Aug. 17, 1895.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



141 



any clinker. If liked, tin air vessels can be stowed as 

 Beats in bow and stern, and then the boat is safer tha,n 

 the ordinary wooden boat, which it equals in every way. 

 The sections rest nicely, not having bulkheads to inter- 

 fere. All in all, it is a very useful thing for a sportsman's 

 collection of supplies. E. Hough. 



909 Security Building, Chicago, HI. 



An Indiana Dog's Point. 



Jackson County, Ind., Aug. 8.— We have excellent 

 prospects for good quail shooting this fall. The section 

 men on the railroad through here have just mown off the 

 right of way. Their section is about six miles and they 

 told me that they found nineteen quail nests, most of 

 them setting and one or two hatched out, and one nest 

 spoiled. We heard of a hen quail being caught by a 

 neighbor's cat. 



We have had rains lately which have saved the nests 

 that are to hatch yet, for it has caused the grass to come 

 up again, so that the track will not be burnt off until later 

 in the fall. The engines fire it sometimes, but that will 

 not be so liable to happen now. The men left small 

 patches of weeds around the nests, and they report seeing 

 the birds there all O. K. the next day. Every season the 

 birds nest along the track. It is river bottom land all 

 through here, and on most all corn is raised. This leads 

 them to take to the track. Quite a good many are left 

 from last season. I saw three coveys as late as March. 



A little incident which occurred at the close of the quail 

 season last fall may be a common occurrence, but it was 

 new to me. Brother and I were out after quail, and it 

 was what we call a good day, for it had rained the night 

 before, and was misting a little that morning, but cleared 

 before noon. We have a young common bred (part Irish, 

 part Gordon) setter dog. Last season (his second year) we 

 had found one covey in a hedge row right near the White 

 River, and had stopped a few of them. If I am to say it 

 rnyself, it's not everyone who can stop the Indiana quail; 

 they are goers from the very start. As we were hunting 

 up very much scattered birds which had followed the 

 fence both up and down, the dog came to a point. I 

 walked up and flushed the bird and dropped it out on a 

 piece of stubble about 30yds. off. Not being any more 

 there, we sent the dog to retrieve, which he did, and had 

 started back to us, when suddenly he came to a point 

 again, right with the bird in his mouth. He finally 

 moved up a few steps and we knew then the covey (as 

 it turned out to be) were running. It was a great pic- 

 ture to us, but it lasted only about two minutes, for the 

 dog at last half turned his head and glanced at us, as 

 much as to say, "This is more than I can manage." 

 So he dropped the dead bird from his mouth and again 

 moved up, and finally became rigid, and when we 

 "walked up the finest covey rose. We stopped three of 

 them before they returned across the river, which they 

 did at the first flight. They must have just come across, 

 as they were not there previously. We think that was a 

 great sight. Joseph Taylor. 



Washington State Sportsmen's Association. 



Seattle, Wash., July 31.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 On the evening of Saturday, July 27, about fifty sports- 

 men, representing gun clubs located at Whatcom, Ta- 

 coma, Port Townsend, Auburn, Aberdeen and Seattle, 

 gathered at the Hotel Northern, this city, and organized 

 the Washington State Sportsmen's Association for the 

 Protection of Fish and Game. 



The meeting was marked for its enthusiasm and evident 

 anxiousness on the part of those present to get to work 

 immediately and do something toward the protection of 

 fish and game, which are rapidly being exterminated here 

 owing to the non-observance of the game laws. 



The following officers were elected: President, Josiah 

 Collins, Jr., Seattle; First Vice-President, E. E. Ellis, Ta- 

 coma; Second Vice-President, T. B. Ware, Spokane; Sec- 

 retary and Treasurer, C. F. Graff, Seattle. The following 

 Board, of Directors was chosen: H. A. Griffin, North 

 Yakima; E. A. Kimball, Tacoma; W. J. Pratt, Whatcom; 

 L. B. Faulkner, Olympia; C. F. Treat, Seattle; F. H. 

 Mason, Spokane; Wellington Clark, Walla Walla; W. A. 

 Hardy, Seattle; W. E. McKee, Seattle; B. Jensen, Sprague; 

 Charles Draper, Port Townsend; A. Williams, Ellens- 

 burgh. 



The initial tournament of the Association will be held 

 here some time in October under the auspices of the Seattle 

 Rod and Gun Club. 



A few days ago we succeeded in convicting a market- 

 shooter, Eugene Dupont by name, and two French restau- 

 rants, the Maison Tortoni and French Arlington, of 

 violating the game laws, the former for killing and the 

 latter for having in their possession and selling. Dupont 

 was fined $20 and costs, while the restaurants were let off 

 with $10 and costs each. 



