844 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 29, 1884. 



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ENGLISH AND AMERICAN GUNS. 



A BRIEF REVIEW OF MY REVIEWER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It was my fortune to be absent from heme when the 

 Forest and Stream of the 8th inst. came to my office, or I 

 should have taken occasion somewhat earlier to have paid 

 my respects to your correspondent, "Vitus," who has seen 

 propcrto indulge in some harsh criticisms upon my article 

 in which I begged to dissent from certain views' of Mr. 

 Greener. Ordinarily, I have no disposition to evade a legiti- 

 mate and decorously-conducted controversy, but I have no 

 taste for that -which degenerates into nerveless puerilities 

 or the introduction of matter certainly aliunde to the ques- 

 tions involved. "Vitus," instead of contenting himself with 

 a dissent from my opinions iu regard to the value of a gun, 

 and expressing that dissent in respectful terms, has eviuced 

 his entire ignorance of the courtesies of a newspaper discus- 

 sion, however much learning he may have, according to his 

 own statements, in regard to the mechanical excellence of a 

 gun and the cost of its construction. According to his own 

 testimony, he is a proficient in these matters, and woe be. to 

 him who dares "come betwixt the wind and his nobility." 



There was nothing in my letter which called for a large 

 part of his criticisms. Indeed nearly all of his article is entirely 

 irrelevant. I wdll use no harsher term. He will allow me 

 to say, however, that even after the authoritative expressions 

 of this self-exalted expert, 1 have the temerity to adhere to 

 every utterance which I made in the letter 'which he pre- 

 tends to answer. If I err, it is because I have listened to and 

 believe the statements of persons who ought to be quite as 

 well acquainted with the subject as this boastful gentleman, 

 even though he may be a gunsmith, and may have acquired 

 his skill in the workshops of Europe and America. It may 

 never have occurred to "Vitus" that there are some persons 

 who have an idea as to what constitutes well-executed 

 raecbanisni who do not follow a mechanical profession, and 

 who are not entirely ignorant of its commercial value, and 

 that there are those who have pursued such calling for many 

 years, who are not, and never could be, clever artisans. But, 

 of course, "Vitus" does not belong to the latter class. He is 

 such a thorough expert that no dissent from his statements 

 can be tolerated. 



Certainly, I never said, either in my letter or elsewhere, 

 that American mechanics are incapable of turning out first- 

 class work. Why should "Vitus" have made such a charge? 

 He had no authority for it. I said nothing of the kind, and 

 believe nothing of the kind. I did say that many American 

 gunmakers bought English and Belgian barrels, not entirely 

 finished, and hence at a less rate of duty, used them, and then 

 claimed that their product was American manufacture. Can 

 "Vitus" deny this? "With all his vainglory, I think he will 

 not have that temerity. Why do they buy them? Because 

 they are inferior in quality? He will not say that. He 

 admits that the best quality can be had for $75, but insists 

 that the additional cost of completing the gun will run the 

 figures up to at least $250. Hesays that locks for such barrels 

 are worth $75. He must excuse me if I venture to say that 

 a first-class article can be had for much less — locks which 

 have the plate case-hardened and the tumbler and dogs steel. 

 There is no need of case-hardening them. If the metal is 

 hard enough to yield to a file, it will last a lifetime. I have 

 examined the locks of guns made by Purdey, Westley Bich- 

 ards, Scott, Greener and Tolley, and not one of them had 

 their parts case-hardened. I have seen many inferior ones of 

 English and American manufacture, which had been sub- 

 jected to the process. It is not an expensive one. I have seen 

 guns by Westley Bichards, Scott, Greener and Tolley, whose 

 locks were all made by Stanton & Company. At all events, 

 they were so stamped. "Vitus" need not tell me that the 

 stamp was a forgery. These were four-pin bridle locks, and 

 no American can surpass them in their mechanical excel- 

 lence. They did not cost $75, for some of the guns were 

 imported at a less cost than $150. 



