46 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Aug. 8, 1889. 



IOWA GAME NOTES. 



M ANSON, Iowa, July 30.— The season here has been 

 all that could be desired for game birds to breed. 

 Prairie chickens were never more abundant since the 

 country has been settled. Fine broods three-quarters 

 grown are to be found in every field, and frequently a 

 brood is seen that are very small. Contrary to law the 

 guns can be heard from the city limits every evening and 

 morning, and it is a wonder so many reach maturity. A 

 person driving along any of the much traveled roads is 

 almost sure to flush several flocks. How long the abund- 

 ant supply lasts depends altogether on the future observ- 

 ance of the game laws. 



Last winter I did not notice a single quail, although 

 driving most every day. "When spring came the quail re- 

 turned and can be seen and heard every day. I have 

 noticed probably forty pairs, but have seen no young ac- 

 companying any of them, which leads me to believe they 

 did not breed or have not brought forth their broods yet. 



A few Canadian geese still breed here, and the nest is 

 usually placed on a muskrat house in a large slough. 

 Very few of the young reach maturity, as the nests are 

 closely watched and the eggs taken or the young cap- 

 tured toon after hatching. There are numbers of them 

 domesticated among the farmers. They breed among 

 themselves or usually mate with the tame geese. The 

 few young that grow up wild are almost always killed 

 by the hunters in August. A few red-headed ducks 

 remain here during the hummer and must breed. Mal- 

 lards and bluewing teal are now accompanied by fine 

 broods of young, and they are already being killed for 

 the table. They breed more abundantly than any of our 

 waterfowl, and while young fall an easy prey to the 

 small boy and army musket, 



The sickle bill curlew, avocet and do w bird are most 

 extinct here, and will soon be numbered with the good 

 things that were. Jacksnipe are still to be found in 

 large numbers, especially in the fall. The upland plover 

 is not near as plenty as it used to be. Not being very 

 hard to approach, they too fall an easy prey to the gun- 

 ner. Golden plover are probably more abundant in 

 spring on the burnt prairies than any other of the small 

 game. Thousands are kdled annually and stored in the 

 ice houses at Laurens and other points. Men from the 

 Eastern cities come here every spring and hire all the 

 gunners they can get; some are paid by the day and am- 

 munition furnished, while others furnish their own 

 ammunition and receive ten cent3 apiece for all black- 

 bellied and upland plover, clow birds, curlew and jack- 

 snipe. A man at Pocahontas Center using a Spencer re- 

 peating shotgun told me he usually killed from 50 to 125 

 plover a day through the season. These birds are all 

 stored and carried over for the fall and winter trade. 

 We have had and still have excellent wildfowl shooting, 

 about which more anon. H. A. K. 



A Word About Market Hunters.— St. Joseph, Mo., 

 July 29.— Have just returned from a trip through part of 

 "Sunny Kansas." Chickens seem to be quite plenty. 

 Last Saturday I saw at one of the leading hotels in Kan- 

 sas City a party of men whom, from certain ear-marks, I 

 "sized up' as Eastern "sportsmen" (?) They were sup 

 plied with guns and the usual baggage, and were seek- 

 ing information relative to the westbound Santa Fe 

 trains. About Sept. 15 I shall look for a glowing account 

 of "a recent shooting trip in Kansas," also the customary 

 "cussing" of the "market hunters" in the columns of our 

 sporting publications. I am acquainted with . several 

 men who shoot for the market, and after many years 

 spent in such company in rush "blinds" and "btubble," 

 lam impelled to the belief that their success depends on 

 their intimate knowledge of the habits of the game they 

 seek, and their dexterity with the gun, and not on the 

 pot-hunting and untimely murder of half-fledged birds. 