These prosecutions and convictions have had the effect 

 of stopping to a great extent the unlawful killing of deer, 

 ducks and grouse, which has been going on here more or 

 less all summer. 



Much credit is due President Collins for his earnest work 

 in the interest of game protection, not only on this occa- 

 sion, but in the past, he having spent both valuable time 

 and money in his efforts to uphold the rights of sports 

 men. C. F. Graff, Sec'y W. S. S. A. 



Don't Pull it Muzzle Foremost. 



Ithaca, N. Y., Aug. 9.— At Trumansburg, this county, 

 Thomas Kinsella was drawing in hay, and, having seen a 

 woodchuck in the field, asked the hired man to bring 

 him the gun when they were again in the vicinity of the 

 house. The gun was brought and passed up, muzzle first, 

 to Kinsella, who was on the wagon. Kinsella drew it to- 

 ward him in this position, when the gun was discharged, 

 the load striking him in the region of the armpit. The 

 unfortunate man lived only a short time. 



Last year, a short distance from the scene of the above 

 accident, a young man seized the barrels of his gun near 

 the muzzle, jammed the stock thereof into a burrow in 

 an attempt to dislodge a rabbit; the gun was discharged, 

 killing the indiscreet hunter instantly. 



In connection with the above, Mr Frank Feely of this 

 city, tells me of a series of surprisingly lucky accidents 

 in which he figured prominently. He was hunting snipe, 

 caught his foot in a gnarled root, fell down with the gun 

 under him, and while in that position both barrels were 

 discharged. By a miracle, as it seemed, he came out 

 without a scratch. Later on, in the sitting-room at 



home, he was proudly exhibiting the gun, unloaded as he 

 supposed, to a visitor. The muzzle was, fortunately, 

 pointed toward the floor when the unknown remaining 

 load belched Ibrth, tearing a hole in the floor big enough 

 to let a Kansas jack-rabbit through, and breaking open in 

 the cellar directly beneath a supply of canned fruit that 

 would easily have fed ex-Congressman Tim Campbell's 

 annual picnic. 



Still later, in his office one day he was examining a re- 

 volver supposed to be unloaded, when an acquaintance 

 entered and, in a spirit of play, grasped the pistol. Dur- 

 ing the friendly struggle that ensued, the didn't-know-it- 

 was-loaded chamber let go its contents, the bullet sailing 

 harmlessly up through the ceiling and into the space of 

 an unoccupied garret. 



Seemingly, as a fitting finale to all this, Mr. Feely took 

 a loaded revolver, that had become so rusted that it would 

 no longer revolve, to a neighboring tin-shop, fastened the 

 weapon in a vise so that the muzzle pointed directly at a 

 Gin. expanse of steel which the vise afforded, and began 

 operations. A tinsmith presently came to his assistance, 

 and by the use of a punch and hammer sought to loosen 

 the solidly rusted parts. Suddenly there was a series of 

 explosions, every chamber of the revolver discharging, 

 the bullets striking the steel expanse of the vise and hurl- 

 ing fine particles of lead into the face of Mr. Feely and 

 his assistant. No serious injury was inflicted, however. 

 Mr. Feely dropped the revolver in an abandoned well, 

 traded his gun for fishing tackle, renounced his faith in 

 firearms, and for years has been known to the world and 

 to the sons of men as an enthusiastic and devoted mem- 

 ber of the tribe of Walton. M. Chill. 



Game Slaughter in Florida. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A friend has sent me an advertisement of the Tampa 

 Bay hotels, on the back of which is a list (printed) of the 

 amount of game shot near Tampa by guests, probably of 

 the hotels. The following is the list: quail 1,352, snipe 

 1,252, doves 97, besides numerous hares, ducks and squir- 

 rels. All this in fifty-two days. But the point to which 

 I desire to call attention is this: In thirty-three of these 

 days a Mr. and Mrs. Bergner, of Philadelphia, slew of the 

 above number 849 quail and 845 snipe. Shades of game 

 butchers! All to see if they could not break the record, 

 for it is noted one day that they broke the record, killing 

 283 snipe and 32 plover, another day slaying 184 snipe, 

 Another 110 and as high as 127 quail a day. For shame! 

 For shame! The sooner the solons of Florida limit the 

 amount of game to be killed in one day the sooner they 

 will begin to conserve the attractions of their State and 

 prevent tourists from making shameful exhibitions of 

 themselves. O. O. S. 



"That reminds me." 

