March 3, 1887.] 



109 



tered, .just the size of a .40-cal. ball, while the small 

 cartridge had exploded just beneath the skin, making an 

 opening sufficiently large to receive a man's fist. The 

 vitals were terribly lacerated, being a shapeless mass. 

 On the further side two holes were discovered, each 

 larger than the bullet fired. These were about two 

 inches apart, and doubtless occasioned by rough pieces of 

 load. This is certainly a very effective missile, as shown 

 by the execution it did in this instance, and will doubt- 

 less work as well in the field as in the barnyard. It is 

 also very easily constructed and as safe to carry in a 

 magazine gun "as any cartridge. Next. — Dynamite. 



Introduction of Foreign Eabbits. —Washington, 

 Feb. 20. —The Agricultural Department has received 

 many letters from different parts of the country with 

 reference to the introduction of Australian rabbits into 

 this country. Commissioner Coleman has prepared the 

 following in answer thereto: "For some time past the 

 press of the country has contained paragraphs relating 

 to the expected introduction in the United States of the 

 ' Australian rabbit,' and the gravest fears have been ex- 

 pressed concerning the probable effect of such importa- 

 tion upon our agricultural industries. Hence a few facts 

 concerning this rabbit may prove of interest. In the first 

 place it should be stated that in reality there is no 

 4 Australian ' rabbit, no species being native to that 

 country. The rabbit that has done so much harm in 

 Australia and New Zealand is an introduced species, 

 namely, the common rabbit of Europe (X(?p;/s eunicuhis). 

 Not only did this rabbit become a pest to the gardener 

 and fruit grower, but it soon multiplied to such an extent 

 as to seriously interfere with sheep raising, by destroying 

 the pasturage. In New Zealand the Legislature took the 

 matter in hand in 1876, and began the enactment of a 

 series of stringent laws for the "suppression of the rabbit 

 scourge, la 1883 more than 500,000 acres of sbeep runs 

 bad been abandoned on account of the rabbits, and the 

 loss to the exports of the colony was calculated to be 

 $•2,500,000 per annum: and it was estimated that upward 

 of 180,000,000 of rabbits were killed in New Zealand in 

 little oyer three years. In the United States we certainly 

 have enough rabbits of our own, and the injury they 

 now inflict upon our agricultural industries is by no 

 means insignificant, if any reliance is to be placed upon 

 the complaints of fruit growers in the Mississippi valley 

 and in California. As to the power of an officer of the 

 Government to prevent the introduction of the pest in 

 the United States, I know of no law conferring any such 

 authority. Congress might enact a law conferring upon 

 the Commissioner of Agriculture the power to prevent 

 the landing of any animal, bird, or other pest in any 

 port of the United States that, in his opinion, would be 

 injurious to agriculture, on the same principle that it 

 prevents the introduction of cattle affected with con- 

 tagious diseases. Unless there is premeditated importa- 

 tion by dealers, there would seem to be no occasion for 

 alarm, as this rabbit has, during three centuries of com - 

 munication with Europe, not been introduced or at least 

 has not become established, and there would seem to be 

 still less danger from Australia." 



The Arkansas Game Law. — The Senate bill which in- 

 hibits the exportation of game from the State has passed 

 the House by a vote of 40 to 40. As the bill passed the 

 Senate, fish were included, but the house rejected this. 

 Quite a fight was made against its passage. Many men 

 who oppose the game law do so because the moment the 

 •Opto season begins hundreds of hunters from other States 

 teem in and kill off the game by the wholesale, and ship 

 it away by car loads. It is thought, therefore, that this 

 bill will tend to make the game la w more popular and 

 protect the game more successfully. It appears also that 

 if the game law were changed so as to permit the killing 

 of deer on Aug. 1 there woidd be scarcely any objection 

 to it. Farmers contend that the deer fatten in their fields, 

 but are killed off by sportsmen of leisure, in September, 

 when the farmers are picking cotton. They argue that 

 deer are fat and fine in August and that is really the only 

 month of leisure they have. 



