480 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 3, 1885. 



from tree to tree a few paces further, we found ourselves on 

 the edge of what might he called a "tilt yard/' where the 

 dudes of the forest looked on while the better champions con- 

 tend for "Laus and faire ladie" with an engrossment of 

 attention which completely prevented their noticing us or 

 our movements. In an open space among the trees four or 

 five young harts, with their half-grown antlers, were striving 

 with each other, now rushing together, butting their heads 

 and interlacing their horns, until the weakest was borne 

 back, when he presently fled to a short distance and there 

 renewed his belling until he could muster wind and courage 

 to come up to the scratch again. No two stags were indi- 

 vidual antagonists, but all strove alternately as if each in 

 turn were testing the strength of the rest, until the other 

 should remain master of the field, and not of the field only, 

 but of the woodland representatives of those fair dames of 

 old— 



"Whose eyes 

 Rain influence and adjudge the prize, 1 ' 

 for whose good graces the combatants were evidently con- 

 tending. A herd of hinds, to the numher of twenty or 

 thirty, stood on the opposite side of the glade from us in- 

 tently regarding the encounter. Something more was to 

 come, I felt certain, and suddenly a stag challenged in the 

 distance, louder, deeper, and more angrily than anything we 

 had yet heard, and in a moment a "muckle hart," so much 

 larger, indeed, than the others that he scarcely seemed of 

 the same species, rushed into the arena. He had been most 

 likely lying down, when his small rivals presumed to invade 

 the sacred precincts of his harem, and awoke in wrath pro- 

 portionate. "He checked himself in his mad career," stood 

 and glared around him for a moment, and the breath from 

 his nostrils rose the while like the steam from the escape 

 pipe of an engine; in another moment he had dashed at the 

 animal nest him, and his doing so was the signal of sauve 

 qui pent. In an instant the rivals were dispersed through 

 the mazes of the wood, as of old it was " Veni, /Mi, vici," 

 and the huge suitor was left in possession of the field. The 

 hinds, in the meantime, demurely trotted across the opening 

 to meet and welcome the conqueror with the usual exclama- 

 tion of the fair sex, when any quarrel or mischief takes 

 place, and we could imagine them assuring their lord and 

 master, open-mouthed and self-justifying, saying, "We hope 

 you don't think us to blame for the intrusion of these con- 

 temptible puppies on your privacy." 



In answer to some queries put to me by my companion, I 

 informed him that the red stags at this time of the year were 

 often very dangerous, particularly in parks where they have 

 been accustomed to the sight of man, and that they have 

 often been known to attack and seriously injure or kill 

 people. The red deer, as are all the species^ are fierce fight- 

 ers, often killiny one another in their battles. A few years 

 back on this same ground, a pair of stags got their antlers so 

 entangled that they were unable to tear themselves apart, and 

 dying in their hated embrace, were so found. Their heads 

 are still to be seen as first discovered, impossible to separate. 

 Nature supplies them with a pair of new horns every year, 

 and it is a curious fact that should the animal have received 

 a severe injury, the horn on the same side as the wound is 

 sure to be in some way distorted orstunted, even after recov- 

 ery. Some foresters or hunters think that the number of 

 points or the tynes on the antlers indicate the age of the ani- 

 mal, so that a stag of ten would be ten years of age. That is 

 not my experience, the number of points and size of antlers 

 depending more on the feeding the animal has than any- 

 thing else. The cast off horns are sought after and eaten by 

 the kinds; they are constantly found half devoured and 

 gnawed, and I have more than'once had the opportunity of 

 watching this singular feast. Naturalists and physiologists 

 must explain the functional effect of this singular fact. 

 "Nature does nothing in vain," and it may help the repro- 

 duction of their magnificent head-dresses year by year. 



Evening was closing in fast. Our appetites reminded us 

 that nature must be supported, and we started for home, and 

 gained the old bridle-road, the roaring all around us being 

 deeper and fiercer than ever, which, in the darkness and 

 gloom of the night, recalled Dante's Inferno. 