 The Judge's Story. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The discussion about buck fever has brought to mind 

 the stories told by old deer hunters when I was a boy. I 

 had a way of asking old soldiers and hunters questions 

 until I got them either to telling stories or arguing; then 

 I stood around and listened to the fun. 



Judge W. H. Randall says, "I never had buck fever. 

 The first deer I ever saw I killed." 



"And you never had buck fever?" 



"Well, I will tell you and you can judge for yourself. I 

 was on a visit to a relative in York State, and he said to 

 me, 'Go up on top of the hill back of the house and you 

 will find a clearing in which I have some turnips planted; 

 you might find a deer there.' I took the old muzzleloader 

 and started, found the clearing all right, and stood for 

 several moments looking over it from behind an old 

 hemlock log. Well, sir, I had given up seeing any deer, 

 when there, right in the middle of that patch, stood a 

 doe and a fawn. I don't know how they got there, for 

 there was not even a weed to obstruct my view of the 

 patch. I rested the rifle across the log, took careful aim 

 just behind the foreshoulder and fired. At the crack of 

 my rifle the doe dropped. 



"Now, I might have been a little rattled at that, for I 

 don't know how I got over the log and to that doe — flew, 

 I guess. Anyway I got there and bled her, and after I 

 had admired her a while I began to hunt for the bullet 

 hole. I hunted and hunted for that bullet and could only 

 find a crease across its back just in front of its tail, that 

 had scraped the backbone. Now, I did not aim for there 

 and it was the only mark on the deer, so it must have 

 paralyzed her for a moment; and if I had not got there 

 in the short order I did she would have got away. I sup- 

 pose the gun must have been a little rusty, for it was an 

 excellent shooting gun." 



"Where did you find your gun?" Pat, an old deer 

 hunter, asked. 



"Oh, about half-way between the log and the deer, and 

 my hat between it and. the log." 



And old Pat grinned. 



West Virginia. 



Grown in Texas. 



Washington, D. C, Aug. 2.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: I have been much interested in the snakeology 

 of Mr. Hough and have read every word you have pub- 

 lished about the snake with the horn on his tail, the ones 

 with legs, the one that was able to climb up the side of a 

 tree and all others. 



I send you a clipping from the People's Advocate, of 

 Austin, Texas, setting forth a new species of snake. 

 From its peculiar characteristics, I think it a. direct de- 

 scendant of the first snake mentioned in history. 



Now that you have taken steps to complete the study 

 of the pine nut bear, the fantail deer and other little- 

 known animals and reptiles, I would suggest that this 

 new snake be included. Quite a large reward could be 

 offered for a specimen with the knowledge that if found 

 the money would not be spent in vain. 



The new snake tops all of Mr. Hough's old back-number 

 chaps. 



Here follows the yarn: "Coming from Bastrop by dirt 

 road and reaching a point some two miles above Hornsby, 

 my attention was attracted by a snake on the side of the 

 road. I stopped the buggy to admire its dazzling beauty. 

 It was about 2^f t. long, with cylindrical body (unlike the 



rattler), and its belly a bright yellow. Running full 

 length of its body were stripes of brown, green and red 

 alternating. Its eyes were very dark green, with that 

 staring expression usual with all snakes, as none of them 

 are provided with movable lids. 



"It made no attempt to escape, but remained motion- 

 less. I pinched off a crumb of bread from my lunch and 

 threw to it, which it readily devoured; I repeated this 

 several times with same results. I got out, and with my 

 arm outstretched offered it a crumb from my fingers; it 

 soon moved within reach and took the bread as humbly 

 and politely as a scared stray dog would have done. I 

 got in the buggy and moved off in a slow trot, when, after 

 driving about 30yds., I was again astonished to see the 

 snake on the side of the road endeavoring to keep up, and 

 was a little in advance, with head raised and frequently 

 looking back as it ran. I stopped, and to my utter aston- 

 ishment it crawled to the front wheel, wound itself about 

 the spokes, got in and coiled on the seat. 



"I did not feel uneasy, as I am told that, as a rule, non- 

 poisonous snakes run rapidly with their bodies straight as 

 this one did; while poisonous reptiles move slowly and in 

 a wiggling or serpentine shape. 



"I drove on feeling proud of my new made friend, and 

 attempted to place my hand on its neck; but the cold 

 flesh caused the chills to run all over me. I had no gloves, 

 but wrapped a handkerchief around my fingers and 

 rubbed it down from its head, when it would Drace its 

 back against the pressure like a kitten. 