Iowa. — Nelson D. Merrill writing from Creston, Union 

 county, southwestern Iowa, Feb. 22, says : "We have 

 had quite a cold winter and considerable snow, but not 

 as much as last winter. I saw a flock of wild geese going 

 north last night. There are more prairie chickens here 

 this winter than common, as last winter was very dr} r 

 and good for the young chickens; but the last winter, 

 from its great severity, nearly killed off the quail, and I 

 rarely see one now anywhere on my farm or the prairies. 

 — H. W. Merrill. 



THE RABBIT PEST IN VICTORIA. 



C CONSUL-GENERAL MORGAN in a recent report on the 

 I rabbit pest in Victoria says: 



It is doubtful whether many persons are aware of the im- 

 mense loss that has been sustained in this colony through 

 the ravages of the rabbits, but it is an undoubted" fact that 

 as much £24,000 has been expended to clear one estate and 

 keep the pests under, and in many others it has cost owners 

 large sums, from £15,000 downward. In addition to the 

 expense incurred by private owners, shire councils and the 

 government in destroying the pests, the great depreciation 

 m the value of land and its grazing capabilities has to be 

 considered. For instance, the stony rises, consisting of 

 about 20,000 acres, and surrounded by some of the finest 

 grass land in Victoria, has been rendered of little value ex- 

 cept for rabbits, the owners of the land obtaining a small 

 rental from trappsrs, and about 4,000 acres were, some while 

 back, disposed of at the low figure of 10 shillings per acre. 

 In the discussions in the Colonial Parliament on the intro- 

 duction of the late "Malle Pastoral Leases Act," it was 

 clearly pointed out that the country (12,000,000 acres) affected 

 by the bill had been rendered almost useless and uninhabit- 

 able through the damage caused by the ruthless invader 

 Stations on which smiling homesteads, fine orchards, and 

 other improvements had, a few years back, existed were 

 fallen into rain and deserted by all living creatures except 

 the rabbits. Here, where the grass and salt bush in 1875 

 were sufficient for nearly 700,000 sheep, enough did not grow 

 m 1882 for one-seventh of that number, the loss during the 

 past five years being estimated as at least three-quarters of 

 a million sterling, besides £40,000 decrease to government in 

 rents, and £20,000 expended in destroying the pests To 

 illustrate the damage here, I cannot do better than attach 

 the particulars given of a few stations in the above discus- 

 sion: 



Year 1877, Bruin Station carried 36,000 sheep, rental £500; 

 n 18,9, 10,000; run abandoned; relet under grazing license 

 or £58. Wonga and Nipo, once carrying 20,000 sheep, rental, ' 



£400; now not a. sheep on the run, which was also abandoned 

 and relet for £20. Lake Hindmarsh carried, in 1877, 38,000 

 sheep; lost 25,000 in two years; rent £700, now £72. Corong, 

 1877, 30,000 sheep, now 3,000; rent £1,050, now £150; and sev- 

 eral others were mentioned as being in an equally bad posi- 

 tion. 



In the years 1875 and 1876 the production of wool in the 

 Malice country was about 6,000 bales, value £100,000. In 1882 

 this had fallen to 900 bales, worth, say £18,000. Eighteen 

 runs in this district in the year 1878 yielded 1,700 bales; in 

 1882, only 332 bales. The runs were all abandoned and the 

 land held from Government under grazing leases, at an 

 almost nominal rent, by persons who trusted that something 

 would be done to improve the tenure under which the land 

 could be held, and give them an opportunity and sufficient 

 inducement to endeavor by combined action to destroy the 

 rabbit pest, and render the land once more fit for profitable 

 occupation. Whether the lengthened tenure now given to 

 this part of the colony will enable the desired result to be 

 achieved remains to be seen. 



