168 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 27, 1884. 



entered. How they got there has puzzled many, but it would 

 seem to me that when the goose was first shot he must have 

 been going away from the shooter and the shot entered in 

 under "the apron," and when their force was spent tested at 

 the place they were found. On comparing the shot with am- 

 munition in bis store, Mr. McComis found them to be such 

 as are in Eley's S. T. wire cartridges. Homo. 



Mabch SJ. 



LONG ISLAND POACHING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your issue of March 6, Mr. Lane, after informing you 

 that ducks were being caught in nets by the thousand in 

 Shinnecock Bay, goes on to say that he b&snotified me at two 

 different times and that T kad paid no attention. Before 

 Mr. Lane notified me I had been- giving my attention to this 

 matter. I wrote to him in reply to his first letter, asking 

 him to collect me evidence, and that 1 would at once see to 

 it. He wrote in return that he was tired of trying to have 

 the game law enlorced, and that he expected that he could 

 rely ou me, etc. I have taken every possible means at my 

 own expense to stop this violation of the law, but it is im- 

 possible for me to succeed unsupported, and all the inhabi- 

 tants of the locality are all more or less engaged in the busi- 

 ness, and act as spies on my proceedings. Mr. Lane prob- 

 ably knows by this time some of the difficulties which lie in 

 the way of an enforcement of the law. 



In your issue of March 20 there is a letter from Manor- 

 ville with reference to the trapping of partridges. I am 

 aware that from Eiverhead to Babylon, and also on the 

 not th side, the woods are lined with "partridge hedges. I 

 made a great effort to catch the parties, and many of the 

 judges were destroyed, but none of the offenders could be 

 trapped. If gentlemen who are credibly informed of the 

 trapping of birds or other violations of the law, will give me 

 the names of witnesses I will see that the offenders are at- 

 tended to. They should recollect that I have a coast of bOO 

 miles and about 2.000 square miles of territory, and I can- 

 not, nor can any man, act personally in all cases. 



Perhaps if persons buying -wild ducks knew that a duck 

 netted and drowned turns black, they would not be so easily 

 sold, and if there were no sale of course there would be no 

 catching, 



"George W. Whitarer, State Game Protector. 



Southampton, L. I., March 24. 



SOUTH CAROLINA DAYS. 



THE hot, dry summer of 1883, while very disastrous to 

 field crops in this section, was very favorable for birds, 

 and. per consequence, the long sedge cover on the hillsides 

 overlooking the beautiful Catawaba is literally swarming 

 with the brown beauties. In almost every piece of sedge, 

 in every rough, uncultivated patch of any size, you are sure, 

 with a good dog, to find game, and a three hours' tramp 

 from my house on a good day will be rewarded with a sight 

 of from eight to twelve coveys. It is true they are pretty 

 wild aud strong and swift of wing, and as I have good rea- 

 son to know are exceedingly hard to hit. Still the sport is 

 magnificent. Many a long tramp, and many a glorious day*s 

 shooting have I had this past season, in company with my 

 genial friend, that clever sportsman and truly typical Eng- 

 lish gentleman, Capt. McMurdo. of Charlotteville, Ya. 



With the exception of one short spell, we have had a very 

 mild winter. This month (February) has been about as 

 warm as the average April, bright and beautiful, the very 

 ideal weather for outdoor sports. Just such days as induce 

 the partridge to go far afield in the early mornings and late 

 evenings in search of food, and to lie cozily and lazily be- 

 neath pines in the warmer mid-day ; so close and still that 

 nothing short of a first-rate dog can then find them; so close 

 and still that after your dog has made game, and is standing 

 stiff as bronze on a "dead point," you peer curiously and 

 anxiously into the short cover, see nothing but the short 

 crass and dead brown leaves, and are almost persuaded the 

 point is a false one. The dog is gently urged forward as you 

 pass him. but stubbornly refuses to move, indicating by the 

 slightest turn of the head the direction of the birds. Ou, on 

 a few yards further and then, just under your feet, with a 

 thrilling whirr, around, behind, before, and on either side. 

 away go the birds; and too often, in spite of the best formed 

 resolutions, off go the guns also before the game is properly 

 covered, and at least half the shots fail to count, By the 

 way, how rarely, except in the written accounts, do we ever 

 &ee a really effective right and left on quail in February or 

 March. 