"Soon after starting, and while the rubbing was going 

 on, I noticed it stretching* its neck over my lap in the 

 direction of the lunch. I put my hand inside the paper 

 bag to pinch off a crum, when suddenly it drew back and 

 cavorted about on the seat, switching its tail against the 

 cushion in great glee, not unlike a flee upon the return of 

 his long absent master. Of course these capers were in 

 anticipation of the lunch it expected to get. 



"I was feeling extra proud of my prize, fully intending 

 to place it in a zoological garden, but alas! as I was driv- 

 ing along by Radam's garden, a dog ran out barking, 

 when the object of my admiration quickly sprang from 

 the seat to the ground and disappeared through the 

 pickets into the overgrown shrubbery inside. 



"It was my intention to call it back, but then I didn't 

 know what kind of a call to use." 



VERMONT LEAGUE. 



The midsummer meeting of the Vermont Fish and 

 Game League took the form of an excursion to the Isle 

 La Motte yesterday, reports the Burlington Free Press, 

 and was in every respect a most enjoyable success. 

 Many of the most distinguished men of the State are 

 members of the League, and the invitations which were 

 sent out included a number of others who, while they are 

 not enthusiasts with the rod or gun, are nevertheless 

 heartily in sympathy with the objects of the organiza- 

 tion, which aims to make Vermont a paradise for the 

 sportsman and therefore attractive to those from other 

 parts of the country who live to commune with nature. 



Hon. N. W. Fi8k, the president of the club, and a 

 prince among entertainers, was kept busy for some time 

 receiving the greetings of his many friends. Dinner was 

 served in two large connecting tents, which had been 

 erected on the lawn near Mr. Fisk's residence. Three 

 long tables extended through the tents at right angles to 

 another table, at which were seated C. M. Wilds, of Mid- 

 dlebury, the toastmaster, with the following gentlemen 

 at his right: Gov. Woodbury, ex-Senator Edmunds, Con- 

 gressman Powers, Lieut. -Gov. MaDSur and ex-Gov. Bar- 

 stow. At his left were Senator Proctor, Congressman 

 Grout, ex-Gov. Stewart, Frank Webb and Gen. J. G. 

 McCullough. Others at the heads of the side tables were: 

 President Buckham, Mayor Van Patten, ex-Gov. Page, 

 Col. F. D. Proctor, Gen. J. J. Estey, Hon. G. G. Bene- 

 dict, D. W. Robinson, Capt. H. E. Tutherly, Col. H. W. 

 Allen, Col. H. W. Hall, Col. R. J. Coffey, Gen. T. S. 

 Peck, Judge R, S. Taft, Hon. Olin Merrill and Hon. D. 

 H. Lewis. 



With such a galaxy of men accustomed to after-dinner 

 speaking, something good was expected in the post-pran- 

 dial exercises. The speeches were all of a very informal 

 character, largely humorous, and the several speakers told 

 stories at one another's expense and then got back at each 

 other with some keen thrusts. Being in a lighter vein, 

 they were speeches which lose much of their pointedness 

 when put into cold, hard type. 



Rapping for order, Toastmaster Wilds said: This ban- 

 quet has been conducted entirely on fishing lines. The 

 search for a presiding officer has been of this character. 

 From an unsuccessful search for a large fish the officials 

 have come down to one of the small fry. This place is 

 historic you will find from those who follow me. It is 

 accessible from all points of the globe. I commend to 

 the Governor this lesson. Feed any who are disposed to 

 make trouble. This island is capable of supporting all 

 members of this League. The officers are to be congratu- 

 lated on the success of this gathering. No other place 

 could have been selected where so many eminent men 

 would congregate as has been the case here to-day. In 

 this distinguished galaxy of stars it is a difficult matter 

 to find one that shines brighter than another, but it is fit- 

 ting to call up the Governor first. 



Gov. Woodbury said in part: I shall not attempt 

 to tell fish stories, although I ought to be able to do so. 

 My ancestor, John Woodbury, of Salem, was the first 

 man to be elected to office in this country and no one by 

 that name was ever since known to refuse an office. 

 There are no candidates for office at this table because it 

 is sometimes said aristocrats only sit at the head table and 

 no aristocrats can ever hold office in Vermont. The 

 office seekers are at all other tables. We have reason to 

 congratulate ourselves on this gathering. We are happy 

 and are furthering the interests of this League, which is 

 doing much in the way of attracting summer visitors to 

 Vermont. I hope the interest of the League will continue 

 until we have a State that will attract people from all 

 parts of the world. 



Ex-Senator Edmunds was called up as a distinguished 

 lawyer, an eminent statesman and an immortal fisher- 

 man. The Senator said in part: I wish we could stay 

 here a week and catch fish. I am afraid that my friend's, 

 the chairman's, failure to catch fish is because he has 



