Dec. 10 1885. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



889 



ON AN OHIO DAIRY FARM. 



Editor Forent and Stream: 



Several weeks ago my chum and I were invited by an old 

 friend to spend a few days upon his extensive dairy farm in 

 this State. As au inducement, he stated that now and then 

 an occasional snipe, woodcock or partridge was to be found, 

 besides a large pair of cranes and numerous other birds. 1 

 look ray large staghound Fly. just to give her a chance to 

 stretch lierself on woodchucks and rabbits. 



About sundown of the first day Grib and I took our guns 

 and started out for woodchuks, Grib taking one side of a 

 wide ridge and I the other. It was not long before I saw 

 that Fly's quick eye had detected something moving on the 

 knoll opposite. Looking over I saw a big "chuck" nibbling 

 erass. 1 gave Fly the word to go, and away she went, 

 opening and shutting lilte a jack-knife. Reaching the top of 

 the otbor knoll, she took 'chuck entirely by surprise, and 

 was soon shaking him thoroughly; but she had no sooner 

 finished him than Grib's gun spoke out and she was off to 

 see what that meant. When I arrived upon the scene she 

 laid down chuck No. 3. Proceeding a little further we sat 

 down beneath a large chestnut tree, when, happening to 

 glance toward a large piece of flat land, 1 saw a big 

 crane rise from behind a fence three hundred yards dis- 

 tant. Calling Grib's attention to it, we concluded to get it 

 the next day.lf possible; and, watching where he flew, we 

 laid our plans accordingly. As it was getting late we were 

 about starting for home. when, turning around, we were 

 confronted by a young bull and five or six cows, and how 

 they did watch that dog. They followed her so closely that 

 it annoyed her, so she turned and took after them. 



The bitil, being more courageous than the rest, wouldn't 

 move faster than a slow trot and you can imagine our sur- 

 prise when we saw Fly seize the end of his tail. 'Twas then 

 he thought it time to run, but she still retained her hold, and 

 quick as a flash when his liindquarters rose into the air she 

 darted forward and to one side, twisting the bull around a 

 little and as a natural consequence over he went broadside. 

 He lay there for some little time but finally got up and 

 stalked off. This may appear hardly credible to some but I 

 think the Westprn readers will recognize the trick. Fly was 

 born and brought up in Southwestern Kansas, and had been 

 taught to do almost anything, from catching an antelope or 

 jack rabbit to throwing a steer. 



The next day we were out bright and early for that crane. 

 Our farmer friend informed us that the cranes could be 

 found by that fence in the flats almost any moi'ning, so we 

 decided to take our chance. The direction it had taken the 

 day before had been up the course of a large creek which 

 flowed in a valley between tw^o pieces of woods. It was de- 

 cided that I should make a detour through the woods and 

 come out in the valley about a quarter of a mile from the 

 fence and secreting myself behind some bushes, wait until 

 Grib, by walking boldly up to the fence, had started the 

 crane up the valley, and when the bird came over 1 was to 

 let him havfi it. Our plan worked to perfection. It was 

 not long after 1 blew my signal whistle that 1 saw the crane 

 coming straight toward me. Not wishing lo spoil his skin 

 by a breast shot, i waited until he had gone a reasonable 

 distance past me, then raised and fired, and hearing a thump 

 1 knew 1 had got him. 



U pon reaching him T found that I had ruffled scarcely a 

 feather, but upon further examination found that one ot his 

 legs had been slightly cut by a stray pellet, but that would 

 amount to nothing when mounted. 



I soon afterward removed the skin and expressed it to a 

 friend, a lady, who has a fine collection. 



That visit paid us very well indeed in the game line, our 

 bags showing a great variety. We saw two small bevies of 

 quail but did, not fire into them because they are so scarce 

 here wo were too glad to see a few alive to kill them. 



Cleveland, O , Nov. SI. 



Wisconsin Deer Destruction. — Forest and 



Btream: For a little over two years the M. L. S. & W, R. R. 

 have spared no pains to advertise the grand country — ihe 

 sportsman's paradise— through which the road runs. But if 

 tbc railroad companies will not lend a helping hand, the 

 present reputation of that country will soon be lost to view. 