In shooting the red deer we judged the stags by the size of 

 their antlers and partly by the size of the body. The average 

 weight of a stag fit to kill is about 18 stone or 252 pounds 

 dressed. In Scotland the weights are much less, being some- 

 where about 15 stone or 210 pounds. The larger weight of 

 Irish stags is accounted for by the fact that our climate is 

 superior, there being comparatively no snow in winter, and 

 again, the vegetation and grasses are more succulent and 

 nutritious. The season for killing the stags begins about the 

 first of August and ends about October 10. The hinds are 

 killed in the winter from the month of November to the 

 first of February. Any hind so killed is called a yeld hind, 

 and is chosen from the herd for being barren and not having 

 a fawn at her foot. Stags have been killed of far greater 

 weight than 18 stone. 



Early in October a large party of friends were gathered 

 together under the Muckross roof. Among them were Col. 

 Long, a man who had seen sport all over the world, and 

 there are few who can boast of such a sporting record as his. 

 At this time his spirit was still willing, but his age and 

 strength prevented him from joining in the active pursuits 

 he loved so well. The head keeper reported to me that a 

 stag had managed to find its way into the inner walls of my 

 domain, so I determined, if possible, to give Col. Long a 

 chance of killing a beast on ground that would not be too 

 fatiguing for him to travel over. Venison was wanted for 

 the house, and my ch-ef hinted at the extinction of certain 

 venison pasties which were generally appreciated. To avert 

 so disastrous a Tesult, and that the temper of this most im- 

 portant functionary should not be ruffled, orders were given 

 to the head keeper to go to a certain district in the deer 

 forest and endeavor to obtain the supply wanted ; and as 

 another friend was coming to stay with me, strict injunc- 

 tions was given head keeper to disturb only certain parts of 

 the deer forest. The following morning we were astir early, 

 I had the satisfaction of seeing Col. Long kill the stag that 

 nad invaded the homeprecincts, and we were all joyously re- 

 turning home w T hen we were met by the head keeper,' Mr. 

 John Ross, whose long and doleful face at once told me that 

 something had gone wrong, nor was I mistaken, his excla- 



that when they miss a stag, that stag is always the heaviest 

 and largest." On cross-examining" him, however, it was 

 clear to me that the stag he had missed must have been an 

 exceptionally fine animal. 



This man and myself had been brought up as boys together, 

 had spent many happy hours on the wild moorlands among 

 the red deer, and we both determined that the trophy of the 



head should be placed in my halls. My neighbor. Lord Ken- 

 mare, soon favored me with the loan of a new Express rifle, 

 and my friend arriving that evening, a plan of campaign 

 was soon formulated. He and the keeper were to take the 

 northern part of the forest while I secured the southern 

 portion. With full instructions as to our limits, so as not to 

 disturb each other's sport, we all started at 4 o'clock the fol- 

 lowing morning in full expectation of a triumphant return. 

 My friend, to reach his hunting grounds, had to ride up to 

 an elevation of 3,000 feet; I, on the other hand, was to drive 

 some seven miles before beginning my work. One of the 

 gillies or under keepers accompanied me to carry my rifle 

 and lunch, as I did not e:cpect to be home till iate. The 

 ground we started over was very steep, woody, with alternate 

 glades and high rocks. We had been climbing scarcely half 

 an hour, when suddenly I perceived over the tops of the 

 bushes, about 200 yards off, the head of. an exceptionally 

 large stag. I pushed my hand back for the rifle and sat quietly 

 down on the heather, knowing full well from the lay of the 

 ground and the course he was taking that he must pass within 

 shot of me. A few moments of anxious expectation which 

 felt like hours followed; but suddenly he loomed in sight, at, 

 the same instant his quick eye caught a glimpse of lis, but 

 too late to save his skin, the trigger had been pressed and the 

 bullet had sped, and had gone through his heart. On walk- 

 ing up to him 1 found that I had killed a magnificent animal, 

 he had fourteen points or tynes and weiahed fully twenty- 

 five stone. My henchman was delighted, and I think his 

 joy was increased by the fact that it being close to the 

 boundary of my neighbor, the stag belonged to what we 

 alwaysphra.se "the enemy's side." My man went back to 

 the nearest keeper's lodge with instructions to send and have 

 the stag taken home. Big as the stag was that I had killed, 

 from the description that was given,'! felt certain that it was 

 not the one that had been missed the day before. The shoot- 

 ing season was drawing to a close, and these two reasons 

 gave an additional incentive to my ardor as a sportsman. 