During the past three years the Government has expended 

 about £30,000 m Victoria on the extirpation of the rabbit, the 

 principal means Vised being poison, such as phosphorized 

 OatS and wheat, arsenic mixed with bran and chaff, and bi- 

 sulphide of carbon. The various shire councils in the badly 

 infected districts have also adopted similar means, though 

 in the majority of cases the ra bbit act has not been strictly 

 enforced, many of the shires not being in a position to incur 

 the extra expense necessary to do so. 



in addition to the means above mentioned, the councils 

 have arranged for the purchase of rabbit, skins or ears and 

 Scalps, and have been assisted by the Government to the ex- 

 tent of a bonus of 3d. per dozen on all the skins or ears and 

 scalps purchased by them. From reports published, at various 

 times in the papers, and inquiries made, the number of rab- 

 bits destroyed has been considerable— at least 157,000 dozen, 

 equal to 1,884,000 scalps and ears and skins, being paid for in 

 less than two years, the St. Ann and and Swan Hill shires 

 being the largest purchasers. 



THE WORCESTER FUR COMPANY. 



THE papers have been full of it. The ministers, lawyers, 

 doctors, business men, the ladies, in fact, almost every- 

 body have talked about it. It is over. A pleasant event 

 long to be remembered by those who participated in it. To 

 say that t he hunt was a great success would be drawing it 

 mildly. 



There was, however, an accident early in the day which 

 marred the pleasure, especially until it was found that the 

 wounded man's condition was not likely to prove dangerous. 

 The following is a correct account of the accident: Mr. 

 Samuel Thayer was descending a steep slope when he 

 stepped on ice which was hidden by the snow. His feet 

 slipped from under him and in falling he threw up his arms 

 and lost his grip upon his gun, and went sliding down the 

 slope with the gun following about twenty feet behind him. 

 In some way—just how will never be known — Che gun was 

 discharged and about thirty pellets of No. 1 shot entered the 

 fleshy part of his back near the hip. He was at once re- 

 moved to a farmhouse near by and from there to his home 

 as soon as a carriage could be made ready. His physician 

 arrived soon after he reached home and after a thorough 

 examination pronounced the wound by no means dangerous 

 though probably to be quite painful for some days. Mr. 

 Thayer is about sixty years old, an experienced fox hunter, 

 and exhibited great nerve after the accident, remarking as 

 the team drove away that he "should hunt foxes some more 

 yet." He had two sons in the hunt who did not learn of the 

 accident till several hours after it occurred. 



At the meeting of the Eur Company last Wednesday even- 

 ing, after the final arrangements had been completed, ex- 

 Alderman John R. Thayer remarked, "You won't have a 

 decent day, and you needn't expect it," and so thought the 

 party, for the weather had been rough and windy for two 

 weeks. Sunday night was cloudy and gave promise of a 

 storm, but with the dawn of Monday it was found that 

 about an inch of snow had fallen during the night, with 

 mild weather and no wind. Briefly stated, it was a perfect 

 day for a fox hunt. The meet was at Hey wood Farm, on the 

 edge of Shrewsbury, about four miles 'from the city, and 

 thither the hunters were wending their way soon after 6 

 o'clock. There were fully fifty men and about thirty-five 

 dogs in the party. About a third of the number were not 

 really fox hunters, but came out merely to hear the music 

 and see the sport; among this class were professional men 

 and several prominent business men, who remained the 

 entire day till darkness closed the hunt. The ground chosen 

 consists of three ranges of hills running parallel, each about 

 two miles long, and a direct line struck across the three 

 ranges would be from two to two and a half miles. The one 

 to the west is Bond's Hill, on the north end of which is 

 "Hillside," the beautiful home of the late John B. Gough. 

 The middle range is Sewell's Hill, and the one to the east is 

 known as East Ridge. The latter being highest a man oc- 

 cupying a high point has a lovely view of all these ranges 

 with three pretty lakes and meadow land between. The 

 atmosphere was so clear that men could be plainly seen on 

 the new snow from one hill to the other, a distauce of a mile 

 or more. 