As there is no rose without its thorn, so there is no covey 

 without its pine tree or trees, and long practice in eluding 

 hawks has taught the cunning Bob Whites exactly how to 

 take advantage of their friendly cover, and many a charge 

 of shot, like the dagger of Roderick Dhu, finds "bloodless 

 6heath," not in the earth, but the soft brown bark of the 

 dwarf pines, while the intended victim, with the speed of the 

 wind, seeks' further safety in some neighboring reed brake, 

 or amid the warning leaves of a convenient hillside. 



A day's shooting behind Strother's Doctor Duer (Glad- 

 stone—Frost) and Perkins's imported pointer Mainspring, 

 among as many birds as we have had this season, is a thing 

 to be remembered with pleasure, when gray locks and un- 

 certain legs shall have rendered all such jovs a thing of the 

 past, and "when these two splendid representatives of their 

 rival breeds are remembered only by the excellence of their 

 offspring. 



Allow me to predict that with continued good health and 

 a fair amount of practice before the next field trials, Main- 

 spring is going to make things lively for the best, not only of 

 his own race, but the very best and fastest of the setters also. 

 I have yet to see the setter that has the heels of him; no dog 

 can have a better nose, and none be more sagacious or more 

 easily controlled. I am perfectly satisfied that he is the very 

 best pointer 1 have ever seen in the field, and is going to 

 make a flutter in sporting circles when brought to the test. 



Doctor Duer has about graduated, and is good enough 

 for anybody. Keen, well-broken, handsome, and with brains 

 enough to represent the Seventh South Carolina district in 

 Congress. Doctor Strother will have to try a good many 

 times bet ore he gets a better or even as good a dog. 



Dexter's Dirk and Del, pointer pups, Heald's Snowdon 

 and McMurdo's Gloster, setters, are still in their nonage; all 

 coming on well, and at least two of them will be heard of in 

 the next Derby. „ 



After a long day's tramp, a dinner and a smoke, I usually 

 have two hours more of pleasure before me, passed in a game 

 of backgammon aud chatting with Capt. McMurdo, who, 

 with alllus modesty and reserve, has had many adventures 

 "by flood and field'," aud it is indeed a privilege to a hack- 

 woods member of the " Stay at Home Club" like myself, to 



listen' for' hours to the conversation of an intelligent and en- 

 thusiastic sportsman,, who has shot peacocks, ibeS, pheasants 

 and migratory quail in India, cinnamon bears and leopards in 

 Cashmere, snipe and woodcock in Turkey and Asia Minor, 

 black game in the Highlands, red grouse in England and 

 Wales, woodcock and water fowls in New Brunswick, 

 ruffed grouse on the Blue Ridge, and prairie chickens in the 

 far "West, to say nothing of that gamest and most difficult of 

 all game birds, the wary, beautiful little Bob White, along 

 the banks of the Catawba. W. R. D. 



Landbboro, Chester County, S. C, Feb. 38. 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAM AND GRIZZLY. 



A BOUT thirty years ago a man named John Dunsou. 

 A then a resident of Western Canada, went to the Rocky 

 Mountains for the benefit of his health. And here it may 

 not be amiss to say that, although then suffering from the 

 effects of a pulmonary complaint, after a few years' resi- 

 dence on the slopes of the backbone of America he grew 

 strong and robust, and completely recovered his health. 

