Forest and Stream 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



Terms, $4 a Year. 10 Cts, a Copy. | 

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NEW YORK, MARCH 12, 1885. 



j VOL. XXTV.-No. 7. 



( Noe. 39 & 40 Park Kow, New York. 



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CONTENTS. 



Editorial. 



It Failed to Pass. 



The Springfield Rod and Gun 

 Club. 



Through Two-Ocean Pass.— vii. 

 The Sportsman Tourist. 



Uncle Lisha's Shop.— xi. 



Camping in California. 



The Bucktail in Florida, 

 Natural History. 



The Birds of Michigan. 



Capture of a White Shark. 



Winter Range of the Robin. 



Southern New York Winter 

 Birds. 



Range of the Mountain Goat. 

 Game Bag and Gun. 



In Goshen's Hole. 



Mountain Quail in Alabama. 



Common Sense About It. 



Battery-Shooting. 



Maine Game Laws. 



Col. Mendacity's Remarkable 

 Shot. 



Reynard's Ways. 



Some Remarkable Shots. 



Philadelphia Notes. 

 Sea and River Fishing. 



Casts in Many Pools. 



Vagaries of Fish Nomenclature. 



Click and Drag. 



Channel Bass Fishing in Florida 



Large-Mouth Black Bass. 



A Pleasant Morning with the 

 Trout. 



The Most Killing Flies. 



Protecting Seals and Sea-Lions. 



Some Remarkable Catches. 



B'ishculture. 



Report of the Nebraska Com- 

 mission. 



Report of the Connecticut Com- 

 mission. 

 The Kennel. 



The Debarment of W. H. Pierce. 



Boston Dog Show. 



New Haven Dog Show. 



W. Wade's Amends. 



Eastern Field Trials Club. 



The Size of Beagles. 



English Kennel Notes.— xxvi. 



Kennel Management. 



Kennel Notes. 

 Rifle and Trap Shooting. 



Range and Gallery. 



The Trap. 



National Gun Association. 



Hotel Trap-Shooting. 

 Canoeing. 



Conewango Creek and Alle- 

 gheny River. 



American Canoe Association. 



The A. C. A. Regatta. 



The A. C. A. Badge. 



The Potomac Cruiser. 



The Oakland Mosquito Fleet. 



Cruising Outfits. 



Mississippi Mud. 

 Yachting. 



The Yacht Racing Association. 



Small Steam Launches. 



A Swinging Centerboard. 



A New Craft on the Sound. 



Club Yachts for Non Yacht 

 Owners. 

 Answers to Correspondents. 



IT FAILED TO PASS. 



THE Yellowstone Park bill, from which so much was 

 hoped, failed of becoming a law. After being 

 amended in the House of Eepresentatives, it went back to 

 the Senate, and a conference committee of both Houses was 

 appointed to agree upon the form it should finally take. This 

 was necessary partly on account of a blunder which occurred 

 in amending the bill in the House. The amendment of 

 Section 1, making the Yellowstone River the boundary on the 

 northeast, was to have been inserted after the words "thence 

 due east to a point," but the words "on said meridian with- 

 in ten miles of the eastern boundary of the Park as now 

 established, thence due south five miles" were not stricken 

 out. The section, therefore, so far as the northeast boundary 

 of the Park is concerned, was meaniugless. The conference 

 committee had several meetings, the last being on Tuesday, 

 the last day of the session, but no agreement was reached, 

 and the bill consequently lapsed. 



This is a great disappointment to those who have worked 

 so hard to secure for the Park a law which should efficiently 

 protect it. It leaves the reservation to be neglected for 

 another year. The delay will cost the Government some- 

 thing in money, and the people who visit the Park something 

 in enjoyment. It is a shortsighted piece of neglect on the 

 part of Congress, which is on all accounts to be regretted. 



But we have not done with the matter as yet. At the 

 next session of Congress we hope to see another and a better 

 bill for the protection of this region introduced and passed. 

