Forest and Stream. 



A Weekly Journal of the Rod and Gun. 



Tkhms, $4 a Year. 10 Ots. a Copy. 1 

 Six Months, $2. ( 



NEW YORK, AUGUST 30, 1888. 



) VOL. XXXI.-No. ft. 



I No. 318 Broadway, New 7ork. 



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CONTENTS. 



Editorial. 



Autumn Anticipatious. 



To Promote Trap-Shooting. 



The Smirch of Politics. 

 Tees Sportsman Totthist. 



The Singing Mouse.-T. 

 Natural History. 



The "Fantail" Deer. 



The Sciuiidee.-n. 



Fresh-Water Mussels. 

 Game Bao and Gun. 



in "Gallc.ger" Days. 



The Story of the White Buffalo 



The Woodehuek Creek Coun- 

 try.-i. 



New England Game. 



The Connecticut Association. 

 Sea and River Fishing. 



Sharks Chew Tobacco. 



M jntmorencyBeaverMeadows 



L: rge Maskihonge in Canada. 



Lake Ed ward. 



The Tragedy of the Tobique. 

 Fishcdeture. 

 The Digestibility of Fish. 



The Kennel. 



The Two Dog Clubs. 



Richmond Dog Show. 



The Fox-Terrier Show. 



Rob Rov Kennels Sale. 



Dog Talk. 



Buffalo Dog Show. 



The Coon's "Whicker." 



Dog and Skunk. 



Kennel Notes. 

 Rifle and Trap Shooting. 



Range and Gallery. 



The Trap. 



Brewer at Home. 

 Canoeing. 



A. C. A. Meet, Lake George. 



A Cruising Race. 



Lake St. John C. C. 

 Yachting. 



Beverly Y. C, Aug. 3 r >. 



Larchmont Y. C. 



The Mackinac Regatta. 



Racing on Lake Mahopac. 



Racing Notes. 

 Answers to Correspondents 



THE SMIRCH OF POLITICS. 



WE have said before and we say again, that when 

 it conies to the question of game protection, 

 politics and wire-pulling should not be allowed to inter- 

 fere. This sounds like a platitude. It would be a plati- 

 tude among honest men. Unfortunately we often have 

 to deal with men who are not thoroughly honest in pro- 

 moting the public service, even in the protection of game 

 and fish. 



There are on the statute books of this State certain laws 

 prescribing the times and the ways in which game and 

 fish may be captured. A force of game and fish pro- 

 tectors are appointed and paid to detect and bring to 

 punishment offenders against these laws. At its last 

 session the Legislature made provision for a chief pro- 

 tector to direct and control the force. Several months 

 have elapsed since this law was enacted, and as yet no 

 chief protector has been appointed. The reason is said 

 to be that the Commissioners of Fisheries are not willing 

 to toady to the political behests of Governor Hill and ap- 

 point a man who will look out for Hill first and for the 

 game and fish last; nor do they dare to appoint a fit man 

 who will perform the duties of the office without regard 

 to wire-pulling and turning political grindstones. So the 

 office remains unfilled and the by no means unimportant 

 interests involved are left to take care of themselves as 

 best they may. 



Now. will any man, without regard to the ticket he may 

 vote, sit down and calmly consider this matter, and tell 

 us if it be not an outrageous shame and a disgrace to a 

 great State like this that the machinery for the enforce- 

 ment of the game laws should be made a part of the 

 machine political. The game in the woods and the fish 

 in the streams are to be sacrificed because they may not 

 be protected by a protector unless that protector be a tool 

 of the Governor. 



The Commissioners express a desire and a determina- 

 tion to keep politics out of the conduct of their affairs. 



Why, then, it may be asked, do they not appoint a chief 

 protector without regard to the demands of Governor 

 Hill? The reason assigned is this: There is a disputed 

 point as to the terms of office of some of the Commis- 

 sioners; it is claimed on the one hand that they shall con- 

 tinue to hold office for life or until they resign; and on 

 the other hand it is claimed that fcheir terms have ex- 

 pired, and that the Governor may at his will remove 

 them. Now, if the Commissioners appoint a chief game 

 protector who is not acceptable to the Governor as a 

 political heeler, they fear that as officials they will be 

 put into a bag and thrown from the palace window into 

 the Bosphorus. So they are holding off until after elec- 

 tion. Next November, then, we may look for the selec- 

 tion of a chief protector. 