 A visit lo it the past season revealed tbe fact there was an 

 aijundance ot deer, regardless of the fact that the law was 

 openly defied last winter, and thousands of deer were un- 

 iawfuily killed. Many were packed as butter, etc., and 

 shipped out of the State, while hundreds were left to waste, 

 .shot only to gratify the desire to kill by those who care for 

 Qothing^ else. And now reports reach us of a party who 

 liave been in the neighborhood of Gogebic hounding deer 

 for some weeks past. Go a little further down the road 

 .md you can find the "tips" of over one hundred which were 

 hounded lo the water and then shot. We heard of a party 

 in camp on one of the many lakes in Wisconsin who by good 

 luck shot a deer. As soon as the report i-eached the nearest 

 town the hounds were turned loose, and for two days they 

 ran the deer until none were left in that vicinity, and this 

 was done for no other reason than that those who bad paid 

 the railroad company their fares, the skinners their fees, 

 could not get a shot at a deer for the camp table e\-eu. The 

 railroad companies cannot be too watchful of the laws re- 

 garding the protection of fish and game in their country; 

 they owe it to their patrons as well as to themselves, and. 

 tuat they may lend a helping hand is the prayer of — ^Nimrod. 



Br,.\CK Bear, Ha3IT8. — ^Bethel, Me., Nov. 30. — ^Mr. V. S. 

 Davis has a logging camp near the head of Ariscohos Lake, 

 on the Magailoway River, in Oxford county, Maine. Henry 

 Sweatt and Walter West were out looking out reading 

 chances to haul their logs, and as they were separated a 

 short distance Sweatt, who carried an ax^ saw a pine stub 

 which looked bearish to him (he was an old hunter), so he 

 interviewed the stub with his ax, and hearing a scratching 

 overhead, looked up and was greeted with a growl from a 

 bear's head, with open mouth and fire in his eyes. Sweatt 

 sung out lustily to West, who had the gun, and he rushed 

 to the rescue and fired three shots into bruin's head before 

 the beast succumbed. They then twisted withes and tied 

 his legs together, and strung him on a pole between them 

 and lugged him to camp — about a mile. The bear was very 

 fat and his skin measures, stretched, 6ft. 3in. by 5ft. 6in., 

 and is a very fine pelt— very nice fur and shiny black. This 

 kills the theory that bears never den until driven in by deep 

 snows, as this was done on bare ground (oo pun intended). 

 There are doubtless lots of other bears still roaming around 

 loose in the forest at this time — Nov. 30— and tbey will hi- 

 bernate when it suits their fancy, regardless of the snow. — 

 J. G. R. 



A Shot Concentrattng Device. — Editor Forest and 

 Stream: A few weeks ago one of your correspondents 

 was inquiring about the effect of wire cartridges upon 

 the gun barrel. Now I have a wrinkle which I would like 

 to unfold to your readers in regard to a device with which I 

 do away with either thread-wound or wire cartridges. It 

 may already be known to many, but I have never seen it 

 used, nor read of its use. I never liked either of the above 

 named cartridges for various reasons, expense being one_ of 

 them, and I now make my own as follows: Take a first 

 qtiality paper shell and load it to suit yourself, with any de- 

 sired .size of shot, only being sure to put two pink-edged, 

 or felt wads ([ prefer pink-edged) over the powder. After 

 the shell is loaded and well crimped, take a sharp pocket 

 knife and cut around the shell on a line between the two 

 pink edged wads, nearly, but not quite, severing the shell in 

 two parts. Leave just enough of the fibres of the material 

 of the shell uncut to hold it together. You can ascertain the 

 exact point to cut through by measuring one shell after the 

 first wad has been rammed down upon the powder. Then 

 smear the front end of the prepared cartridge with a mixture 

 of tallow anil beeswax— four parts of the former to one of 

 the latter— and you are ready for business. You can inter- 

 mix bonedust, sand or any desired substance with the large 

 shot, if you desire it. No injury can accrue to your gun, and 

 you know just what you are shooting. There is no extra 

 trouble and the charge is as well held together as by the 

 wire or thread- wound cartridges. The only care required is 

 to be sure to cut between the two wads, as the last wad ex- 

 pands enough to sweep everything before it as soon as freed 

 from its own portion of the shell. Try it, brother sports- 

 man, and report, — Akefar (Auburn, Cal.. Thanksgiving 

 r>ay). 



