7 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
25 
“BULLET VERSUS BUCKSHOT.” 
HAYE read, with no little interest, the letter of your cor- 
respondent ‘'Piute,” who writes from the far-off occi- 
dental land, on the day immediately succeeding the one 
which all patriotic men regard as hallowed by a nation’s 
birth, Doubtless the mind of ‘Piute,” when he penned his 
communication, was still resting pleasantly on the celebra- 
tion which he had given ‘‘the glorious Fourth,” and felt that, 
as humanity had been blessed by the practical adoption of 
certain “resolves” made on that day in 1776, it was but just 
that one of the recipients should, in this age of intellectual 
and moral advancement, evince his appreciation of benefac- 
tions by pleading the cause of all animal comfort, I heartily 
sympathize with him in his utter detestation of “cruelty to 
animals’ and his horror of all needless slaughter of game. 
He touches s tender cord in my bosom when he protests 
against the inhumanity of destroying life by the slow pro- 
cess of physical torture. But, with all respect for a gentle- 
man of his evident intelligence, | am forced to say that his 
' article on ‘‘man’s inhumanity to”—brutes and fowls is en- 
tirely deficient in logic, or leads him to the entire abnegation 
of what I take to be a favorite pastime. And now, with be- 
coming bumility, 1 beg leave to enter my dissent from cer- 
jain positions which he has taken in the communication to 
which I refer. 
I confess I was poorly prepared to expect that the ‘‘abhor- 
rent practice, a relic of barbarism, which ought to have 
been relegated to the past centuries ago,” was the habit 
which some of the readers of Formsr AND STREAM have 
adopted for gratifying their love for field sports, and de- 
lighting their own palates and those of their friends with a 
piece of delicious venison. To my profound astonishment 
I find even myself the subject of ‘‘Piute’s” caustic objurga- 
tion, because I have been yuilty, oftentimes, of the ‘abhor- 
rent practice” which he denounces, and did not suppose I 
was committing an offense against the judgment of any intel- 
ligent portion of mankind, I can only plead “‘confession 
and ayoidsnee”’ in this and other barbaric practices in 
which I have indulged. I ‘‘exist in this nineteenth century, 
so litile advanced beyond savages,” that I have, with-as 
much ‘‘deliberation” as an occasional attack of ‘‘buck ague” 
would allow, ‘many a time and oft” discharged a shotgun 
(not a hand cannon) loaded with from twelve to twenty-five 
buckshot at ‘‘the most beautiful animal in creation” as he or 
she was taking “brave bounds” to escape the mortal foe 
which was in pursuit, I am sorry to say that I did not 
elways kill, nor even wound, the game. It has sometimes 
happened that I inflicted a mortal wound, but failed to get 
the deer. But will ‘‘Piute” say that because of this J must 
not use a shotgun at all? Does be not see that such an argu- 
Ment will, carried to its logieal conclusion, stop all shooting 
af game, and especially when in flight? Does he never 
wound a running de r which he fails to get, even when he 
hunts in a country destitute of timber? And does he never 
shoot at a deer when it is standing, utterly unconscious that 
such a lurking foe, a high-minded specimen of the very best 
race of men God, in His wisdom, has ever made, is holding 
his deadly rifle, perhaps at a rest, with the view of taking its 
innocent life? 
Did ““Piute” ever hunt ducks? If so, did he use a rifle or 
in 8-bore shotgun? How many could he get with his favor- 
ite weapon? Did he ever engage in grouse shooting,.and if 
so, did he use his rifle or a shotgun? Ifa rifie, he got no 
birds, unless he shot at them while perched ona tree. But 
that style of hunting is too unsportsmanlike for such a gen- 
tleman as ‘‘Pinie” proclaims himself to be, and I take it 
that he has steadily and scornfully avoided it, Did he ever 
go into the fields or brush with a well-broken setter or pointer, 
and beat around hoping to find a covey of Bob Whites? If 
so, did he use a weapon which would certainly kill or miss 
the game? | take it that he was around with a shotgun, and 
that oftentimes he has been dismayed to see the poor bird 
fly feebly away, to die in the agonies of a slow death, If 
“Piute’s” argument is good as to deer, it is good as to all 
game; and on this I shall have something to say before] con- 
clude this communication. 