 In fact, I have never seen a market hunter shoot at a 

 sitting bird, and I honestly believe that the greater part 

 of the game killed in close season or by pot shots at rest- 

 ing coveys can be justly charged to those who make the 

 most ado about the market hunter. No one regrets more 

 than I the steady diminution of our game supply; though 

 I have never been and am not now a market hunter, I 

 should like to see stringent game laws rigorously en- 

 forced. We need a national law making spring shooting 

 a criminal offense. We also need a deal less twaddle 

 about market hunters. — Hoodoo, 



Missouri. — Alexandria, July 31. — Last winter having 

 been unusually mild, quail are very numerous and are 

 successiul in raising their young, despite the r. gularity 

 and frequency of rains. While mowing along a rail 

 fence during the second week in June, I discovered two 

 nests of the quail, which were the only ones I have found 

 for years. In both cases the birds were absent, and my 

 curiosity caused me lo investigate the number of eggs. 

 The first nest was lined with a layer of eggs reaching 

 two-thirds of the way to the top, thus affording a sure 

 and easy numbering of the egg*, which amounted to 

 fifteen. * The second nest was an object of wonder to me, 

 for I have never seen tiie equal. It was about 5in. acros, 

 and very deep, and such a pile of pretty white eggs. 1 

 wanted to know their number, but how could I take the 

 centus of Bob White's home when 1 know he is so very 

 caieful about bis premises? The eggs were piled about 

 three layers in depth, and it was a puzzling undertaking, 

 yet by careful counting and recount I ascertained that 

 the nest contained twenty-two eggs. Passing by the 

 nest frequently, I always found the lady quail quietly 

 sitting on her eggs, never being uneasy at my close 

 presence. Like the American eagle on our silver dollar, 

 the cjuail had to spread itself to cover such a large num- 

 ber of crystals which promised to develop a flock of lively 

 little Bob Whites within a few days. As early as June 

 20 I saw a fine flock of young quail which were large 

 enough to fly.— Jasper Blinks. 



Game Birds of Vancouver Island.— The prospects 

 for the September shooting near Esquimalt are very 

 bright. A gentleman estimated the number of grouse 

 that lie saw m one day's stroll through the woods at 150 

 brace. Blue grouse abound on the hills and willow 

 grouse in the swamps. The mountain quail and the val- 

 ley quail, introduced from California, have multiplied 

 enormously. We have recent information from Nanai- 

 mo to the effect that golden pheasants, brought over from 

 China and protected for several years, have increased 

 greatly and afford rare sport. 



Whatcom, Washington, July 13.— Several cougars have 

 been killed in the last four weeks. Black bears are 

 often met with and several have been captured Ruffed 

 grouse are promising to be numerous. I have the prom- 

 ise of a fine specimen of a four-pronged spotted b\ick, 

 when the proper season shall return ; spots about as large 

 as a quarter-dollar. There are several yet of that kind of 

 white and spotted deer upon some of the islands of 

 Puget's Souna, but they are getting scarce.— J. Y. C. 



Mexican Game.— San Luis Potosi, Mexico, Julv 24.— 

 We have had capital dove shooting for a week or two. 

 They bred somewhere in the mountains, I suppose, and 

 suddenly appeared in the plains hereabout m great num- 

 bers. _ A kind of wood pigeon with a white spot on his 

 wing is abundant in some places also, and gives excellent 

 shooting. Jack rabbits and cottontails there are for those 

 who want them. Have not been to the quail cover as 

 yet, supposing them too small.— Aztec. 



TENNESSEE GAME LAW. 



An Act to be entitled an Act for the better protection of 

 game in this State. 



Section 1. Be it, enacted by the General Assembly of the State 

 of Tennessee, that it shall be aDd is hereby declared unla .vful for 

 any pei son to bttnt, kill, or tiap deer for profit in the State of 

 Tennessee; provided, however, Tnat all citizeus of Tennessee be 

 allowed to hunt, or kill or capture deer for their own consump- 

 tion from the first day of August to the first dav of January of 

 each year; and provided further, that, all citizms of Tennessee 

 may kill or capture deer for profit on his own land, but not else- 

 where, from the first day of August to the first day of January of 

 each year. 



