July 26 1888. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



SALT-WATER SKETCHES.-I1. 



A MEMORY OP WAR TIMES. 



TN the old days of 1861-65, when the whole southern 

 X coast of these United States was held in the relent- 

 less grasp of a close blockade, those of us who were in 

 the naval service saw and participated in many stirring 

 scenes. It was my fortune to see a good deal of service 

 on the west coast of Florida. It was at that time, and 

 doubtless still is, the paradise of sportsmen, and I look 

 back to many a pleasant hour spent with gun and fish 

 line, and rewarded with rich trophies of game and finny 

 beauties. My most pleasant memories are connected 

 with several months' service in Charlotte Harbor on the 

 southwest coast, a bay at that time abounding in every- 

 thing to delight the sportsman, and yet, at first sight, 

 most disappointing in appearance. This spacious bay 

 is formed by, and is studded with, islands having beauti- 

 ful sand beaches, and densely overgrown with mangrove 

 and other bushes, while here and there the cabbage 

 palm rears its lordly head. The entrance, or to speak 

 correctly, the main entrance (for there are several) is 

 called Boca Grande, and has a depth of about three 

 fathoms in its shallowest parts. Like most of the Florida 

 harbors parallel bars extend about three miles from the 

 shore on each side of the entrance, and at the end of 

 these is a bar connecting them. On first entering this 

 beautiful bay in 1863 the solitude seemed unbroken. Not 

 a house was in sight. The verdure appeared almost 

 uniform in height, and it seemed as if we had been 

 banished frotn civilization, and alas! from markets. The 

 civilization we never found, but my mouth waters yet 

 as I think of the rich and bounteous repasts that nature 

 furnished almost for the asking. The desire of my life 

 since has been to visit that charming spot again" in a 

 yacht, with a few choice spirits, and spend a winter 

 there. Rod and gun would find full employment. I 

 hear that a large hotel has been erected near the harbor 

 since my time, and probably the birds have been hunted 

 away from their haunts, but in 1862-63 and '64 it was 

 superb, and prolific in all that makes sport. 



If I had the able and ready pen of some of your con- 

 tributors I could describe in glowing colors some of our 

 experiences there, but I will try to give, you some idea of 

 its richness in my own way. First, the alligator seemed 

 everywhere. We never left the ship without arms, and 

 frequently we found the huge reptiles sunning them- 

 selves on a sandy beach, or swimming slowly in the 

 lagoons, with only the top of the head visible. I am 

 proud to say that we always gave them a shot when we 

 could, but am eqally sorry to be obliged to say that we 

 never killed one. They were of immense "size, and 

 looked very disagreeable to us amateurs, who had none 

 of us lost any alligator. 



Bruin showed himself frequently on the mainland, and 

 on some of the islands, but I never could find any of our 

 people who had lost any bear, so we never considered it 

 necessary to hunt for him. We had all the " bar meat " 

 and venison, but this was supplied by two or three 

 hunters who lived on islands some distance from the 

 ship, and who were glad to exchange their meat for 

 bread, pork and other supplies from the ship. Oyster 

 beds of great extent were found within a short distance, 

 and splendid single oysters could be had by the shipload 

 for the mere trouble of picking them up. In a small la- 

 goon we found an inexhaustible supply of quahaugs. 

 These were of great size, but very tender and good. The 

 bay was literally alive with fish. Boat-loads of grouper, 

 red-snapper, kingfish and other large salt-water beauties 

 could be caught at any time, and the lovely mullet were 

 innumerable. A schooner came in at one time, and hav- 

 ing been granted permission to fish, her seine was run 

 around a school of mullet, the ends taken ashore, and the 

 seine staked up so that the fish could not jump out. The 

 crew then proceeded to salt down one hundred tons of 

 the fish, gave us all we wanted for a crew of 140 men, 

 and when the seine was taken up it was estimated that 

 about three-quarters of the original catch was released. 

 How is that for a fish story? I am not ambitious, and 

 don't want the belt. The wonderful silver tarpon were 

 plenty. The sturdy jewfish could be had for bait. 



The game kingfish gave great sport, and twice during 

 our stay magnificent ones j umped into our boats and re- 

 mained there. The first one came flying over the stern 

 and struck one of the fishers in the stomach, and doubled 

 him up like a jack-knife. The second instance occurred one 

 calm day. The dingey was lying idly astern of the ship, 

 and Joe, a little darky, one of the wardroom boys, black 

 as charcoal, slid down the painter, and seated himself 

 comfortably in the stern, and put his line over for fish. 

