Forest and Stream. 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



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

 Six MoifTHs, $2. ) 



NEW YORK, OCTOBER 1, 188B. 



( VOL. XXV.— No. 10. 



I Nos. 39 & 40 Park Row, New York. 



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CONTENTS. 



Editorial. 



The "Forest and Stream" Tra- 

 jeciory Test. 



The Deer on Long Island. 



I^ew York Fish Laws. 

 Ths Sportsman Tourist. 



Hunting in the Himalayas.— vi. 



Notes from Orange County. 



A Week ia Iceland. 

 Natural Historv. 



Wiidfowl in Doraesticatlon. 



How Many N^sts. 



The Florida Whip-Sco)()ion. 

 Gamb Bag and Gun. 



With the Birds at Pine Point. 



The Wisconsin Law. 



In Virginia Highlands. 



Days with the Squirrels. 



Which is the Best Gun? 



"Bob White" and '•Partrirlge." 



The Choice of Guns.— vi. 



A Gun Sling for the Saddle. 



A Flock of Ducks on Rye Pond. 

 Sea and Rn'ER Fishing. 



The Coming Tournament. 



The Ichthyophagous Club. 



Fly-Casting for Black Bass. 



The Striped Bass Law. 



Sti engih of Hooks. 



Bass Sizes and Weights. 



FlSHC¥LTIIBE. 



Fish Commissioners. 



Successful Oyster Culture. 

 The Kennel. 



Field Dogs and Field Trial Dogs. 



Milwaukee Dog Show. 



The Kennel Hospital. 



Kennel Management. 



Kennel Notes. 

 Rifle and Trap Shootinq. 



The Trajectory Test. 



The N. H. A. Meeting. 



Range and GaUer\-. 



The Trap. 



National Gun Association. 

 Canoeing. 



SmallCruising Yachts vs. Canoes 



Jersey City Y. Canoe Race. 

 Yachting. 



An English View of the Races. 



Atalanta and Stiletto. 



Length and Depth in a Sea. 



The Ocean Races. 



The Ocean Yacht Race. 



Sloop or Cutter. 



A New Bottom Paint. 



Hikers on the Delaware. 



The Song of the America. 

 Aa'swers to Correspondents. 

 Publishers' Department. 



NEW YORK FISH LAWS. 

 several occasions we have pointed out the necessity of 

 ^ an intelligent supervision over proposed laws relating 

 to the catching of fish, and have suggested that the Com- 

 missioners of Fisheries would be, by reason of their long 

 acquaintance and their study of the subject, very proper 

 censors. It is natiu-al that fishing clubs should imagine that 

 they understand all questions which may arise concerning 

 fish and believe themselves competent to frame proper legis- 

 lation. We recently commented on a case in which the St. 

 Lawrence Anglers' Association procured the passage of a 

 law affecting the sale of striped bass in the markets, while 

 trying to protect another fish locally called by the same 

 name. The club is composed of gentlemen who mean well, 

 but who do not seem to distinguish between Roccus lineatvs 

 and Roccus cJirysops, both fishes having the common name 

 of striped bass, the former the large fish of salt and brackish 

 water, and the other a lake fish seldom exceeding fifteen 

 inches in length. In another column we republish an article 

 referring to this matter, in which it will be seen that Mr. 

 Byington has tried to explain the difilerence between these 

 fishes and has got a trifle mixed in describing one as having 

 "lateral stripes which run around the body." We believe 

 that this striped-bass law was introduced with the best of in- 

 tentions; but the fact that it is so worded as to be capable of 

 different constructions shows that it was carelessly framed. 

 We also believe that, in order to make such laws clear, the 

 scientific name of the fish should follow its common name, 

 and that to properly do this the advice of some one skilled 

 in modem nomenclature should be followed. 



That the legislation relating to the opening of the trout 

 season will have to be revised this winter there is no doubt. 

 This was an instance of hasty legislation wliich abruptly 

 closed the season after it had been open for two weeks, but 

 its main fault lay in making the season on Long Island open 

 a month earlier than in the rest of the State. Either one of 

 three things will be done. The old date of April 1 through- 

 out the State will be restored; the 1st of May be made the 

 opening day in all counties; or the Adirondack region will 

 he made to open in May and the rest of tlie State in April. 