As we ascended the ground became more broken, and 

 owing to small herds of hinds we were compelled to pick our 

 way with the greatest caution for fear of disturbing them. 

 About 11 o'clock we arrived on the Cores Flats, a large tract 

 of table land before the next hill was reached and the goal 

 we were making for. Here began the most serious and 

 difficult part of our work, which was to secure the spot where 

 we could command an extended view of the hunting grounds. 



Some deer had to be moved away, others to be avoided, 

 and the wind that had shifted being uncertain, made the 

 task all the more arduous. Luckily, at this time of the day 

 most of the deer were chewing the cud and resting after 

 their morning's feed. A mist had settled down, which, 

 combined with the shelter of an old water-course, aided us 

 considerably in effecting our difficult crawl. The foot of the 

 hill was at last reached, and a welcome spring in a secluded 

 nook under a hanging rock not only sheltered us from the 

 falling rain, but gave us water that tasted like nectar. 

 Lunch was soon over, Tanguiney kept looking dismally at 

 the weather, and suggested that we should start for home as 

 the day was getting lowering and dirtier; but my mind 

 was made up to attain a certain spot whence I had 

 spied many a muckle hart. So, putting the best 

 face on it, we breasted the hill. My goal was in 

 due time reached, and the clouds began lifting and clearing 

 away. A charming sight presented itself to bur view. In 

 the foreground lay the forest, the Upper Lakes of Killar- 

 ney lying snake-like on the valley; towering above them the 

 beautiful rugged Reeks, the highest mountains in Ireland; 

 to the left, the Kenmare estuary ; beyond, the Atlantic with 

 nothing but that between Ireland and America; but exquisite 

 as all this was, the movement of a hind below called me|back 

 to the real business of the day. My field glasses were biought 

 into play, running quickly over the various haunts of the 

 bigger stags of the forest. Suddenly my eye was arrested 

 by a sight" that caused my heart to thump. Within half a 

 mile lay the »ery stag I was seeking, the Jumbo of the forest; 

 even without my long glasses it was easy to see that every 

 word Ross had uttered the day before was not exaggerated. 

 A good stag was standing near him and acting as sentinel, 

 a stag which at other times many a man would have been 

 proud to bill, but now looking like a pony compared to a 

 horse. The next question was how to get near him for a 

 shot, and a glance sufficed to show me to arrive on even terms 

 with him would require no small degree of patience and 

 forest lore. We had to go around the crest of a hill, and 

 more than ordinary caution was required, as if any one of 

 the numerous deer lying around saw or winded us our 

 chances were gone. It took fully two hours to get around, 

 and I had the satisfaction of seeing the huge animal still 

 in his old position. The other stag was standing 

 a little apart from him, making it impossible to 

 get as near as I wished, to make a sure shot. Leaving 

 my man, with the strictest injunctions not to move from the 

 rock behind which we were ambushed, I seized my rifle and 

 crawled on my stomach for a hundred yards, to the nearest 

 attainable point I could get to. What moments of anxiety 

 were those. I could hear my heart beat, and old hand as I 

 was at this kind of sport, I felt like a boy about to shoot his 

 first deer, and it made me well understand how "stag fever" 

