Dec. 1, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM, 



377 



SAILING SKIFF "CLIO.' ( 



-Toronto Bav. 



A NEW STEAM YACHT.— Mr. Theodore Durand, builder of 

 the Fedalma, is now at work on a steam yacht at Englis's old 

 yard, Greenpoint. Her dimensions are, length over all, 120ft.; 

 J.w.l., 110ft.; beam, 18ft.; draft, 8ft. The engines will be quadruple 

 compound, four cylinders. J 



SPERANZA. — Mr. H. W. Collender has sold his schooner to Mr. 

 Geo. H. Ketchum, of Toledo, who will use her on Lake Erie. Mr. 

 Collender will probably build from a Burgess design. 



SEAWANHAKA C. Y. C— An amateur musicale will be given 

 at the club house on Dec. 3, at 8:30 P. M. 



(£P™ No Notice Taken of Anonymous Correspondents. 



C. A. T.-We hope to have some of the communications. 



H. C. N., Leavenworth.— The .22-10-45 is the more accurate. 



J. L., Brooklyn.— Write to Mr. Herm. F. Schellhass, of your city 



S. S., East Orange.— We know of no American agency for the 

 gun. 



H. E.M., Melbourne, Quebec— The'puppy is pretty old but he will 

 probably stand the docking without ill results. ' 



E. Y. C, Dunedin, Fla.— Of 15 races sailed in British waters. 

 Thistle won 13 and Ires and Genesta one each. Write to Keuffel 

 & Esser, 127 Fulton street, N. Y. 



J. H., Jersey City.— An old subscriber wants to know the winter 

 fishing resorts on coast of North Carolina, only those where ac- 

 commodations can be had. Ans. Go to Morehead City or Beaufort. 



J. L. B.— The revolvers as loaded with factory ammunition have 

 the recoil you complain of. To remedy the defect load your shells 

 with lighter charges. This is done with advantage by expert 

 gallery shooters. 



G. H. B., Watertown, N. Y.— The subject will have attention on 

 return of our kennel editor. The pedigree is Emperor Fred (Blue 

 Prince— Blue Daisy) out of Countess Belle (Young Bob— bitch from 

 Sir Mathew White Ridley's kennel). 



J. M.— 1- The shrapnel shell is highlv recommended by many 

 who have used it for long-distance shots. 2. We do not vouch 

 for the reliability of the firm, but we have never known any 

 charge against them to show any dereliction on their part. 



H. E. McC, Philadelphia, Pa.— The cruiser in the Forest and 

 Stream of Jan. 21, 1886, has proved quite successful, but the boat 

 lately illustrated has only been tried in the 18ft. size. The 

 smaller boat would, however, answer well for your purpose. 



Cap Lock, Frewsburg, N. Y.— If from the State of New York I 

 go up into Maine in the open season, and kill two or three deer, or 

 a caribou, can I ship any part or all of the same back into New 

 York State by express or otherwise ? I am informed by a resident 

 of the State of Maine that no game is allowed to leave the State. 

 Ans. You cannot. 



Inquirer, New York.— Can you give me information on the fol- 

 lowing points in regard to the keeping of quail in captivity during 

 the winter, preparatory to turning them out in the spring; dimen- 

 sions and plan of coop; temperature and exposure of the same; 

 food and general care. Ans. Keep them in a dry coop, which may 

 have large surface area out should not be high. Be careful to 

 have it dry and thoroughly sheltered from cold rains. The birds 

 will live outdoors if you insure a dry retreat for them. Feed on 

 wheat screenings and buckwheat and give them gravel. 



