330 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 11, 1888 



BRANT SHOOTING AT CHATHAM. 



r PHE bran ting season for 1888 at Monomoy, Cape Cod, 

 A had about the usual variety of incidents, of waxing 

 and waning fortune, with a little more pressure upon the 

 waning side, as compared with previous years. Each 

 season is counted as about five weeks, or from March 22 

 to April 26, but in a forward season, some brant may be 

 shot as early as March 18, and in a backward one, like 

 the present, especially if many of them are young birds, 

 as late as May 1. Last year the Monomoy Branting Club 

 broke camp on May 4, and on the 2d of that month bag- 

 ged six brant. No brant of any account are shot here 

 in autumn. They do not come on to our coast at that 

 season unless driven by an easterly storm, and then will 

 depart as soon as the wind changes. Nor are they 

 of any value for food if so taken, being poor and un- 

 savory. 



The year 1887 was particularly rich in young birds, 

 while the present surpasses any season on record in pov- 

 erty of young, so far as we have seen in our thirty years' 

 experience, yielding but a single pair out of a grand total 

 of 135 brant killed. In this connection we may cite an- 

 other instance in corroboration of our statement in re- 

 gard to the poverty of young birds. A party of five gen- 

 tlemen, gunning near Nantucket early in April, in a 

 week, killed sixty-one brant, every one of which was an 

 adult bird. Last year about three-quarters of all the birds 

 killed were young. It will be readily understood by any 

 person of experience that there will be relatively more 

 young birds killed than old ones. The old buds are more 

 wary and suspicious and do not decoy so well as young, 

 and hence more of them fall victims to misplaced confi- 

 dence as do many of our inexperienced youth. We have 

 no means of determining the age or sex of these little 

 geese except by the dissecting knife, but our test with 

 some of them as they came from the hand of a professed 

 cook is that they are fully up to "three score and ten," 

 and well sustain the character of the family for great 

 longevity. 



"Why are the young birds this season so scarce?" is a 

 question frequently asked. Various theories have been 

 advanced to account for the almost entire absence of 

 young birds tins season, but none are quite satisfactory. 

 Our own opinion is this: The season of '87 must have 

 been very backward, so that the birds did not reach their 

 breeding ground till late, and the cold weather of 

 autumn set in so early as to compel the parent bird to 

 abandon her callow young to perish in the ice. No other 

 theory is at all plausible. It is well known that these 

 birds do not leave Prince Edwards Island till the 10th of 

 June when the eggs are in a rudimentary state. Allow 

 them three days to reach their breeding ground, six more 

 to build their nests and mature their eggs for extrusion. 

 If then they lay fourteen eggs, fourteen days more will 

 be required. Four weeks (28 days) is the ordinary time 

 necessary for incubation by the goose family. Fifty-one 

 days are already consumed and our little chick has just 

 burst his prison wall and sniffed the chilling Arctic breeze 

 of August i. Now, we are informed by our most reliable 

 Arctic explorers that by the third of September in ordin- 

 ary seasons the ice begins to make. 



It was on the 4th of September when the Polaris, un- 

 able to proceed further, dropped her anchors for the 

 winter, and much snow began to fall. This would leave 

 but thirty-four days for the young birds to mature and 

 become strong and well fledged enough to wing their way 

 out over the long, weary road to more genial climes. It 

 is presumed six weeks or forty-two days at least would 

 be required to accomplish this, and when winter sets in 

 so early as Sept. 5, all the young birds, except those of a 

 few old ones that arrived upon the ground earlier, must 

 perish. Such a season must have overtaken them in '87. 

 If it is assumed that some malaria— some frightful epi- 

 demic swept away the young birds, why, then, did it not 

 also take the loving mothers who so faithfully and ten- 

 derly nursed and protected them? We deem both the 

 non-productive and epidemic theories untenable. 