 The people are in earnest about the matter, and are not will- 

 ing that the Park should be longer neglected. There is 

 reason to believe that the National Park Improvement Com- 

 pany has only, been scotched, not killed, and that by devious 

 ways and underhand methods it is trying to regain its 

 hold on the public domain. Although we have had little to 

 say recently about this company we have not altogether for- 



gotten it, and shall watch its doings with a good deal of 

 interest. 



The new Superintendent of the Park will have an oppor- 

 tunity during the season that is coming to show what stuff 

 he is made of. He may be sure that his actions will be scrut- 

 inized closely. If he does his duty he will be applauded, 

 but if he fails it will soon be known. 



It is a satisfaction to know that the public interest in the 

 Yellowstone National Park is now greater than it has ever- 

 been, and we believe that the efforts to be made for its pro- 

 tection will have the support, of all the best classes of the 

 community, 



We intend before long to outline a plan for protection, 

 which we hope may commend itself to those who are 

 especially interested in the Park. If this plan meets their 

 approval it will serve as a basis for future work— work which 

 we are sure will not be without results. 



THE SPMINGFJSILD ROD AND GUN CLUB. 

 \\J E. regret to learn that the Rod and Gun Club of Spring- 



' * field, Mass., has practically committed felo-de-see, 

 by an application to the Legislature for authority to change 

 its corporate name to the Winthrop Club. When we first 

 learned of this fact we refused to believe it; but it appears 

 that the club, having grown rich and luxurious, with largely 

 augmented membership, has lapsed into a social club, and 

 the new clement has now drowned its original purpose and 

 objects. t 



The Rod and Gun Club of Springfield has, from its organ- 

 ization, occupied an original and most enviable place in the 

 history of such organizations, and has had a high reputation, 

 not only in this country, but in Europe. It has been second 

 to none as an organization and in the personnel of its mem- 

 bers. Unique in name, ambitious, with its performances in 

 all it uudertook equal to its ambitions, it has stood at the 

 head and has carried itself most honorably and well through 

 all its history. 



Started, we believe, in 1872, by such men as the late B. F. 

 Bowles, with Wm. Patton, E. H. Lathrop, S. T. Hammond, 

 R. O. Morris, Wm. M. Williams and others, it has never 

 faltered until now. It has been copied in name and charac- 

 ter, but never excelled. Its pledge has always been 

 equalled and surpassed by performance. When it held 

 bench shows, none were better managed, and to none 

 did kennel owners resort with so much genuine pleas- 

 ure and good will. Attendants upon its exhibitions 

 always relied upon its prospectuses and upon its splendid 

 receptions and entertainments. 'Exhibitors always felt as if 

 they were leaving home when they left Springfield, carrying 

 with them vivid remembrances of royal care; and leaving, 

 clamored for a "show next year." A genial good fellowship 

 has always clung to it, and its treatment of its patrons has 

 never degenerated into commercial interests. It was always 

 known that a good time awaited visitors at Springfield, and 

 they never felt that .their entrance money was what was 

 being reached for. We only wish that some of the kennel 

 clubs who now manage [shows would emulate the old-time 

 courtesy and animate their social atmosphere with a meas- 

 ure of the good fellowship that has always prevailed at 

 Springfield. 



Lost in these reminiscences, we had almost forgotten our 

 regret, our impatience even, at-the great mistake which the 

 club is making. Is it too late to recall this fatal error? The 

 club has made history. Even if it chooses to abandon its 

 activity in a field formerly occupied by it so well, it could 

 live and be honored by its past. Why abandon its history 

 and its achievements -by plunging its earned position and 

 reputation into a meaningless name, justified by nothing 

 except newness? 



Don't do it, gentle men. 



Wild Rice.— Of the numerous plantings of wild rice, 

 some have been attended with success and others have come 

 to nothing. The Springfield (Mass.) Rod and Gun Club 

 some years ago sowed wild rice seed in the Connecticut 

 River, just below Springfield, and now there are acres and 

 acres of the cereal lining the river banks clear down to 

 the Sound. The club had greatest success with the seed 

 that was sown in the fall, though that put out in the spring- 

 did well. The rice should be sown in shallow water. The 

 experiment of raising the rice has failed in many instances, 

 sometimes because tried on an insufficient scale. We would 

 advise both spring and fall planting, and a liberal sowing of 

 the seed. Care should be taken to secure fresh seed. The 

 results of wild rice culture are so well known, and so many 

 ducking waters have been improved by the introduction of 

 the food, that the enterprise has passed the experimental 

 stage. 



