Oct. 4, 1888.] 



^ORKST AND STREAM. 



208 



" muskrat are all the fur-bearing animals left for him as 

 a source of revenue in the winter. 



The streams of Great Britain suffer from the otter and 

 salmon poacher, the latter having a knowledge of the 

 ways of the otter to make a successful trapper, and it 

 would seem that the price of fur would be a temptation 

 to him to alternate poaching with trapping. The German 

 poacher, if many exist, is not as enterprising and per- 

 sistent as the one bred in the British Isles, and in conse- 

 quence is not as well versed in the ways of the wild ani- 

 mals, and consequently the otter thrives along the salmon 

 streams and invades the ponds of the fisheulturist in such 

 numbers as to be a nuisance. 



Perhaps the reason why otters are so rare in the settled 

 portions of America may be due to the fact that every 

 boy may roam the country with a gun as soon as he is 

 strong enough to carry one, and no living thing escapes 

 if he can kill it. 



The Foot of the Woodduck. — Cold Spring Harbor, 

 N. Y„ Sept. 18. — Editor Forest and Stream: Any man 

 who has held a live woodduck in his hands knows the 

 scratching power of this semi- arboreal bird, and in the 

 young of a few weeks old this power is intensified by the 

 needle-like sharpness of the nails. A bird of a few hours 

 old will climb up a smooth board lOin. high, for I have 

 repeatedly seen it. My breeding boxes are of rough 

 boards, and, from the hole down, are 8 to lOin. deep, and 

 both the woodducks and the mandarins climb out of 

 them. This season I saw them climb the lOin. base board 

 below the wire netting several times, and from what I 

 have seen I doubt the truth of the theory that the old 

 bird brings the young from the nest on her back. My 

 birds climb out and tumble down, but then the boxes are 

 not more than 2ft. from the ground, wMle I have seen 

 wild birds nesting at 20ft. or more. I never saw the wild 

 birds come from the nest, and a man might spend a life- 

 time in the woods and not see it; yet it seems a high fall 

 for a little bird. This is what I started in to say: 1 have 

 seen woodducks rest on a small wire, grasping it and 

 remaining there for some minutes. When I confined my 

 birds by a lath or picket fence they did not often escape, 

 never by climbing it; but last season I divided an inelos- 

 ure with a wire netting in order to separate two flocks, 

 and they walked up it, sat on the top as long as they 

 pleased, and dropped on the other side, visiting as often 

 as pleased them. The wire was No. 19, the top selvage 

 was doubled and twisted, and few would think that a 

 duck's foot could grasp it. A hen cannot stand on it, 

 although my tumbler pigeons do, and in future where T 

 use wire netting to confine woodducks there will be a 

 projecting top-rail.— Fred Mather. 



The Sewell.— Cleveland, Sept. 29.— In Forest and 

 Stream of 27th inst. is an interesting article by Dr. R. 

 W. Shufeldt, a continuation of the "Rodents," in which 

 he remarks that he has not met with a good illustration 

 of the "sewell" or "showel" of the Nesqually Indians. I 

 would refer him to John Keat Lord's "Naturalist in 

 British Columbia," Vol. I., page 34'i. Here he will find 

 an excellent cut of the animal with its suiToundings, also 

 a good description and life history of this rodent. By 

 the way, how few know the charming writings of Mr. 

 Lord, a bosom friend of the late Frank Buckland; both 

 now are studying nature on some other shore. — Dr. E. 

 Sterling. 



§<ime and §uij. 



Antelope and Deer of America. By J. D. Caton. 

 Price $2.50. Wing and Glass Ball Shooting imth the 

 Rifle. By W. C. Bliss. Price 50 cents. Bifle, Rod and 

 Gun in California. By T. 8. Van Dyke. Price $1.50. 

 Shore Birds. Price 50 cents. Woodcraft. By ( -Ness- 

 muk." Price $1. Trajectories of Hunting Riiles. Price 

 50 cents. The Still-Hunter. By T. S. Van Dyke. Price 



WOODCOCK. 



AT this year's early season, about twilight in the even- 

 ing and for an hour or so after, in the open fields, 

 we heard and saw many pairs of this delightful game 

 bird, uttering its lonely cry, resembling in sound the 

 word peek, peek, peek, peek. After calling them four or 

 rive times, we have watched them rise from the ground 

 with a twittering noise of wings, loud and distinctly 

 heard at this still hour of the day or evening, and tinn- 

 ing round and round in a spiral manner, ascend until 

 they are beyond the reach of hearing, when, if you will 

 retain your position motionless for a space of thirty or 

 forty seconds, the bird will be heard in his passage down 

 again with a GhAp, chip, chip, chip, chip cry, and will 



Eresently repeat this spiral ascent in the air and retrace 

 is course to the ground until he alights at nearly the 

 same place from which he took his departure, and thus on. 