“Piute” tells us, in his zeal, that if a weapon could be de- 
vised which wou!d either surely kill or leaye untouched, it 
should be adopted. That i will not deny. But he says 
human ingenuity has not yet produced sucha gun. It has 
not, and probably never will achieve that success. The 
next thing to this chef d’wuvre, he insists, should be the 
only weapon which a decent man should take into the forest 
or field. If this advice is taken, we shall have to travel back 
to the day of traps and snares and dead-falls. Or, perhaps, 
instead of troubling onrselyesand emptying our purses to get 
a good gun, it would be wise to purchase one which would 
nof hit a harn door at thirty yards, thus insuring the escape 
of all game unharmed. Now, I beg leave, with all respect, 
to suggest to ‘“‘Piute” that his argument leads to just that 
result and nothing else, and we shall be obliged, to escape 
the charge of barbarism, either to stay at home, or else load 
our guns with powder alone, or use a broadsword at every 
short range, and kill the animal stonedead. But even with 
‘this deadly weapon we should never strike unless the ani- 
mal is tied—because we might only wound, and thus subject 
ourselyes to the mortification of ‘‘committing a deed which 
would trouble our conscience al) the remainder of our days.” 
One would suppose, from reading ‘‘Piute’s” article, that 
he, at least, was so skillful with a rifle that he never failed 
to plant his ball in the most vital part of the game, If he 
ever fails, he stands condemned by his own judgment. But 
is a man to be denied all participation in field sports because 
he is deficient in equal skill? The time was when I was 
respectably adept in the use of the rifle, but now, alas, I 
fee] sure that it would be quite doubtful whether I could hit 
the Hae deer, even standing, at a distance of fifty yards, 
unless | had a gun with barrels forty-eight inches long and 
the advantage of a rest on some convenient fence rail, This 
would exclude me from hunting deer, and it would exclude 
thousands of others who are so ‘‘barbaric” as not to have 
acquired extraordinary skill. 
Let us examine, somewhat, the case which ‘‘Piute” gives 
as an illustration vf his humanitarian ideas; That deer 
which was wounded by both shotgun and rifle, ran, accord- 
ng to the statement, fully a mile, in “corporal sufferance,” 
aud was tracked up by the trail of blood. Is it possible that 
the true sportsman’s gun was 80 unadroitly handled as to 
ailow such a flight as that? Could “Piute” have recovered, 
unaided by a dog, that deer in a wooded country, inter- 
sected by streams? Why, even he fails to kill cleanly. He 
only allows the deer to run over a mile. Now, a crack shot 
with a goed 12-bore, if he has the discretion not to shoot 
unless he has a fair chance, will, under fifty yards, kill and 
get three out of four deer, and not be obliged to follow even 
ahalf mile. With great respect, the case cited by the Cali- 
fornia advocate upsets his position, and it is strange that he 
did not sev he was ‘‘hoist by his own petard.” 
The fact is, ‘Piute” has written a sort of post-prandial 
letter, and has taken positions in it which even his forensic 
skill cannot maintain, His purpose, no doubt, is “sweet 
and commendable,” but his views are so extreme that they 
degenerate into absurdity. They are entirely impracticable. 
If carried out all gunning would end, there would be no 
furtber use for sporting weapons, and our gun makers would 
be obliged to close their shops or deyote them entirely to the 
manufacture of implements exclusively devoted to the humane 
business of taking human life, as a means of preserving the 
peace of men and of nations, Then ‘‘farewell, a long fare- 
well” to all our joys of the forest and field—for a possible 
wounding, not immediately fatal, would stamp us as unfit to 
live m an age of delicacy and refinement, and relegate us to 
such pleasures as would not, by any misadventure, do hurt 
to a living thing. 