 One day, while digging for gold, near Pike's Peak, in a 

 ravine, he heard a noise above him. and on looking up saw a 

 bighorn of the largest size, a regular giant — old Cimma- 

 ron of the bills — with an immense pair of horns, standing 

 in a narrow pass winding up the side of the mountain. Th£ 

 great horned sheep appeared to be intently watching some 

 object other than the miner, which soon became manifest, 

 as a large male and female grizzly and two well-grown cubs 

 made their appearance, ascending the path upon which the 

 bighorn was standing. When the great JJrsus TwrribiMs 

 arrived within about fifteen feet of the sheep the latter low- 

 ered his head and descended upon his foe with the rush of a 

 battering ram. The sudden and heavy stunning shock over- 

 turned the bear; but, before the assailant could recover from 

 the momentum, the she bear caught him in her grasp and 

 dragged him down, when her stunned partner, having re- 

 covered, the fierce animals made a feast upon the carcass of 

 the fearless bighorn. It is a well-known fact that the big- 

 horn of the Rocky Mountains is more than a match for the 

 bull bison: but this is the first instance that I have heard or 

 read of that a Rocky Mountain sheep has dared to face the 

 fierce and formidable tyrant of the hill and the canon. I 

 have given the story as related by the witness, and have not 

 the slightest reason to doubt its correctness. W. P. L. 



Ottawa, Canada. 



THE AMERICAN DEER FAMILY. 



The Antelope and Deer of America. By John Dean Caton. New 

 York: Forest and Stream Publishing Company. 



IN this volume, a second edition, may be found important alterations 

 and additions, the result of Judge Caton 's further studies in a 

 most interesting branch of natural history. Perhaps no one in this 

 country has devoted more atfention to this subject than the author, 

 for not only is he master of the scientific data, but has had the good 

 fortune to note the characteristics of the American Cervidae in loco, 

 and for the purpose of comparison has been a keen observer of deer 

 in other countries. 



Beginning with the prong buck, or, as it is generally known, the 

 American antelope (Antilocapra americana), the specific differences 

 between it and the true deer, the moose (Cervus dices), wapiti deer, 

 American elk (Cervus canadensis), woodland caribou, reindeer 

 i Cervus iarandus), mule deer (Cervus macrotis), Columbia black- 

 tailed deer (Ceruws columbianus), common or Virginia deer (Cervus 

 virgirtianus), the barren ground caribou (Cervus tarandus arctica). 

 and the Acapulco deer (Cervus acapul<:ensis), are explained. The 

 main peculiaritv of the American antelope, which distinguishes it 

 from its kindred ruminants, is to be found in the manner of growth 

 of the horns. Audubon and Bacbman doubted the statement of the 

 early hunters, that no person had ever shot or killed an antelope 

 without horns; but the hunters, says Judge Caton, were right an:i 

 the scientific men wrong. In 1818 Dr. C. A. Canfield, of Monterey, 

 first made the statement that the antelope had a hollow horn 

 like the ox, and that this horn was cast off and renewed 

 annually. This statement seemed to be so contradictory to all 

 established zoological laws that it was hardly credited until 

 some eight years afterward, when the Superintendent of the London 

 Zoological Gardens published the facts in the proceedings of the 

 society. In 186S Judge Caton, unacquainted with the prior studies of 

 Canfield and Bartlett, in a paper read before the Ottawa Academy of 

 Natural Sciences, affirmed the same fact. "The antelope has a de- 

 ciduous hollowjhorn, which envelops a persistent core, which is a 

 process of the skull, like the core of the persistent hoi ns of the 

 ruminants * * * only the lower part of the horn is hollow, the 

 core extending up scarcely half its length." The core is persistent, 

 but when full development comes in October, this envelope of horn is 

 cast off, to be renewed again. When the old horn is cast off the new 

 one shows considerable growth above the core. Prof. Curtis, of 

 Chicago, studying with the microscopa the various stages of growth 

 in the antelope horn, has rendered this curious subject quite clear. 