 He resumes his plaintive note, peek, peek, peek, peek, 

 peek, at intervals of twenty or thirty seconds, After 

 continuing on the ground about two minutes he again 

 ascends. This loving exercise he keeps up for an hour or 

 two during the early spring evenings, after which he is 

 silent for the night. 



Tn'e birds have thrived well, notwithstanding the past 

 wonderful wet May, and are now at this present writing 

 [June] paying due natural attention to their numerous 

 broods. Methinks I hear a gentle whisper, dear reader, 

 and you ask secretively, where are they to be found? 

 No July murder for you, sir. In nut-brown October we 

 will tell you freely where these cocks of the wood and 

 their broods are to be shot at, and not till then shall living- 

 soul know the deep thicket recess haunts of those noble 

 game birds. 



A few observations on the woodcock and its habits, the 

 choice between the use of cocker spaniels or springers 

 and pointers and setters in his pursuit, may not be unin- 

 teresting to your vast number of young sportsmen. That 

 the woodcock emigrates, or more strictly, migrates, from 

 North to South and vice versa, as the temperature of the 

 season changes, is well understood. 



When they arrive they generally take up their abodes 

 on the sides of knolls or hillocks, from which intersected 

 springs of water issue. The weather at that season being 

 somewhat inclement and attended more or less with frost 

 through the night and early in the dawn, ere the glint of 

 the genial rays of the morning sun warms the day, the 

 small thickets, contiguous to which are living springs 



hat keep open not withstanding the cold, frosty night 

 air, are the favorite resorts of this noble game bird. 



Worms and insects being his food, his feeding ground 

 at this season is on the verge of warm, springy places 

 not bound by frost, 80 as to prevent, his penetrating with 

 his long bill, with which nature has furnished him to 

 search for this species of provender. It has been said, 

 and supposed by many, that this bird subsists by suction. 

 This erroneous idea may have been imbibed from his 

 "borings," as the holes he makes in soft ground are turned, 

 or from the circumstance of no food being found in his 

 crop or intestines when the bird is opened. When the 

 woodcock thrusts his long bill into the ground and thus 

 comes in contact with small worcns or insects, he is en- 

 abled by means of his semi-serrated beak to squeeze the 

 dirt out of his mouth and then swallow his food. 



It is certainly possible that by boring he may lay hold 

 of and draw from the ground, worms and insects, but his 

 general mode of obtaining them and feeding is as fol- 

 lows. Having pierced the ground with his bill and 

 shaken the surrounding earth, all the worms in the im- 

 mediate vicinity make their way to the surface and are 

 immediately swallowed. This 'mode of obtaining food 

 may be exemplified by the effect produced by forcing a 

 stick or spade into the ground and moving it about so as 

 to shake the earth; the worms in the vicinity or within the 

 influence of the motion will quickly appear on the sur- 

 face, manifesting great alarm and" eagerness to escape 

 from danger. This has been a common practice with us 

 when desirous of obtaining worms for angling; instinct, 

 no doubt, teaches the woodcock this mode of procuring 

 food. A writer in the tenth volume of the "Annals of 

 Sporting." in the "Ornithological Helps and Habits of 

 Birds," speaking of the woodcock and the manner in 

 which he obtains his food, says: "The eye is not called 

 into use, for, like the mole, they actually feed beneath 

 the surface, and by the sensibility of the instrument 

 which is thrust in the soft earth, not a, worm can escape 

 that is within reach. The nerves in the bill, as in that 

 of the duck tribe, are numerous, and highly sensible of 

 discrimination by the touch. A woodcock in our men- 

 agerie very soon discovered and drew forth every worm 

 in the ground, which w T as dug up, to enable it to bore; 

 and worms put into a large garden pot, with earth five or 

 six inches deep, are always cleared by them next morn- 

 ing, without one being left. The enormous quantity of 

 worms these birds eat is scarcely creditable; but really it 

 would be the constant labor of one person to procure 

 such food for two or three woodcocks. * * * The 

 woodcock seems to crush the worm to a jelly as it passes 

 up his bill; and either from this circumstance, or from 

 extraordinary powers of digestion, whatever the bird 

 swallows seems to become almost instantaneously that 

 exquisite table delicacy known by the name of 'trail.' 

 If a woodcock be flushed while feeding, in the very act 

 of swallowing a worm, and be shot at a distance of thirty 

 yards from the spot from whence he ran, the worrn will 

 be found changed into a jelly-like substance— the 'trail' 

 we have just mentioned." 