Until the sportsman is perfect in the use of his gun, and 
never shoots unless he knows that the game will surely in- 
stantly die, there will be languishing death, whether the 
weapon be a rifle, a shotgun, a pistol or acannon. There 
always have been and always will be wounded as well as 
dead victims in all species of warfare, and no ingenuity will 
eyer enable us to avoid this result. WELLS. 
Rocrineguam, N. C., July 24, 1884. 
Liditor Forest and Stream: 
In your issue of July 24 along comes a correspondent 
‘Piute,” from California. He dubs us all as of ‘Spot-hunt- 
ing proclivities,” and calls the shotgun “‘a relic of barbarism,” 
the men who use it ‘“‘little advanced beyond savages,” and 
declares ‘‘the brutality of the shotgun man deserves to be 
denounced by all sporting journals.” ‘Angels and ministers 
of grace defend us.” What next! With an intolerance 
characteristic of the entire article, ‘‘Piute,’’ who seems to be 
the owner of a cheap rifle, denounces every one who does 
not also procure a cheap rifle and make that his choice 
weapon. Let ‘‘Piute” exercise a little charity, and once for 
all allow me to suggest to all such gentlemen of refinement 
who seem to have no method of evincing that refinement but 
by calling all others ‘‘pot-hunters” and ‘‘savages” who fail 
to follow their favorite pursuits and methods, that there is 
an old and somewhat threadbare adage, true in sportsman- 
ship as well as other matters, ‘When in Rome do as Rome 
does.” The methods of taking game legitimately and law- 
fully are many and varied. qRocalty and surroundings 
govern in a great measure the means. 
Trout are taken in many of our narrow mountain streams 
with a worm, the overhanging brush from either side and 
the drift rendering a cast with a fly an impossibility in many 
places. 
_ Deer are sometimes sprung on our brusby and heavily 
timbered mountain sides, at close range, when very fair shots 
can be obiained with the shotgun; under the sarie circum- 
stances and surroundings a rifle would be of as little use as a 
fence rail. 
_ The shotgun within the limit of its range and power is as 
Immediately destructive on @ deer as a rifle, The chances 
of inflicting a wound not necessarily fatal, whereby the 
animal may crawl off and die unprofitably, are, under the 
circumstances | have indicated, no greater with the shotgun 
than with the rifle. Infact my experience in that line is 
largely in favor of the shotgun. 
Were I to hunt the same, animal on the Western plains, 
where the shots would bein the open and at long range, 
beyond the powers of a shotgun, 1 should use a rifle. 
WEST VIRGINIA, BACKWOODS. 
THE CHAMBERLIN LOADING MACHINE. 
Hditor Forest and Stream: 
I have been much interested by the discussion in your col- 
umns during the last six months regarding the performance 
of shotguns, and often have been amused at some of the very 
queer claims made. AsJ have-not yet made a debit and 
credit statement of facts presented, | am not prepared to say 
which side is entitled to the balance. Two facts, however, 
must be apparent to all; that there exisis a vast diversity of 
opinion, and every one is positively correct. There seems to 
be really no standard for loading. but a kind of happy-go- 
Jueky, go.as you please plan; bit when you can, and when 
you miss swear at your gun and kick your dog. 
While groping in darkness I happened to see the Cham- 
berlin machine for loading shells. Suddenly the sunlight 
of a great invention broke through the clouds of doubt, and 
suggested to me the idea, eureka for sportsmen. This is 
truly a wonderful machine, and 1 think some description of 
it may interest your readers. I quote from their circular: 
“Jt is not an implement, but a machine, complete in all its 
parts, that performs all the operations of loading shells, and 
does the work with absolute accuracy, giving uniform 
charges and even pressure upon the wads, Hach wad is put 
separately into the shell and forced home in a level position. 