 One peculiaritv of the Antilocapra americona is the system of 

 cutaneous glands. The activity of these glands is not confined to the 

 rutting season, but the odor mav be observed in all seasons; nor is it 

 confined to the male, though the presence of these glands in no way 

 affects the flavor of the flesh. The antelope is the fleetest of all 

 animals, but, curiously enough, though it can leap over flat surfaces, 

 it seems to be wanting when a perpendicular object arrests its 

 flight. Caught in an inclosure, Judge Caton found that an antelope 

 would not jump a fence three feet high. The prong buck is easily 

 tamed> fi soon loses all fear of man, seeks society, and enjoys his 

 company. ' ' 



After giving a description of each of the species of deer, with their 

 characteristics, the autnor enters isto more particular details, so 

 that, by comparison, an excellent conception can be had of the simi- 

 litudes and differences of the species. Commencing with size, the 

 moose is the largest known living representative of the Cervidaa. An 

 extinct deer, the bones of which came from Ireland, however, ex- 

 ceeded it in bulk. The maximum weight of the moose is 1,200 pounds, 

 and its height, anteriorly, 6V£ffc. The elk will measure 16 hands in 

 height, and will weigh, i'n a tine specimen, 1,000 pounds. Judge Caton 

 killed a 5-year-old elk which weighed 900 pounds. Between the elk 

 and the caribou the difference in weight is quite marked, 400 pounds 

 being a good average, and it is less in size than the Lapland animal. 

 Mule deer will weigh 230 pounds; Columbia black- tailed deer not 

 much more than smaller kinds of common deer, say, 150 pounds, 

 though the Cervus Virginia-nun has been killed which would tip the 

 scales at 218 pounds. Perhaps in cerium seasons the Michigan deer 

 are the heaviest. The smallest of the race is the Acapulco cieer. and 

 a very large one will weigh 50 pounds, but 40 is a fair average. Judge 

 Caton has paid marked attention to the coat and color of deer, 

 studying the spots which ornament the fawns of the Virginia and 

 other deer, as traces of these spots were observable in some of the 

 adult species. "I believe, " writes Judge Caton, •these spots on the 

 adult Virginia deer have been entirely overlooked by naturalists till I 

 mentioned them to Mr. Darwin, when he noticed them in the '-Descent 

 of Man." The theory which naturally takes consistency from this is 

 that at some prior period the Cervus vinjinianua was spotted like the 

 fallow deer, and that in time it may dissappear on the fawns as it has 

 "nearly disappeared on the young of the moose and caribou, and 

 has even now much faded on the elk and caribou." 



We think, from Judge Caton's observations, carried over a long 

 period that the danger of keeping males of the American Cervid Be 

 in public parks, the Virginia deer not excepted, is pretty clearly 

 proved All these animals, in certain seasons, are likely to attack 

 man When in captivity the male deer ios^s that dread of man 

 which is his natural condition when wild, and from familiarity there 

 comes contempt. The elks in Judge Caton's North Park have more 

 than once occupied their own ground and bid defiance to human in- 

 truders. Under such circumstances, when their anger is excited, 

 elks must be quite formidable antagonists. Judge Caton writes: 



"Three men. who thought they knew best and were not afraid of 

 anybody's elk, scaled the fence and quietly walked along till they met 

 the herd of elk, when the leader started after them with a dignified 

 walk Tbev thought they had seen enough, and commenced an 

 orderly retreat. The elk increased his pace, and soon treed two of 

 the party and killed the other. One of them, a young, active, ath- 

 letic man, left his tree and. by running from tree to tree, finally 

 escaptd, gave the alarm, and raised a party, who fought the elk with 

 niscS-forJ* till theV were finally driven off. although at .first he drove 

 thWresolute active men thus armed several hundred feet before 

 fey could sufficit-ntlv break hisjruard to compel him to acknowledge 



the virtue of sharp hay forks. He did not charge on them with a 

 rush, m 'he ordinary way of joining battle practiced by all the deer, 

 but 1 owered his head so as to bring his face nearly parallel with the 

 ground.' 