It was thought best to divide the company and the dogs, 

 sending a party on to each range. About 7:30 the first fox 

 was "on his pins" on Bond's Hill, driven by a pack of six 

 dogs; and at 8:30 there were three more being chased by as 

 many packs of hounds on the hills to the eastward. Brother 

 sportsmen, stand with me now on a high point on East Ridge 

 facing west. ' There is just the least bit of a breeze from the 

 northwest. Listen now and hear four packs of hounds at 

 full cry driving four foxes, and if there is blood in your veins 

 it will surely tingle. Look the country over; every high 

 point on land, the barways in the meadows, every probable 

 runway is coverd by an expectant hunter. Hark:! hear the 

 pack on Bond's, away to the north end. Hear that! Bang 

 goes a gun about a half mile north of the Gough mansion. 

 A few minutes later the pack stop barking and soon two men 

 are seen coming down the hill toward the road: they are 

 ping down past us within easy call— Andrew Thayer and 

 'red Sears. "Hello, Andrew, what have you done ? He 

 holds up a splendid large dog fox. "Good enough; first 

 blood for you!" And the happy hunters go on down the 

 road. Hark, now! That pack to the south are swinging 

 toward Sewell's Lake. Look! do vou see that fox going up 

 the lake ? There go the dogs, five' of them; isn't that grand ? 

 It's a sight never to be forgotten. 



Reader, did you ever attempt to describe a fox hunt? Pos- 

 sibly, a hunt with one pack of dogs, or perhaps a hunt where 

 ladies and gentlemen on horseback with a pack of hounds 

 chase a half-tame fox across the open country, but never a 

 hunt like this, for I am satisfied it is the first of the kind on 

 record, and I confess my inability to do the occasion justice. 

 X our correspondent, with a horse and carriage, spent the 

 entire day making the rounds from point to point that he 

 might be able t o give a better idea of the hunt to the readers 

 of FOEEsr axd Stream than he could possibly do if he re- 

 mained on some favorable runway trying to secure a fox. 

 There were many amusing incidents, a few of which I will 

 attempt to relate. 



Mr. Joseph Gross, a wealthy German resident, has taken 

 to shooting and has provided himself with dogs and equip- 

 ments. He joined in the hunt with much enthusiasm and 

 stationed himself on an excellent crossing. It was, how- 

 ever, simply luck, -for as a fox hunter he is an amateur. 

 Driving down the road past his stand I Jound Joseph in , 

 deep trouble, and he insisted on my stopping to hear his 



story. To fully appreciate one should witness the gestures 

 and the excitement of the teller. His dog had failed to "get 

 on" with the pack and he held him by his side. Following 

 is the story, imperfectly given, in Joseph's broken dialect: 

 "Well, now, I hear dem dogs and I see dot fox vite up by dot 

 leetle pine trees. Veil he turns and comes vite. to me. Says 

 1 dot fox ish mine. Veil now I musht let go mine dog to shoot 

 —dot dog he bolt vite for dot fox. Veil dot fox don't come 

 to me some more, he turn right up overder hill! It vos too 

 bad, but I couldn't shoot mine dog. See!" "Yes, Joe, I see, 

 and it was too bad, Good-by," and the writer left him 

 mourning over his ill-luck. 



Mr. R. L. Golbert, last manufacturer, is a bird shooter, but 

 has always t urned up his nose at fox hunting. His superin- 

 tendent, Mr. M. A. Linfield, is, however, a great lover of the 

 sport, and coaxed his employer out with the determination 

 of putting him on the right spot to kill a fox. A pack of 

 dogs were coming toward them and Linfield saw the fox 

 coming right lively. "See him, Robert," says he, in a whis- 

 per, "now give it to him." The fox was passing within easy 

 range, but "Robert was looking away oft toward the dogs*. 