The rammers are graduated, and adjustable to any pressure 
from five pounds to one hundred.” ‘The shells when loaded 
are al] the same size and beautifully crimped. It seems to 
me that this machine must cause 4 revolution, and event- 
ually bring us a standard fixed ammunition for breechload- 
ing shotguns. It is well known that the highest explosive 
force of powder can only be obtained by the requisite 
amount of compression. If the manufacturers will study 
this and apply just the amount of pressure necessary, whith 
their machine can make uniformly the same, they have ac- 
complished a most important feature in loading; that canuot 
be done by hand. JI find that they use every means to guard 
against deterioration from age; and from my examination of 
their methods and appliances I see no reason why these cart- 
ridges should not be fully as durable as the fixed ammuni- 
tion now in use for rifles and pistols, 
We who shoot all know the difficulty in obtaining reliable 
cartridges loaded by dealers. Weall prefer, when we can, 
io load our own, for this reason. If we can have a standard 
make, with the guarantee of a reliable manufacturer, whose 
interest is to have them the best, it will bea grand thing. 
Two years ago, being very much hurried, | had a large num- 
ber of shells loaded by a dealerin whom I bad confidence, 
When I went into the field I found them worthless. I was 
forty miles from any place where I could get more. Imag- 
ine my feelings, inthe midst of plenty of game with such 
ammunition, I discovered that instead of ducking grade of 
powder, which I specified, my shells were loaded with the 
meanest kind of common, cheap powder, though I had paid 
for the best. When TI took the cartridges back to the man 
who loaded them, he had to acknowledge the corn, and with 
many profuse apologies for the mistake, refunded the mouey, 
and, I have no doubt, sold the cartridges to his next customer. 
Life is too short, and profanity ton demoralizing, for more 
than one experience of this sort. J believe that most dealers 
who load shells do so to the best of their ability, and hon- 
estly try to please, but there must always be some doubt 
when it-is hurriedly done; especially by boys, or help that 
desire to get through as quickly as possible. J have not yet 
been able to thoroughly test the shooting qualities of the 
Chamberlin cartridge, but intend to do so. Meanwhile I can 
but be favorably impressed. BEDFORD. 
BROOKLYN, N. ¥., Aug, 1. 
SNIPE IN THE SWAMP PASTURE. 
Vv Eyhave a sportsman’s club here, and good work has it 
done, too, in the protection ‘of same. We cannot 
reach the pot shooters. The fences of this country are, 
for the most part, osage hedges, which make splendid cover 
for quail. Jt is here that the pot-shooter finds his oppor- 
tunity. Only yesterday I overhead one of them telling a 
“pard” how he once found three coveys and killed twenty- 
one at three shots, When I remonstrated with him, his 
reply was, ‘‘When I shoot 1 shoot for meat.” Such work as 
this is fast thinning out the quail in this section. Every boy 
that can raise $5, and is large enough to carry 4 gun. has one 
of the breechloading muskets, and woe to the covey of quail 
that they find bunched in the hedzes. 
We have near here one of the finest snipe marshes im the 
world. Sitting in my offie one bright day in April, 1881, I 
heard quick footsteps on the outside, and in a moment the 
door was thrown open and in rushed my friend and shooting 
companion, J. K. L., with the news. “Sam Hyrse’s boy 
says his father’s pasture is full of snipe. Let us give them a 
whirl.” ‘We had sixty-five shells each, and, to ‘‘make it in- 
teresting,” put up a little wager as to which should haye the 
most to show for his work at the close of the shoot. It was 
10 A. M., and we had three miles to drive, with no time ta 
lose if we reached home in time for our 12 o’clock dinner, 
At 10:30 we were entering the aforesaid pasture. The field 
contained thirty acres, and is what the owner calls his swamp 
pasture, lying as it does on the outer edge of a large tract of 
unredeemed swamp land. The grass had only been partially 
eaten off the year previous, thus leaying a good cover for the 
birds. Wehad not fairly entered when there were two re 
ports from my gun and two of the longbills lay on the 
ground as the result of my first two shots; and I turned just 
in time to see my companion make a beautiful double, ‘The 
fun had commenced. J, K, L.taking the left and myself the 
Tight, we started across the field, lt was one succession of 
shots for the next hour and a half, when, to our dismay, the 
shells gave out. After a careful count we found that I had 
51 birds, while he had an even 50. When we arrived in 
town it was 12 o’clovk, havin® been gone just two hours, 
driven three miles, and come back with 101 snipe. This was 
the best snipe shooting I ever had; and there was no “Flick- 
ering” electric light dodge about it either, D. G. C. 