When the elk gave way it was a slow ana sullen retreat, not a 

 flight. When his keeper came the elk tried to kill him. and the man 

 only saved his life by bis courage. Next day it i -d to 



castrate the elk. and Judge Caton, with two other persons, had a 

 severe tussle with him, for he was still undaunted. Alter the oner- 

 tion wasperformeu he got wicked again, but soon all vicious symp- 

 toms left, and in a week he was as docile as a lamb. Judge Caton 

 believes that such vieiousness is rather exceptional. When buck elk 

 fight, a common occurrence, they give voice which resembles some- 

 thing like the sound of a steam whistle, which can be heard half a 

 mde. Somet-'mes in their battles they kill one another The wapiti 

 is more readily domesticated. A curious trait or i he elk fawn is that 

 when captured it will feign death. If you pick them up they are as 

 limp as a wet rag. the head and limbs hanging down, without the 

 lea-t muscular action, the bright eye fairly sparkling all the time 



Efforts to domesticate the mule and the Columbia deer have been 

 failures. In captivity not one of the Cervidre seetnsto repoduce then- 

 kind as rapidly as when in the wild state. Jadge Caton's chapter on 

 the hybridity of the Cervidae shows how thoroughly he understands 

 this curious subject. He has succeeded in only four cases, lie, 

 crossed a male Columbia with a female undo deer, a Ceylon with an 

 Acapulco doe. a Virginia with a Ceylon doe, and a Virginia with an 

 Acapulco doe. The cross between the Ceylon and Virginia varieties 

 seemed to do the best, Although a cross was attempted between an 

 elk and a Durham heifer naturally no progeny came from it. Prince 

 Pless, in Silesia, has succeeded in crossing the v, apiti aud the com- 

 mon red deer. Judge Caton is certainly right in noticing this cress. 

 He is of the opinion that itis not a case of Ivy bridity, as undoubted!; 

 the wapiti and the European stag have descended from the same* 

 progenitors. In his chapter on the chast are presented many pleas- 

 ing incidents. 



For the naturalist and the sportsman Judge Caton's book is of 

 great value. It is not a dry compilation of concrete facts, made up 

 in i he study, but contains the exact experinces of a gentleman who 

 has a direct interest and a practical acquaintance with the subject 

 he exhaustively treats.— Xe w Yotk Times. March IT. 



A Plea for the Birds.— Editor Forest and Stream: The 

 discussion of the '•destruction of our seng birds by amateur 

 ornithologists" is one of interest. 1 venture to say that fully 

 one-half of the bright little lives so taken are of no benefit 

 whatever to the collector. Rare specimens 1 grant may 'foe 

 secured for study, but surely it is nothing but wantonness 

 that prompts the destruction of our many varieties of famil- 

 iar birds. And here let me say, if you wish to study, build 

 a "bird tank" and take your study from life. Do not take 

 the life from your study ! If an unusual visitor shows lit m- 

 self, identify him; but in mercy think twice before killing 

 This "bird tank" may be a hobby with me, but if only 25 

 per cent, of your many readers will try it. many hundreds, 

 yes and thousands, of little victims will "be spared to gladden 

 the woods with their songs. Buy an opera glass, build a 

 bird tank and then let us hear from you.— Wilmot (New 

 York, March 21). 



A BotNTY on Foxes. — Maine needs a bounty on foxes. 