Sec. 2. Be it further enactpd that it shall be and is hereby un- 

 lawful for any person to hunt, kill, net, trap or capture quail or 

 partridges for profit in the State of Tennessee; provided that am' 

 citizen of this State may hunt, kill, trap or capture quail or par- 

 tridges; for profit on his own land, but not elsewhere, nor at any 

 other season of the year than from the first day of November to 

 March the first of each year within the time linrted; provided 

 that it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to net par- 

 tridges or quail at any season of the year. 



Sec 8. Be it further enacted that any person violating the pro- 

 visions of t#gs act shall be fined for the first offense not less thin 

 five nor more Chan twenty-five dollars, and for e-ich subsequent 

 offense not less tnan twenty-five nor more than fifty dollars and 

 imprisonment, at ttie discretion of the Court, not exceeding three 

 months. 



Sec. 4. Be it further enacted that the constables and justices of 

 the peace of each county oe game wardens to prosecute violators 

 against the provisions of this bllL 



Sec. P. Be it further enacted that grand juries shall have in- 

 quisitorial powers of all violations of this act. And the Circut 

 and Criminal Judges snail give the same in charge to the grand 

 juries, and the killing, hunting or capturing in acj wise the game 

 protected by this act. 



Sec. 6. Be it further enacted that the following counties are 

 hereby exempted from the provis-iot s of this act: Ca rroll, Btntou, 

 Henderson, White, Cuinb rland, Van Buren. Smith, Cannon, 

 Dyer, Cocke, Sullivan, Unicoi, Grundy, Sevier, Fentress, Lincoln, 

 Putnam, Pickett, Johnson, Carter, Franklin, Humphreys, Hick- 

 man, Lauderdale, Crockett. Lewis. Perrv, Decatur, Green, Grain- 

 ger, Hawkins, Jackson, Polk, Warren, Knhertsm. James, Meigs, 

 Rhea. Weakly, Hardin, Mc hairy, Campbell. Union, Bledsoe. Se- 

 quatchie, Overton, Claiborne. Chester, Marion, Williamson, Mat- 

 shall, Morgan, Bedford, Moore, Lawrence, Wavne, Macon, Clay, 

 Gibson. 



Approved April 3, 1889. 



$amp-jtfir* tglickqings. 



"That reminds me." 

 270. 



A FRIEND of mine, John D., tells me a joke which he 

 has kept to himself for a year or more past. He 

 was sitting in his boat among the weeds and rushes 

 along the margin of a small lake about four miles from 

 here, patiently waiting for the ducks to come in. He had 

 sat until late in the afternoon without a shot, when sud- 

 denly he noticed a flock of about forty mallards come 

 down from the north and drop into the water close in 

 shore, some 200yds. down the lake, and behind a point of 

 flags and tall weeds which extended into the lake. Lay- 

 ing his gun down in the bottom of the boat, he dropped 

 on his knees and commenced poling carefully down the 

 shore, the water being about 18in. deep, with a foot of 

 mud at the bottom. 



After going a short distance the gun nnder his knees 

 in the bottom of the boat began to bother him, so he 

 picked it up, and carefully deposited it behind him with- 

 out looking around. In due time he worked up to the 

 point of flags behind which the mallards had alighted. 

 Cautiously pulling aside some weeds, he discovered the 

 whole flock bunched together in a little cove, not over 

 30yds. distant. ''Great Scott!" thought John, "here is 

 what I have been looking for all these years, a pot-shot 

 at mallards." Pushing his pole into the mud and holding 

 on with his left hand, he began to feel behind him with 

 his right for the gun. Somehow he didn't just seem to 

 fetch it, and after a little nervous fumbling he turned his 

 head to locate it. Horror of horror! the gun was gone. 