San Jose, I. 
TO PRESERVE KILLED GAME. 
rE preservation of dead game is a matter of much im- 
portance, Particularly is this true as to prairie chickens, 
as they are killed during the hottest time of the year. ice is 
usually resorted to, but it is not always obtainable, and is 
bulky and cumbersome at the best. A friend and myself, 
who haye been shooting chickens together for the past ten 
years, have never lost a single bird during that time. Our 
method is to take a supply of paper sacks (such as grocers 
use), just large enough to put a chicken into and tie snugly. 
Draw the birds and hang by the head until they have thor- 
oughly dripped and the natural heat has left them. Stuff 
fresh leaves or grass inside; put into the sacks head first, and. 
tie sack tight enough to exclude the air. Put them in acool, 
shady place until ready to ship. Birds packed in this way 
have kept over fifty hours, and when used were sweet and 
fresh, and this during the hottest weather of August. Never 
put game on ice unless you can keep it there until ready to 
use, for it spoils in an almost incredible short time after being 
taken off. 
The prospeet for quail in this vicinity is most promising. 
They wintered well, and reports from different localities 
agree as to their haying hatched out their broods and are 
doing finely, Ruffed grouse are also reported as being more 
plentiful than for several years, They are, however, a eom- 
paratively rare bird, Dicx. 
Brazin, Ind. 
MASSACHUSETTS GAME OUTLOOK. 
NDICATIONS point to a good shooting season in New 
England this fall. In Massachusetts grouse are reported 
“nlenty,” as the word goes—that is, plenty as compared with 
several seasons past. An abundance of berries of all kinds 
furnishes plenty of food for the chicks, although the un- 
usually wet weather has been against them. ut at the 
nesting season there were two weeks of fine weather extend- 
ing into the season when the broods would first Le brought 
out, and it is believed by those familiar with the habits of 
this noble game bird that the season has been favorablo. 
This idea is confirmed, by several country boys interviewed 
on the subject. They say that the partridges were drawn 
hard upon last fall, by reason of the non-export law forbid: 
ding their shipment from Maine. The market men ‘‘had 
to have them,” and consequently paid a better price. 
Besides, the woods were invaded by more sportsmen than 
usual, with more and better trained dogs, 
The farmers’ boys would generally favor the clause in the 
proposed game laws—defeated last spring—which would 
empower the owners of Jands to prevent shooting on the 
same by simply posting and advertising due notification. 
They want the birds themselves, or at least the privilege of 
deciding ‘‘who shall shoot on father’s land.” But after all, 
they think that they can hold their own with outside sports- 
men; for, knowing the ground, and haying driven the cows 
and hunted the sheep over it all summer, they have had 
every flock of partridges mapped out from the time 
the old bird lowered her wings and fluttered through 
the brush to ‘‘cheat” them away from her brood 
not bigger than little balls of dried leaves and about 
the same color, till they have begun to feed on the blneberry 
patches at the edge of the pasture, or ou the stray blueberry 
vines beside the wood road. The boys will keep track of 
each flock of ‘‘bob-tailed sinners” till Sept. 1, when they 
will be full-fledged and the law will be off. But the trouble 
will come a few weeks hence, at daylight on the mornitig of 
Sept, 1, when two boys creep up with gun in hand, to the 