 had caused many a "good man" to miss his shot. Waves of 

 clouds kept sweeping over the crest of the hill, occasionally 

 concealing the quarry below me. The shot was a long one, 

 fully 300 yards, and the stag in his recumbent position 

 made it all the more difficult. A cloud concealing them 

 from my view for a longer period than those that had gone 

 before, determined me to take the first opportunity for a 

 shot, more especially as I saw full well that the best part of 

 the day had gone by, and that the mists might close my 

 chances entirely. Resting my back against the rock, I 

 waited for a few minutes — minutes that appeared hours — 

 and as if the fates were aiding me, a gleam of sunlight burst 

 from the clouds, falling directly on the back of my uncon- 

 scious victim, and throwing him into bold relief amid the 

 purple heather. Putting up my sight, and aiming carefully 

 behind his ribs, I pulled the trigger. Horrors of horrors! 

 The rifle missed fire, owing to a defective cartridge. I had 

 presence of mind not to move hand nor foot. The big stag 

 turned his head down the valley ; his comrade looked uneasily 

 about, and followed his leader's example. Instantly another 

 cartridge was inserted in the barrel, and again the deadly 

 tubes were leveled. This time the sharp crack of the rifle, 

 and a dull thud of the bullet told me the messenger of death 

 had done its work. The big brute reared wildly, staggered 

 a few paces, and rolled into a little glen beneath. A wild 

 yell of delight from Tanguiney appeared to let off all the 

 pent-up excitement of the last few hours, and we rushed to- 

 gether to get a nearer view of our prize, and to put an end 

 to him with our knives. The other stag in the meantime 

 appeared loth to leave his fellow friend, but our appearance 



on the sky-line determined him that discretion was the better 

 part, of valor. On arriving at the spot where the game had 

 tallen, we found the finest stag that it has ever been my luck 

 to shoot at or see on foot. A magnificent beast he was, four- 

 teen points on his antlers, and these the largest of their kind, 

 his weight, as afterward proved, thirty-one stone or four 

 hundred and thirty-four pounds. A sportsman alone can ap- 

 preciate my feelings. The only regret was that mv friend 

 had not the chance of the shot, and this was dissipated when 

 1 found on my return home that he also had killed a fine 

 stag and had not had his day's tramp for nothing. These 

 were two of the remnant of the once mighty hordes that cov- 

 ered our dear Green Isle, amid scenery of its land, unequalled 

 m the world. Surely such animals are worth preserving. 



T , Henry A. Herbert 



Muckross, Ireland. 



A BIG B'AR. 



THERE be valiant men among us. They killed a bear 

 yesterday— a bear of a size not often seen in this reaiou. 

 A man was riding over a hill some two miles from this place, 

 and saw an old bear and three cubs. He notified some of 

 the mighty hunters, and they picked their flints and started, 

 taking with them a dog. Tony Miller was at work in his 

 clearing. He was gunless, but possessed a .22-caliber re- 

 volver, of that sort which may be purchased in quantity at 

 the rate of three York shillings for a level peck. To him 

 appeared Willet Washburn, also gunless. and said, "Lo, 

 there be bears afoot." This statement was regarded as un- 

 trustworthy by Tony, but he moved forward in column of 

 attack, though be did not think it necessary to take his .22, 

 never having been bothered with bears on his pre-emption.' 



The. skirmish line advanced, the dog began to kick up a 

 bobbery and growls were heard. The hunters picked their 

 flints again. Then there was more racket in the brushwood, 

 and the advanced line of skirmishiers was seen in full re- 

 treat, Tony leading by at least half a length— not more, 

 though they did their best, for Tony is fearfully long, in the 

 legs especially. You see, the old bear was only a few rods 

 behind; they had seen her plainly, and for a few minutes it 

 was just nip and tuck. Then the bear slacked her pace and 

 growled some more; and proceeded to attend to family mat- 

 ters, but unfortunately for her peace of mind, she had not 

 been able to keep her progeny together, hence, the wild 

 huntsman of the Hartz, who was kind o' slash in' around in 

 that region, saw the bushes move, and levelling the piece, 

 slung an ounce or two of shot around on general principles 

 and hit a bear, which by the combined efforts of the expe- 

 ditionary corps was eventually saved. 