Two Birds and a Live Rabbit. — Washington. D. 0., 

 Dec. 1. — William Woolls, Thomas Taylor and myself were 

 guests last week of Mr. Peter Wolfe, of King George county, 

 Va., forty five miles down the Potomac. Of course we had 

 our guns and were accompanied by Tom's old Drift and his 

 youngster, Flossie Belle, with my Dandy. Floss is only 

 nine months old, and it is very surprising what Tom has 

 already taught her . Birds were plentiful and I had a good 

 opportunity to judge of the qualities of the youngster, she 

 was as eager as it was possible for any dog to be, besides 

 being quite staunch, and her staying qualities are remark- 

 able. Now, mark that some day not far distant she will be 

 well known in the field. We bagged one hundred birds, one 

 wild goose and a few rabbits. The rabbits were remarkably 

 numerous. Ouce the dogs were standing and Tom and my- 

 self were waiting for Billy to come up to get a shot, when 

 he started a rabbit which ran agaiast Tom's shin and stunned 

 itself so that Tom put his foot upon it, and after knocking 

 down two of the birds he stooped and picked up the cotton- 

 tail. — Spot. 



Philadelphia Notes. — Philadelphia, Dec. 5. — Mallards, 

 both greenheads and dusky, and other marsh ducks are re- 

 maining on our river late this season. My informant, who 

 came up the Delaware to-day per steamboat from Salem, N. 

 J., reports the cove below Battery Point, and the river be- 

 tween Fort Delaware and Fort Penn, full of fowl, mostly 

 mallard and black ducks. As a rule these species have left 

 us before this time, and their late stay this month would 

 seem to indicate an open winter or a not very early one. 

 There has been quite a shipment from the Northwest to this 

 market during the past week of both pinnated and sharp- 

 tailed grouse. Dealers tell me "when it is cold enough we 

 expect a great deal of Western g^ame. Everything is ar- 

 ranged and we only want freezing wejither." Five more 

 dc<sr were killed in Atlantic coimty, N. J., dtuing the pa.st 

 week. Six men of one hunting party accompJisbcci this. 

 The bill to protect the deer for three to. live years will doubt- 

 less be brought up ajod jjassed at Trenton at an early date. — 

 UOMCX, "7 ' ' 



A Grouse Snarkr Convicted. — Wellsville, N. Y., Dec. 

 fi. — We have had our game law offender punished. John 

 Langdon has violated the game law during the last few years 

 by snaring partridges for market. Our game constable failed 

 to catch him, though he had an understanding with the Erie 

 Railroad agent here and at Andover to give notice 

 when Langdon shipped birds. Last summer Langdon moved 

 to Whitesville, N. Y., twelve mile from here; and each Mon- 

 day morning in the past fall would send a box by stage to 

 the railrofid. One morning the constable appeared and 

 opened the box, found nine partridges and took Langdon 

 before Justice John Q. A. Woodcock. One partridge was 

 proven to have been snared and Langdon was fined $10 and 

 costs or ten days in jail. He served his sentence. — C. L. P. 



Western Ontario.— A correspondent reports quail un- 

 usually scarce. In fact, scarcely a single bird is to be found, 

 and it is thought they must have perished during the severity 

 of last winter. Black squirrels, the small boy's favorite 

 game, are also scarce. Partridge, woodcock and snipe are 

 reported plenty, and some good bags have been made. Ducks 

 and waterfowl of all kinds are in good supply, and f ronr 

 Enniskillen and Sombra deer are reported abundant. Rab- 

 bits have been completely destroyed by the severity of the 

 past two winters, and not one is now to be found in locali- 

 ties where two years ago they threatened to become a de- 

 structive nuisance. 