 He was doubtless engaged in a fisherman's revery, every- 

 thing being very still, when an immense kingfish came 

 like an arrow from the water astern, just grazed Joe's 

 head, and fell in the boat. The fish was doubtless 

 stunned, and lay quiet for a few seconds, but how shall I 

 describe the effect on the little darky? His wool seemed 

 to rise from his head. He dropped "his line, rose slowly 

 from his place, with his eyes intently fixed on the fish, 

 and began carefully to make his way toward the bow of 

 the boat. When he arrived there he took a firm hold on 

 the painter ready to shin up, and still keeping his eyes 

 on the fish, remarked in a hushed, awe-stricken voice, 

 " If I had seed dat thing move I'd a gone right out ob 

 dis boat." I think Joe absolutely blushed at the laugh 

 that arose at that time from the observers above. 



The islands each side of the entrance were favorite 

 nesting places for magnificent sea turtles in great num- 

 bers. All that were required for food were taken with 

 ease, and during the laying season a boat was sent 

 ashore every morning with the mess cooks " to market." 

 Supplied with bags and steel ramrods they would thrust 

 the latter into the sand until a nest was found, and just 

 enough eggs were taken for the wants of the day, and 

 no more. These eggs made delicious omelettes, and 

 were not unpleasant when used to make cake. The fine 

 Florida gopher, a little land turtle, considered by some 

 as equal to terrapin, could be found on any of the islands. 

 They dig their holes about three feet into the ground, in 

 a slanting direction, and then run them at right angles 

 to the first on a level. The men soon became very ex- 

 pert at finding the direction of the hole, and could thus 

 tell where to dig to find the gopher. 



Coons were "frequent." They are great lovers of 

 oysters and other shellfish. On moonlight nights they 

 would come out on the beach in search of the delicious 

 morsels so dear to them. The hunters, secreted in the 

 bushe«, woidd rush out and knock them over before they 



could recover from their surprise. T will tell you how 

 two old sailors did it. They asked per mission one bright 

 night to go on shore after coon. The executive officer in- 

 cautiously permitted them to take two rifles with them. 

 Proceeding to the beach they secreted themselves in the 

 bushes a short distance apart and waited. Soon Mr. 

 Coon came out foraging for his supper. Both men 

 rushed for him, each clubbed his musket, both struck at 

 the same time — the muskets came together, and broke 

 both stocks off short, and that coon is now probably tell- 

 ing his grandchildren somewhere in the Florida woods, 

 how to fool sailors. When the two old salts came on 

 board the next morning coonless, and with two broken 

 muskets, they were jeered at; but after that ask either of 

 them " Where's your coon," and a free fight ensued. 

 Baked coon, stuffed and dressed, is good enough for the 

 poor, the rich might not like it. 



But the shooting. I remember some of the birds we 

 used to get. Pink curlew (spoonbill), Spanish curlew, 

 brown curlew, white curlew (with green tips to the 

 wing), oyster plover; these were the common ones. 1 

 wish I could give you the Latin names of all these. It 

 would look very learned, and sound well, but seafaring 

 people don't have time to get posted on all of them. One 

 day I had the rare luck to kill a magnificent scarlet 

 flamingo. Held up by his bill he measured 6ft. 2in. in 

 length. I would like to meet once more the white- 

 chokered individual who persuaded me to give him the 

 wing that I had treasured for my little cabinet at home, 

 saying that he wished to present it to a lady in Washing- 

 ton, whom we all delighted to honor in those days. She 

 never received the wing, and I lost it. I fear that I 

 shall never get another. 



W e occasionally varied our sport by picking up some 

 small blockade runner that was trying" to convey aid and 

 comfort to "our friends the enemy " on the mainland. 

 The small chases with ship or boats were frequently quite 

 exciting, and kept us on the alert. Mess bills were 

 small, for nature was so bountiful that we did not have 

 to buy much from the supply ships that visited us 

 monthly. They brought us fresh beef and ice from the 

 North, as well as our mails, and their coming was quite 

 an event. They always wanted oysters, turtle and 

 gophers, and we always laid in a supply for them when 

 they were expected. One of the hunters had a fine 

 banana plantation, and orange, lemon and lime trees on 

 one of the isla-nds, and nature gave us a profusion of 

 berries in their season. A delicious wild fruit like a 

 plum grew everywhere, and made fine table preserves. 

 The cabbage palm has a fine cabbage in its top, and so 

 our natural market was a grand one. The climate was 

 very healthy, and our sick list very small. 