How to Exterminate the Starfish. — Pish Commis- 

 sioner Blackford has prepared a bill for the protection of 

 oysters, and it has been introduced at Albany. One section 

 provides for paying a reward of twenty-five cents per bushel 

 for starfishes taken from the oyster beds. The starfish is 

 the greatest enemy of the oyster, and if the fishermen can be 

 induced to gather these marine vermin for twenty-five cents 

 a bushel, the proposed law will do much to keep the supply 

 of oysters up and the price down. But there is a better, 

 surer, speedier and wholly inexpensive way to get rid of the 

 starfish. Let feminine fashion decree that a starfish or a 

 band of starfishes on the hat shall be the style. That will 

 accomplish the desired end. The starfish will follow the 

 song birds. 



The America Cup. — In spite of the many rumors of new 

 boats to meet the challengers, no orders have yet been given 

 to go on with the work. The plans and specifications are 

 all ready for Mr. Smith's new sloop, but the contract has 

 not yet been awarded. As all the details have been settled, 

 it is expected that the boat can be built very quickly, and 

 that when the hull is ready, the spars, sails and gear will 

 also be complete, so no time will be lost. It is now the 

 middle of March, and over two weeks of the half-year have 

 elapsed without any work being done. To build, rig and 

 test anew boat, even under the most favorable circumstances, 

 requires time, and six months is little enough, without losing 

 part of it in preliminaries. 



Let the Best be Champion.— In all other branches of 

 competition where the title champion is used, it signifies the 

 best, the one that excels over all others. When applied to a 

 dog, the term has no such meaning. Usage should be 

 changed so that the champion dog will be known as the best 

 dog, and no dog but the best one known as champion. Last 

 week we gave the outline of a simple method to award the 

 title to the dog that deserves it and to let him wear it only 

 so long as he can maintain his claim against all comers. The 

 plan there mentioned is commended to the attention of all 

 who support dog shows and trials and to the special consider- 

 ation of the American Kennel Club. 



Pennsylvania is talking about imposing very heavy fines 

 for game law misdemeanors. This would be a mistake. 

 With a heavy fiue it will be found almost impossible to 

 secure a conviction; the sympathy is with the culprit if the 

 punishment appears out of all proportion to the gravity of 

 the offense. This is not theory but practical experience; 

 we know of an instance where with heavy fines it was almost 

 impossible to secure conviction, but when the penalty was 

 reduced, arrested persons were convicted and punished, and 

 the law proved effectual. 



On a Runway. — By inadvertence we omitted to give 

 credit for the illustration in our last issue, "On a Runway," 

 to Dr. E. Sterling, who sent the sketch with a pleasant per- 

 sonal reminiscence of an incident in his experience, which 

 guggested the drawing. 



The Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective As- 

 sociation propose to send out to the -newspapers of the 

 State notes on natural history, game birds and animals, and 

 shooting and fishing, with the purpose of enlisting the sym- 

 pathies of the community and diffusing information about 

 the subjects in which the Association is interested. This is 

 a practical and sensible way of increasing respect for the 

 game laws. Such efforts are sure to be attended with good 

 results. There is no more powerful lever than the "country 

 newspaper." An editor whose sympathies are with game 

 protection is a host in himself. 



The Deer-Hounding Bill is in the Senate in charge of 

 Mr. Fassett, and the probabilities are that the tourist who 

 contemplates braining a buck on some Adirondack lake next 

 summer will find himself denied that "sport." The excep- 

 tion noted last week provides that in Suffolk and Queens 

 counties deer may be hounded for the first ten days (exclu- 

 sive of Sundays) in October. 



The Maine Game Law Amendments are printed else- 

 where in this issue. As will be seen several changes have 

 been made, but they have all been in the direction of greater 

 stringency, and a most important amendment is the measure 

 putting jurisdiction into the hands of police and municipal 

 judges. 