R.W. M.— I send you two rifle bullets found near Alexandria,Va., 

 on ground occupied during the war by the Northern army. I have 

 heard of bullets containing a deadly poison and think that these 

 formerly did. The cavity, I think, contained a poisonous liquid 

 that was forced out around the sides of the plug when the gun 

 was fired, so that coming even slightly in contact with flesh the 

 wound would likely be fatal. The lower part of the cavity has or 

 had a reddish look as though a liquid had dried and left a sedi- 

 ment. Ans. The cavity was not intended for a poison receptacle. 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



Lee & Shepard, Boston, send us "A Bunch of Violets," gath- 

 ered by Irene E. Jerome, whose drawings have made up former 

 Christmas books put forth by this house. The present work con- 

 sists of a number of flower and landscape drawings, engraved by 

 Geo. T. Andrew, printed on rich paper, folio, and bound in an ex- 

 panse of gilt, the whole inclosed in a box. From the same pub- 

 lishers comes "The Bridal of Triermain," by Sir Walter Scott, 

 illustrated by Percy Macquaid. The plates are albertypes or 

 heliotypes, fourteen in number, depicting the scenes of the stir- 

 ring verse. The figures show careful anatomical work, but there 

 is no life in them, they are manikins posed for the occasion. The 

 volume has been specially prepared for a gift book, and is ele- 

 gantly bound in gilt. Also in gilt covers, nuggets of literature, 

 and rich in illustration and presswork, are the old favorites, each 

 by itself: "Ring Out Wild Bells," "That Glorious Song of Old." 

 "Why Should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud?" "It was the Calm 

 and Silent Night," "The Breaking Waves Dashed High," and 

 "Gray's Elegy." In parchment and gilt is "Faith's Festivals," by 

 Mary Lakeman. It is daintily gotten up and printed with much 

 care and taste (Price SI). "Vocal and Action-Language, Culture 

 and Expression,*' by E. N. Kirby, of Harvard College, is a compre- 

 hensive text book for students of elocution. "Baker's Humorous 

 Speaker" is a series of popular recitations and readings in Yankee 

 and English, Irish, medley and negro dialects. These dialect se- 

 lections are also issued each separately (price 30 cents); and there 

 is also a "Grand Army Speaker," comprising many of the standard 

 patriotic pieces in prose and verse. 



MAN AND OTHER ANIMALS. 



Henry Bensen, of Hayden Hill, Lassen County, has in his 

 possession a petrified salmon. The former fleshy part re- 

 sembles crystalized and variegated quartz, retaining in part 

 the yellowish color of the salmon, and what was formerly 

 the skin of the fish is now a sort of porcelain or white flint. 

 The entire specimen is of the very hardest quartz in texture. 

 It was found on a hillside at about 1,500 ft. altitude from 

 the floor of Big Valley. This would indicate that salmon in- 

 habited the ancient rivers, the beds of which now form strata 

 of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and in which ancient chan- 

 nels lie the richest deposits of California's gold. These an- 

 cient river beds, as is well known, are found at various heights 

 above sea level, and in some places but a few hundred feet 

 below the crest of the range, and perhaps hundreds of feet 

 beneath solid formation of mother earth and running entirely 

 independent of any present surface formation. To determine 

 with certainty that salmon inhabited these ancient rivers 

 would be an interesting fact, as it would fix at a much later 

 date than is now generally supposed the geological period 

 when, by mighty upheaval, these old river courses were 

 changed and obliterated from the face of the earth.— Sacra- 

 mento (Gal.) Record-Union. 



For several days past a rather green-looking drummer has 

 been in Greensboro selling fruit trees, and it occurred to some 

 of the young men of the town that it would be fine fun to 

 take him snipe hunting, so they invited him to go with them 

 last Thursday night. The invitation was readily accepted, 

 and a party of seven of the most dignified and prominent 

 young gentlemen of Greensboro at once organized, and all 

 arrangements for a grand hunt were perfected. At 9 o'clock 

 p. m. the party commenced their journey to one of the most 

 dismal swamps in this immediate section, carrying with 

 them their deluded victim. After a tramp of several miles 

 through thick undergrowth, briers, bogs and fens, the party 

 halted. The drummer was stationed on the verge of a marsh 

 that would compare favorably with the "Lake of the Dismal 

 Swamp." The night air was chilly, the wind sighed and 

 moaned through the majestic forest trees, and the waning 

 moon shed a pale, ghastly light over the scene. The death- 

 like silence was broken only by the dreary croak of the frogs 

 and the occasional cry of a bird that had been disturbed by 



the hunters. It was just such a time and place as one would 

 suppose that creeping serpents, wild cats and leather-winged 

 bats held high carnival. A bag was given to the stranger, 

 with instructions to hold it open while the rest of the party 

 went up the swamp to scare the snipes down for him. But, 

 alas ! alas ! the cruel young men wandered off into the woods 

 towards home, leaving the snipe hunter with the bag to hold. 