 Linfield was frantic, and seizing Gilbert's arms, pointed the 

 gun toward the fox, "Oh! I see him," said Golbert, but 

 before he could get ready it was too late and he gave him a 

 shot at long range, only to see him run the faster. "Oh 

 dear," said Robert, "I would have given fifteen dollars to 

 have killed that fox," and his stock in fox hunting has gone 

 up several points. 



One more incident was the crowning event of a long and 

 most delightful day's sport, and occurred just before dark- 

 ness closed the entertainment. The hunt had been very ex- 

 citing throughout the entire day, with no time that there 

 was not a fox being driven in the immediate neighborhood 

 of some of the party. Only two had been killed, but eight 

 or nine members had been favored with good shots, and 

 some of them were within easy range, but somehow the 

 shooters failed to connect, ft was near sunset and the fel- 

 lows weie leaving their stands and coming together prepar- 

 atory to going home, and nearly a dozen had gathered on 

 the road under Sewell's Hill, bordering the lake, when Asa 

 R. Jacobs and "Jumbo" and three of Kinney's pack broke 

 in hearing from the south and swung over the "Randall 

 Rocks" west of the lake. Making a sharp turn, the fox 

 broke on to the lake and came down nearly half a mile in 

 full view of the hunters. The men had spread out and the 

 fox must run plumb into the arms of somebody. The dogs 

 were in close pursuit; it was red hot, and the excitement was 

 at the highest pitch. He was a beauty and coming right 

 toward Wm. S. Perry; but now he bears away, and as it is 

 a last chance Will gives him a long range shot. On he fairly 

 flies right into the face of three men who were standing to- 

 gether; three more shots at 20ft. range. On past another 

 (pan, and then another, who give him two more shots at 

 easy range — and the little beauty has run the gauntlet of 

 about a dozen guns and gone on over the hill apparently un- 

 harmed. It was as quiet as a Quaker meeting for perhaps 

 two minutes, no longer. Then the men huddled together 

 and began to sass each other and call each other "pet names." 

 But the scene can never be fittingly described, and I leave it 

 to the imagination of the reader. 



It was fast growing dark and the tired hunters separated 

 to their teams and to their homes. In the evening they be- 

 gan to gather at the rendezvous, which is the store of the 

 writer, and by 7:30 o'clock it was "standing room" only. The 

 men talked oyer the events of the day, and all agreed that 

 the first grand foxhunt of the Worcester Fur Company had 

 been an immense success. It was the first, but I prophesy it 

 will not be the last. E. Spkague Rnowleb, Sec'y. 



Worcester, Mass., Feb. 22. 



HUNTING RIFLES AND BULLETS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The Forest and Stream is a welcome visitor to my household 

 every week. I have long been a lover of the rifle, and "will discard 

 it only when no longer able to "draw a bead." 



You have allotted much space of late to the advocates of the 

 muzzleloader. All that 1 now ask is that you accord to me space, 

 enough in your valuable paper to make a lair and impartial state- 

 ment of the matter, viewing it from mv standpoint. This 1 do 

 with the kindest feeliugs for all parties who have, entered into 

 this discussion; but I do it more in the interest of the voung men 

 of the country not posted in such matters than anything else. 

 Young men who can ill afford to buy more than one rifle, if influ- 

 enced to buy ruuzzleloaders for hunting purposes, will, in nine 

 cases out of ten, be sure to regret it. When t.wel ve years old I was 

 allowed to go to the woods with a rifle, a muzzleloader. That was 

 forty years ago. Since that time I have never been without a 

 rifle. In after years, when the breechloader came into use, I dis- 

 carded the old-fashioned rifle and adopted the new. Mow I say to 

 the young men of the country that there is very little difference 

 between the two kinds as regards accuraev and trajectory, but as 

 regards convenience and rapidity of action, there is the greatest 

 difference, with the advantages all in favor of the breechloader. 

