even distribution ; Fust shot I placed inside of the 

 circle 200, second 219, third 225, fourth 227. Amateur. 



Collinsville, Conn., March 17. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



As how to load is the leading topic, I will contribute my 

 mite: For a Baker 12-gauge, three-barrel, 9 poimds 6 ounces; 

 for birds, 3i drams powder, 1 ounce No. 8 shot; for squirrels, 

 3} drams powder, 1 ounce No. 5 shot; for ducks, 4 drams, 1 

 ounce No. 5 shot ; for geese, 4 drams, 1 ounce No. 1 shot ; 

 two pink-edge wads on powder; one thin cardboard wad on 

 shot; No. 4 Hazard duck-shooting powder. I find I can stop 

 anything within 70 yards, but over that distance there is no 

 certainty about it, I have made some very long shots with 

 this gun, but do not rely on such shots to fill the bag. I 

 would like some one who uses the three-barrel gun to tell me 

 what kind of a back sight he uses, as the one the factory 

 puts on the gun I cannot do anything with. I can do better 



shooting without raising the backsight; have killed squirrels, 

 ducks and geese at 40, 50 and 70 yards without raising the 

 lit. but over that distance cannot do anything with 

 the gun with or without raising the sight. Tinker. 



Decatur, Ala., March 18. 



[Note. — The communication of "D. H. S.," in our issue 

 of March 6, in which it was stated that his gun put No. 3 

 shot in an inch circle, has been criticised by a number of 

 correspondents. It is due to "D. H. 8." to state that he 

 wrote "No. 8 shot," and not "No. 3" as printed, and that 

 the blunder was made by the printer, the writer of the note 

 being in no way responsible for it. J 



COMING OF THE BIRDS. 



'T'HE wildfowl are back with us agaiu, at least their van 

 X guard has been sighted. I saw a pretty pair of green- 

 winged teal and a black duck in the market a few days ago: 

 they had been shot iu Greece by James Burns, one of the 

 numerous farmers living in the town who are good shots 

 and shoot a great many ducks every season. 



This morning I was aroused from slumber by a sound 

 that seemed familiar, although I had not heard it before for 

 several months. It came from overhead, and on looking out 

 of the window my conjecture was confirmed, for there, iu 

 full view, a few hundred yards above, was a flock of about 

 thirty Canada geese, beating the air with slow pinions and 

 gobbling in their usual noisy fashion — noisy, 1 said, hut it 

 was more musical to my ear than sounds I have often paid 

 to hear. Ckown Wad. 



Kochester, N. Y., March 82. 



Ducks and geese commenced coming in from the south on 

 the 26th. The main spring flight is not here yet, Ice is all 

 out. Sportsmen who want to hunt on the line of the Atchi- 

 son, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. for ducks or geese, are ad- 

 vised to stop off between Nickerson and Larned. Further 

 west is no good, for we raise but little grain west of Larned 

 and there are twenty ducks east of there to one west. 



W. J. D. 



Cimarron, Kansas, Feb. 38. 



Woodcock and snipe have arrived. There was a wood- 

 cock killed about ten days ago, and one last night at the Re- 

 lay House, by flying against the telegraph wires ; attracted 

 by the electric light, I think. The one this morning was fat. 



H. B. Vondersmith. 

 Lancaster, Pa., March 22. 



TWO MORNINGS' WORK. 



ONE evening in January, 1H84, as I stepped from the 

 ferryboat at Sullivan's" Isle, a little girl met me with, 

 "01 Mr. G., you ought to have been here to-day. Mr. Hud- 

 son shot twenty -two ducks and Mr. Edwards twenty-five." 

 A minute later, as I stepped into the door of my house, my 

 wife saluted me with, "O! John, you don't know how many 

 ducks have been shot today! Mr. Hudson killed twenty- 

 two and Mr. Edwards twenty-five. They have been shoot- 

 ing all day. Clarence went out, but he only got eight." 

 By and by in came Clarence, a young friend without much 

 experience in shooting. He told me that th^cold storm 

 had driven the ducks in the cove. "But why did you not 

 kill more than eight if there were so many?" "Well, you 

 see, John, the canoe rolled so that sometimes I shot within 

 four feet of the boat, and then I did not know they were 

 thereuntil Hudson came back." "Didn't you hear them 

 shoot?" "You see, I was busy, and did not pay any atten- 

 tion to it." "Shot fifty cartridges and got eight ducks!" 

 "Yes, but I crippled about twenty, and they were wild after 

 being shot at so much." 



I determined to see if I could bag a few of them the next 

 morning. First, my decoys were packed nicely in a basket. 