When the last law was passed the date was changed to May 

 1 after it had been submitted to the Commissioners. 



We wish that the laws protecting fish cotild be entirely 

 separated from those protecting other game, and that they 

 could be intelligently revised and then left alone for a while. 

 It is time that such obsolete and outlandish names as "Os- 

 wego bass" departed from our statute books, since the name 

 "black bass" covers both species which arc now distinguished 

 by anglers by the size of the mouth, one being as much a 

 "true" black bass as the other. This is of a piece with the 

 legislative orthography which, in the law relating to duck 

 shooting, speaks of a house constructed of the boughs from 

 trees as a "bow house." This htis been on the books for 

 years, and looks as if the schoolmaster had gone abroad to 

 stay. 



The laws of JSew York speak of "California trout" and 

 "salmon trout." As there are now recorded by the latest 

 authorities, Jordan and Gilbert, the rainbow trout, S. irh 

 ckus; the steel-head or salmon trout, S. gairdneri; the sal- 

 mon trout of the Columbia, 8. purpuratus; and the Dolly 

 Yarden trout, 8. malma, all found in parts of California, the 

 name as used in the New York law is too indefinite. No 

 doubt the first species mentioned is the one intended. The 

 fish spawns in early spring, and since its introduction here 

 had developed a habit of spawning earlier than in California, 

 and why its open season should be from Sept. 1 to May 1 is 

 a mystery. Its season should be the same as our native trout, 

 for by May 1 it should be through with its spawning. Its 

 present season, beginning when other trout fishing closes, is 

 not only absurdly late, but is mischievous in giving legality 

 to fishing in trout waters at that time under pretense of fish- 

 ing for rainbow trout. Regarding the name of "salmon 

 trout" for our lake trout, it is simply a misnomer which, 

 while doing no positive harm, is not to be encouraged. The 

 name is applied to several fishes in different parts, see list of 

 trouts above, and properly belongs to the Salmo tniitu of 

 Europe. The Adirondack guides have shortened it into 

 ".salmon," and talk of taking salmon in their lakes, appar- 

 ently ignorant that the name properly belongs to another 

 fish. There are several other matters pertaining to fish 

 legislation which need attention; but we have cited cases 

 enough to show that in New York there is need of thorough 

 revision. 



THE F0RE81 AND STREAM TRAJECTORY TEST. 

 '"pHE Forest and Stream's tests of hunting rifles as to 

 their trajectory lines, began at the Crecdmoor Range 

 on Monday last and arc at present in active progress. The 

 fine weather has assisted much in enabling the trials to pro- 

 ceed'with despatch. It is, howcv(?r, a work which will not 

 admit of much hurry, as each step requires the utmost ex- 

 actness and care that no error may creep into the final result. 

 The base line over which the several shots are fired, was 

 fixed with the utmost exactness by Mr. Chas. H. Haswcll, 

 of world-wide fame as an engineer. The several scientific 

 instruments for fixing the atmospheric conditions under 

 which the shots were fired were furnished from the exten- 

 sive warehouse of Gall & Lembke, Union Square, West; 

 while Mr. Henry A. Sinclair, from the U. S. Proving 

 Ground, has given his personal attention to every detail, 

 sighting and firing for every shot. 



There are some thirty weapons under examination, embrac- 

 ing samples of the leading American arms, including the 

 Winchester, Whitney, Remington, Wesson, Bullard, Marhn, 

 Ballard, Colt, Stevens, and Maynard. A foreign double- 

 barreled Express rifle, from the shop of Thos. Bland & Sons, 

 England, was put in competition and with it a muzzleloader 

 of a type of which so much was expected and so much has 

 been written. With such a fine battery of rifles, the finest 

 probably of its sort ever gathered together, the Forest and 

 STREA3I is desirous of doing its full duty in making these 

 tests the standard for all discussion of hunting arms. In 

 due time the full report will appear in our columns, and 

 until then we hope our readers will exercise due patience, 

 or better still within the next few days take a trip to Creed- 

 moor and see the tests in progress, as many well known ex- 

 perts in the science and art of small arm shooting have 

 already done. 



The trajectoiy tests will probably extend through the 

 week, if the weather continues favorable; and possibly they 

 may be extended into next week. 