I have seen advertisements of American and English man- 

 ufacturers, in which they propose to fit extra barrels for half 

 the cost of the gun. Now, if a first-class pair of barrels is 

 worth $75, what is the value of the gun? It was my for- 

 tune to have imported, within the last twelve months, a gun 

 made to order by a well-known English manufacturer. He 

 represented the gun to be the very best he could make, and 

 that the barrels were of the finest English Damascus. I 

 have quite as much confidence in his statements as 1 have in 

 those made by "Vitus," however unpardonable he may regard 

 the offense. The gun had an extra pair of barrels of the 

 same grade as the regular ones, and the charge was $75. It 

 was elaborately engraved, and the cost was far less than 

 "Vitus" alleges as the proper value of a first-class gun. 



Some years ago I was in New York, and at the house of 

 Francis Tomes & Son, 206 Maiden Lane. It was before 

 breechloaders were known. The superintendent, H. W. 

 Tomes, stated to me, in answer to an inquiry, that $75 would 

 buy as serviceable a gun as could be made, and when men 

 went beyond that price they were paying for fancy work, 

 which was really worthless, or for the name of some man 

 who charged fabulously for his reputation. Perhaps Tomes 

 knew nothing of the subject, and was one of those "blasted 

 fools" who beget the ire of Vitus. Verily, some men do 

 make themselves "blasted fools," or nature may not have 

 been very lavish of her gifts to them. But, of course, "Vitus" 

 is not one of them. He stands somewhat as Phillips said of 

 Napolean, "A sceptred hermit in the solitude of his own 

 mechanical magnificence." 



"Vitus" condescendingly informs "Wells" that there are 

 thousands of English and Belgian guns imported into this 

 country vastly inferior to Colts. If he will pardon me for 

 saying it, 1 will state that I am not indebted to him for this 

 information. I knew the fact. There are thousauds of such, 

 and I would not give one smile of benignant approval from 

 such a man as "Vitus" for a whole cargo of them, even if 

 they are "Hinglish, you know." Itwastoo bad for "Vitus" 

 to have made this ill-tempered fling. If it had been brilliant, 

 I could have admired the scintillation and not noticed the 

 venom. But it was too — I will not say stupid. 



But let us get back to the question. How many guns 

 which are well made, and capable of withstanding severe 

 usage, have these high-priced stocks? Of what real value is 

 that beautiful curl in the wood? How much more durable is 

 such a piece of timber? Cannot a stocker finish a neat, strong 

 stock, of tough wood, for less than $20? Cannot. American 

 walnut be found which has all the essential qualities? I 

 have thought so. Mr. Greener to the contrary notwithstand- 

 ing. Why will not $150 buy a gun possessing all the 



necessary qualities for long use and good shooting? One 

 who has the money, and is so disposed, may invest more 

 heavily; but will not a well-made $150 gun, plain and un- 

 adorned, stand all the "wear and tear" of a more highly- 

 priced one? Am I to be regarded as a "blasted fool" for 

 thinking so? If so, then there are American manufacturers 

 who have incurred the "wrath" of this might v Achilles, 

 "Vitus." 



"My offense hath this extent." I chose to allude to the 

 habit of American gun makers buying foreign barrels and 

 then claiming that their product was domestic work. Per- 

 haps I trod upon ' 'Vitus's" corns, andhe seeks to wreak his ven- 

 geance upon me for simply stating the truth. Do American 

 manufacturers buy English and Belgian barrels? If so, then 

 the statement should not have produced the harsh criticisms. 



Permit me to direct "Vitus's" attention to one of his over- 

 whelming arguments (?) in which he details what occurred 

 with regard to the cheap Belgian gun, which was claimed to 

 be a Jo. Manton, the "circumstance" -which taught him a 

 "lesson," by which it is clear he derived no profit, "If a 

 man were to bring in a broomstick and say it was the finest 

 gun I ever saw, I would not contradict him." And yei, when 

 I stated that American gunmakers used foreign barrels, this 

 brilliant pupil forgets allhehas learned, and "fallsa cursing, 

 like a very bawd, a scullion." For shame, "Vitus!" Take 

 a good dose of Simmon's Regulator, and get an amiable 

 digestion. 