We have at times thought there were less birds going 

 north this spring than last. This, however, is mere con- 

 jecture, as there are no data from which to deduce con- 

 clusions. The best judges differ about it, but there was 

 no difference of opinion as to the numbers last year be- 

 ing equal to or even greater than on any previous year 

 during the past half century. They are birds singularly 

 exempt from destruction * by man's ingenuity. They 

 have entire immunity from danger on their breeding 

 grounds, but within a few years have been pursued and 

 destroyed in their southern or winter resorts. To what 

 extent this slaughter has been carried on we have no 

 means of judging other than by the numbers offered in 

 our markets. We should hardly think it would foot up 

 five thousand. If, then, the number of brant as esti- 

 mated by our best judges last year was four millions, the 

 small number killed by man and other casualties would 

 make no perceptible diminution, and if any apparent de- 

 crease had taken place it must be accounted for upon 

 some other ground than human agency. In surveymg 

 all the pros and cons we must still adhere to the theory 

 of the sole agency of frost. 



That we have killed so few birds this season rests sim- 

 ply upon two causes: First, that the birds, being all old 

 ones, would not decoy well or offer any number of good 

 shots; our members and invited guests are most of them 

 old, experienced hunters, and the small bag could not be 

 attributed to a want of skill on their part. Second, the 

 transformation of some of our best feeding, ground into a 

 grand sand flat. This place has from time immemorial 

 been peculiarly situated to attract brant hither, as well as 

 to afford most excellent opportunities for shooting them. 

 The Chatham Flats, which are overflown every high ti<£e, 

 are more than a mile in length, by less than half a mile 

 in width. On the west side of these immense sand fiats 

 is the open bay, much of which is shoal water, containing 

 large patches of eel grass (Zostera marina), upon which 

 the brant feed. On the easterly side of these flats was a 

 strip of water running up to the town, some two miles 

 distant. This channel, through which vessels and the 

 tide water passed, subsequently closed at its southerly 

 end, forming a sort of bav, which was protected from the 

 ocean waves by a broad, high beach, called Nanset. In 

 course of time this inner bay produced unknown quanti- 

 ties of eel grass, fresh, green and delicious. This natural 

 food for the brant attracted them over and across the 

 fiats. 



Along the margin of these flats our boxes are placed so 

 that the birds can swim up on to the bars of sand that 



surround them, or as they fly over to the feeding ground 

 might be coaxed to pay a visit to our decoys for social or 

 other reasons. Then they all had to come out over the 

 flats as they did not apparently like to spend the night in 

 so narrow a channel or so near the town. The fact that 

 the birds had to cross and re-cross these narrow flats to 

 reach those precious feeding places, rendered this loca- 

 tion one of the best if not the best brant shooting ground 

 to be found anywhere upon our whole Atlantic sea- 

 board. Some few years ago, during an easterly gale and 

 high tide, Nanset bar was broken through or breached 

 nearly opposite the town of Chatham. On every high 

 tide the curjj|nt through this breach westward was so 

 strong as to move immense fields of sand, of which the 

 beach was formed, into the channel, thereby ruining the 

 northerly part of this feeding ground. Still there was 

 left some mile or two of this alluring food which the 

 birds continued to visit. 



Last winter during another gale and high tide the 

 dashing waves made a clean breach through Nanset 

 abreast of* our club house, and finally so reduced this 

 great warder of the waves, Nanset beach, that every high 

 course of tides sweept over it until it, is now almost level 

 with the common fiats. The material thus removed has 

 been utilized to fill the remaining part of the channel. 

 The gap abreast the Monomy club house has not for the 

 past month widened, but rather diminished. What the 

 final result will be no one can predict. The nature of all 

 this immense pile of sand of which Cape Cod is com- 

 posed, has, it is thought, a tendency southward. We are 

 not certain but there is such tendency in all particleB of 

 matter north of the equator, since it is ascertained that 

 the equatorial is greater than the polar diameter. 



Then there is another observed feature in all widely 

 extended sandy beaches, i. e., in course of time for a 

 second or outer bar to form. But even though this were 

 to occur, the glory of our channel feeding ground has de- 

 parted forever! The harbor feeding ground is still left to 

 us on the west side of the flats, but even this is imperiled 

 by the dashing wavelets against our little island, which 

 is now the only barrier against the broad Atlantic, that 

 at no distant day may sweep our islet across the flats and 

 fill the harbor with moving grains of sand. For ages 

 have the brant crossed and re-crossed the great flats to 

 feed in the channel, which but so recently bore upon its 

 bosom the thrifty commerce of Chatham, now an un- 

 sightly barren waste. 