The attitude of men in political life toward game pro- 

 tection is not an encouraging one to contemplate. It has 

 been demonstrated in this State that an individual may 

 jack deer out of season and yet be nominated for high 

 office. If such a man were elected, he would be a fool 

 who should expect from him any substantial aid in the 

 task of securing a wise and economic conservation of 

 our wild game and fish resources. 



TO PROMOTE TRAP-SHOOTING. 



UNDER the title of the American Shooting Associa- 

 tion a corporation is forming whose purpose is to 

 promote trap-shooting. Mr. C. W. Dimick, of the United 

 States Cartridge Co. , is the prime mover in the enterprise, 

 and in accordance with his plans the association will be 

 composed wholly of manufacturers. They will support 

 it and it will be under their control. The association 

 will be incorporated under New York laws; the central 

 office will be in this city, and Major John M. Taylor will 

 be the general manager. 



The association will prepare a set of shooting rules 

 which they will endeavor to have adopted throughout 

 the country, so that all records of work at the trap may 

 be made under uniform conditions. The next step will 

 be to classify the trap-shooters of the country. There 

 will be three classes, A, B and C; to one of which a 

 shooter will be assigned according to his recorded 

 score. It is proposed to form State leagues com- 

 posed of various teams, who shall contend in State 

 contests offered by the association, the winning or 

 champion State teams to meet in inter-State or na- 

 tional tournaments. The plans of the promoters are not 

 fully perfected as yet, but in general it may be said that 

 national tournaments engaged in by individuals and 

 teams who shall qualify by preliminary contests will be 

 amain feature. When ready for business the association 

 will come before the public either with a programme of 

 a "big shoot," or with a scheme for State league contests. 



The success of the movement is yet to be determined 

 by actual trial, but it appears to be perfectly feasible, if 

 run on business principles. The prizes will certainly stim- 

 ulate interest in the sport, and the number of shooters 

 will naturally be increased, to the benefit of those who 

 have for sale guns, ammunition and targets. In brief, 

 the manufacturers will broaden their market and sell 

 more goods. 



The capital stock of the Association is $20,000, divided 

 into shares of $50 each. The subscribers, with the shares 

 subscribed for by each, as the List stood Aug. 34, are 

 named below. Some of the subscriptions will be adjusted 

 in conformity with a scale to secure due representation 

 of all interests. 



SUBSCRIBERS TO THE AMERICAN SHOOTING ASSOCIATION. 



Winchester Repeat. Arms Co. 20 

 Union Metallic Cartridge Co. 20 

 United States Cartridge Co . . 10 

 The Atlantic Ammunition Co 18 

 Laflin & Rand Powder Co. . .. 16 

 American Wood Powder Co. 8 



Keystone Target Co 11 



Lef ever Arms Co 10 



L.C.Smith 10 



Chicago Shot Tower Co 10 



Western Arms Cartridge Co. 5 

 The C hamberlin Cartridge Co 5 



The Cleveland Target Co 5 



The Peoria Target Co 8 



The St. Louis Shot Tower Co. 10 



Collier Shot Tower Co 6 



King's G't West'n Powder Co. 10 



The Peters Cartridge Co 5 



Ligowsky Clay-Pigeon Co — 5 



Bailey, Farrell & Co 5 



Merchant's Shot Tower Co — 5 

 Tatham & Bros 10 



Le Roy Shot & Lead Mfg. Co. 10 



Austin Powder Co 10 



The Standard Target Co 5 



The Sportsman's Shot Co 5 



Selby Smelting and Lead Co. 5 



Ithaca Gun Co 



J. W. Sparks 



Cruttenden & Card 



Lockport Target Co 



Hazard Powder Co 



Dupont Powder Co 



Oriental Powder Co 



American Powder Co 



Colt's Fire Arms Co 



Parker Bros 



American Clay-Pigeon Co . . . 4 



Raymond Shot Co 



Jas. Robertson Shot Co 



Remington Arms Co 



Schultze Powder Co 



Cincinnati Shot Co 



AUTUMN ANTICIPATIONS. 