I trust I am not guilty of the charge which my assailant 

 makes, of hostility to American manufactures. Nothing 

 which I ever said has given a decent pretext for the allega- 

 tion. It is simply untrue. No man has a higher appreci- 

 ation of the skill of our mechanics and artisans, or a more 

 exalted respect for that class of our people. My daily pur- 

 suits bring me in contact with them, and they have gained 

 my admiration. I belong to a race of mechanics, who take 

 pride in their "coat of arms" — an anvil and a jack plane. 

 But when an American professes to sell a domestic article, I 

 protest it is not just he should finish up the handicraft of a 

 European and palm it off as his own work. If that is a 

 "Hinglish" idea, "Vitus" may make the most of it he can, 

 and get out of it all the consolation it Will afford his patri- 

 otic soul. He may rest assured that I am one of the un- 

 fashionable class who buy guns and watches, not because 

 they are made in England or America, but solely because 

 I think' the article is best worth the money which I may 

 invest. 



"Vitus" has yet something to learn, preposterous as he 

 may regard the assertion. It would be well for him to enter- 

 tain the idea that there is at least a possibility that the powers 

 of the Almighty were not exhausted when "He brought him 

 into being, and that for wise purposes He made others, who 

 are not entirely destitute of knowledge in relation to mech- 

 anism, and that such are entitled to the courtesy of even so 

 exalted a person as my uncharitable critic. At all events it 

 is but due to even the humblest man that his positions upon 

 any subject should be fairly stated, and that a perversion of 

 them, for the sake of triumph, is unworthy of any one who 

 has a decent regard for his own character. Wei/ls. 



Rockingham, N. C, May 20, 1884. 



SNAPPING TURTLES AND SKUNKS. 



IN READING of late, the able and interesting work of C. 

 Hart Merriam, M. D., "Mammals of the Adirondacks," 

 we have been reminded of something that may be of use and 

 interest to many readers of Forest .ahd Stream. 



Dr. Merriam does not say too much in defense of that 

 much abused animal, the skunk. It is now more than 

 fifteen years since the writer of this article made his first 

 visit to the beach at the mouth of Sandy Creek, Jefferson 

 County, N. T. No. 1 Life Saving Station now stands on the 

 ground where our party built a shanty of slabs picked up 

 along the beach, and enjoyed boating and fishing for more 

 than a week. 



It is just at this place that Sandy Creek, with another 

 stream, finds its way into Lake Ontario. The most northern 

 of these streams runs through Woodville, and the other one, 

 Sandy Creek proper, through the village of Ellisburg. But 

 before either of them find this outlet, they pass through a 

 marsh for the distance of two miles or more. This marsh is 

 well known to many sportsmen of Oswego, Watertown and 

 Syracuse, and many individuals living in the neighborhood 

 are only too well acquainted with it for the good of the game 

 that finds a home there. In days past it was a favorite breed- 

 ing place for the wood duck \Aim sponsa), with some black 

 ones (Anas obsctira), and any r number of coots (Fulica 

 americana), grebes (Podilymbus podiceps), and rails (Porzana 

 Carolina). Indeed it is a favorite resort of the wood duck 

 still, but neither they nor any other water bird have much 

 chance to increase there now. 