 The cauoe is moored at the steps; the 10-bore looked at, ami 

 found in good conditiou. Next come the cartridges, which 

 are carefully emptied ou the floor. Not very carefully you 

 think? Well, no; but you see if you empty them on the table, 

 they will roll on the floor; and then I enjoy sitting on the 

 floor and counting them. At length forty-five shells, mostly 

 loaded with No. 5 shot, are all I can find. These are care- 

 fully put iu the boat-box; next my clothes are placed where 

 I can find them ; the alarm clock set for 5 o'clock, and I sleep 

 to dream of ducks. Once in the night I awoke and was sorry 

 to hear it was raining. At 5 o'clock still raining and the 

 wind blowing a gale. However, I started for the wharf, but. 

 just as I reached the shed, down comes the rain in torrents, 

 and the wind blew so that it shook the shed like a leaf. The 

 weather is really too bad, so I go back to wait until ths wind 

 goes down. Although it is only seventy -five yards away, as 

 I am coming back I am caught in a shower and drenched up 

 to my knees. 



But what is that? Yes, a duck flew around the wharf and 

 lit not thirty yards away. Two cartridges are quickly 

 slipped into old Pieper, and I sight across the barrel, but I 

 can't see the duck. There he is, but the rain comes fast and 

 it is not quite fight. I see him at last and give him the open 

 barrel, and there he is with his heels up. In another minute 

 I have him — a little fellow, but plump. I now finish bailing 

 out the canoe, get everything aboard, and start across the 

 cove. Several flocks of ducks go up wild, and as I near the 

 marsh a black duck gets up, but out of shot. I now put out 

 the decoys, pull the little boat in the marsh out of sight, and 

 wait and watch, but not a duck will come near. It is getting 

 very cold. This won't do. 1 will row across the cove and 

 see what is over there. As I round a point three little fel- 

 lows rise. I stop two with the first barrel, and the other 

 with the next; but two of them are only crippled and have to 

 be shot over. A little further on I see a large flock, just 

 around a point of marsh, and as I get within a hundred and 

 fifty yards of them down comes a colored brother with an 

 old musket, and as I hear it thunder away go the ducks. 

 He did not kill one. Just as I am in the act of thinking 

 what a jewel he is, the ducks circle and come right past me. 

 They are a long way off, but I give them both barrels for 

 luck, and nine fall, but several have to be shot over. I now 

 get to windward of the birds and the little eggshell goes 

 down on them like a flash, and it is now blowing a stiff 

 breeze, the little fellows have to rise to the windward. I 

 empty both barrels among them. 



So I followed them up. Every few minutes there would 

 come a shower, and several times* I had to stop and bail out 

 the canoe. My rubber coat I had long since thrown into the 

 bottom of the boat to kneel on. And what would I have 

 done without my boat box? It kept my cartridges dry as a 

 chip. After a little more of this I am tired, hungry and wet 

 through and through, so I start for home. A few strokes 

 bring me to the wharf. - 1 have not been a half a mile from 



home all the morning. The ducks are soon counted and 

 number thirty-one, After donning dry clothing comes a 

 good breakfast, and who relishes his meals like the hunter? 

 The gun is cleaned up nicely, and I take 12 o'clock boat for 

 town. In the evening I bring seventy-flve cartridges loaded 

 with No. 7 shot. The next morning, wind blowing half a 

 gale and very cold. By keeping well in the lee of the shore 

 and up the creeks, although ice made in the boat, the spray 

 wet me up some. After three hours' hard work T brought iu 

 thirty ducks. As I came in I had killed a beautiful drake. 

 that I thought I would have set up. A crowd from the 

 saloon met me with "What luck?" Not one of them went 

 out: too cold that morning. 1 had my gun in one hand, the 

 drake in the other. I laid it. on the sidewalk, and with a 

 tired look, which was not very hard for me to assume, for 1 

 was very tired, I pointed to the lone duck. "One cluck," 

 said one*. "Hard luck," said another. "After all that hard 

 rowing," put in the third. Then they commenced to brag 

 and tell how many they had killed the first day. and I told 

 them I had twenty-nine more in the boat, "Twenty-nine 

 in all this wind? Well, that's good luck." 



Sixty-one in two mornings, and so ended my ducking. 

 The next morning it was bright and clear, and not a duck 

 could be seen. John Frx. 



Charleston, P. C. 



THE FIRST SNIPE. 



THREE English snipe were killed on the meadows this 

 week, one on Thursday and two on Saturday, and no 

 others have been seen. I have not been fortunate enough to 

 get a shot thus far. Will go over the grounds daily, and 

 hope to bag a few birds next week. Quail have wintered 

 well, and large bevies arc frequently seen near the village. 