Although a woodcock no doubt feeds in the day time, 

 when his place of shelter furnishes a supply, and is so se- 

 questered as to preclude much chance of being disturbed 

 or discovered while moving about in his search for food, 

 yet the periods more appropriated to this purpose are the 

 evening and the early part of the night, together with the 

 morning and a little before the dawn of day up to day- 

 break. At twilight in the evening he leaves his place of 

 abode and roams over meadows, low soft ground, newly- 

 plowed fields, gardens and grass lawns in search of worms, 

 which at this silent hour come out of their hiding places 

 to partake of the cool air and the refreshing dew of the 

 coming night. It is not supposed he feeds throughout the 

 whole, night; having satisfied himself he retires to rest; 

 but at dawTi of clay is again on the wing, and proceeds in 

 quest of food as early as he can discover it. If the place 

 where he has fed affords him proper shelter he will gen- 

 erally continue there throughout the day, otherwise seek 

 the protection of some cover close at hand. Be this as it 

 may, he always secretes himself before the sun is in full 

 view. 



Having thus written our observations of forty-eight 

 years' experience with the nature and habits of woodcock, 

 a few ideas on the selection and choice of dogs to hunt 

 them will not be out of place at this season. A proper 

 strain and breed for the youthful field sportsman to 

 choose lies with either the pointer, the setter or the 

 sprightly spaniel, cocker or springer, in his pursuit of the 

 secluded woodcock— the hermit of the wood. Hence we 

 will now advance a few thoughts in relation to the pref- 

 erence and choice between the pointer, the setter and 

 the spaniel, sometimes called cocker or springers. When 

 used in woodcock shooting it has been our good fortune 

 through many seasons of hunt pleasure to shoot over all 

 three breeds. We have had springing spaniels of our 

 personal importation, breeding and training, that were— 

 As good 



As e'or brushed through a cover, 

 Or dashed through and hunted a wood. 

 Sefton pointers and English and Irish setters we have 

 bred and broken, and have been in possession of numbers 

 as high-mettled as ever ranged o'er stubble or quail plain, 

 and as staunch as ever came to point; and to the Irish 

 setter a decided preference is due in the pursuit of all 

 different game birds except woodcock. But the question 

 before us, and now in hand, is to which the choice is to be 

 given for woodcock shooting. We will preface our reply 

 to this question with the supposition that all are well 

 broken, of good true breed and under the most perfect 

 command. 



This granted, we confidently and unhesitatingly select 

 the cocker or springing spaniel as undubitably qualified 

 to show and give most sport in close cover hunting. He 

 is more industrious, searching every bush and skunk 

 cabbage, and every hiding place a cock bird would be 

 likely to seek and retreat to. The cocker spaniel's di- 

 minutive size and thick coat of hair combined enable 

 him to crawl through thickets and under briers which 

 neither setter nor pointer well can or will encounter. Be- 

 sides his mode of examining the ground is more minute 

 on his search for game. With his nose down and inces- 

 santly at work, nothing lying within the compass of his 

 beat can well escape his wonderful vigilance. The 

 pointer and setter, whose modes of hunting over cleared 

 open grounds or fields, or. by beating through cover, are 

 similar, travel with longer stride and more rapidity; 

 they depend more on scenting the bird and drawing on 

 him by the aid of then- nose3 than by minute search and 



ferreting their game out. If, therefore, it happens to be 

 a bad or close scent lying day, or the birds withhold that 

 odor which enables the dog to wind the cocks at some 

 distance— a faculty which nature in her wisdom has 

 gifted them with to protect their hunted lives— or if it is 

 sultry, with little air, and the dog becomes overheated, 

 he will be liable to pass the bird, and we have known 

 many run over or passed in this way by first-class point- 

 ers and setters, while spaniels going over the same 

 ground after them found the birds and gave tongue im- 

 mediately to a double shot. 



The sole advantage to be derived from a pointer or set- 

 ter— and that alone constitutes his superior worth and 

 giVes him any preference over others of his species — is 

 the art of pointing game, drawing and stopping without 

 disturbing it when found until the sportsman approaches 

 sufficiently near to avail himself of taking a shot. This 

 stopping and drawing up, or pointing, is seldom required 

 in woodcock shooting, especially in thick cover, then the 

 object being rather to drive the birds out than to wait 

 for a point; the cover being thick, a dog is little seen, 

 and were ho to come to a stand, it would be ten to one 

 that the voice of his master, which is continually em- 

 ployed in encouraging him to force himself through the 

 thicket, would cause him to flush the bird. Thus, that 

 staunchness which constitutes excellence in the open, is 

 really a dra wback when hunting the woodcock. 



There is, besides, something cheering in the eager note 

 of the cocker spaniel, for they ought all to give tongue, 

 not only when they spring a lard, but when they come 

 upon its scent or track where the cock has run or crept 

 a way; this we term questing. When, the dog opens with 

 a kind of eager yelp, something between a yelp and a 

 distinct bark, it is time to place your thumb on the cock 

 of your fowling piece, if a hammer gun, and to be ready, 

 for you may next expect to hear the whirring of the 

 bird on wing and the sprightly spaniel in chorus. 