This is a different place from what is known as "Little 

 Sandy Pond" by the sportsmen in the northern part of the 

 State. Little Sandy is three or four miles to the south of 

 the place we are describing. This marsh is sometimes called 

 Pierrepont's Marsh, or Noble's or Gilbert's, or it has other 

 local names around its borders. Little Sandy has for 

 many years been held, we have heard, as a preserve by the 

 Leather Stocking Club of Oswego. But the marsh in ques- 

 tion is about six miles long, with it ponds and creeks and 

 brooks, and a mile and a half or more in width. It lies 

 north and south, and on the west is protected from the 

 waves of the lake by a sand beach that extends along its 

 front. Through this beach run two shallow entrances into 

 the marsh, apart from the deeper entrances, where the 

 streams run into the lake at the life-saving station. Schooners 

 enter here and take the North Creek, as it is called, winding 

 up to Woodville, or Sandy Creek, going toward Gilbert's 

 Landing and the village of Ellisburg. Nothing but fishing 

 boats and small yachts could make the other entrances. And 

 these are nearly two miles away, one north and the other 

 south of the station. Of course, through these openings 

 the waters of Lake Ontario flow in or out of the marsh, and 

 fish pass to and fro. The openings are on an average one 

 hundred feet wide, and the heavy west winds blow the 

 waves on shore and raise the waters over the marsh and 

 along the uplands; or on the contrary, an east wind carries 

 them off and the depth decreases in proportion. 



The marsh itself is filled with every variety of feeding- 

 ground for water birds and waders. Miles of lily pads 

 spread themselves out, white and yellow. There are acres 

 of wild rice, and flags and rushes and sedge in abundance 

 and through all these brooks and creeks, as they are called, 

 and narrow passages. There are ponds bordered with old 

 driftwood, and bog beads and muddy grounds. 



The beach is merely a ridge of sand of the finest kind- 

 fifteen feet high in some places— that blows and drifts like 

 snow. We have the best reason, as many others, for remem- 



bering this. On our first visit we were surprised to find 



everything we ate, or attempted to, gritty with sand. The 

 cook for the day was asked whether he had not made a mis- 

 take and used sand instead of pepper. Pickerel, percb, 

 bread, butter, everything sandy. And tins would happen 

 even when there was the lightest wind blowing, and with the 

 utmost care that we could take to prevent it, And so the 

 sand has gone on blowing on that beach ever since, and 

 long before we knew it, and winds and waters have made 

 many changes. Acres of marsh have been covered within 

 our recollection, and are now converted into a low sand 

 beach over which the breakers wash at times. Great gaps 

 have been hollowed out in the ridge, through some of which 

 the high waves of the lake in spring and Jail dash across 

 some three or four hundred feet, and pour their waters by a 

 new way into the marsh. Then the sand has been blown 

 away from the roots of the larger trees that stood on the 

 ridge and they have fallen. The roots now remain, like great 

 sprawling spiders, hanging and projecting from bhe banks; 

 while the trees themselves have been cut away for fire Wood 

 or remain where they fell. Iu the rear, next the marsh, the 

 alders that grow there are in many places buried to their tops 

 in sand. It is sometimes eight or' ten feet deep. 



The old residents living near the place can remember when 

 the whole ridge was almost a continuous line of trees. In- 

 deed, we can ourselves, and when from the mainland it was 

 only here and there that you could catch a glimpse of the 

 water near the shore. It is even curious to this day to sec 

 pieces of wood and roots of trees five and six feet below the 

 present surface projecting out of the higher banks, proving 

 that for years since the first trees were cut along the shore 

 there had been changes going on and a drifting of the hills 

 toward the marsh since the ridge began to be denuded. In 

 time, no doubt, the hills will be carried inland and help fill 

 up the marsh, while nothing but a low sand beach will be 

 left to attest their past existence. 



As we remember this marsh on our first visit, it was filled, 

 as we have implied, with ducks and coots and rails and 

 divers.. Indeed, it seemed almost alive with all of these, and 

 we do not know what to compare the quacking and squeal- 

 ing and peeping to, that could be heard there in the early 

 morning. There, was no trouble then in securing a game 

 dinner. We have seeu hundreds of ducks there the first day 

 of September and earlier, for the 15th of August was the 

 open season then. Black ones, and wood and blue-winged 

 teal, especially in the evenings have we seen these, as they 

 sought the quiet ponds to "roost," while Wilson's, or Eng- 

 lish snipe, and yellowlegs and plover from time to time would 

 fly past the shanty. 