There is one wild animal, however, that I have not 

 mentioned. It is the Florida mosquito, He is the most 

 utterly depraved insect on the face of the globe. Many 

 times, after a sleepless night in the harbor, we have been 

 forced, in self-defense to get underway, and leave the 

 harbor to get clear of these pests. On going just outside 

 the bar, about three miles from the shore, they would 

 all instantly leave the ship, and return no more until we 

 went inside. They could conquer an army, and for bit- 

 ter, persistent, unremitting work I have never seen their 

 equal. They keep rigidly to their own time of year, 

 however, and when they go the paradise is again sweet. 

 The pelican, with ludicrous dignity, sits on a log, or 

 clumsily dives for his dinner. The cormorant flies 

 swiftly through the air, and tries to pass himself off for a 

 duck. The gentle Seminole from the Everglades comes 

 near to sell deerskins and bead ornaments. The pensive 

 shark, of enormous size, comes hastily to the sur face on 

 the least chance of a bite at something, and the appar- 

 ently still and solitary bay is full of life and variety as 

 soon as its mysteries are unlocked. Chatham. 



BULLS ON THE TEXAS RANGE. — II. 



RECENTLY I wrote you of bulls; but fearing lest the 

 paper should grow too long, some things were left 

 out which are desirable to enlarge on. Thus I wished to 

 call attention to the extremely cautious and sensible way 

 in which the bulls mentioned by me fought. There was 

 no headlong, blind fury, such as we often see when men 

 fall together by the ears, but each behaved coolly, medi- 

 tatively, like veteran strategists, in every movement of 

 attack or defense. Each knew w^ell that if he left out 

 any precaution which common sense or the art of good 

 fighting would demand, he would be surely killed, or be 

 able to escape only by a most precipitous and shameful 

 flight. Each knew that the danger lay in his adversary's 

 horns, and to ward off and lock these was his supreme 

 care. Then came the terrible trials of strength, in which 

 the effort of each was to overwhelm the other. Here also 

 the same careful watching and instant preparation for 

 emergencies were apparent. Each knew how to adjust 

 his strong neck and plant his feet so as to get out of them 

 the best muscle. Though brutes, it was a battle of science, 

 fortifying and sustaining fearful force. Blind fury was 

 dismissed, or completely held in and directed by a delib- 

 erate, cold-blooded art of war. Therefore these creatures 

 are evidently endowed with great sense to meet the de- 

 mands of this case, and their reasoning faculties in this 

 sphere seem nearly perfect. It is human to err and make 

 great blunders, but it seems not much to be so in the case 

 of bulls, in whatever affairs they undertake. Had one 

 succeeded in throwing the other his plan would have been 

 to hurl himself upon him with a great burst of force and 

 plunge his weapons to the hilt into his body before he 

 could recover. And there an end to Mm. 



However, unless the bulls are very angry they do not 

 usually seek to kill their adversary when he is thrown. 

 They are often magnanimous: stepping backward a little, 

 looking with an eye of satisfaction upon the prostrate foe, 

 shaking the head at him, as if saying, "Now, if you have 

 enough, go; if not, behold, my good horns await thee." 

 And the vanquished one is always sensible enough to sur- 

 render the palm to the victor when he knows he is 

 whipped, if permitted to do so, and will continue to 

 acknowledge him as superior during the rest of the sea- 

 son of roaring. Then when he wishes to roar, he will 

 take care that the victor be not near, or if he be near, he 

 will, out of his great respect for Mm, roar very softly. 

 When a bull perceives that his adversary is too much 



for Mm, and that the battle, if continued, must bring him 

 great disaster, he will often, if he be a bull who would 

 rather run than be killed, manifest great terror of mind, 

 but never lose his sense. Thus, he will watch his oppor- 

 tunity and step backward from his adversary, keeping 

 Ms eyes fixed on his. If he now perceives that his adver- 

 sary means miscMef and will not be satisfied except with 

 blood, he breaks out with cries of mingled terror and 

 rage, but mostly of terror; and this because lie knows that 

 should he turn tail, the adversary would plunge on to 

 him and probably disembowel him before he coMd get 

 out of reach. This is the pomt of greatest danger to the 

 vanquished bull. But he continues to step backward 

 cautiously, and when he calculates that he is far enough 

 to have some chance of escape, he suddenly bounds away, 

 tail up and head down, usually with the foe thundering 

 at his heels. It is then a race for dear life, and the van- 

 quished nearly always escapes, as the victor has not so 

 much at stake, and is, therefore, willing to call off after 

 a while. 



It usually happens that when two bulls of the same 

 herd or walk fight a great battle and one is forced to take 

 to his heels, the cows take after Mm and pelt him with 

 blows as he runs. I cannot understand this, unless they 

 have a pride, an esprit du corps, that no bull shall become 

 the sire of their calves except he be a great bull and con- 

 queror. They want the other sort well out of their way. 