Galveston, Nov. 11.— In the fall of 1873. while we were 

 camping in the southwestern part of Texas, on Red River, 

 one morning the youngest of our party went down to the 

 river for water, and saw there a large buck behind a tree. 

 He had the "buck ague" pretty bad, but without stopping 

 to remove the rifle cover he pointed the rifle and fired. To 

 our astonishment the deer did not move, and on examination 

 we found that the bullet had entered the left eye and pene- 

 trated the brain. "M. E, G." got the deer, but ruined his 

 lifle cover. However, he says he would ruin twenty covers 

 to get another chance like that. — Redbreast. 



White Creek, N. Y., Nov. 30.— Game in this section is 

 quite scarce. Ruffed grouse are very shy and flush long 

 before one gets within range of them. Raccoons, rabbits 

 and foxes are quite plenty. Gray squirrels are not so nu- 

 merous as in years past, yet if you have a good dog you can 

 have flue sport hunting them. 1 went out four times with 

 my dog Jack and bagged thirty. That is not a large score, 

 yet I enjoyed myself as well as though I got more. — L. M. A. 



ScKAJsrroN, Pa., Dec. 5.— A black bear weighing 41.5 

 I pounds was shot last week by Mr. Houck near Tobyhanna 

 Mills, and was exhibited here in the market. Last winter 

 I several were shot in the same vicinity, — W. B. L. 



Who Takes Ttrro Deer.?— Number Four, Adirondackg.— 



Editor Forest and Stream: Whether the deer belongs to the 

 person killing it or to the owner of the dog driving it, is 

 merely a matter of custom, differing in diffi3rent places. la 

 the eye of the law the deer bfiloug^ to the psrson killing it, 

 no matter how driven to him, unless the person driving it 

 had previously given it a fatal wound. Here in the Adirou- 

 dacks it htis been the custom to concede to the dog driving 

 the deer the skin only, and the carcass to the person kllliag 

 the deer.— MasSBT. 



Wire Cartridges. — St. Louis, Nov. 19 — Tn your issue 

 of Oct. 1 "N." asks for information regarding the use of the 

 Eley cartridge. I have for thirty years used the Eley wire 

 cartridge in my Purdy, Reily and Greener guns, all open 

 bore, and have found them the most effective of any cart- 

 ridge in use. and without the slightest injury to my barrels. 

 But I have not deemed it advisable to use the wire cartridges 

 in ray Daly chokebore, as I feared they would in time shoot 

 the bore out.— C. H._T\ 



An Odd Fox Capture.— Cleveland, O., Dec 1.— While 



reading a fox story in an old number of the Forest and 

 Stream this evening I was reminded of a p.arty who last 

 winter caught one old fellow that had a heavy leather collar 

 around his neck, and dangling from a ring in the collar was 

 nearly a foot of chain. He was identified by a resident of 

 Newbury as one which he had partially tamed eight years 

 before. — Watt. 



Tallahassee, Fla., Nov. 11.— Two gentlemen came in 

 with fifty-two quail the other day, and I have found no 

 difficulty in getting snipe and plover in numbers. Some 

 ducks have been shot, but it is almost too early for them, 

 while squirrels and quail could scarcely be more" plentiful.— 

 Bbe. 



§^mfi Sin S^i^^^m^* 



''That reminds me." 

 1 "74. — Addendum. 



CAMP-FIRE FLtCKERlNGS 174 had a good story about 

 Billy Crosby and Cale Loring, and I can vouch for its 

 correctness, having been there at the time. Mac (Mannasseh 

 Smith, I guess) did not quite finish, for Cale, when he went 

 after water that evening, took along his gun as usual, and 

 actually knocked over the odd teal, thus getting the entire 

 twenty. I showed the article to Crosby, who at first insisted 

 I wrote it. "But at any rate," said Billy, "all I wanted to 

 do, and told you so at the time, was to keep the 'critters' 

 out of Cale's garden [the place in front of the shanty where 

 we dig clams], for I knew the crowd would come home 

 hungry and was afraid there would not be enough clams to 

 go around." Reignolds. 