But now all this has changed, and it has been changing 

 for years, so far as our observation goes, while there does not 

 seem very much more hunting than formerly. Last fall 

 revealed a state of things that we were not unprepared for. 

 Every bird about that place, except blackbirds, redwings 

 and "marsh hens were in smaller numbers than we had ever 

 seen them; and our annuo] visit seemed almost devoid of the 

 pleasant surroundings of the past The grebes that were so 

 tame, because few hunters disturbed them, were nearly all 

 gone; even the frogs and water snakes were in smaller num- 

 bers, and these were always so plenty. They*would sit upon 

 the shore or curl up upon the logs, or swim across the creek, 

 while the muskrats that whined among the flags, or splashed 

 from the banks, or swam in front of the boat had entirely 

 disappeared; and we could not think that they had all per- 

 ished by the hand of man. 



But now what is the cause of all this change? Not to say 

 that man's hand may not have had something to do with 

 almost the whole of it, hut surely not with the grebes and 

 snakes and frogs. We know of no one there that eats frogs. 



Well, here, we think, is one reason of this change and 

 this scarcity, and here is the reason for our thinking as we 

 do, let sportsmen and others form their own conclusions: 

 The borders of this marsh and the beach that stands in front 

 of it were, a few years ago, a favorite resort of the skunk. 

 They abounded in the neighborhood and no doubt at. times 

 made raids upon the hen coops and the nests that were 

 stolen away. But they did more than this in the way of 

 destroying eggs, And here comes, in another of their uses, 

 which we take the liberty of suggesting to Dr.. Merriam. 

 They followed along the beach (we have seen their trails in 

 the sand) and around the borders of the marsh and dug out 

 the snapping turtle's eggs {Qharydni srrpi nthin). We have 

 seen many of the shells of these eggs in little collections of 

 four, five or six drying up in the sun. Nu doubt there were 

 a few minks that helped them in this work. But the mink 

 fur passed out of fashion and the skunk fur came in. and 

 hence there was a price offered for their pelts. And very 

 many men and bovs we,nt to catching them. We have a 

 friend, F. M. Noble', living near the marsh, a buyer of furs, 

 who bought hundreds ot their skins. He told the writer 

 that he stored them in his wood house, and that the place 

 smelt so of skunk that he could hardly eat in his kitchen for 

 nearly a year. 



And now the result, of all this. The snappers have taken 

 possession of the marsh, they and their congeners the Qhry- 

 somys picta (of a smaller size," and perhaps only less desfruc 

 five because they are fewer iu number), and there is nothing 

 to keep down their increase. Thfl beach is one of their fav- 

 orite places of resort to lay their eggs in the warm sand. 

 We say one of their favorite places, for we have 

 seen the shells of their eggs, where the skunks and 

 minks have dug them out, all around the marsh we 

 might say, wherever there was a dry knoll or sandy hillock. 

 But the beach is their favorite resort, and after a warm sun 

 in June, it is covered with tracks where they have gone up 

 and came down, while in August and before it hundreds of 

 little ones may be seen crawling along the sand, and leaving 

 a double line as they make their way toward the marsh. 



There are few skunks and fewer minks around that place 

 now left to destroy the egats. Hence the increase of the 

 snappers. Indeed they have the marsh, as we have said, 

 almost to themselves, and everything that crawls, creeps, or 

 swims about it is exposed to their depredations. This is the 

 reason that those living in the neighborhood— friends of the 

 game laws, too— speak of the large numbers of wood ducks 

 that are seen in the early summed and with their young, and 

 then the few that seem to be around when September comes 

 in, and this number seems to be decreasing, and only con- 

 firms what we have witnessed ourselves on this same marsh 

 not many years ago, I will give it as it occurred. 



It was during the early part of August that] was there 

 for my health with a nephew. We were trolling for pick- 

 eral in the North Creek, he at the oars and i with the hue. 

 We had gone up some distance when I observed a coot with 

 a single young one more than half grown, swimming across 

 the stream, about two hundred yard- ahead of us. As my 

 nephew was a city lad and unacquainted with the marsh, I 