 With a good breeding season we may look for excellent 

 shooting next fall. Ruffed grouse are very scarce, and that 

 noble game bird will soon be a thing of the past in our 

 woods. Woodcock have appeared in fair numbers, and fine 

 shooting may be looked for in July. The best grounds in 

 this vicinity are reserved, and those who arc not privileged 

 to shoot on such grounds can make but a poor bag at best. 

 Robins, meadow larks and bluebirds have been with us 

 nearly all winter, and blackbirds have appeared in large 

 numbers. Good Enough. 



Farmingdale, Monmouth County. N. J.. March i'~. 



There was a loud crash as the door of a Newark saloon 

 burst open last evening and a man, who looked not unlike 

 the statue of Gen. Phil Kearny in the park, plumped into a 

 party of sportsmen. 



"Say, now! Look a 'ear, look a 'ear, now, say! I've got 

 'im!" he shouted excitedly. "I've got,'im! I've been tryen' 

 fur flv'teen year tu git 'im, an' I got 'im at last, I can prove 

 it." 



He waved his hands exultingly. 



"See the blood!" he gasped, "as he continued to poke his 

 fists under the noses of the hunters. He then teetered wildly 

 out into the night. 



"In the name of all that's good," exclaimed an old gentle^ 

 man, a stranger, who, while waiting for the train, was hav- 

 ing a quiet beer at the bar, "what has he got? What has he 

 done?" 



"Got? Yes, it looks as if he's got 'im," replied a middle- 

 aged man in an old greasy corduroy shooting coat. "It's 

 true what he sez, he's been tryin' for flvteen year to get in 

 his claim. He's gallyed us now, by thunder. He's killed 

 him at last. Yer don't understand, don't yer? Well, he's 

 shot the fust English snipe of the season, he has." — F. Sat? 

 terthieaite in JS.'Y. Herald. 



The first English snipe was seen on our meadow March 

 21. Quail have stood the winter well in this section. S. 

 North Truro, Mass.. March 24. 



Two English snipe were killed at Bergen Point, N. J., 

 March 24, by P. Lumbreyer. 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



VLMOST all of our sportsmen who have started out for 

 tUe first snipe of the season have either brought in a 

 showing of one or a couple, or have seen birds ou the mea- 

 dows, which are in a very wet condition in our section. There 

 is a superabundance of overflowed and "navigable ground'' 

 near our river shores which will make bad tramping, aud so 

 much of it that such snipe that come our way iu their north- 

 ern flight, will be scattered about everywhere. The flight 

 of ducks which I mentioned had reached the Maryland 

 shores hist week, instead of making good shooting on the 

 flats from boxes, appear to have settled down in the Gun- 

 powder and Bush River regions. 1 was informed by both 

 Messrs. McOomis and Bancroft, of Baltimore, who are about 

 as well posted on the doings of wildfowl as any gentlemen 

 I know, that the great body of fowl that came are now in 

 sections where box-shooting is not allowed. Perhaps I am 

 a chronic growder on the subject of battery or box-shooting. 

 but it is a fact noticeable to Havre de Grace duckers, that 

 canvas-backs, redheads and blackheads seem to know the 

 difference between a bunch of decoys and a flock of their 

 own kind as soon as they arrive. This is especially notice- 

 able in the spring, no doubt from the recollection of the re- 

 ception they received on their first coming in the autumn, 

 young, green and fresh from the nesting grounds, and when 

 it is known that on shooting days there are often as many as 

 thirty or forty boxes anchored on the flats near the moutli of 

 the Susquehanna at Havre de Grace, is it any wonder the 

 ducks become educated, and the instinct to avoid such warm 

 receptions on their natural feeding grounds— the battery 

 must be anchored in shallow water— is transmitted to the 

 young, and in time we have an entire change in the habits 

 and actions of the fowl ! 



To me, point and blind shootiug at ducks, as they trade 

 from place to place, is the most legitimate sport of the two. 

 certainly the less destructive. Many geese have begun to go 

 north. The snow geese that were in the Delaware have 

 started to their breeding grounds, aud we may look for open 

 weather, I think. Speaking of geese reminds me of a very 

 curious specimen of the breast bone of Ansa- canadensis 

 Mr. McComis, of Baltimore, showed me last week. The 

 breast bone of all water fowl, when devoid of flesh, it is 

 known, has much the resemblance of an old-fashioned skate. 

 an upper bone taking the place of the plate and the sternum 

 the part of the blade or runner. One of Mr. McComis's 

 friends, on cleaning the breast bone of a large goose he shot, 

 found lying on the upper part of the bone three large shot, 

 two encysted and the other detached. No fracture of the 

 bone appeared, and no evidence was found how 'the shot had 