But we have as yet conveyed to the reader no very 

 clear idea of the shooting done this seeson. The first 

 party of seven that visited the club house, killed no brant. 

 The season was backward and cold, the flats much of the 

 time covered by ice, and then the wail that usually goes 

 up from the flats at this early period about high winds 

 and tides carrying away the bars; some stray shot from 

 an outsider scaring the brant and spoiling such a big 

 shot; the east wind keeping the birds off the flats; a boat 

 coming along just at that critical period when great num- 

 bers were about to fall; or some of the other thousand 

 and one complaints that gunners put forth when unsuc- 

 cessful. The second weekly party of eight fared better, 

 killing twenty-three brant. The third party of seven got 

 twenty-nine; fourth party of seven bagged thirty-one; 

 the fifth party of eight got forty-four, and the sixth and 

 last group of seven persons took in only seven brant. 

 There were several hundred of the birds in the bay when 

 we departed on the 2d inst. looking so innocently as 

 much as to say, the next southerly wind will carry us 

 beyond the reach of any breech loader. They never de- 

 coy well on these last days of the flight. They seem to 

 be awfully impressed with the idea that they are late and 

 must hirrry along to catch up, W". Hapgood. 

 Boston, May i. 



OUR MOOSE. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In your issue of March 8 I gave an account of part of 

 my experience while in Maine last fall on a hunting ex- 

 pedition. Among other things I forgot to mention that 

 we found signs of three moose, a cow and two calves, 

 near Pierce Pond ; and I was much interested in seeing 

 where they had browsed the bushes and twigs and pealed 

 the bark off the small trees, also their tracks and large 

 beds in the snow, and the place and surrounding where 

 they had no doubt expected to yard for the winter; and I 

 studied their habits so extensively that I quite naturally 

 called them "our moose;" and as might be expected was 

 quite anxious as to their future, and hopeful that they 

 would be fortunate enough to pull through the long hard 

 winter, and that by next fall I might have a chance to 

 look after them again and see if any of them had horns 

 or not. 



But alas for my hopes. In March I received a letter 

 from my old guide and friend stating that the snow was 

 very deep, and that there had been a great deal of game 

 killed in the winter, and parties were still killing all the 

 moose, caribou and deer they could. He wrote, "The 

 worst of all is, I fear, they have killed 'our moose;' " and 

 he tells a pitiful story of how the creatures were dis- 

 covered and mercilessly killed. They were yarded south 

 of Pierce Pond stream, three-quarters of a mile from the 

 Kennebec Eiver; some boys had been on the hill hunting- 

 gum and fotmd their tracks. On returning in the eve- 

 ning they told a man what they had seen. The next 

 morning the man took an axe and went for them, and 

 soon came in sight of the three moose. They stood and 

 faced him as if paralyzed in the deep snow, because they 

 could not run; but to make sure of all of them he went 

 back and got two other men, and took a fresh start the 

 next morning. On coming to the yard they found that 

 after he left them the day before the moose had started 

 and traveled about seven or eight miles through the deep 

 snow, in a desperate effort to save their lives. But the 

 bloodhounds on snowshoes overtook and killed them all. 

 They sold out the two calves and went home in high glee 

 and full of renown, expecting to return for the cow the 

 next day. On their return they found that three other 

 fellows of like depravity had been there and stolen every 

 pound of meat and also the hide. So there does not even 

 seem to be honor among thieves in that country. 



Black Fox. 



Stronger Primers.— Savannah, Ga., May 10.— Cannot 

 the Winchester people be induced to follow suit and bring 

 out strong primers, as the U. M. C. Co. have done so suc- 

 cessfully? Surely it only needs the mention in your valu- 

 able paper to induce this great and rich company to try 

 and give the shooters what they need.— Captain Jack.' 