 John says his feelings at this juncture may be imagined 

 to some extent, but can never, never be described. The 

 discovery so surprised him that he made a miss-move of 

 some kind and away went the ducks. Upon slowly re- 

 tracing his way toward the point of starting, he iound 

 the gun with about 4tn. of the muzzle sticking out of the 

 water just where he had carefully stuck the butt in the 

 mud when he put the gun behind him. John always 

 looks now where he lays things, but the visions of that 

 flock of mallards haunts him to this day. C. 



271. 



On a pleasant summer's day in one of the 80*, two well- 

 known gentlemen of Attleboro, Mass., who were enjoy- 

 ing a short vacation at the summer resort called Menau- 

 hant, located on the south shore of Cape Cod, were taking 

 a sail in a small catboat, on an inland bay known as the 

 Eel Pond. One of the gentlemen had bee-n endeavoring 

 to work the boat to windward with but little success, so 

 that the other took control, but with the result that in a 

 few minutes he had capsized the boat. After having 

 clung to the boat and yelled themselves hoarse, a fisher- 

 man bore down toward them and called to them to throw 

 him their painter. Then the least frightened of the two 

 answered back; 



"We haven't any painter with us. We are only two 

 Attleboro jewelers." 



* During the remainder of their stay in that vicinity 

 watch chains and cuff buttons were freely distributed by 

 them. Zenas. 



CAMPING ON THE SUSQUEHANNA. 



AT the close of a successful day's fishing in the sum- 

 mer of 1887, on that part of the Susquehanna in! 

 Wyoming county, Pa., locally known as the "Neck," 

 where the grand old stream sweeps around the projecting 

 mountain that obstructs its way and flows five miles to 

 gain one in its onward course to the bay, Sharpe and I 

 mutually agreed that when the rolling year ayain brought 

 the vacation season aiound, there we would pitch our: 

 tent and spend a week in the way so dear to evei y lover of 

 camp bfe. And so it came to be talked of whenever we 

 met, with all details arranged; and Aug". 13 was finally 

 fixed upon as the day of departure. But during the 

 night of the 12th the long-protracted drouth was bioken 

 by such a fall of rain as I have seldom known. Roads, 

 were washed until almost impassable, fields gullied and 

 disfigured, every rivulet turned to a boiling, seething tor- 

 rent, and the river became awe-inspiring in the powerful 

 onward rushing of its boisterous waters. Storm follow ed 

 storm at short intervals, which, with the consequent high 

 water, kept us at home until Sept. 3, when a start was 

 made. My team took me with my boat and camp kit to 

 tne river at Meshoppen, where I launched the boat, and 

 the current, with but little asf-^tance irom the oars, scon 

 carried me over the three miles to the rambling little vil- 

 lage of tvlehoopany, where I expected to fina Sharpe 

 awaiting me. But it was not until the next day that, 

 with duffle packed aboard, we were at last off in the boat! 

 The river had risen several inches during the night, which 

 argued ill for good fishing. A few strokes of the oara 

 shot the boat out into the current, and we floated gently 

 away to our destination. We ran through tome rough 

 water at the old dam, but our buoyant little boat carried 

 us safely through, and soon we shot through Horse Race 

 Rapids and glided out upon the stretch of placid water 

 that was to be our fishing ground. 



The gleam of a white tent among the trees and smoke 

 rising skyward showed that others, like ourselves, had 

 been drawn here by the many attractions of the place. 