 They are Very destructive to our game, and not only to game, 

 but the pdultry yards suffer from their depredations. Grouse 

 seem to suffer more from them than other game for this rea- 

 son. In cold weather the birds burrow in the snow through 

 the night, and the keen scented fox soon finds them, aud they 

 fall an easy prey to reynard. Foxes never were so plenty as 

 they are now in Maine, and unless something is done to de- 

 stroy them, our noble game bird, the grouse, will soon be 

 counted among things of the past. One can hardly go into 

 the woods without finding the remains of a grouse or rabbit 

 where reynard has dined. Now, brother sportsmen of Maine, 

 let us push this question, as it is of- great interest to us all. 

 Let us wage war on the fox, and every farmer will hail with 

 joy the sportsman that destroys his worst enemy. Let us 

 hear from others of your readers here in Maine. — L. H. II. 

 (Gardiner, Maine, March 17). 



Birds m Great South Bat. — The geese, brant and duck 

 are becoming quite numerous in our bay, and some of the 

 sportsmen are having good shooting. To have good sport 

 it is best to be on the bay when there is a good southerly or 

 easterly wind blowing, which keeps the birds in the bay. A 

 northwest wind is very unfavorable, as it generally drives 

 the birds to the ocean. There are some batteries used here, 

 but the shooting is done mainly from points with a boat and 

 decoys. There being quite a number of islands in the bay 

 it makes the point-shooting more convenient and desirable. 

 —Geo. Kilian (South Oyster Bay, L. I., March 25). 



Virginia.— Staunton, March 17. — The birds wintered well 

 here, and theprospect forgood quail and grouse shooting next 

 fall are as good as I ever knew them to be. The frequent 

 and deep snows in the mountains west of us promise good 

 results to the trout streams, by keeping up a good tide all 

 summer. The headwaters of 'Greenbrier, in Pocahontas, are 

 full of these fish, and from the middle of June to 1st of Sep- 

 tember there is no such fishing that is as accessible to fishermen 

 from the Northern and Eastern cities as these streams, and 

 none that yields so generous a return to the angler. — Whack. 



Massachusetts Btrds.— While walking in the woods to- 

 day with a friend and his dog, to see how the quail got over 

 the winter, we flushed a nice covey of partridges, ten in 

 number, and a pair of woodcoek, but saw no quail. This i* 

 rather early for the longbill around here, as 1 found hone till 

 the first of April, last "year. Snow is from four to five 

 inches deep in the woods yet. Robins and bluebirds and 

 song sparrows, and the red-shouldered blackbird are a w r eek 

 behind last year.— J. -F. D. (Dan vers. Mass., March S3). 



Horicon Shooting Club. The Horicon Shooting Club 

 was organized at Fond du Lac, Wis., last week. The fol- 

 lowing officers were elected: President, T. S. Weeks; Vice- 

 President, S. B. Amorv; Secretary, C. S. Mattison ; Treas- 

 urer, W. S. Russell. The club holds the lease of about 

 10 000 acres of Horicon marsh (which is considered the best 

 ducking ground iu the State), and are proceeding to erect a 

 suitable club house thereon.— Horicon (Oakfield, Wis., 

 March 17). 



Not Yet.— Was out Tuesday to try the ducks, but failed 

 to get a shot. I only saw two flocks' of ducks all day. I 

 saw quite a number of ducks flying this morning; also heard 

 of a few English snipe being seen near the Great Swamp. 

 Will try the meadows for snipe on Saturday. The meadows 

 will be in first-class condition for snipe this spring, and I 

 hope I will be able to report some good bags.— 16-Bore 

 (Madison, N. J., March 20). 



New Gun Wad. — We have received from the Merino 

 Elastic Felt Gun Wad Company, of Baltimore, specimens of 

 the new wad which they are about to introduce. It is 

 claimed for these that they combine the advantages of other 

 felt wads with greater cheapness. Messrs, Clark & Sceider 

 are said to have tested them with good results. 



Oveb SEvgyis&EX Taacfcii'Q MsS» were paid cash bepeflte in I \ 

 the TraveleK Insurance Company- of EartttJW Conn., for lB6i 

 accidental death and disabling injury"—- -i.de. 