Montreal Fish and Game Club.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: The meeting held in Montreal May 2, reported 

 in your issue of the lOtlrinst, as that of the Fish and Game 

 Protection Club, was not a meeting of the Protection 

 Club, but of the Montreal Fish and Game Club. The la I 

 ter is a social club in connection with the club for the 

 protection of fish and game; each club has distinct organ- 

 ization and functions.— W. EE. E. 



Manorville, N. Y., May 12. I was at Eastport yester- 

 day, and heard firing opposite there, and upon inquiry, 

 was informed they were shooting snipe, one party the 

 day before killing 75. ' It is well known that fire-lighting 

 geese and ducks was carried on there all through this 

 spring. Is there any way by which we can have an officer 

 appointed, who will make an effort to stop this detestable 

 work?— C. _ 



YELLOWSTONE PARK PETITION. 



r ITHE lists of signers of the Yellowstone National Park 

 X petition are continued from the last issue, as below: 



IDAHO TERRITORY. 



W.M. Stockton, H. B. Dexter, E. S. Oraster, .Tamos H. Cameron, 

 John D'Malia, J. M. Akin, 0. S. Anderson, B. F. Clark, L. M. Grif- 

 fin, G. B. Rufner, A. M. Smith, William Lawler, H. H. Jiinnv, 

 L. A. Cameron, H. Oanfield, M, Can Held, M. E. Canfield, P. B. 

 Mahan, S. E. Corker, L. Z. Butler, F. W. Garrison, .f, F. Slinkard, 

 C. E. Corker, W. G. Corker, N. A. Morrow, J. H. Morrow. 



ILLllvJOIS. 



Cyrus W. Thompson, Lee Harrison, J. B. Hay, Gust. A. Eber- 

 hardt, A. W. Herr, A. G. Fleischbein, J. 8. Tindalc, .1. M. HamilL 

 A. S. VVilderman, Win. Winkelmaim, F. H. Pieper, Amos Thomp- 

 son, Michael Reis, O. C. Johnson, M. A. Stout, H. C. Doerr, George 

 Reis, Henry Kircher, H. D. Updyke, D. S. Elliott, S. A. Friess, B. 

 M. Hunt. 



IOWA. 



John G. Smith, A. F. Daily, H. Durant, S. 0. Spear, J. PL Gay, 

 W. H. Ingham, J. W, Wadsworth, H. E. Rist, O. E. 1 'aimer, L. F. 

 Robinson, Frank Nkionlin, R. B. Warren, S. D. Drake. G. R. 

 Woodworth, J. W. Henchou, O, E. Heise, D. T. Smith, O. E Mink- 

 en. E. W. Hackman, C. F. Buker, John Liehliter, O. R. Potter, 

 Wm. Johnson, C. C. Kulvn, F. L. Boals, M. N. Boals, A. D. Clark, 

 A. L. Seeley, L. Mausmith, L. Miller, J. G. Rawson, H. Klingel- 

 hooper. M. Warner, J. U. Warren, W. W. Jones, A. E. Kennedy, 

 J. E. Blackford, Jr., R. W. McGetchie, Addison Fisher, J. B. Rob- 

 ison, Thos. Robison, E.L.Johnson, A. A. Call, John A. Winkel, 

 E.P. Burcher, S.J. Hutchinson, H. C. McCoy, M. D., L, A. Sheetz, 

 M. D., Jas. Barr, M. D., H. J. Wasson, A. W. MofTatt, Edwin 

 Blackford, M. Stephens, E. B. Roberts, R. A. Palmer, H.B.Ma- 

 son, Harvy Mathers, N. H. Lamson, S. S. Potter, C. Byson, W. L. 

 Barton. 



Levi S. Keagle, R, B. Durand, W. J. Taylor, D. B. Law- 

 son, Will E. Boggs, N. Hayes, S. A. Masine. W. M. Loree, J. 



C. Pike, Jos. S. Hummer, S. M. Henderson, C. E. Howe, J. C. 

 Haines, F, M. Berry. E. H. Avery, W. O. Ridge, J. W. Keith, C. 