 After a careful exploration of both banks, a favorable 

 site was selected, and our boats quickly unloaded. Here 

 the "grub box" came to the from; and our hunger satis- 

 fied, we turned our attention to camp building. Draw- 

 ing my little "Nessmuk," the white chips were soon fly- 

 ing, the shelter cloth stretched and the sides thickly- 

 woven with leafy branches. Crossing to the mountains 

 opposite I climbed the almost perpendicular ascent and 

 cut from its rocky hold a bushy topped hemlock that, 

 falling, rolled to the water's edge. The blanches were 

 lopped off, piled into the boat and transported to camp,, 

 where, at our leisure, we stripped them of their brouse,. 

 the finest of which went into two sacks to form pillows, 

 the remainder making our bed at least a foot deep, elastic, 

 fragrant and inviting to sound and restful sleep. Over it 

 our blankets were spread. Water was brought from the 

 spring near at hand. In front the fire was built; and the 

 kettle suspended from the long pole was soon boiling; 

 the coffee simmered on the coals at one side: and the 

 pictme was complete. At supper the potatoes were of 

 the whitest, and the boiled ears of corn were swreter 

 even than those we so well renu mber "on mother's table," 

 while the aroma of the coffee filled the camp. 



Then followed the horn of lounging and story-telling 

 so dear to all who go to the woods and streams for relax- 

 ation and rest. As the twilight deepens the fire burns 

 brighter, the wreaths of white smoke drift out of the 

 circle of light, and sparks fly up among the trees over- 

 head. The fire shines directly into camp, and coupled 

 with the fatigues of the day soon produces drowsiness: 

 and replenishing the fire we turn in for the night. 

 Sharpe's heavy, regular breathing soon tells he sleeps 

 soundly, but I lie awake for some time listening to the 

 many voices of the night— the wind as it soltly rustles 

 the leaves of the oak, hickoiy and birch that overspread 

 the camp, and my thoughts fly away back among the hills 

 of the Susquehanna, and I think of the little fellow I left 

 there, and how his eyes would thine with wandering 

 delight, and what a frolic we would have about the fire 

 were he but here to-night. A few more years and I will 

 tike him with me and teach him lessons in woodcraft, 

 and by intimate associations fill his young heart full of 

 admiration and love for all the wondrous and beautiful 

 works of nature. A heart thus filled is strongly fortified 

 against the many corrupting influences he must meet in 

 the years to come; and although he may spend hours 

 with rod and gun that might be otherwise usefully em- 

 ployed, who will say that such time is wasted. My 

 reverie at last ends in oblivious sleep, and the next of 

 which I am conscious Sharpe rolls over and nestles closer,, 

 the night being somewhat chill, and the fire having' 

 burned low. I rise, »eplenit.h tiie fire and go out from 

 the shadow of the trees upon the river bank. The night 

 is clear and still. Numberless stars s partite overhead. 

 The tall pines on the mountain's crest— sentinels stand- 

 ing guard on the world below — are dimly outlined against 

 the sky. The waters of the river are obscured by a heavy 

 Curtain of fog. Tne roar of the rapids comes i'aintly to 

 my ear. Peace broods over all. 



It was late when we opened our eyes next morning. 

 The sun was shining brightly, and a squirrel, perched in 

 the hickory in front of thecmip, was earnestly coughing 

 and scolding in wonderment at ihe scene below. After our 

 meal, rods were jointed, leaders put to soak, and we were 

 ready to try the fishing. The water had fallen several 

 inches during the night and our hopes rose correspond- 

 ingly. After fishing till nearly noon we returned to 

 camp with twelve bass towing behind the boat. Nothing 

 remarkable as to number or size . y et we wer e satisfi ed . No 

 large ones were taken and no big ones got away, for the 

 reason, perhaps, that none were hooked. Sharpe dressed 

 the fish while I kindled the fir e and got the potatoes and 

 coffee on to boil ; and any one who had seen the pile of 

 bass I fried would have thought the camp contained at 

 least half a dozen hungry men. We were in no such 

 haste to begin the fishing of the afternoon as we had felt 

 in the morning, but went about it xeisurely and caught a 

 fair string that were placed in a box in the water to be 

 drawn upon as occasion required. 



Supper over, we paid a visit to the camp we had 

 noticed among the trees on the picnic grounds at the 

 foot of the island. The parly consisted of four, three of 

 Elrnira and one of Laceyville, all of the hardware trade. 

 As we approached the vicinity the camp was enveloped 