Nobody seems to know just why the shotguns did not 

 move forward at the time the old bear made her charge, but 

 Tony, who had a good view of the animal, a little nearer 

 perhaps than he desired, expressed his regret that he had 

 not brought the revolver aforesaid, in which case his bachelor 

 cabin would surely have been decorated with a bear skin, 

 and his larder supplied with three or four hundred pounds of 

 "bar meat and sich." Those, however, who have ventured 

 to express an opinion on the matter, have said that they 

 would have given more to see Tony's legs going through the 

 brush than for a shot at the "old she." Pilgarlick. 



P. 8. — I omitted to say that the estimated weight of the- 

 slain monster was twenty pounds. 



P. P. S. — Another bear was seen last week crossing Wil- 

 son's Lake. The man who saw it is a hunter and was strongly 

 disposed to attack it, but having his oars only as weapons 

 he prudently refrained. He states that he was in plain si^ht 

 and but a few rods away when the bear took water, and thai 

 he could easily have overhauled it. When the creature landed 

 it paused, shook itself, and took a good look at him. It was; 

 of the size apparently of a very large dog. P. 



Ckntrai. Lake, Michigan, June 23. 



The Rockland Counts Snarebs.— Stony Point, N. Y., 

 June 28. — HJditvr FonM mid Stream: In readingyour various; 

 editorials in this week's issue on the deer hounding bill, the- 

 statute prohibiting spring shootiug of bay birds on our State 

 coast, and more especially the squelching of that villainous 

 bill introduced into the Legislature last winter by the game 

 dealers of the State, it struck me very forcibly that your 

 paper was exerting a powerful and good influence on this 

 all important subject of preserving our game. I am well 

 aware of the fact that if the game dealers of New York city 

 were law-abiding citizens, the trapping of partridges in this 

 county would be at an end, but so long as our partridge 

 thieves here can dispose of their plunder to a higher grade 

 of the same class in New York city, so long will the 

 nefarious business continue. Last fall there were shipped 

 from this county several thousand partridges, every bird, 

 either snared or trapped, and our efficient game protector 

 succeeded in arresting and convicting some eight or ten of.' 

 the miscreants, yet judicial sympathy was so strong that a 

 fine of only five or ten dollars per man was inflicted (two of 

 the fines were paid in court, the others were never collected), 

 thereby making a complete farce of the proceedings iindi 

 encouraging the scoundrels to renewed activity in breaking 

 the laws again this season. There are few finer partridge 

 grounds in the State than are to be found in Rockland 

 county, and could these scamps be made to observe the game- 

 laws, ^and not clean our covers out annually, good shooting 

 could be had. We are so near the city, and all parts of the 

 county so easy of access by rail, that it appears to me to be 

 to the interest of every lover of partridge shooting, and 

 especially to such as do not find it expedient to make long 

 and expensive excursions in quest of the sport, to join us in 

 an effort to put an emphatic stop to this trapping business. 

 Your efforts to bring the game dealers, caught selling or 

 holding in possession, snared or trapped birds, to grief, is an 

 effort in the right direction, for these thieves of ours haye 

 no home market, and would not trap a bird if your dealers 

 dared not buy and receive them. From personal knowledge 

 of the life and character of most of our trappers, I am 

 confident that under such circumstances they would at once 

 go back to their original avocations, chicken stealing, etc., 

 and give the game a rest. — T. 



Florida. — Tarpon Springs, June 17. — The long, dull, 

 close season begins to open a little. Some varieties of fish, 

 having recovered from the wear and tear of the spawning 

 season, are in first-rate condition and may be legitimately 

 caught. Beach birds have put in an appearance. Sickle-bill 

 and straight-bill curlew, with willet and other snipe may be 

 shot any morning. And the four-ton sharpie is nearly ready 

 to go outside. She carries 102 yards of canvas, cut into jib. 

 mainsail and balance lug. "Tarpon" and 1 can make her go 

 where she will do most good. Then I shall have something 

 to say.— NessmI'K. 