 H. Mason, B. Hill, G. W. Burnham, Jas. Crane, Jas. Dougherty, 

 Homer Holcomh, Geo. Newton, F. J. Valeau, J. A. McDaniel, C. 

 J. White, Marshall Judge. D. B. Morton. R. S. Hags, H. S. Snyder, 

 E. D. Stedman, W. S. Palmer, F. W. Wolfe, Chas. B. Masine, Geo. 

 R. Lawson, W. E. Denman, G. W. Webb. H. Scott, F. C. Davis, 

 W. W. Means, D. G. Carter, A. N. Shacklev, J. W. Barr, W. J. 

 Wallie, Geo. R. Knapp, H. Verharen, E. Carrick, J. D. Crane, W. 

 S. Smack. Elias Traxel, Fred Griffon, A. C. Parsons, A. W. Lee, 

 David McNie, M. Meredith. S. 8. Murphy, W. Frank Wood. George 

 W. Speor, J. A. Spencer, J. R. Braden, C. Nichols, W. A. Quinh, 

 L. A.Ttfitchell, O. C. Offelt, W. P. Morton, J. C. Traer. 



MAINE. 



Calvin Bradford, H. B. Miles, Vincent Moses, Ha B. Gardner, 

 Laroy Miles, G. W. Cooper, J. C. Bradford, H. B. Hersey. A. T. 

 Coburn, John Gardner, Chas. Westcott, C. W. Stephens, F. J. Joy, 

 W. C. Kendall. ^ 



Morrill Sprague, C. M. Sawyer, Wesley H. Judkins, L. J. Page, 

 G. W. Abbott, Arthur Abbott, Amos P. Abbott, Dana Crockett, 

 W. H. Abbott. J. Willis Haines, N. H. Fav, H. S. Dole, II. L.Wood, 

 W. H. Carr, S. B.Thayer, M. F. Herring, Geo. A. Dustin, L. B. 

 Waldron, Levi Bridgham, S. S. Ireland, Nathan F. Roberts, Chas. 



D. Roberts, Thos. H. B. Pierce, J. Willis Crosby, W. H. Dustin, W. 



D. Mudgett, S. M. Leighton. 



F. H. Jordan, Joseph Eastman, Nivon Mehan, C. S. Smith, J. C . 

 Lorimals, Harris Startpole, Wallace E. Mason, S. S. Gury, Har- 

 vey MiUs, C. C. Morton, C. Prince, E. A. Robinson, Wm. J. Sin- 

 ger, A. C. Strout, W. L. Catland, D. P. Rose, D. Henderson, Wm, 

 R. tlodgkins, B. W. Crunce, Sam I. Wbitcomb, G. W. Robinson, 

 Geo. H. Gardiner, Geo. Elliot, C. A. Leighton, Wm. O. Masters. 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



H. M. Gordon. A. M. Tufts, W. A. Pevear, W. H, Beede, G. O, 

 Welch, Warren Tapley, B. F. Est.es, N. J. Downing, Fred C. Felch, 

 Marshall K. Knight, J. S. Estes, N. E. Munroe, W. T. Christian, 



G. L. Woodbury, H. O. Moore, J. D. Atwill, S. H. Bubier, J. E. 

 Da vis, J. Buffington, John Callahan, H. Perrin, Geo. M. Norris, R. 

 Hi Gordon, W. H. Allen, N. J. Symonds, A. W. Larkin, Chas. H. 

 Robinson, J. N. Nelson, Chas. N. Delnow, J. M. Reando, E. H. 

 Haynes, Geo. S. Doyle, A. H. Dolbeare. 



Asa French, J. B. Se wall, James T. Stevens, F. A, Hobart, Caleb 

 Thompson, Noah Torrey, C. H. Hobart, Ansel O. Clark, Beuj. F. 

 Dyer, F. E. Dyer, A. R. Dickinson, Winfrcd A. Torrey, S. L. Jen- 

 kins, N. L. White, T. A. Watson, Henry A. Johnson, Asa T. Pratt, 

 Joshua Wilkins, L. O. Crocker, Francis C. Allen, G. B. Bates. E. 