October is, of all the twelve months of the year, perma- 

 nently the sportsman's month, and when all the reforms we 

 are waiting for have been wrought it will be practicable to 

 leave one's business in October and go .shooting. 



THE DEER ON LONG ISLAND. 

 'X'HE open season for deer hounding in Sufifolk county, 

 Long Island, N, Y., opens to-day. The sportsmen of 

 Sufltolk county and the people of Long Island exerted them- 

 selves last winter to secure for their own section immunity 

 from the law forbidding deer hounding. They did this, not 

 so much for their own benefit, as for the convenience of their 

 friends from other parts of the State and from other States. 

 As we have already stated, all persons, whether sports- 

 men or market hunters, who want to hound deer are 

 cordially invited to visit Long Island, and take part 

 in the fun while it lasts. The season will extend 

 only to Oct. 8, and next Sunday, the 3d, will be a close day. 

 The route is via the Long Island Railroad, and the bounder 

 should go down to the Hamptons. By addressing Mr. Geo. 

 A. Whittaker, the district game protector at Southampton, 

 the intending visitor will obtain specific instructions as to 

 the most desirable localities. 



It is the wish of the residents of Suffolk county that theh 

 pains to afford this sport may be appreciated and that their 

 warm invitation to deer bounders may be understood to be 

 general and intended for everybody. 



The American Forestry Cohgress convention at Bos- 

 ton last week was the most substantial meeting of the kind 

 yet held in this country. The members present, the papers 

 read, and the general character and tone of the meeting unite 

 to give every assurance that the cause of forestry is making 

 real progress in this country. The new United States Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, Mr. Coleman, has a deep and intel- 

 Ugent interest in the subject of forestry, and in him the 

 workers in the cause are likely to find a most valuable aid. 

 The secretary of the Congress is Mr. E. B. Fernow, No. 13 

 BurKng Slip, New York. A proposition which we hope to 

 see put into effect was to secure the appointment of a com- 

 mittee on forest legislation, with ex-Governor Morton, of 

 Nebraska, at its head, to draft suitable laws, both national 

 and state, for forest conservancy. Papers were read on the 

 methods of utilizing the waste of lumbering operations, the 

 private protection of woodland tracts, and the prevention of 

 forest fires. 



"The American Nimrod" is the title won by Mr. 

 Winans, of Baltimore, Md., who has astonished and dis- 

 mayed the sportsmen of Great Britain by his wholesale leas- 

 ing and protection of Scotch grovise moors. He has fairly 

 beaten the Englishmen at their own game, and the landown- 

 ers begin to fear that before very long the Ameidcan million- 

 aire may absorb the entire shooting country of Scotland. He 

 now leases no fewer than fourteen forests and shootings, 

 which he has joined together, and his preserve extends 

 across Scotland from Moray Firth to Loch Duich, and covers 

 at least 250,000 acres, his sporting rental exceeding £14,000 

 a year. 



A Gentle Hint.-— If you have occasion to telegraph to 

 the Forest and STREiUvi on a matter requiring immediate 

 attention, be sm'e to direct the message to some individual 

 connected with the paper and not to the Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, The reason for this is that the indi- 

 vidual may happen to be absent, and the telegram will be 

 placed on his desk, where it will lie unopened for a day or 

 a week. This is, of course, just what you desire. If the 

 message were addressed to the Company, it would be opened 

 immediately, but that is not what you want. 



Dogs and Sheep.— From Tennessee comes word that 

 prominent sheep raisers have determined to abandon that 

 industry because they cannot protect their flocks against the 

 ?s. It is true that the average Tennessee dog does have 

 an abnormal taste for mutton. But instead of surrendering 

 their sheep to the dogs, why do not the farmers organize and 

 put through a law to kill off two or three hundred thousand 

 of the bnites? That would be the correct course to cure the 

 cur curse. 



The St. Louis Conventiok of Sportsmen convened 

 last Tuesday and is now in session. A report of the pro- 

 ceedings will be given in our next issue. 



Wild Geese.— The southward flights of wild geese are 

 reported. We should be glad to have notes of the migration 

 of the geese as observed by our readers. 



George Wilkes, widely known as one of the editors and 

 proprietors of the Spini of the T^mes, died in this city, 

 Sept. 23. 