176. 



NEARLY thirty-five years ago, when I was a lad of ten, 

 there lived in my father's neighborhood in Canada, 

 near the Vermont border, an old man, known in all those 

 piirts, who went by the name of "Uncle Nate." He was 

 seventy years of age when I first knew him, owned a good 

 farm "which he had cleared with his own hands, was the 

 father of a large family of well-to-do sons and daughters, 

 and was universally liked . bv s]l who knew him. 



lu the early days ho ;{^d "come up from the Bay Stst« asd- - 

 was the first settler in that neighborhood, and had for years 

 helpc.! out the scanty income of his new farm by the aid of 

 his rifle and traps. In the course of time the large game 

 alid nearly all the fur-bearing animals disappeared from the 

 surrounding country, and in my youthful days the still vig- 

 orous and hale old man used to gratify the hunter's instinct 

 which still stirred his blood every autumn, by hunting foxes 

 with dog and gun, and lining wild honey-bees to their trees. 



Foxes were very plentiful in those parts then, whatever 

 they may be now, and every favorable morning Uncle Nate 

 would sally out to the hills with his trusty hound Bose- and 

 his old single-barreled gun, which had been changed from 

 flint-lock to percussion. This ancient arm he clung to with 

 all the conservatism of a loyal nature, and it seldom failed to 

 procure him either feather or fur when brought to shoulder. 



One day he had been indulging in one of his hunts, and 

 Bose had run the fox to earth near by my father's, and 

 Uncle Nate came over to borrow tools to unearth him. Of 

 course I was all on fire to go and help, and, getting permission, 

 1 shouldered a part of the tools and accompanied him. Ar- 

 riving at the spot, we found the hound working away faith- 

 fully, but owing to the ground being hard frozen — it was 

 late in November — he had made but little progress. Uncle. 

 Nate started in, and after three or four hours of hard work 

 reached the fox, by the assistance of Bose, and having dealt 

 it a vigorous blow on the head with a small crowbar,' threw 

 it upon the ground near by. The hound immediately re- 

 turned to the burrow with unabated eagerness, and the old 

 gentleman said this meant another fox. Although it was 

 now getting dark. Uncle Nate started digging again with 

 renewed vigor, in anticipation of this addition to a good 

 day's work. After a few moments he stopped to wipe the 

 perspiration out of his eyes, and Bose took up the work. 

 After the old man had mopped his face and bald head for a 

 moment his eye was caught by the absence of the fox which 

 had been thrown upon the' ground as dead. I had not 

 missed the creature, as I was too fully occupied and anxious 

 about the proceedings in the pit to waste my time watching 

 a dead fox. Well, the dead fox had come to life, and when 

 Uncle Nate missed him he could just be seen making off at a 

 very uncertain gait for the friendly obscurity of a small 

 swamp. ^ The old man stooped, and, seizing 'Bose, whose 

 whose hind legs and tail only were visible, by a vigorous 

 effort swung him out of the pit, shouting, "Go catch him, 

 Bose!" 



And right here was where the joke came in, Bose had 

 reached and grasped the second fox, and when pulled so 

 unceremoniously out of the burrow held on to his quarry 

 like grim death and brought it with him. They landed 

 some feet away, and came down with a "dull thud" "upon the 

 frozen ground. In the melee the fox escaped from the dog's 

 jaws, and made fast time out of that place, with Bose yelling 

 at his heels, and all three disappeared simultaneously. Uncle 

 Nate jumped upon the edge of the pit, and placing his hand 

 over his eyes, peered with a vexed and foolish expression 

 into the gathering darkness, AS the hound's voice gradually 

 died away he burst into a hearty fit of laughter and ex- 

 clainaed: "Well! Gosh darn my fool carcass! I've been 

 huntin' off an' on for over sixty year, but that ia the fust 

 time I ever tried to kill one fox by throwin' another at him!" 

 California. Arefak, 