There is certainly sorneihinu; more exhilarating in the 

 spaniel's merry little voice than in the still monotony of 

 the setter or dumb staunchness of the pointer. 



"My spaniels ne'er babhle, they're under my command. 

 Some range at a distance, and some hand in hand; 

 When a woodcock they flush, or a partridge they spring, 

 With heart-cheering notes how they make the woods ring." 



The spaniel is much easier to teach than either pointer 

 or setter, more especially than the latter, which is apt 

 to be wild, and requires continued practice in the field. 

 But you may be told that this wide ranger is not the kind 

 of pointer or setter calculated for woodcock cover shoot- 

 ing, that he ought to be slow, one that will hunt close to 

 hand and range within gunshot, examining every bush 

 and place of concealment carefully, and will stand for 

 an hour on point to his bird if required. But you miss 

 that beautiful bugle call which we get from the cocker 

 spaniel, notifying us to be ready and look sharp as the 

 cock bird crosses the open and says, "Now's your time, 

 shoot!" Your pointer or setter is as dumb at his post at 

 this important crisis as a sentinel awaiting the coming of 

 the guard relief. We admit one exception, and that was 

 the grand and unmatched Sefton liver and white pointer 

 Milo, the property of Uncle Tom (Mr. Thomas Atwater 

 Jerome, of Locust Valley, L. I., then living in this city 

 at the Astor), who many years ago was shot by a miser- 

 able scamp in New Jersey, when on this fellow's barn- 

 yard dung heap standing a point at quail. This nob! e dog 

 fell a victim to his grand hunting instincts. A slow 

 toddling setter or pointer may do for a silk-stocking War- 

 wickian sportsman, who would not object to an umbrella 

 in the field, or an old "has been" of '83. Our patience 

 would not keep pace with such slow movement. A beat 

 of two hours in warm weather generally takes the hunt 

 out of a dog of this character. How different our little 

 springing spaniels, all life and animation to the very last. 



The close coming October woodcock season reminds 

 me of a hope indulged, if I shall be enabled by its ex- 

 pected arrival, to report the shooting qualities of one of the 

 "100" W. R. Rape new Birmingham exhibition challenge 

 sporting fowling guns, sold at £10 net. None are now to 

 be had as the limit of one hundred was passed upward 

 of a month ago, The gun in all respects is made of the 

 very best material: this good maker of Newcastle-on- 

 Tyne turns out for custom order only. Canonic us. 



North New York, Sept. II", Antietam Day, 1888. 



WHICH IS MOST SAVORY? 



BOSTON, Sept. 28.— Editor Forest and Stream: I have 

 been interested in Dr. Skufelclt's paper in your last 

 issue and in his account of his experience in eating the 

 flesh of the beaver. It brings up an old question often 

 discussed, by me with guides arid sportsmen around 

 camp-fires in the Maine woods, as to what is the most 

 savory meat found in the forest. The upper lip of the 

 moose is generally accorded this honor, and any one who 

 has eaten it when properly treated by a cook will admit 

 its very high claims. For myself, for a long time I 

 thought nothing could surpass caribou steak or the flesh 

 of the same animal rjroperly corned. 



I had, however, heard so much from T. W. Billings, of 

 Brownville, Me., a guide of mine on many a trip, of the 

 excellence of baked beaver that I reserved for it a pos- 

 sible vote in its favor. Billings has been a mighty hunter, 

 having in his day slain hundreds of moose, deer and 

 caribou. As an example of his prowess I will mention 

 that at last accounts his tally of bears numbered seventy- 

 one. Here, therefore, was a man whose opinion ought 

 to be of value, and all the more because his wife has the 

 right knack for cooking game. 



On one of our trips we were fortunate enough to kill a 

 good beaver, about three years old, Billings thought, and 

 weighing 451DS, He has killed them weighing 80, but 

 this one was all I cared to "tote" seven miles, as I did, to 

 our canoe. It was duly stuffed and baked by Mrs. Bill- 

 ings, and I am free to declare that it was a little the most 

 toothsome piece of game I remember to have tasted. I 

 should like to hear from those of the fraternity who have 

 eaten beaver what they think of it. May not age and 

 condition of the animal'liave much to do with its flavor? 

 also, the peculiar trees on the bark of which it has fed? 

 I have often eaten the flesh of the muskrat, and when the 

 animal is young and tender and properly cooked, can pro- 

 nounce it good, though not to be compared with beaver. 



In this particular discussion, if one follows, as to the 

 best meat found in the wilderness, I would exclude, for 

 the time at least, the question of birds and fish. 



Ebeeme. 