 After being absent about two hours, waiting to see what 

 the drummer would do, they set out for town, gloating over 

 the trick that they had played him. Some of the party were 

 sorry for the poor young man in the woods, and would fain 

 have returned for him, but this was voted down, so all hur- 

 ried homeward, anxious to tell the joke. As they came into 

 town they saw a large crowd congregated on the streets, con- 

 sisting of nearly every young man and boy in the city. The 

 hunters thought at once that the crowd had assembled to 

 discuss and laugh over the manner in which the drummer 

 had been fooled.; but they were mistaken, for as they ap- 

 proached and were recognized, a yell w T as sent up that rent 

 the sky. What did it all mean ? Simply this: The trickster 

 had been tricked. The greenhorn knew all about hunting 

 snipe, and as soon as left alone he beat a hasty retreat to 

 town, and told the boys all about the party he had left in the 

 woods. Nothing has created as much amusement in Greens- 

 boro since the war, and the seven original snipe hunters 

 have seen no peace since the last eventful hunt. They say 

 they would not go on another if President Cleveland and 

 Daniel Lamont composed part of the party.— Montgomery 

 (Ala.) Enterprise. 



Otter and Beaver.— Owing to the falling of the lakes of 

 Upper and Lower Klamath the otter is, perhaps, more visi- 

 bly plentiful now than it has been for several years past, and 

 a curious circumstance connected with the otter is its migra- 

 tion from one lake to another over mountainous country. 

 Lower Klamath Lake, which extends far into California, is 

 yearly losing its water, and it is feared that sooner or later 

 Lower Klamath -will run dry. It may be that this apprehen- 

 sion is also shared by the otter, for he is constantly making 

 overland journeys from Lower Klamath Lake to Tule Lake. 

 About two weeks ago a magnificent otter was killed by 

 some cowboys, with their "lasso ropes," fully a mile away 

 from any water. The cowboys declare that the proper way 

 to capture an otter without hurting his skin is for the hunter 

 to put on a huge pair of loose-fitting high boots, stuff the 

 feet and legs with gravel and then wade the stream. The 

 otter is a pugilistic creature, and no sooner does he see a 

 strange pair of legs in the water than he will make a dash 

 for them, seize a leg with his teeth, and will only loosen his 

 hold with death. Though Lost River, in Klamath county, 

 would yield a prolific otter fur harvest to the hunter by this 

 method, I never saw a cowboy daring enough to make the 

 venture, yet I was often present when they were attempting 

 to induce an unwary stranger to make the attempt. The 

 beavers, whose deserted huts and dams can be seen all along 

 Lost River, are yet plentiful, but they do not stand in high 

 repute with the cowboy other than as a target for pistol 

 practice. The prices that the furriers offer for good otter 

 and beaver, however, are ridiculously low, compared to the 

 value that they afterward place upon a dressed hide, large 

 sized otter only fetching §5.50 to $6 and beaver from $6.50 to 

 $8, and the same price is paid for an Alaska beaver as for one 

 from Oregon. The fur of the otter in the winter months is 

 indeed handsome, dark and glossy, with a close, smooth net 

 ting, and, when properly dressed and plucked, makes pretty 

 tippets, muffs apd cuffs, It is not uncommon to see cowboys 

 in that northern country with chaparejos made from otter 

 and beaver fur. The cowboy, however, is not a good furrier 

 and relegates that task to the Indians. The Indians hav 

 however, a good notion of charges, and will not underta 

 to cure a skin under m, no matter how small it may b 

 San Francisco Post, 