 Mnj. Merrill has labored very hard to prove that he has the best 

 rifle, and that a muzzleloader. Any one who has studied the tra- 

 jectory test of the Forest asd Stream during the fall of I§85' 

 would not buy Maj. Merrill's rifle, or one like it. Shot No, 4, with 

 that rifle, in that test, will condemn any rifle of any make for any 

 purpose whatever. At 25yds. the bullet is 1.170in. above the point 

 blank line. At 50yds. it is l.OSlin. above, and at 75vds. it is the 

 same as at 50. Such a record would kill anv rifle on earth. A good 

 rifleman M ould tell you that he would not have it. But, savs one, 

 this is not a trial of accuracy, bu t of trajectory. Be that as it may, 

 by that single shot No. 4, this Major Merrill muzzleloader has 

 shown to riflemen that it is not accurate. If a man tells four 

 truths and one lie in five trials, no oue would he willing to trust 

 him afterward . So i t is with the Major's rifle. 



The Major seems to have a particular/ spite against the little 

 Remington-Hepburn .32 breechloader, which was also in that test. 

 Now I ask the Major to point out a single shot by that little arm 

 that was not perfectly natural. That rifle made a splendid record. 

 I ask the young men of tbe country to study this trajectory test 

 before buying rifles. It is the surest guide to' go bv that I know of. 

 It shows which rifles are accurate, and which are not. 



The Major says his rifle beat all the breechloaders as regards 

 trajectory. Not a single American breechloader in that trial used 

 Curtis & Harvey No. 6, imported powder. The two muzzleloaders 

 were the only rifles that used it. Well, I cannot saw what the 

 Merrill rifle would do at a distance of over SOOvds., as it was not 

 tried over that distance, and I can say that its record for trajectorv 

 lias been beaten by a breechloader of much less weight, less 

 powder and more bullet. As will he seen, the Romer rifle 

 weighed over 141bs., and used over 130grs. of Curtis & Harvey's 

 No. 6 powder, and a bullet weighing 267grs., being as one of 

 powder to aoout two of lead, its trajectory height was 6.309in. 



At a test near Bozenian, Montana, during the spring of 1885, 

 there was tested a Sharp's breechloading rifle, weighing 9£glbs., 

 using Curtis & Harvey's No. 6 powder, 113grs., with a bullet 

 weighing 270grs., and the trajectory height was 6.130in. over 

 ~00yds. Here we see a breechloader of much less weight, using 

 less powder and more hall, beating the Romer muzzleloader, the 

 great muzzleloader in favor of which so much has been said. 



Now I trust the friends of the muzzleloader will not ascribe this 

 deteat to the difference in climate, for at that very place some 

 other rifles were tested that were tested at the Forest and 

 Stream trials, and the trajectory in Montana was about as high 

 as at New York. For instance, the Winchester .45-75-350 was 

 tested at both places, and in Mew York the trajectory was 11.979in. 

 a nd in Montaua 11.820in. 



But Major Merrill says that the muzzleloader was tried when 

 the wind was blowing eighteen miles an hour, and when the little 

 Remiugton-Hephurn was tried it blew only seven miles an hour, 

 and claims a disadvantage to the muzzleloader on that account. 

 Now the truth of the matteris, that when the muzzleloader was 

 tried the wind was blowing from the five o'clock quarter, going 

 almost in a direct line with the bullet and was, therefore, a great 

 help instead of a hindrance. Not so with the Remington- 

 Hepburn. The wind was only blowing seven miles an hour it is 

 true, but it was blowing from the ten o'clock quarter, which was 

 almost square against the bullet, and therefore a great di sad van- 

 b]S e - , T!l f Remington used one grain of Hazard powder to three 

 of lead, while the Merrill used one? grain of Curtis & Harvey's No. 

 imported powder to 2.13 grains of lead. 



xtJ^7 er a v tlle circ nmstanc65, 1 say that the Remington .32 beat 

 the Merrill in tftat trial, as regards trajectory; and as regards 