 C. Bowditch, James Wilson, Albert E. Avery, AJverdo Mason, 

 J. M. Knight, A.A.Ellsworth, John Long, E. A. Belcher, J. F. 

 Bates, Wm. McEwan, N. R. Procter, Thomas B. Vinton, T. C. 

 Faxon, A. C. Drink water. E. W. Clarke, E. C. Holyoke, H. L. 

 Spear, A. L. Merritt, C. G. Flynn, C. A. Belcher, Charles S. Bates, 

 Geo. Wales, Daniel W. Ford, O. L. Gillett, Chas. E. Hill, Wm. W, 

 Mayhew, J. Marcus Arnold, Walter E. Arnold, W. C. Merritt, 

 Allied Southworth, Calvin Thayer, Edward A. Hale, Francis 

 Vint.on, Wm. A. Tupper, W. H. Stevens, Elisha Thaver, Jas. E. 

 Holbrook, R. F. Randall, A. S. Thayer, S. L. Dyer, S. & F. Mans- 

 field, H. F. Packard, C. G. Richards, Solon David, Geo. D. Willis, 

 P. D. Holbrook, Edmund F. Porter, Horace Faxon, Herhert F. 

 Pierce, Charles A. Pitkin. 



D. D. Slade, J. Walter Fowkes, Walter Faxon, N. S. Mabr, 

 Howard Ayers, J. L. Goodale, Chas. B. Davenport, E. L. Kinyon, 



E. L.Mark, Charles R. Lanrnau, A. Agassi?., E. A. P«ase, W. fi. 

 Farlow, W. A. Getchell, W. C. Sturgis. 



MARYLAND, 



John S. Ltirman, J, McMiller, F. O. Weber, J, P. Gerry, John 

 Hubner, George Franse, Wm. E holing. S. K. Crosby, Joseph M. 

 Cone, A. G. Mellor, G. W. Ltirman, C. W. Mason, Theo. G. Lur- 

 man, H, S. McDonald, George Smith, Charles Thomas, Geo. W. 

 Whit, D. II. Metz, II. C. Martin, H. Osbourn, D. K. Smith, R. B. 

 Unger, W. C. Crosby, J. J. Minnick, Noah Coleman. 



MINNESOTA. 



G. M. Alsdurff, N. Silsbe, C. MeKee, J, Nason, W. Nason, N. 

 Whitney, L. A. Kingsbery, C. A. Smart, G. W, Peirce, J. D. Allen, 

 E. Degroff, J. Masfield, F. Perry, W. Harder, 0, II. Rov, W. W. 

 Sweet, A. Morse, F. McKee, F, Bovicr, E. Bieldam, J. trask, E. 

 MeKnight, C. Daily, G. Harden, J, Cahill, Chas. Cotton, L. M. 

 Daily. C. S. Hordeu. W. F. Allen, J. A. Ingals, M. Welloms, Geo. 

 I ta il V, W. K. Porter, H. G. McKee, E. F. McKee, L. Runnestroud, 



H. Chamberlin, W. B. Mitsen, F. L. Henderson, G. Wiiite, Geo. 

 Palmer, Levi Alsdurff, R. Plummer, W. J. Mortz, J. Gossman, T. 



W. P. Munsey, A. H. Hays, S. Jcnnerson, J. R. Bleckmer, J. H. 

 Wergon, F. Butler, A. R. Williams, H. Harden, F. S. Mortz, O. J. 

 Servold, J. R. Jenson, M. Murray, 0. Huntley. 



MISSOURI. 



M. 0. Murdock, John L. Walker, John W. Bryant JR. H. Fesper- 

 man, John L. Featherstun, D. K. Hasseltine, M. F. Dunbar, O. J. 

 Summers, John Jones, J. H. Tobien, I. 8. Walker, Frank Feather- 

 ston, Jim MeGannon, J. E. Sherer, Edwin E. Crebs, W. H 

 Mitchell, W. M. Campbell, W. T. Downs, M. J. Campbell, J. G 