 LORIOUS autumn is at hand. Already we have had 

 ^ days whose crisp air had in it all the tingle of 

 October, days which tempt one afield to tramp with the 

 dogs until he becomes weary, days which bring out all a 

 man's vigor, and call up memories of a hundred autumn 

 outings past. 



Already in the marsh and along the shore some lucky 

 sportsmen have tried their hands at stopping the darting 

 blackbreast, or have sent their leaden hail through the 

 bunches of frightened, gentle willets, as with dangling- 

 legs they hung, uncertain, over the decoys. Already 

 men have been pushed in their cranky skiffs over the 

 rail marsh at high water, have listened to the splashing 

 of the running birds amid the grass and reeds, and then 

 to the cry of "Mark! Mark!" and with light loads have 

 dropped the fluttering sora right and left. Already on 

 the prairies of the West, the young "chickens" have 

 tumbled to the report of the double barrel. 



The days are growing shorter and the air cooler. The 

 first flocks of blue-wing teal are here and a few English 

 snipe will soon make then - appearance. The roar of the 

 ruffed grouse will be heard as he takes wing from before 

 the dog. A month from now we shall begin to look for 

 the first flight of fall woodcock. The autumn shooting- 

 will have fairly opened. 



The autumn shooting! To each man who uses a shot- 

 gun there is magic in these words. To one they call up 

 that golden October time when his puppy worked so 

 superbly on snipe on the wet meadow, and when the 

 birds were plenty enough to keep up the excitement all 

 day long; another looks back to that keen November 

 morning when he first caught two crossing quail as the 

 bevy rose, and then got a third just as they flickered over 

 the hill ; before a third comes up the day when , with chilled 

 body and stiffened fingers, he lay for hours in the blind, 

 and over his ice-laden decoys had such shooting at can 

 vasbacks and redheads as never came to him before or 

 since. 



Nor is the man who uses the rifle without his memor- 

 ies. The cool breezes of autumn stir recollection in his 

 breast as well, and call up before his mental vision camps 

 in forest and by stream or lake, camps on the mountain- 

 side or on the desolate prairie, and for him each camp 

 has its own story. From one he started on his first 

 chase after buffalo, to another he walked in triumph 

 leading his horse packed with his first mountain sheep. 

 Happy memories! Day so full of pleasure can never 

 come back to us older men, who have drunk deep of the 

 cup brimming with the delights of outdoor life. The 

 draught is sweet to us still, but never again can we find 

 in it the delicious flavor that it had when first it touched 

 our lips in the autumn days of long ago. 



Before long the shooters will have scattered out over 

 the land and the lead will be flying. Some of us will 

 kill much, others but little. But what difference does it 

 make? The pleasures of his outing are hardly less to the 

 man who has but barely stained his hands with blood 

 than to him who has bathed in it. It is not what we kill, 

 but how we kill it, that makes life in the open air a de- 

 light, and its memories a lasting blessing to the true 

 sportsman. If he who goes abroad for the autumn's out- 

 ing — whether it be to tramp after the quail, grouse and 

 woodcock, or to lie in the blind for fowl, or to silently 

 track through the forest after the timid deer, or to breast 

 the steeliest mountain sides after bighorn — if he possess 

 the heart which causes him to appreciate Nature's beau- 

 ties, if the contemplation of her works fills his soul with 

 gentler sentiments and with a broader love for all that is 

 good and true and beautiful, his outing has not been 

 wasted. Whether he return with a full bag or with a 

 load that is but light, he is a better man, more fitted to 

 do good to those about him than he was when he started 

 from his home. He has read from Nature's book another 

 great lesson. 



At this stage it is in order to call the roll of anglers: 

 Grover Cleveland. — Gone fishing in the Blue Ridge 

 Mountains. 



Benjamin Harrison. — Gone fishing in Lake Erie. 



Matthew S. Quay. — Been fishing off New Jersey coast 



Warner Miller. — Will go fishing in the Adirondacks. 



Jay Gould. — Gone fishing in the Catskills. 



Charles Stewart Parnell.— Gone shooting in Ireland. 



And a Million More, bright with the glare of notoriety or 

 hid in the gloom of obscurity. — Been fishing, gone fish- 

 ing, or going fishing. 