 Perhaps they obey a general law which looks to the sur- 

 vival of the fittest. I am told, however, that cows of 

 inferior spirit and of the baser sort do not use this dis- 

 crimination, but are content with any bull who may roar. 



I have noticed the singular pride and care which bulls 

 have of their horns, as a good warrior or sportsman has 

 of his sword or gun. When alone they often plunge them 

 to the hilt in the sandy hills or ravines, repeating the 

 operation several times. Then they move forward to a 

 bush or low tree, which they worry and twist into all man- 

 ner of shapes with their horns, roaring as they do so. 

 The plungmg their horns into sandy earth seems to be 

 with intent to sharpen the points, and the rubbing agamst 

 brush seems to be with mtent to polish them. When 

 they have wrought some time at this business, they start 

 forth hunting a herd, roaring at every step in a very 

 terrible manner, as if full to the brim of 

 war. Persons unacquainted with them would be fright- 

 ened to meet them on such occasions; but I have met 

 perhaps hundreds, and never received anything from 

 them but a most disdainful look at me from their eyes, 

 as if they thought I were too small game to vex about. 

 However, I am free to say that I do not like to meet 

 them unless on horseback. I have sometimes had them 

 stop in theh- march and shake their heads at me in a 

 very impudent way, but only when I chanced to be on 

 foot. Then it is comforting" to have a good tree at hand 

 into which one may climb hastily in ease of emergency. 

 When in their herds, engaged in matters which appear 

 greatly to their satisfaction, they show very little dis- 

 position to be impudent either to the footman or horse- 

 man. Still I do not account them good creatures to go 

 among at any time on foot, unless trees are plentiful and 

 handy. 



The Texas cow-ponies have great terror of bulls when 

 fighting, and it is difficult to spur them on to such 

 scenes. They look on with amazement and trembling, 

 watching every movement of the bulls. Should one 

 make a break to get out of the way, they make a break 

 also; their notion seeming to be that the pursuing bull 

 in his fury will plunge Ms horns mto anything that hap- 

 pens to be in Ms way. Theiefore they think that the 

 safe place is the remote one and act accordingly. 



N. A. T. 



EniAsvrLLE, Texas. 



The Wild Pigeons.— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 noticed in a recent issue that a correspondent wanted to 

 know what has beeome of the wild pigeons once so plen- 

 tiful. It is hard to say whether they have been entirelv 

 annihilated or not. I think your theory published in the 

 next issue of your paper is about correct, viz., the fluc- 

 tuations of the mast supply on which they chiefly exist. 

 This may in a great measure explain their absence in dis- 

 tricts where they were once numerous. Last fall while 

 shooting in the northern part of Victoria county my com- 

 panion had the luck to kill one of these beautiful birds, 

 it being the first one taken in that district for several 

 years, although they may be seen occasionally.— W. C. L. 

 (Toronto, Ont). 



Quail Domestication. — A number of farmers in John- 

 son Lane, Middletown, Conn,, and vicinity are trying the 

 experiment of domesticating quail. Mr. Wellington 

 Johnson, a short time ago, succeeded in hatching a brood 

 of them under a bantam hen from some eggs which he 

 found while working in the fields, and the naturally 

 wild young fowls seem in a fair way to content them- 

 selves to the confines of the farm yard. While engaged 

 in mowing last week Win. Harris uncovered a nest full of 

 the eggs, some of which he placed under a setting hen, 

 and now awaits anxiously the result of his experiment. 



Large Blaok-Tail Deer Antlers. — J. D. Condict, of 

 this city, shot and killed a black-tail buck weighing 350 

 lbs. on the headwaters of the Savery River in Carbon 

 county, Wyoming, in September last. The antlers were 

 in the velvet and measured across the widest spread 

 38iin. He brought on the head and hide, and has the 

 trophy mounted at Orange, N. J. Is not this the largest 

 head on record? The prongs number twenty-two, and 

 are perfect in contour and size on each side. 



t Quail in the City.— New York, July 18,— Some time 

 since a quail flew on to the fanlight of an importing 

 house on Worth street. It proved to be a male bird, and 

 is now in the possession of a friend of mine, and is almost 

 thoroughly domesticated. My friend wants to try the 

 domestication of quail, and if some of your readers can 

 put him in the way of getting a hen bird both he and I 

 would be greatly obliged.— E. K. Lefeingwell. 



The Niagara County Protector.— Lockport, N. Y., 

 July 18.— Mr. Charles Ripson, the newly appointed game 

 constable, resides at Youngstown, Niagara county, and 

 was appointed on the representation of Daniel Miliar, 

 Esq., president of the Niagara County Anglers' Club.— 

 J. L. Davison. 



